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By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever considered the difference between charity and generosity? Does giving to others make you feel good? When you drop a few coins in The Salvation Army bucket at Christmas, or donate a little to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital, do you take...

By DOMENIC POLI

Today, women make up about 47% of the American workforce, but 100 years ago, that figure hovered around 20%. The norm of the day was for a woman to stay home, supporting her husband and raising children. And the tradition held a grip on society for...

By THE REV. LINDARHINEHART NEAS

The poet Dorothy Frances Gurney wrote “The kiss of the sun for pardon, / The song of the birds for mirth, / One is nearer God’s heart in a garden / Than anywhere else on Earth.” When my mother read me this poem for the first time, I asked her why...

By THE REV. HEATHER BLAIS

Our faith is like a garden, and we are the gardeners. I once read that to be a great gardener, we might take classes or read books about gardening, nurture our soil, pay attention, visit other gardens, plant seeds and take chances. This same advice...

By BRETT SHERWOOD

If you belong to a church in any capacity, you’re already prepared for tomorrow. The most pastel of your Sunday finest are ironed and laid out and your children’s baskets wait by the door, not to be forgotten in the mad dash to worship. Tomorrow is...

By MARY BYRNE

GREENFIELD — In a society “loath to talk about death,” one group is hoping to create an environment where others feel safe to do so. “We fear what we don’t know and then we ‘other’ it and we demonize it,” said Greenfield resident Becca King, an...

By ROBERT PECK

The formation of the United States of America was based on what is known as the rule of law to guard us from tyranny and to promote peace and safety for all its citizens. Our forefathers were faced with the challenge of finding laws that would be...

By THE REV. LIZA KNAPP

I missed church last Sunday.That’s unusual for a pastor. But I was sick on Sunday morning, and as I write this on Tuesday morning, I still am. It could be COVID or just a nasty cold; either way, I hope and expect to be better soon. But meanwhile, I’m...

By THE REV. CANDI ASHENDEN

Well, here we are beginning our Lenten journey. This is the holy time that begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until sundown on Maundy Thursday.In scripture, we are told that this is the time after Jesus’ baptism when Jesus went off into the...

By ALLEN COMSTOCK

This is certainly a time when something is ending and something is beginning. It’s easier to see what’s ending than what’s beginning. How you see what’s ending probably depends on where and when you began.My first memory was V-J Day (the day on which...

By GURUJIMA

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’Emma Lazarus poem - Statue of Liberty pedestal,...

By RABBI ANDREA COHEN KIENER

Yes, it’s cold and grey and snowy. It’s February! The cruelest month. But more and more, slowly, slowly, we are beginning to register that the sun is rising earlier and riding higher in the sky. Sunset is holding on a few minutes later each and every...

By JAN FLASKA

The joy of football – global, that is, not American – found its spiritual home in Qatar for one month this winter. Few celebratory storylines were as gripping as Morocco’s run to the semifinals. When that former French colony stood on the pitch facing...

By JANET KEYES

In 2022 our church had two special funerals for deceased members.First there was Tom. I did not know Tom very well, but my husband knew him as a high school classmate, and later as a customer and friend of ours. Tom was a lifelong bachelor in his...

By BRETT REITENBACH

From Dec. 23 to 27, parts of Buffalo, New York, received a stunning 50 inches of snow along with wind gusts of at least 70 mph. One didn’t have to travel too many miles away from there to see drastically smaller accumulations due to the localized...

By THE REV. FATHER ROBERT M. KOERBER

“On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother; and they knelt down and paid Him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11) The final piece of the story of...

By DOMENIC POLI

NORTHFIELD — At least 300 people donned their Sunday best as Bishop William Byrne, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, visited Thomas Aquinas College on Monday for the rededication of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel.The bishop...

By PASTOR DENNIS JACOB

Prayer is talking to God, which is simple to do outwardly, but as taught by Jesus, can be personally challenging inwardly. Prayer is held up in scripture as the first vital work of the believer. Yet astoundingly, prayer is the most neglected work in...

By PASTOR DENNIS JACOB

(Each Saturday, a faith leader in Franklin County offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com)The Hebrew word “kaphar” in the Old Testament Bible is translated into English as “atonement” and...

By PASTOR BRETT REITENBACH

(Each Saturday, a faith leader in Franklin County offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com) The subject of water-baptism is handled differently among various churches and religions. These...