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!

Trinity Sunday

Our readings for Trinity Sunday are:

1. Exodus 34: 4b-6, 8-9
2. Daniel 3: 52, 53, 54, 55
3. 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13
4. John 3: 16-18

• Companion along the way
• There was a popular bumper sticker that read "God is my copilot".  That called forth an answering bumper sticker: "If God is your copilot, you need to move over."  Perhaps there's a vibrant theology that has room for both of those perspectives.
• If you truly believed that God desires to be your companion, someone who is with you through thick and thin, what would that do to your prayer life?
• Would you expect this "God as companion" to make your journey easier?
• If so, how?
• If so, why?
• Do you treat God as well as you want Him to treat you? 

•  Letting God be God
• This is one of those rare Sundays in which the responsorial is drawn from the book of Daniel rather than psalms.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have been given the chance to "repent" from defying the king's command to worship his idol: "If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us!  But even if he will not, you should know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.”
• In general, what do you expect God to do for you when you follow His plan for you?
• Has God ever disappointed you in that regard?
• What does God guarantee that He will do on our behalf when we follow him? 

• Fellowship of the Holy Spirit
• We need each other.  We need the inspiration and companionship that a fellowship offers to help us be the best version of ourselves.  That need just takes a little longer to get addressed if, like me, you happen to be an introvert.
• What are some fellowships that you have been a part of that have, and continue to, shape you?
• How did that influence in your life come about?
• How did you end up in that community of believers?  

• Hard to believe
• What does an insomniac, dyslexic, agnostic do all night?  Next time you see me, ask the answer to that riddle.  In the meantime, if you're honest, what is the hardest thing to believe about the promises that Jesus offers us?
• In the face of the misery in the world around us, is it hard to believe that God is loving at all?
• In the face of the complexity of the problems that we are confronted with as Christians, is hard to believe that God can call us to make a real difference, to move the needle?
• In the face of the fear and hate boiling in so many hearts these days, is it hard to believe that God really expects us to be agents for healing and reconciliation?
• Is it hard to believe that the salvation of each of us is linked to all of us? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to companion Him along the way?
• What do I count on God for in my life?
• How can I be generous in my communities?
• What do I need to believe of God that I'm still struggling with? 

Growing Old With Jesus

The village elder was hardly ever alone.

Those who knew him well would come and sit in his company just to be there,

Just to find again their center so that they could go forth and live from that center.

 

Others, many from neighboring villages,

Would travel there, burning with questions, doubts, worries,

Usually trying to find a way out of their problems.

 

A small handful of them would come seeking for a way through.

Some way to transform their view of their life in the moment,

And see God's presence that had always been there in plain sight.

 

A yet smaller handful were true disciples.

Men and women committed to renewing their own communities.

Missionaries of peace, learning how to transform themselves so they could transform others.

 

One of those disciples asked the village elder one day whether he had any regrets.

He smiled softly and said

I regret hanging onto my regrets for so long.

 

Every time that I gain new freedom in my devotion to our God -

Every time that I learn of a deeper love that I can share -

It is then that I would regret not having learned those things earlier.

 

But I finally learned that with each decision of mine that is freely chosen,

Each decision that is sincerely founded on seeking God more,

I am fulfilling God's destiny for me in the moment.

 

All that has gone on before, the missteps, the out and out rebellion, 

The times that I was in too much of a hurry to even pray,

They are all part of the clay of my life that God is molding into something beautiful.

 

They are what He is redeeming right this very moment.

They are the substance of my salvation

They are what God is resurrecting even now. 

 

Shalom!

Pentecost Sunday

Our readings for Pentecost Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 2: 1-11
2. Psalms 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
3. 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7, 12-13
4. John 20: 19-23

• Immanent vs. transcendent
• Ecumenism seeks to foster unity among Christians.  To most folks, that sounds like an unabashedly good goal. But to some, the compromises brokered along the way to unity are too costly, feeling like a theological sell out.
• What should be the source/font of unity among Christians?
• Why bother with our differences in the first place?  If we can coexist peaceably, who cares what those "other guys" think?
• What do you think that God wants most for all of the various Christian denominations.  

•  God loving in and through creation
• One theme in Ignatian spirituality is that creation is still ongoing, and that God invites us daily into the process of creation as we follow Him, one decision at a time.  In a very real way, we join our work with God's and we enter into God as God enters into us.
• When are you the most creative?  Is it maybe when you're giving counsel to a friend, making some piece of artwork, drafting some bold proposal for a new ministry, designing a building, ...
• How did you find yourself doing such work?
• Do you get paid for that?
• Should you? 

• Finding your niche
• What is the best way to recruit people into ministry?
• How do you tell if they made a bad selection of how they are going to serve?
• How do you tell them that they may have taken a wrong turn in a particular ministry?
• Do you think that there might be some room for a "spiritual aptitude test?"
• Have you ever thought about preparing your "spiritual resume?"  

• Peace in the commission
• One way to tell if you're in the right place at the right time doing the right thing is whether that service that you're performing fills you with peace.  You might be utterly exhausted at the end of the day, and yet be full of joy.
• Have you ever been in a ministry/service in which you were not at peace?
• How did you get into that position in the first place?
• Do you think that it was God's will that you were there?
• How did you discern what to do then? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to foster greater unity among His people?
• Is my work building the Kingdom?
• Am I a welcoming presence in the ministry that I'm in?
• How might God be calling me to join Him in building His Kingdom? 

Wax On Wax Off

It's hard to tell sometimes what possible use God can make of our experiences.

Those dark, dreary days when nothing seems to go right.

When no one seems to notice how hard you work.

When the only thing keeping you going is faithfulness.

 

But resurrection tells us that good can come of those days.

That strength, fortitude, patience, humility forged thus -

Will stand the test of time, if we are willing to receive God's transforming grace.

And that God can use our past to make us ready for anything.

 

Lord, help me trust Your Presence always.

Let me never take your hand upon my shoulder for granted.

Let me always be grateful for your guidance.

Even when I cannot tell where we are going.

 

I no longer ask for lightening clarity.

No cosmic reason for doubt, pain, or loneliness.

I ask for just three things of you:

Trust, humility, and the courage to seek You above all else. 

 

Shalom!

6th Sunday of Easter

Our readings for Sixth Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17
2. Psalms 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
3. 1 Peter 3: 15-18
4. John 14: 15-21

• Withstanding persecution
• The first reading tells of the first christian diaspora - the scattering of Jesus' followers under persecution.  Far from staying silent, Philip and the others spread the Gospel even more.  Persecution can come in many forms.
• Why do you think that God allows His people to be persecuted?
• What does that tell you about God?
• Do you think that we are ever ready for persecution?
• Where would you find the strength to resist persecution? 

• God is on the move
• God is a god of action, getting right in there with us.
• How has God been moving in your life lately?
• How do you know it's Him?
• Do you think that this movement of His in your life would convince anyone else that God is real? 

• I like Him
• In The Man of La Mancha there is a scene in which Aldonza asks Sncho Panza why he follows his master, even though no one else can see a reason.
• If someone asked you why you follow Jesus, what would you say?
• Have those reasons changed at all through the years?
• Do you think of yourself as an evangelist at all?
• Why is that? 

• Loving obedience
• We do the will of God in our lives, not because we want to earn God's favor, but because that obedience is the way that we express our love of God, and it is in that expression that our love deepens.
• How has God "nudged" you when He has something new for you?
• How do you tell God's "nudges" from just random static in your life?
• How do you tell when you have made a mistake trying to follow God's will?
• What makes you so eager to follow Him? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might I be weak, and need greater strength?
• Where is God most real in my life?
• Are there those in my life that only I can bring the joy of the Gospel?
• How might God be calling me to join Him in building His Kingdom? 

Without Seeing You

Lord, I'm more like Thomas than I care to admit.

I've tried to follow you and your ways for a long time now.

I've tried to be honest with myself, and with you.

I've tried to recognize my true motives.

And seek Your help when I need it.

 

But, really, if I'm totally honest -

I'm not so sure that I'm always on the mark.

I'm not so sure that I'm at all successful.

I'm not so sure that I even know myself.

But there is one thing that I'm pretty sure of.

 

That my desire to please you, pleases you.

That my seeking you allows me to find you.

Even in the surprising places that you are found -

Those places that I would never think to look.

Thank you Jesus for your unexpected Presence.

 

Help me to keep loving in the uncertainty,

To keep walking even if I cannot see the road ahead,

To keep giving of myself even if I don't know where it will lead,

To keep praying even when it's hard to know what to pray for,

To keep hoping that you are, and will always be at my side. 

 

Shalom!

5th Sunday of Easter

Our readings for fifth Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 6: 1-7
2. Psalms 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19
3. 1 Peter 2: 4-9
4. John 14: 1-12

• Serving others
• Fr. Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries tells of a parish that he served in the LA inner city.  They started sheltering the homeless in their church, but that created some unexpected challenges.  No amount of incense on Sunday morning was quite enough to remove the smell of all those homeless people who had spent the night there.
• Do you think Fr. Boyle's church went "over the top" caring for the poor?
• How should they have done things differently?
• Is a church an inappropriate place for the homeless to sleep?
• Is someone's bedroom an inappropriate place to worship God? 

• I am not alone
• God is always with us.  We are pretty confident of that.
• When have you felt the presence of God powerfully in your life?
• What difference did that Presence make in the here and now?
• How did that Presence change you in the time since then?
• What do you do to try to be in that Presence all the time? 

• Finding your purpose
• How would you define a priest?
• Does a priest have to be ordained?
• Who are some priests who have made a difference in your life?
• Do they have anything in common?
• Do you have anything in common with them?
• Would you like to? 

• Be the miracle
• How would you define "miracle"?
• How do such things happen?
• What role does God play in miracles?
• What role do we play in them?
• What are some miracles that you've seen?
• What are some miracles that you'd like to see? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to work for justice in some small way?
• Who in my life needs a companion?
• Where is God building humility in me?
• How might God be calling me to participate in a miracle? 

Give me Ears to Listen

I am convinced that the Spirit manifests Himself in creativity.
That ability to see things in a new way unlike any other.
That ability to see a path through the present where there is none.
That ability to bring dreams barely whispered into full-throated reality.

The Spirit calls in the whispers of the day to day.
When we are able to stop and listen to what the day is telling us.
And when we are willing to silence the shouts from all sides.
And ask ourselves: "where was I closest to God today?"

And also ask ourselves "where did I feel absent, cut off, removed from God?"
How did that happen to me?
What did I do about that estrangement, that isolation?
What does that isolation tell me about God, His will for me?

Sadly, we'll never get it right.
God's direction is seldom crystal clear, at least for now.
But the only way to learn to listen is to learn to obey.
And trust God in the mistakes along the way.

For if we wait for perfect clarity before obedience - 
We'll never make mistakes, which would be a mistake.
We'll never learn confidence in our ears.
We'll never learn courage in the face of our fears.

Come, sit a spell with me and pray.
That we might both hear His voice in our separate lives together.
And learn how to build His Kingdom.
One imperfect living stone at a time. 

Shalom!

4th Sunday of Easter

Our readings for fourth Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 2: 2: 14a, 36-41
2. Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
3. 1 Peter 2: 20b-25
4. John 10: 1-10

• Survivalists
• Survivalists come in several flavors, but none of them want to depend on "the grid" for essential services because they are certain that it is just a matter of time before the conventional infrastructure has a catastrophic failure.  Sort of hard to argue with that perspective when you watch the evening news.
• What corruption do you see in our world today?
• How can we, as God's elect, save ourselves from such corruption?
• How can we help each other achieve such salvation?
• Can we have an impact on any of the corruption around us? 

• I am not alone
• I love the story of Veronica from the Mater Dolorosa.  She risked a great deal by stepping away from the crowd to minister to Jesus, no matter how briefly.  Wiping His face probably did little to relieve His physical suffering.  But it meant all the world to Him, I'm sure.
• When is a time that you have been able to be a companion to someone else?
• How did you help them through their challenges of the moment?
• How did that make you feel?
• How did that encounter with another help you in your own challenges? 

• Finding meaning
• Suffering, regardless of the nature of that suffering, often feels unfair.  We do our best to follow God's direction, and yet things go wrong in spite of our best efforts.  That's hard to understand.
• What has caused you suffering, or still causes you suffering?
• Do you feel that God owes you an explanation?
• If Jesus suffered for us, what purpose can our suffering serve?
• Which virtue(s) do you think would help you through suffering the most? 

• Finding your mission
• Jesus the gate leads us into His fold as well as outward to mission.  The two rely on each other for their renewal and meaning.
• How have others helped you find your mission(s) through the years?
• How have you helped others to find their mission?
• Why do you think that we need each other that way?
• How can we be better at helping others find where they belong?
• Does that "place of belonging" ever change?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to work for justice in some small way?
• Who in my life needs a companion?
• Where is God building humility in me?
• Am I where I belong in all things?

Shalom!