Works of Mercy as a Way of Life: A Reflection for the Feast of Dorothy Day By +Brian Ernest Brown, CWC Today the Church remembers Dorothy Day, journalist, mystic, troublemaker, penitent, prophet. And for those of us in the Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ, this feast day is…
Christianity
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The Whole Earth Is Local: A Reflection for the Holiday Season
The Whole Earth Is Local: A Reflection for the Holiday Season By +Brian Ernest Brown, CWC Every year around this time, I begin to see and hear the familiar refrain: “Shop local.” And I understand the heart behind it, people want to support small businesses, help their neighbors, strengthen their…
Christianity
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A Thanksgiving Day Reflection
A Thanksgiving Day Reflection+Brian Ernest Brown, CWC Thanksgiving has always been a quiet teacher for me. It slows my hurried spirit and invites me to look, really look, at the world around me, not just with appreciation, but with honesty. Gratitude, I’ve learned, isn’t simply naming blessings; it is also…
Coworkers of Christ
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My Profession Is My Work, My Vocation Is My Calling: A Reflection on Being a Worker Priest
My Profession Is My Work, My Vocation Is My Calling: A Reflection on Being a Worker PriestBy +Brian Ernest Brown, CWC I have been clergy for more than twenty-five years, and in all those years I have also been something else: a worker clergy. A bi-vocational servant. A man who…
Christianity
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Religion, Relationship, and Being Spiritual: A Reflection
Religion, Relationship, and Being Spiritual: A Reflection By Abbot Bishop Brian Ernest Brown, CWC I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I’m not religious. I’m spiritual.” Every time, a little voice in the back of my mind whispers, I’m not sure you know what you mean…
Christianity
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Why I Am a Christian: Probably Not for the Reasons You Think
Why I Am a Christian: Probably Not for the Reasons You ThinkBy Abbot-Bishop Brian Ernest Brown, CWC I am a Christian, but not for the reasons many would assume. I am not a Christian because I was raised in a religious home. I wasn’t. My family claimed the word Baptist,…
Christianity
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Stone Remembers
“Stone Remembers”By +Brian Ernest Brown Stone rememberswhat our hearts forget—that holiness is carved slowly,stroke by stroke,in the long patience of God. Figures etched in quiet reliefstand witnessto every dawn that breaksupon this wall. Saints, angels, and seekers—their supple presence,blessing the roomwithout a sound. And the light—oh, the light—falls like a…
Christianity
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Two Wings of the Same Bird
Two Wings of the Same Bird: The Wisdom of Conservatism, Liberalism, and the Danger of Retributive PoliticsBy +Brian Ernest Brown There is an old metaphor that says a nation needs two wings to fly. Not one. Not one pretending to be two. But two wings, strong, balanced, countering and complementing…
Christianity
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The Common Good and the Politics of Neighborliness
The Common Good and the Politics of Neighborliness “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mark 12:31By +Brian Ernest Brown There are certain teachings of Jesus that are so familiar, so oft-quoted, that we forget how radical they really are. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” is one…
Writing
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Writing for the Love of Writing
A Writer from the Beginning I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. My love affair with words began in elementary school, when most kids were dreaming about recess or lunch and I was dreaming about stories. I can still picture myself, small, quiet, and eager, leaning…