21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 22: 19-23
2. Psalms 138: 1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
3. Romans 11: 33-36
4. Matthew 16: 13-20

• You're fired!
• In the course of human history, we occasionally see God removing someone from their office to make room for a better person.  Makes you wonder how bad things have to get before He does that.
• If all authority on earth ultimately comes from God, why do you think that we sometimes have truly horrible leaders?
• What is our responsibility as God's children with regards to those leaders?
• How can we help them to be better partners with God?
• Is that possible if the leader in question is not one of God's followers in the first place? 

• Seeking the lowly
• There are many ways for someone to be lowly, disenfranchised, oppressed.  Not all of them are very obvious.
• What are some ways that you can think of that someone can be "lowly"?
• What are some examples of how you have seen God care for such folks?
• How can we tell how God wants us to partner with Him to support and comfort these lowly ones? 

• Who has been His counselor?
• It's fine for God to have infinite wisdom, but it would be nice if He'd share every once in a while.
• Do you ever pray for wisdom?
• How would you define wisdom?
• What sorts of wisdom are you looking for?
• If you got it, what would you do with that wisdom?
• Do you think that you might live better with greater wisdom? 

• Partnership
• I'm often struck by the partnership that God strives for with us, His people.  He calls upon us to do our part, and we are called upon to count on, and trust God to do His part.  Yet just what those separate responsibilities amount to can seem tough to nail down sometimes.
• What do you mean when you say "it's all in the Lord's hands now?"
• How can you tell when you're not letting God do His part?
• How can you tell when you're not doing your part in bringing about the Kingdom?
• How do you tell what your part is in the first place? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me into deeper, better leadership among His people?
• Who are the lowly in my life?
• Where might I need greater wisdom?  Am I willing to ask for that?
• Where might God be calling me into a deeper partnership with Him?

Carrying the Ark

 

We had broken camp just across the Jordan from Jericho.

One of the mightiest cities in all of Canaan.

Joshua told us that we needed to conquer Jericho before we could take possession of the land.

All that I could think was this was a decidedly mixed blessing -

This "gift" of the promised land.

 

Then I heard that my cohort of priests would lead the way.

Bearing the Ark of the Covenant in procession.

Straight into the River Jordan.

So that God could perform a miracle.

And let us cross the Jordan dry shod.

 

There were those among us who remembered the stories.

Of father Moses leading our ancestors across the Red Sea.

But all that I could think of was my new sandals.

And how dipping them in that muddy Jordan would do them no good.

And wondering why God needed us to help Him part the Jordan.

 

But there was little time for such wonderings.

God wanted us to cross at dawn.

And I wondered what use it was to God.

That this whole operation turned on the faith of little old me.

In the face of making a fool of myself in front of all His people.

 

But then, almost before I knew it -

We were at the river's throbbing bosom.

And I saw the waters rolling up in a wall to our right.

And new land opening up in front of us.

The way ahead perfectly clear where there had been none.

 

I come here every few years with my family.

And tell them the old stories again.

Hoping that they will have the courage

To let God take their hand and lead them 

Into the impossible.

 

Shalom!

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7
2. Psalms 67: 2-3, 5, 6, 8
3. Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32
4. Matthew 15: 21-28

• A house of prayer for all peoples
• Some politicians claim that theirs is a "big tent" organization.  Which means that they are inclusive, welcoming, and non-judgemental.  Are we a "big tent" organization?
• If someone came to you and told you that they thought about becoming Catholic, but felt that there were just "too many rules" for them to abide.  What would you say?
• If someone asked you what were the core beliefs that set us apart from other religions, what would you say?
• If someone came to you and said that they really appreciated the good work that we're doing here in the parish, and they want to make a sizeable donation to support that work, would you have any questions for them? 

•  Let all the nations praise you
• Across the globe, we come from very different cultures.  Yet God desires to be Lord in all of our lives.
• Why do you think that Christianity and Catholicism do not enjoy a wider following in the world today?
• How much of that is on us?
• What can we do within our families, communities, and parishes to be more attractive to others?
• How do we do that without compromising any of the essentials?
• How do we know what those essentials are? 

• Mercy me
• Our God is a God of mercy, and we as His children should be revealing His nature in our lives.
• How would you define mercy?
• What do you think that it costs God to be merciful to us?
• When have you ever been merciful?
• What is the difference between being merciful, versus just letting someone get away with something? 

• Prayer changes things
• Prayer takes a lot of faith.  Ideally, prayer should be a conversation.  Maybe not so much that we seek to wear God down into doing what we want, but that we learn to draw closer to God in the process.
• Have you ever prayed for something, not knowing what the outcome might be?
• How did that turn out for you?
• Are you grateful for the answer that you received?
• What did you learn in that encounter with God?
• Do you think that God has a sense of humor? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be looking to expand my horizons as far as accepting others?
•  How can I be more welcoming?
• What within me prevents me from showing greater mercy?
• Do I really trust God in my life?

Courage to Care

 

You never know where caring for another will take you.

Without warning, the trust you earn by caring opens them up.

They show their heart to you, and suddenly, you know.

 

You know their hurts scarce shared with another.

You know their fears that they have tried to tamp down.

You know that they don't know what's coming next.

 

And neither do you.

 

The decision then becomes whether to step into that need.

Or turn and run, by whatever means possible.

Or worse, pretend interest without meaning it.

 

On the razor's edge of that decision rides the simple question:

Are you a child of mercy, a disciple of the God of Mercy?

Or maybe just a hollow person who looks like a disciple.

 

It hurts to hear that I have no depth to my devotion.

 

But better to confront my shallowness face to face.

And address my fears, prejudices, selfishness

And draw closer to Jesus along the way

 

Than it would be to find comfort in lies. 

Lord, give me the courage to be honest with you -

And myself.

 

There is the beginning of true discipleship. 

 

Shalom!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a
2. Psalms 85: 9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
3. Romans 9: 1-5
4. Matthew 14: 22-33

• Getting my attention
• I believe that it's common for us to wish that God would just send an e-mail, or perhaps have an oracle of some sort knock at our door when He has something to say, but that doesn't appear to be the way of things.
• Thinking back over the various times and places when God needed to communicate something to you, how did you decide that this was God, and not something/someone else?
• In general, how good do you think you are at listening to what God has to say to you?
• When you try to discern His will, how do you tell if you got it right?
• What are some things that have made it hard to hear His voice in your life? 

•  God's kindness
• We speak of God's great mercy and kindness.  We speak of the contrast between what God could do, versus what He does do.
• How has God been kind to you lately?
• What makes you see that as a kindness?
• If a friend or relative treated you that way, would you see it as kindness?
• How do you strive to reflect that same kindness to others? 

• God's grace
• We sing that God's "grace is enough", but what does that really mean?
• How would you define "grace" in this context?
• When have you seen God's grace active in your life?
• How did you receive/appropriate that grace?
• How did that grace change you? 

• Overboard for Jesus
• I love Peter.  He never does anything by half measures.  I want to have his boldness.  I'd even be willing to accept his lapses if I could have his courage.  I think that he felt exhausted, abandoned, and at his wit's end when he saw Jesus, and Peter needed to be sure it was really Him, because Peter just could not take one more stress that day.
• When is a time that you felt that you had reached the "end of your rope" and just had nothing left, no gas in your tank?
• How did you pray in that circumstance?
• How did God answer you?
• How did you know that it was Him who provided that answer?
• Do you think that you turn to God in such circumstances earlier/more easily now?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be trying to still some of the noise in my life today?
•  How is God showing me kindness today?
• How is God showing me His grace?
• Do I really trust God in my life?

Cutting Through the Noise

 

The rest of the disciples were panicking behind me.

Tossing anything from the boat to give us just a little more buoyancy.

The ragged sound of buckets of water being flung madly overboard.

The shrieking wind and crashing waves adding their voices.

All made for a deafening chorus.

 

But somehow, when I saw Jesus,

All of that urgency was thrust from center stage in my view.

And He came into sharp focus in the midst of  the chaos.

Showing us that we were not abandoned, not alone.

The other disciples were too busy to notice.  I needed to demonstrate His Presence.

 

That, and I needed to be near Him again.

Even if for just one last time.

I have been borne on the bosom of these waters for my whole life.

I always knew that this sort of fury was possible.

And I thought that I had what it took to ride it out, come safe to shore.

 

But now, in a flash, I realized how wrong I was.

I saw that Jesus beside me was what I needed most.

Not just strength, flash reflexes, even the support of the other disciples.

What I needed was His hand in mine to show me how to use all that.

What I needed was His guidance to show me the way.

 

He was coming toward us, that much I could see.

But suddenly, that wasn't soon enough.

Not personal enough.

I needed Him now, this very instant.

And I, for a moment, was ready to do whatever it took to reach Him.

 

Maybe if I had ran across the water a little faster 

So that I would get to Him before I started to sink.

Maybe if I had done a better job keeping my eyes on Him.

Maybe if I didn't listen to myself screaming that leaving the boat was madness.

All that I know was that I felt so very free in that moment.

 

I'll never look at the sea the same way again.

Sometimes, I stand in the shallows and let the wavelets wash over my feet.

And remember that moment when I could follow Jesus out onto the water.

And I tell myself that today, today I can follow Him yet again.

Into new horizons and wider vistas.  If only I keep my eyes on Him.

 

Shalom!

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 55: 1-3
2. Psalms 145: 8-9, 15-16, 17-18
3. Romans 8: 35, 37-39
4. Matthew 14: 13-21

• Spending on what is not bread
• Life is demanding.  It can seem as though there are so many different calls on our time and attention that our days can seem like a chronic plate spin performance.
• How do you figure out from day to day what is the most important thing(s) to invest yourself in for that day?
• What happens to the rest of the items on your "to do list"?
• How do you know when you get it right? 

•  God's provision for us
• God's answers to prayer can seem difficult to predict at times, leaving us wondering whether He cares, or what/whom He cares about.
• Do you think that God is there to satisfy all of our needs?
• What are some ways in which God has satisfied your needs in your life?
• What role did you play in those times.  What did God ask you to do to make the miracle happen?
• How would you define a "miracle" in the first place?
• Can we always count on God for a miracle? 

• God's faithfulness
• God's love in our lives can be hard to see sometimes.  Stress at the workplace, tragedies in the family, doubts that arise in our hearts, can all make us doubt the love of God in our lives.
• Think of a time when you felt most disconnected from God.
• How did you get there?  What do you think led up to that point in your life?
• How did you pray through that?
• Looking back on it now, do you think that you were alone in that time, that God had left you without His help?
• Do you sometimes wonder why God chooses to show His love for us the ways that He does? 

• You give them something to eat
• Looking at this miracle from the disciple's perspective, they might have been more than a little afraid.  If the food were to run out before they fed everyone, what might happen?  What would/could Jesus do to quell a riot?
• What are some needs that you've stepped up to fill?
• How did you know that was what God was calling you to?
• How did you know that your effort was going to be enough to make a difference in that case?
• How did that turn out in the end?
• Why do you think that God relies on us to participate in His actions? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be trying to teach me better priorities?
•  How is God satisfying my needs in unexpected ways today?
• How is God showing His love in my life today?
• Where can my faith help me to meet a need that moves me?

Smelling Like Fish

 

The crowds were getting restless.

It had been a long, hot day.

I know that Jesus probably wanted some time alone.

But that never came.

 

The stream of sick and possessed had finally tapered off.

The sun was starting to set.

Soon, it would be evening,

And we all needed to find rest.

 

We just wanted what was best for Jesus.

Or, at least we thought that we did.

But Jesus wanted us to meet just one more need.

With next to nothing.

 

When Jesus heals, He taps some spring within -

Something that the rest of us cannot see or touch.

No way to tell how much is left at any given time.

No way to know when he's tapped out.

 

But feeding this crowd, 

It's abundantly clear that we don't have an abundance.

It's almost laughable.

Yet, it's all that we have today.

 

Jesus gave each of us some of the food,

And we distributed it among the assembled crowd.

Their appreciation touched us.

Many of them knew us by name.

 

Soon, I lost track of our limited resources,

And instead saw only the touched hearts,

The grateful faces,

The hands touching in their reception of our humble offering.

 

And then, miraculously, we were done.

And we began to gather the rest of the food for later.

And realized that, somehow, 

All that we had was more than enough.

 

Lord - 

Help me to regard need as an opportunity to serve You.

Give me the courage to give.

Help me to see past uncharted want to Your heart among us. 

 

Shalom!

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12
2. Psalms 119: 57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 
3. Romans 8: 28-30
4. Matthew 13: 44-46

• Thoughtful prayer
• Salomon was convinced that it was no accident that he was king, but divine providence.  And because of that, he could be confident that God wanted for him to lead well, and so become a blessing to God's people.
• What is a ministry? 
• What do you pray for with respect to the ministry or ministries that you are in?
• How has God answered those prayers through the years?
• How has your prayer in this regard changed through the years?

•  Keeping God's word
• Imagine that you suddenly had enormous wisdom, and you started to share that wisdom with others.
• How do you think that would change your relationships to those around you?
• What other virtues do you think that you would also need if you were going to be effective in that ministry of sharing wisdom with others?
• What form would that sharing take?  Would you tell others what they should be doing instead of what they are doing, would you remind them of things that they already know, would you challenge them to discern on their own ...?
• Now that you've thought about this a little, do you still want that gift of wisdom? 

• Living in God's glory
• We speak of the glory of God, but we don't spend much time thinking about that.  Even more, we don't spend much time thinking about what it would mean to have a share in that glory.
• What do you think we mean when we speak of the "glory of God"?
• What are some of the ways that God has manifest His glory in your life?
• Do you think that it's possible that we might manifest God's glory in our lives. 

• Work/Life balance
• For a long time, I tried to find ways to reliably strike a balance between work and life.  Then I began to realize that life is all about work.  Time at home is invested in DIY projects, helping the kids with their homework, helping the family to create a home that is a nourishing community.  "Work" as in career then becomes a means to support that Life.  Properly viewed, our spirituality is what gives meaning and direction to Life.
• How does your faith impact your "work" life?
• How does your work life impact your faith?
• How do your family life and your faith give meaning to each other?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be trying to teach me wisdom?
•  Who among my friends and family needs to hear some inspiration/consolation/comfort from me?
• Where might God be inviting me into His glory in my life?
• Where can my faith help me to be a better member of the various communities that I am a part of? 

Veronica's Veil

 

I think about the various participants in Jesus' way of the cross.

I wonder how He regarded them during those encounters.

He was doubtless disappointed in Peter, and prayed for him.

I think that He prayed for Judas as well, knowing him the way He did.

Veronica was one of the few friendly faces in that boiling screaming crowd.

And yet all that she could do was to be there, and offer a gentle touch.

 

I believe that wisdom is more than just words shared.

Wisdom has to include timing.

Wisdom has to consider what the other is really able to receive in the moment.

Wisdom calls for courage and discernment when we touch another.

Wisdom has to work with humility in order to be well received.

Wisdom must be wrapped in patience.

 

God, grant me Your wisdom.

Let me be Your gift to others.

That I might learn from them

What it means to be Your hand in the dark

Your support at their side

Your Presence in their lives.

 

Shalom!

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!