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!

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!