Which Participant Are We in Holy Week

Re-living the Passion

“I saw the spot Our Lady met thee, carrying thy cross. She swooned and fell. I saw where thou didst wash the dusty feet of those who, when the soldiers came to haul thee off to death, took to their well-washed heels. With a candle in my hand, I climbed the hill on which they nailed thee to a tree, thy tender flesh so rent and torn it was more full of wounds than ever was a dovehouse full of holes. In a round-shaped church of stone where knights kept vigil, I saw thy Holy Sepulchre itself, the very shelf they set thy body on.”—Frederick Buechner in Godric.

St. Mark’s Little Rock

We are approaching one of the most sacred times in the Christian calendar, called Holy Week. To prepare for this period, our tradition recommends the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. Today, I share a rough draft of my confession about the highs and lows of my relationship with God, viewed through the lens of the Stations of the Cross.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Memphis

Today, on Palm Sunday, we walk, and we read the Passion Gospel in Matthew; on Good Friday, we will hear the Passion Gospel in John.

I see myself as one of the many characters in this incredible story across all the gospel accounts. Join me and see if you have a role to play as well. I’ve been Judas, betraying Jesus for politics and money. Yet, at the same time, I’ve had the privilege of preparing Christ’s supper for over twenty-five years. Jesus has washed my feet.

I have sung hymns with him on the way to the mountaintops. I have publicly declared Jesus as my God in front of large crowds. I have prayed with Christ and fallen asleep, either literally or by losing awareness of the present moment. I have figuratively cut off ears defending him in my zeal. 

I have been Nicodemus, secretly visiting him at night and speaking up for him in a way that kept me safe. I have given false testimony against him by turning my plan into his plan. I have been Peter and denied my God more than three times. I have spat on him and mocked him through my actions. 

I have been Pilate’s wife, receiving dreams telling me God is among us.

 I have been Pilate and washed my hands of situations when I should have spoken out for what I knew in my heart was wrong.

I have been Barabbas, the freed criminal, and did not have to face the consequences of my sins. I have been privileged to see the face of God in many others who are in pain. I have perhaps been Simon of Cyrene, carrying another’s cross for a brief time. I have been among the women who followed Jesus from Galilee, helplessly watching his crucifixion from a distance. I have been the thief on the cross, crying out for God’s mercy in my distress. I have also been the other thief on the cross, still trying to tell God what He should do to ease my pain. 

I have been the centurion at Jesus’ death, finally recognizing God in the lives of so many, only after they have died. I have been Joseph of Arimathea, and found a resting place for Jesus.

I have been one of the women with spices at the empty tomb, still searching for God. I have been Mary Magdalene in the garden, looking for God without recognizing Him. 

This is an invitation to walk this Holy Week journey again together. I hear there is a surprise ending.

We will never forget the Holy Weeks of previous years. This week, we have another opportunity to walk with God and many others like never before. We pray for those injured in Arkansas, especially during the tornadoes that occurred in recent Holy Weeks.

Joanna. joannaseibert.com   https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Love is the Key to Healing

Love in the Key to Healing

Guest writers Sally and Steve Harms

Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.”—Mark 9:17-19

This recent lesson from Mark in the Daily Lectionary recounts the miraculous healing of a demon-possessed boy (Mark 9:14–29). While the passage vividly describes the boy’s dire condition, it does not specify whether the boy or his father was entitled to Jesus’s attention. Healing was not just an incidental part of Jesus’s ministry; it was one of its main features. Although the disciples had previously been involved in healing, they failed in this particular case (Mark 9:18). It’s important to note that they tried despite their lack of ability.

The boy’s father approached Jesus with a conditional request: “If you can…” Jesus responded, “What do you mean, ‘If you can’? Anything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23). This does not mean we automatically receive whatever we want. Instead, it highlights that nothing is beyond God’s power.

The father then offered one of the most heartfelt prayers in Scripture: “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive; they exist together within us. The father brings his imperfect and trembling faith to Christ, and Christ responds. Jesus does not require perfect faith to heal the boy.

The Christian journey is marked by a continual ebb and flow between moments of victory and struggles. Illness is one of the valleys we all eventually face. Christianity is not a way to escape our imperfections; instead, it embraces and meets us in them. Prayer becomes more than just a ritual — it turns into a lifeline that sustains us.

In the Book of Exodus, after years of slavery, the Israelites cried out to God. Scripture states that God “was concerned about them” (Exodus 2:25). However, instead of offering immediate comfort, God’s response was to call upon a hesitant Moses to help deliver them from slavery. The Bible is full of examples where God provides the tools for ordinary yet imperfect people to accomplish extraordinary things. Prayer gives us the strength to keep trying despite the odds (Psalm 33, 108, 109).

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul teaches us what ultimately endures: “Faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” Love is not just an emotion; it is a transformed character. It includes patience with difficult people, kindness without expecting anything in return, and humility without seeking recognition. Love reflects God's very nature and is the tool He gives us to accomplish great things.

Health is essential to human flourishing, yet it is fragile. Throughout history, Christians have seen healthcare as an act of love in action. In the early and mid-20th century, religious groups were the main providers of hospital care in many communities, especially for immigrants and those in need. Although government involvement has grown and systems have merged, about one in five U.S. hospitals still have a religious affiliation. Still, there are significant gaps in care and chances to show love for others. Working to restore health to many has been an honor, but we found that the most meaningful actions by medical staff are often those for which they are not paid. It’s vital to find opportunities to meet individual needs beyond just medical treatment.

I remember a young woman who came in with a breast mass that turned out to be a very aggressive cancer. When I looked into her eyes, I didn’t see an immigrant who had only recently arrived in the country, lacking resources and unable to speak the language. Instead, I saw someone like my own daughter, who, instead of building her future, would be fighting for her life. The issue was the need itself, not whether she was entitled to care. The real obstacle was a system built to block her access at every turn to the care she so desperately needed. Love, hope, and the kindness of colleagues and the community united to do what seemed impossible: providing her complete treatment, including a targeted, lifesaving drug that many Western countries prohibit because of its high cost. 

Healing, prayer, and love are interconnected. Jesus heals not only to restore bodies but also to reveal the heart of God. Prayer teaches us dependence, while love imbues healing with its true meaning.

In our valleys—whether they be illness, doubt, or failure—we can pray like the father in today’s readings: “I believe; help my unbelief.” And in receiving grace, we are called to extend it—through love that heals in whatever way God allows.

From Mourning Reflections from St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Saturday, March 21, 2026

Please join us in praying for our daughter, her husband, and their family. They are giving up some of the daily comforts we take for granted to share God’s healing love in Central Asia with some of the poorest and most oppressed people in the world. Please pray for their patients who are struggling following the loss of USAID funding.

Steve and Sally Harms

Joanna seibert.org

Feast Day of the Annunciation

Feast Day of the Annunciation

john collier

“Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Then the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38

       We are nearing the end of Lent, with Holy Week approaching, but yesterday, March 25, we took a short break to celebrate the feast of the Annunciation to Mary, when she became a God-bearer. We hear the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary, "Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!" 

What is it like to see an angel? Would we, too, be confused, like Mary? Do we see angels but not recognize them? What does Gabriel look like? 

Imagine an angel appearing to us as we sit here reading this message. Can we tell if it’s a man or a woman? Are they dressed in white, blue, or pink? Do they have wings? Do they bring us a flower? Is the voice loud or soft? Is there music? Imagine being called by God's messenger, told that we are the favored ones, and that God is with us.                                            

"Greetings, Edie, Sam, Sally, Henry, Michael, Amanda, Linda, Mark, Vickie,  favored one, the Lord is with you! God has called you to a special mission. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Nothing will be impossible with God. A new life will be born within you."

fra angelico. florence

All of creation holds its breath, waiting for our answer. What is our response? I am too old, too young for a new life. I am a man. I cannot have something born within me. The age of miracles is over. How can something new be born in me? The space inside me is not a pure and holy place for the birth of the sacred.

Gabriel's message is alive and meant for each of us this Lent, not just for the historical Mary from so many years ago. It is for you and me.  

The angel Gabriel appears to each of us individually, asking whether we will accept God being born within us through the Holy Spirit. We each have that chance, daily, hourly, and especially during this Lenten season. The miracle is still happening. The gift is offered this afternoon. We only need to be open to receive it. We are all favored by our Lord, just as Mary was. He is with us as he was with Mary. We are given the same opportunity for new birth within us that she was.

My prayer for this Lent and the upcoming Holy Week is that each of us will answer the call like Mary does, saying, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." May these words be on our lips and in our hearts daily, as God sends his messenger to reveal his presence within each of us. May we also stay attentive to the voice of another angel at the empty tomb, who will soon announce that Christ, this new life within us, has now risen from the dead.

 The birth announcement has been made and heard.

Feel a new birth kicking within us.

Joanna joannaseibert.com