March 15, 2023

Ides of March or March Madness for today’s ADD? Picking sport over Shakespeare. That’s because 1 out of every 4 Americans puts a wager on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tourney. I doubt 1 out of every 4 Americans would recognize “Beware the Ides of March” (March 15th) as a quote from the Bard’s tragedy, Julius Caesar.

I finished my bracket and then got so uptight I had to delete it. How can I not root for (by that I mean pray for) the Hoos to go all the way like they did in 2019? But is that really a smart pick? And, you might ask, what possible relevance is this self-indulgent “devotion” to you?  None, really. Except for this: when life wraps you around the axle, you need other people to pray for you. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

“Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Prayers of the People – BCP)