James Hug

The parable of the fig tree carries an important message. God is looking for fruitfulness from us in responding to this world that is so in need of love, healing and renewal. In coming to us, does God find fruit? 

NCR Today: Lent is a time to reflect on our lives and reevaluate our relationship with God. It is a time to look at it again to see if it is where we want it to be or if growth and enrichment are possible.

NCR Today: In the Jan. 27 passage from the first letter to the Corinthians, we have the extended metaphor of the many parts of the body of Christ. We all have different gifts, skills, opportunities, graces and roles. Whatever each of them is, they all are meant to be put into action together in these times to bring good news to the poor.

As election day approaches, we are flooded with rhetoric about the exceptionalism of the U.S. among the nations of the world. This narrative is a fable that glosses over the original sins at the foundation of our country as we know it today.

As the 2018 liturgical Season of Creation ends, we all must carry forward the inspiration, growth in spiritual energies and global collaboration that the season has nurtured in a renewed commitment.

The World Day of Prayer for Creation, celebrated Sept. 1 by Christians around the world, once again marked the opening of the annual ecumenical liturgical season that continues until the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4. 

On Aug. 1, the planet reached Earth Overshoot Day — the point when people have exhausted the year's worth of renewable resouces — at the earliest point since measurements began in 1987. 

Christian churches around the world celebrate Pentecost, the feast of the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the launch of the Christian mission. I am afraid, however, that through the centuries, Christian churches have too often softened and domesticated our understanding of the Spirit. A lovely, tame Spirit we too often imagine Her to be, the gentle Dove of Peace.

Tens of thousands of students across the U.S. have again walked out of their schools in a coordinated effort to demand an end to gun violence.  This protest takes place on the 19^th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting.

NCR Today: The young, ecumenical Christian elders, and the interfaith community all are moving to draw our nation back to basic shared religious values of truth, justice, love and respect.

NCR Today: The Holy Spirit has a new organizing tool. The hashtag. The power of hashtags to convene, coordinate and encourage responses to evil and injustice in our society makes them a promising new instrument in the work of faith-inspired justice.

When we take seriously the invitation to rivers and streams, fish and fauna to praise and glorify God with us, we also face the full damage that we do when we abuse creation.