Blog Archive

Contemplating the messiness of Christian life

The Messy Jesus Business Blog is an ecumenical Christian gathering of musings about what it means to live the Gospel today. A variety of contributors offer prayer, poetry, book reviews, creative nonfiction and prose about what it means to live a life of faith in our complex, modern times.

  • Vincent J. Miller: The Grind of Hope In a Crisis

    Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadEpisode 68 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of the Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh, FSPA, talks with Vincent J. Miller, the Gudorf Chair of Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of…

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  • Casting away demons

    Through the work of prison ministry, I read letter after letter from men in prison who describe encounters with the devil and evil spirits, haunting and taunting them. Behind the walls of prisons, demons are something known and feared.  These men have been made out to be enemies of the state, bearers of evil that…

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  • closeup-image-man-long hair-mustache-sunset

    Whose side are you on in this war, Jesus?

    Whose side are you on, Jesus? I ask, as he sits down across from me. I have been reading the latest news about Israel and Palestine, trying to avoid the pictures.  Haven’t you seen any of the interviews I’ve given this week?, he retorts, wincing visibly. I immediately feel bad. Usually Jesus appreciates my sense…

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  • sepia-tone-illustration-behemoth

    Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee

    I have a love-hate relationship with the book of Job. I hate that God lets the devil test Job. I hate that not only Job’s animals but also his children are horribly killed, and it’s somehow okay because God gives him new ones. (If you haven’t had a chance to watch Season 2 of Good…

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  • Father Greg Boyle: Staying with the God of Love

    Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadPodcast: Play in new window | Download Episode 65 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Email | RSS | More IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Fr. Greg Boyle, director of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, CA. They discuss Fr. Greg’s journey…

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  • Silhouette of two people sitting on folding chairs beside a tree and a pink sunset

    Adult friendship and Gospel living

    The radio buzzed in the background when a friendly voice, coming through the airwaves, caught my attention. I paused, briefly, to listen before I turned off the car and rushed to my next appointment, learning that the friendly voice belonged to a children’s songwriter. She said, “This song is about making friends. It’s also a…

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  • Chicago state seal and Boeing protest sign reading "Boeing sowing seeds of war" and featuring a hand-drawn picture of a bomb

    Resisting violence in our skies and museums

    On a bright Sunday afternoon last month, my friend Ashley and I went to an “anti-militarist field day” outside the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It was organized by a group of recent college grads and was part of the Boeing Arms Genocide campaign. My desire to learn about anti-war efforts like these…

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  • screenshot of hand-written letter

    A long journey to healing, justice

    Having slid in a few minutes late, I sat in the last row of the courtroom. I had only been in a courtroom one other time since my husband’s immigration court appearance. Neither were particularly positive experiences. Court proceedings are dry, confusing and surreal. Jargon and formalities make it feel like a scene in a…

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  • people picnicking in a part with grass, trees, water and city skyline

    Hoverboards, driving lessons, friendships and the common good

    The sun was setting as we wrapped up a delicious meal at a local park with some new family friends. A couple of the youngest daughters from the Ahmed family walked slowly by the side of my daughter, JoyAna, on her first attempt at riding a hoverboard. JoyAna’s body was shaking, her knees bent, as…

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