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!

3rd Sunday of Easter

Our readings for third Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 2: 14: 22-33
2. Psalms 16: 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
3. 1 Peter 1: 17-21
4. Luke 24: 13-35

• Finding your voice
• Peter must have felt himself a total failure at Jesus' crucifixion, but Jesus showed him mercy and forgiveness, and caused a resurrection in Peter that was a true transformation.  Peter had been afraid to speak up, but he found his voice.
• Speaking up can happen in many ways.  We can "speak up" by giving our time, talent, treasure away.  We can speak up by written and other artistic forms of expression.  We can speak up by helping the poor.
• How do you "speak up" about the Kingdom?
• Do you think that your voice is making a difference?
• Do you feel called in your work?
• If not, why not? 

• My Body in Confidence
• Most of us have one of two relationships to our own body: it's working pretty well so we take it for granted, or for one reason or another, we're uncomfortably aware of it and it's slow evolution as we grow ever more aged.  But there's a third option, we can learn to listen to our bodies.
• When you get tense, or tired out, or anxious, where does that emotion tend to center in your body?
• Do you ever stop to ask yourself why you are feeling that way, or do you just "power through it" since you probably don't have time to try to deal with such things as feelings?
• Have you ever "sat down" with your body and try to figure out why it's feeling the way that it does?
• What has it told you lately? 

• Divine Mercy
•  The Good News of Jesus resurrection is not so much an affirmation of God's power as it is a lesson in God's ability to transform disappointment, betrayal, suffering, death into abundant life.  But we have to find hope first.
• When have your hopes been dashed in life?
• How did you handle that disappointment?
• How did you learn to hope again?
• What do you hope for lately? 

• Faith sharing
• Things can happen in our lives that isolate us, and make us feel as though we're all alone.  That could be a dire medical diagnosis, a death close to us, depression that won't go away.  Those are the times that we must stand fast in our discipleship and weather the storm.
• Have you ever felt alone, as though you were going through something that no one else would really understand?
• What did you do to try to get through that time of isolation?
• How did you finally make it through?
• What did you learn about such occasions in your life?
• Do you think that you're prepared for the next one? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to work for justice in some small way?
• Where might God be speaking to me through my own body?
• What in my life makes me worry about the way that God sees me?
• Can I trust God enough to share my faith with others?

I'm Forgiven

We had set out for Emmaus to try to pick up the pieces.
Neither of us had any idea what lay ahead of us.
But Jerusalem, the defeated disciples, the triumphant Jews,
None of those had anything that either of us wanted going forward.

Most of all, I worried what I would say to my parents, my siblings.
I had left all of them to follow Jesus.  None of them understood.
I could hardly articulate where I was going, why I was going.
I probably sounded mildly deranged to them back then.

Now, now I would be going back home, a mere shell of my former self.
I felt like I had aged twenty years in the past three.
The life had gone from my step, the light from my eyes.
Now, now I was just surviving, only because there was nought else to do.

But then Jesus came upon us, spent the day with us.
Broke bread with us, and in that moment of hospitality -
We knew Him for who He was, who we were with Him -
And who He is within us.

 It wasn't until we were half way back to Jerusalem -
The shadows on the road growing longer, and the night growing chill -
That I realized that I had been as big a disappointment to Him -
As He had been to us.  But He never left us.

And I realized then that He had forgiven me.
Absolved me of my despair, and doubts, and fears.
Entrusted us with the Good News for the rest of the disciples.
And all Jerusalem, all God's children.

I dropped to my knees and thanked God for seeking me out.
Finding me even as I fled the scene.
Knowing that I would not have the courage to stay.
Certain of my uncertainty.

He is alive.
He is alive in me.
Because I am forgiven.

And now, and now, I can even forgive myself. 

Shalom!

Divine Mercy Sunday (AKA 2nd Sunday of Easter)

Our readings for Divine Mercy Sunday day are:

1. Acts 2: 42-47
2. Psalms 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24
3. 1 Peter 1: 3-9
4. John 20: 19-31

• Community living
• In the book Kisses From Katie a young missionary to Uganda is confronted by unimaginable poverty and suffering.  One of the principles that illuminates her service is the simple statement "God doesn't make extra babies" which I take to mean that all children are God's children, regardless of how they come into this world.
• How would you define justice?
• Can justice be measured?
• Is it possible for there to be justice as long as any of us have any more than anyone else?
• How can we help to bring about justice in our immediate vicinity?
• Is that enough? 

• Finding victory
• Victory can mean a lot of different things.
• What are some things that God has given you victory over?
• How did you pray for that victory?  What were you looking for in that victory?
• Is a victory in our lives necessarily always permanent?
• Why is that? 

• Finding true joy
• Joy is a funny emotion.  We might tell others that landing that dream job gives you joy, or, if you're lucky, your children give you joy.  Or maybe your spouse gives you joy.
• Is all joy the same?
• What are some things that give you joy that never change, that are solid, despite anything else going on in your life?
• Is joy incompatible with sorrow in your life?
• What do you do to fill your life with more joy? 

• Faith sharing
• There is no second-hand faith.  I cannot give you my faith as a gift, as much as I might wish that I could.  We can share with each other of our faith, we can share experiences of God that we have had because we had faith.  But faith has to come from within.
• Have you ever become discouraged when you're trying to share your faith with others?
• If that person or persons had received faith, what would you want to see them do with that faith?
• What changes would you want to see in their lives?
• Why is faith so hard?
• Is it worse today than before?
• Why? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to work for justice in some small way?
• Am I settling for a stale-mate when God has a victory for me?
• What brings me joy?
• Can I trust God enough to share my faith with others?

 

Shalom!