Posts by Deborah van Kroonenburg
Fine Pearls
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.’ Many people gathered at the lakeside when Jesus spoke of wheat and weeds and the Kingdom of God which would grow like a…
Read MoreMary
The Bride: A young woman waits in her father’s house. Every day is long until the cool night comes at last, every night is a forever as she waits for the dawn to come. ‘How long?’ She sighs. ‘How long until he comes?’ And she sings softly: ‘Let me see your face, let me hear…
Read MoreThe Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
A People Who Wait: I sat beneath the vine this morning and cried out from the depths of my heart to the Lord. We are used to waiting, but in these times, I felt more than ever as though our people have grown weary of waiting. How long Lord? How long will you turn aside…
Read MoreTell My Brother to Divide the Family Inheritance with Me
It was a wound that would not heal. I always knew that my father preferred my brother to me. I worked hard to win his favor and stayed close to help him, but my brother was always the one he wanted to see and when he returned from whatever venture had taken him from home,…
Read MoreFollow Me
‘Follow me’ He only spoke two words to me. He had never cursed me, as others did, when he saw me sitting at the tax collector’s booth. And he had passed me there often, without a word. I had seen him walking by with his disciples. I knew I was not even worthy of his…
Read MoreLike a Landowner
I was always the last one in the queue. It did not matter- when I was a child, I had an older sister who would defend me if the boys teased me because I could not walk as well as they could and could not run without falling over. When everyone raced across the field,…
Read MoreSheep Without a Shepherd
We were dizzy with exhaustion and exhilaration when we gathered together again with the Lord. This was our first taste of the authority which lay naturally on the shoulders of our Master but which we had not received ourselves, until now. We had done what Jesus said and we had gone out to the people…
Read MoreTreasure: Reflection on Mathew 6:19-23
Treasure, a story of loss and resilience in Jesus I was very young when my father died. I remember the sound of the mourners, with their long wails of abject grief. There were so many people in the house that day and my mother was the most distraught of all of them. I did not…
Read MoreThe Greatest
There was always rivalry between my brother and me. It made me sad to hurt him, but it had become a habit by the time we were grown men. Perhaps I was alone for too long. There was a point in my childhood when it seemed to me that my mother had become distant. She…
Read MoreThe Good Shepherd
I am a shepherd, and I am not part of the company of men. When I go to the marketplace, I know people look away from my stained feet and rough sandals. The smell of the sheep is always on me, and my hands are cracked like dry leather. I live in the outside, beyond…
Read More