16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 12: 13, 16-19
2. Psalms 85: 5-6, 9-10, 15-16
3. Romans 8: 26-27
4. Matthew 13: 1-24-43

• The God of second chances
• Addictions of any sort have a ripple effect.  It's not just the addict who suffers, its all of the people that they love and who love them who suffer betrayal after betrayal as the addict tries over and over again to reform their life.  Any sin that we fall into habitually, in spite of the manifest harm that it does to ourselves and others, can be treated as an addiction.
• Have you ever had an addict in your life?
• How did you cope with that?
• Who/what was the biggest influence in their life towards recovery?
• Is their recovery through?
• How will you know? 

•  God's trust in us?
• When we repent of a sin, there is an expectation that we will not fall into/fall for that temptation the next time.  But what if we do?
• How many times can we fall into the same sin before God concludes that we are not being authentic in our repentance?
• How many times can we fall into the same sine before we stop trusting ourselves?
• What then? 

• Knowing what we ought to pray for
• Sometimes, the biggest challenge is to know what to ask God for.  It's always important to be specific in our prayers.  Otherwise, we won't know whether God answered our prayers or not.  If we're not specific, we'll never know whether God is calling us to pray in a different way.
• Have you ever felt a need so strongly that you were unsure what God wanted to give you?
• How did you pray at that moment?
• Over time, did your prayer change any?
• What difference did that make for you in your heart as your prayer evolved? 

• Spreading the word
• Spreading the Good News an happen even if we are unconscious of it going on in our lives.  Which sounds wonderful until you stop to think of all of the bad messages that you might be broadcasting in your life as well.
• Who are some of the folks who were truly instrumental in sharing the Good News with you?
• Was Good News that something that you could easily put into words at the time, or even now?
•  Was the most important part of that Good News shared with you in words?
• What sort of Good News do you think that you are spreading lately? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• What are my addictions?
•  Is there hope for me to break free of my addictions?
• What might God be calling me to change how I'm praying for something specific??
• What message is my life proclaiming? 

 Lifelong Parable

 

I've taken to finishing each lecture with a simple question: what did we learn today?

Doing that right after a time of sharing and exploring transforms the lesson.

Instead of merely being passive or even indifferent, my students are looking for a nugget or two.

Something that they can share with the class when we're done for the day.

 

Maybe, I should expand that technique and ask similar questions:

What did we learn yesterday?

Last week?

This semester?

 

Even more profound might be the question "what did you think you learned -

But turned out to be only a partial understanding, or even flat wrong?

How did you find that out?

What did you do about that misunderstanding or that partial understanding?

 

In life, the seeds that you sow today in your heart might still be yielding a harvest years from now.

You may not at all be aware of the slow unfolding of wisdom in your heart.

Growing from the fertile soil of many years ago.

Feeding on the words of friends and family now many miles or years away.

 

The way to water those seeds is with gratitude first for those life experiences - good and bad.

At the same time, taking the time to examine the feelings behind your words and actions.

Asking yourself whether you still believe the things that drive you today.

Or whether its finally time to do some mental molting and move on. 

 

Shalom!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 55: 10-11
2. Psalms 65: 10, 11, 12-13, 14
3. Romans 8: 18-23
4. Matthew 13: 1-23

• Don't count every word, make every word count
• One liability with a good memory is that not all of my memories are good.  Things that I've said run the gamut from well meaning but unfortunate to "what on earth was I thinking!?" to the occasional moments when I hear myself say something and think to myself "I hope someone's taking notes.  That was pretty good."
• When you have said something that you regret later, what do you usually do about that?
• When someone comes to you after a heated exchange and they start with "I didn't mean ..." how do you take that?
• Is there any way to prepare ahead of time to say the right thing, be the right sort of presence, so that we're more likely to heal than hurt others?
• How does "tough love" factor into all of that? 

•  Bearing fruit or going to seed?
• Ours is a culture that thrives on accomplishment.  The more letters that you have on the end of your name the better.  They show that you have a good work ethic, that you're intelligent, that you persevere even when the going gets tough.  But its easy to get caught up in all of that and make those accomplishments the center, rather than how they equip us to serve others.
•  Looking at some of the folks that you've met along the way who have been truly fruitful in their lives, do you see anything that they have in common?
• What might it take to emulate some of those qualities in your own life?

• Members of creation
• Knowing that all creation waits for us to be revealed sort of puts this life into a different context.  I'm hoping that when that happens I'll have a good deal more wisdom.  Failing that, I'd at least like to cure this receding hairline before its too late.
• What comes to your mind when you think on "glory"?
• We likely don't have any trouble thinking about the glory of God, but what of the glory that we'll come into, how hard is that to imagine?
• What can we do now to prepare for that glory? 

• Spreading the word
• In some respects, the Gospel is immutable, the Good News never changes.  In other respects, we are called to be prophetic, speaking God's Word into the present circumstances, people, culture in ways that meet them where they are in the moment.  To do anything less is not really faithful to God's Word in our lives.
• How can we, as a body of believers, be more prophetic to those that God brings us?
• How can we be more prophetic within the various communities that we belong to?
• How can we be more prophetic within our families?
• When I was in RCIA, the goal was to emphasize faith formation versus faith information.  What's the difference?
• Is one more prophetic than the other? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How much time do I spend saying/doing things that don't really matter?
• What am I planting today that will bear good fruit tomorrow?
• What might glory look like in my life even now?
• Where might God be calling me to be more prophetic? 

 Being Receptive

 

Learning a new skill, new concept, new subject is hard.

It requires time, diligence, and patience to form new information pathways.

It's harder yet to look at things through new eyes,

To look at the familiar and see a different picture altogether.

 

Sometimes, that journey to discovery is a long one.

And the best that we can do is to pray for patience.

Patience with God in His working within us.

Most of all, patience with ourselves.

 

I always worry though, that I'll just take so long.

That the opportunities that are right in front of me will pass me by.

And worse, I won't even know that I missed them.

Since God never seems to put an expiration date on revelation.

 

I can only pray that I become more sensitive -

To that gentle tug on my heart in the moment.

Learn when it's time to just stop.

And breathe, and listen.

 

And when it's time simply to trust where the Spirit is guiding.

Do the best that I can with what I have in hand.

And trust God to sort it all out in the end.

And trust His gentle and sometimes unseen work in me.

 

Shalom!

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Zechariah 9: 9-10
2. Psalms 145: 1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
3. Romans 8: 9, 11-13
4. Matthew 11: 25-30

• Let's hear it for humility!
• In Jesus' day, horses were rather rare.  Common folk would rarely see them.  The only ones who owned a horse was  a ranking nobleman or solder.  So they became a symbol of power, wealth, even glory.  By contrast, the humble donkey was much more common, and they provided much more humble services.  Jesus riding in on a donkey was almost a parody of the triumphal entry of a Roman general.
• In some utopian future every ruler will be humble, looking for how to serve their people in peace.  How do we get there?
• Who is it that starts such a process?
• Isn't such a disarmament dangerous, even irresponsible?
• What can we do to bring this kingdom of peace to earth? 

•  Discoursing of God's glory
• Being an introvert as I am, the leading of the Spirit is quite a process.  Spontaneity is not something that I'm especially good at.  But I'm gradually learning that God is present in the moment, and He's the author of the sensitivity that allows us to follow Him in the moment, bringing all that I am to each conversation, no matter where it happens or with whom.
• Can you think of a conversation with someone else that changed your life?  Maybe it was affirmation of something that had been nagging at your subconscious for quite some time, or maybe it was something that you knew, but you just didn't know that you knew.
• How did that revelation "get through" to you?
• How did that word in season change you, and your outlook?
• Have you ever been that word for someone else? 

• Obligation to living in the Spirit
• Each of us has an angry, fearful, furtive creature that wants to play it safe, fortify us off from anything else that might challenge our preconceived notions, disrupt our outlook in life, call into question the narrative that we have woven in our life.  I choose to call that poor creature "the flesh", and I try to learn to coax him out into the light where he can find healing.
• Have you ever been caught by surprise by something that you've done or said that you would have never though possible until it happened?
• How did you find the courage?
• How did that act of bravery work out?
• Does such courage ever get easier? 

• The burden of discipleship
• When Jesus tells us "follow me", it's easy to be of two minds about that.  We want to know where this journey is taking us.  We want to know whether we have what it takes to finish.  As I get older, I'm beginning to ask different questions.  Lately, my questions are "do I trust God to lead me into true joy" and "am I sensitive enough to hear His true voice"?
• What is joy?
• What does joy depend on, what does it take for joy to come into a person's life? 
• What brings you joy in your life?
• Do you think that God put that joy there?
• Do you think that God might call you to something that does not bring you joy?
• Do you think that it's OK for us to seek more of that joy in our lives? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How can I bring more humility into the world around me?
• How is God revealing God's self to me today?
• Where might God be teaching me courage?
• Where might God be calling me to greater joy? 

 Chasing Joy

 

Glum Christians are a liability, and should be "coached".

When others see them, it makes them wonder:

"Does he look so beaten and fatigued because he's a disciple?

If that's the case, please spare me discipleship.  I'll find my own way."

 

I'm willing to bet that many of your morose disciples -

Are not really disciples at all.

Rather, they stumbled into some ministry for bad reasons -

Or they stayed in some ministry for fear of the unknown.

 

Either way, they are fish out of water.

Gasping for the air of God's joy in their gifts.

Because they were too stubborn to realize -

Realize that they were in the wrong place.

 

God's true calling gives you wings.

The work transforms you day by day.

Drawing you closer to Him and His children.

Making you a better and better reflection of His joy.

 

Take the time to celebrate what delights and amazes.

Pause to breath a breathless thank you for what transforms you.

Savor the richness of the moments on wings.

Find what excites your dreams and let God use them to guide you.

 

Greatness is nestled in delight and wonder.

Happiness alights in our hearts on the wings of holiness.

Glory whispers in the gentle breeze of what draws our hearts.

Trust in God who planted His desires and dreams for you in your heart.

 

Shalom!

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 2 Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16a
2. Psalms 89: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19
3. Romans 6: 3-4, 8-11
4. Matthew 10: 37-42

• Can something be done for her?
• Opening ourselves up to another person's needs is a risky proposition.  We worry that their deepest need may be more than we're ready, or even able to deliver.  Harder yet, their deepest needs may be unknown even to them.
• Who are some folks in need that you reached out to?
• How did you come to know of their need?
• What did you do to help them?
• How did you know that you could afford to extend that help?
• Did your help turn out to be effective?
• How do you know? 

•  Standing on the promises
• A slogan that I remember from my youth was "are you standing on the promises or just sitting in the premises?" calling the faithful to actively embracing God's promises and walking in His will rather than merely being "in the company" of  the faithful.
• What are some promises of God that you have found to be true for you through the years?
• How have those promises changed your life?
• Are there any promises that you wished God had given you?  Maybe for a long life, prosperity, good health, honor, ...? 

• Dead to sin
• Would that we were all dead to sin, no longer held in its shackles.  Or maybe we already are in that state and just don't know it yet.
• Are there sins in your life that you just cannot seem to shake?
• Maybe behavior patterns that you execute over and over again whenever you get triggered?
• How do you explain such things?
• Do you find that you resist those well-worn sins differently today than you used to?
• Are you making any progress? 

• Receiving a prophet
• Prophets are not confined to the Old Testament.  God calls them, us, to proclaim the truth into a world that often seems more comfortable with lies and deceptions.  True prophets often make others uncomfortable.  God often calls upon His faithful to support His prophets.
• Who are some prophets that have crossed your path?
• Were you able to support them in any way?
• How did that support bless you along the way?
• Was that blessing anything that you might have anticipated?
• Were you able to make a difference?
• Were you able to bring anyone else along with you on that journey? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How is God calling me in the voices of the needy in my life?
• What difference are God's promises making in my life today?
• What am I doing about my familiar sins today?
• Am I willing to receive a prophet when God sends one into my life? 

 Shedding my Comfort Zone

 

The familiar, the secure, the comfortable have served me well all these years.

Serving as protection from the unknown, the unsure, the unsafe.

 

Maybe I knew all along that I would have to step free of them eventually.

Maybe I've been holding back for fear that once I started down that road,

Leaving behind the familiar, that I'd never be able to find my way back.

Maybe, maybe not even wanting to find my way back.

 

I look around at my surroundings and smile as they recall fond memories.

Now, even now, I see them with new eyes as I start to scan new horizons.

 

And I wonder if I've already missed opportunities out of fear.

Missed chances to make a difference because Jesus called toward the unfamiliar.

And I realize that now, now is the only moment that I have.

And moment by moment, each decision is my chance to follow more closely.

 

Jesus, thank you for the prophets that you have brought into my life.

Thank you for their bravery, faithfulness, courage in the face of opposition and even indifference.

 

Help me to find my own way to support those living saints that you send me.

Help me to find the courage to join in their work in my own way.

Help me to find Your prophetic voice within my heart.

That I too might be your voice to those who would never hear you otherwise. 

Shalom!

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Jeremiah 20: 10-13
2. Psalms 69: 8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
3. Romans 5: 12-15
4. Matthew 10: 26-33

• When the going gets rough
• It can be hard to explain your actions to others, particularly when they think that they are looking out for your best interests when they try to talk you out of something that you're sure came to you from God.
• When have you doubted that something/someone/some commitment on your part came from God?
• What did you do?
• Were you right, did you get God's call garbled in the transmission somehow?
• Or did you miss what it was that you were sent there to accomplish?
• Or was it just a matter of staying the course so that God could intervene? 

•  A stranger to my family
• Following God can sometimes lead us to places that make our friends, even our family, worry about us.
• Have you ever been in a place where your family did not know what to make of you?
• How did they convey that to you?
• How did your attitude towards them, and theirs towards you change?
• What did you pray for during that time?  Was it strength, courage, wisdom, perseverance, ... ?
• How did God answer you?
• Is that struggle still going on? 

• Free from sin
• When you think about the phrase "freedom from sin", what does that conjure up for you?
• Is enslavement to sin confined to addictions, be it substance abuse, abusive behavior, using your work as a refuge from unwanted stress, ...?
• Does freedom from sin mean freedom from fear of all sorts?  Should we not fear at least some things in this life, lest we become foolhardy?
• Or does freedom from sin mean that you somehow gain the ability to see yourself from God's perspective, get some objectivity in your life?
• How does Jesus figure into such freedoms for you? 

• Acknowledging God before others
• Youth Day at CCD Congress is an inspiring event.  Seeing all those young Catholics gathered together in one place affirming each other in their faith is amazing.  But I often wonder how those same young people do when they find themselves separated from all of that support?
• Are there times, places, in the company of some people when it's hard to really celebrate your faith?
• Does that necessarily mean that you don't belong there, or that you need to convince them that you know the secret to true happiness, or that you should keep a lower profile?
• How would you define evangelist?
• Are we all called to evangelize in some way or another?
• How do we find the way to evangelize that God is calling us to?
• How can we help others find their inner evangelist? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might God give me a course correction in my life?
• What am I afraid of that might block my way towards Jesus?
• How can I be more free in Jesus today?
• Am I proud of my Lord? 

 On My Own?

 

Lost and alone are two desperate companions.

You'll find them in each other's company on a regular basis.

 

Lost knows that they are far from home. 

But has no idea of where to go from here.

 

Sometimes, lost gets so lost they lose track of where they were headed.

Then, they truly are lost.

 

Alone feels abandoned, left to their own devices.
No one cares, no one sees, no one listens.

 

Trying to figure that out, alone soon decides -

That they don't deserve a companion, that no one wants to walk with them.

 

Jesus comes to tell us that both lost and alone are liars.

We, as His children, are never lost, never alone.

 

Jesus knows the way to His Father.  Jesus is the way. 

Jesus will never leave us alone, no matter what.

 

Sometimes, when I pray, I imagine Him sitting facing me

With my hands in His hands, waiting for me to speak.

 

He never tires of hearing from me -

Even when I tire sometimes of hearing myself.

 

And He always knows when it's time to get up -

And get going on whatever is before me.

 

I can always count on His perfect timing.

Moving gracefully from  contemplation to action.

 

And just as gracefully from action to contemplation.

Unlike lost and alone, action and contemplation never let me down. 

 

They don't tell me lies.

They always bring me back to Him.

 

Thank you Jesus for never leaving my side.

Never leaving my hands empty.

 

Shalom!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Exodus 19: 2-6a
2. Psalms 100: 1-2, 3, 5
3. Romans 5: 6-11
4. Matthew 9: 36-10:8

• A royal people
• Sometimes, it's hard to believe that we are God's "special possession".  Things don't go the way that we want, disappointments arise that we didn't expect, and we begin to wonder where God is in all of that.
• What makes you feel special in God's eyes?
• If you were to describe God to someone, what character traits would you give Him?
• How do you think that God would describe you?
• How does that shape your prayer life? 

•  Thankful hearts
• God's kindness endures forever.  He never tires of showing His kindness and mercy.
• How has God shown kindness to your family, community, parish, nation?
• Do you think that God would ever withhold that kindness?
• What would we have to do before God ceased being kind?
• How likely is that? 

• Second chances
• God is about giving us second, third, fourth, ... chances in life.
• When was a time when you turned God down for something, some call on your life, but you repented later?
• How did you come to see that from His perspective?
• Where did you find the courage to change your mind, your heart?
• How did that turn out in the end?
• Was that what you expected?  

• What troubles you?
• All of us are troubled about many things.  Some are very basic like the occasional student that I have who is food or shelter insecure.  Some are less basic, but no less important like corruption in our government officials, or the growing acts of violence aimed at places of worship.
• Do you think that Jesus is here to minister to us in all of our troubles, or are some of our troubles too small, too insignificant for Him?
• Is it always worthwhile to pray for needs/worries/desires? 
• What are some ways that you have ministered to others in their troubles?
• Do you see that gift that you gave as bringing about the Kingdom of God?
• Who are some who have helped to bring about the Kingdom of God in your life?
• What have you learned from that?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• What is my image of God?
• What are ways that I might adequately respond to God's kindness to me??
• How can I be more trusting?
• What do I need to believe of God that I'm still struggling with? 

 The Kingdom is at Hand, and Feet too

 

We all had come back to Jesus after He had sent us among God's chosen.

Some of us had mementos of  the journey that we'd been on.

One evening, we all gathered and brought out our memories to share.

 

I was reluctant to bring mine out, but finally Andrew convinced me.

It was a nail from a horseshoe that we had picked up from a farm.

Their only plow horse had gone lame because of a lost shoe.

 

She was a widow with young children, and planting season underway.

No time to let the horse heal before they would need him again.

The rest of the village could not spare their animals either.

 

The family shared what they could with us.

But they knew it was going to be a long, harsh winter.

I've farmed.  I knew the back-breaking toil needed.

 

I asked to see their plow yoke.

The wooden crossbeam was worn and smooth from use.

The leather strapping still in good shape.

 

I hefted the yoke to my shoulders and looked at Andrew.

He just nodded and stepped into the yoke.

The widow was reluctant to let us pull her plow, 

 

But we told her that we were young, and strong.

The soil there proved almost eager for the seed.

Andrew and I worked from dawn to dusk for days on end.

 

But we got her little farm plowed, fixed some things too.

We were too exhausted to talk much at the end of each day.

But when we saw that she was going to be OK for now -

 

She clasped our new roughened  hands, looked us in the eye,

And said "surely God is with us." and sent us on our way.

I hear that she's gotten to be quite a preacher in her village. 

 

Shalom!

Corpus Christi

Our readings for Corpus Christi Sunday are:

1. Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a
2. Psalms 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20
3. 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17
4. John 6: 51-58

• Companion along the way
• It's often hard to recognize God in our darkest moments.
• Think of a time when hope left you, you felt abandoned, and you wondered whether God was punishing you for something.
• Do you think that God punishes us?
• What makes you say that?
• Would you describe God as a God of Mercy, or a God of Love, ...
• Where do you think that image of God that you hold came from. 

•  Thankful hearts
• What/whom are you most thankful for?
• How has that/they changed you?
• How/how often do you express your thanks for those blessings? 

• One
• Our American culture prizes rugged individualism, the self-made man, the lone wolf.  And all of that is good to a certain point.  But in a very real sense, we are all one, but it's not always easy to embrace that truth.
• Are there people in your life who are really really difficult to deal with?
• What is it about them that drives you nuts?
• Do you think that God might have put that annoying person in your life for a purpose?
• Does that change your attitude towards them at all?  

• Hard to believe
• If you read John 6 it might remind you of John 4 - the Samaritan woman at the well.  In both cases, Jesus starts off with a radical statement, His audience has a hard time understanding/believing what He has to tell them, He dialogs with them some more, and the Samaritan woman comes to believe.  "The Jews", by contrast and even Jesus' disciples left the scene shaking their heads.
• Have you ever struggled with belief?  Maybe its hard to believe that the Eucharist makes us into what we partake of.  Maybe its hard to believe that the Eucharist makes us all one with each other.  Or maybe its hard to believe that the Eucharist shows us the way to God the Father in ways that nothing/no one else can.
• How have you gotten past that phase of being slow to believe?
• How would you make that transition easier, quicker, better if you had the chance? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to companion Him along the way?
• Are there blessings in my life that I might be missing, or misunderstanding?
• How can I be more loving?
• What do I need to believe of God that I'm still struggling with? 

 

Shalom!