Our readings for this 2nd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11
2. Psalms 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14
3. 2 Peter 3: 8-14
4. Mark 1: 1-8

1. Preparing the way
• Why do you think that God calls on us to prepare a way for Him?
• What are some of the ways that we can prepare a way for God to arrive more immanently in our lives?
• What can we do to prepare God's way in our families this season?
• Other communities that we are a part of?
2. Finding peace in unlikely places
• How would you define peace?
• What does that feel like?
• Does it ever last very long?
• Should it?
3. Eternity in our midst
• What do you think that you're doing today is going to persist into eternity?
• How important are those eternal things to you?
• Why is the rest so important?
4. Are you part of a non prophet organization?
• Do we have any prophets in our midst today?
• How do you think that they got to be prophets?
• Have you ever felt that you really needed to tell someone something, maybe something that would free them from some sort of bondage in their lives?
• Does that make you at all prophetic?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What is my life preparing me and others for?
2. What things are there my life that take away my peace?
3. Am I willing to follow God even if I don't know how it's going to turn out?
4. Am I able to hear God's voice, no matter where it's coming from?

Street Preacher

"Repent, for the kingdom is near" he said.

Repent of what might I ask?

Anything that holds you back, ensnares you, makes you slow to follow God's voice.

But how do I know if I'm holding back if I don't really hear anything just now?

Your hearing is dulled, your eyes blinded by the cares of this world.

But, if I don't pay the rent, buy food, pay my taxes, I could end up like you.

Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

So it's wrong to be comfortable?

It's wrong to stop questioning, seeking, searching.

But I've found God, or He found me, and we're good.

If there's never any conflict between you and God, you're not really living.

I don't want to have conflicts with God.

Next time you have some really harsh trouble, rant at God and see what comes back.

Ranting at God is disrespectful.

It's an authentic form of prayer.  Give it a try.  Don't forget to listen for the response.

Our readings for this first Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b, 64: 2-7
2. Psalms 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9
4. Matthew 13: 33-37

1. Praying intently/intensely
• Do you ever rant at God?
• How do you think it might make Him feel if you were to ever do so?
• If He had to choose, do you think that God would prefer that we be honest or reasonable in our prayers?
2. Seeing God's face
• Have you ever had a special friend, someone that you had shared a great deal with through life, who had the capacity to remind you of the best parts of you every time that the two of you got together?
• What do you do to help make that friend more present to you during a separation?
• How might that inform your prayer life while we're physically unable to "see" God?
3. Relying on God
• The end times always sound scary.  Just what do you think God's protection of us is going to save us from during those days?
• What do you think would be the best preparation for that closing chapter of human history?
• How much of that do you think that you can afford to do, and still get by in the day to day?
4. Watching and waiting
• Each of us has our talents, if we're lucky we recognize them, and align them with our calling. Do you think that there are people, maybe even folks among us today, that are especially good at reading the signs of the times, discerning the flow of human and salvation history, and helping the rest of us respond prayerfully to such movements?
• If so, would that free the rest of us to go on about our business as usual?
• Can you think of anyone who performs this sort of service in one way or another today?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Do I trust God with my deepest longings and desires, even if I don't think that He would approve?
2. What are the things in my life that I need to be saved from today?
3. When was the last time that I thanked God for all of the graces that He has given me.
4. If I knew that Jesus was returning tomorrow, how would I live differently today?

Traveling Light

Freedom is a sharp two-edged sword.

Shackles come in many forms, and freedom from them can be costly.

Waiting until you find yourself at the end of a chain

Before trying to free yourself can make for missed opportunities, loss of nimbleness of thought and deed.

The simple question "what would I be willing to live without"

Can yield some interesting insights into your heart of hearts.

For me, the struggle might be living without sure knowledge that my work will be appreciated.

Or maybe it would be hard for me to get along without acceptance from others.

Long practice in offering those up to Jesus in prayer of thanks and surrender

Giving me practice in indifference toward them,

Gradually lessening the fear of loss,

Gradually increasing my trust in God,

Making me better able to hear God's voice in my heart

I'm thinking that's a prayer that might be pleasing.

May you find peace beneath the turbulence.

Our readings for this Christ the King Sunday are: Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17, Psalms 23: 1-2, 2-3, 5-6,
1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28, and Matthew 25: 31-46.

• If you look just a few verses ahead of our Ezekiel reading for this Sunday, you see that the Lord is taking the shepherds of Israel to task for seeking their own benefit, rather than those that they served.
• What are the ministries that you see yourself in these days?  They don't have to be formal or have a name necessarily.  You could be visiting a sick relative on a regular basis and be in a ministry of great mercy.
• What are the challenges that you face in each of those ministries week in, week out?
• How do you think that the great Good Shepherd might be able to help you with those challenges?
• How do you think that the sheep learn to trust the shepherd?
• What has God done for/to you lately that evokes your trust in Him?
• Do you ever get the chance to talk to anyone else about His gifts in your life?
• Has God ever disappointed you with His care?
• We are often depicted as a pilgrim people, merely passing through in this life on our way to the Kingdom of God.
• What are some ways that the Kingdom of God can and should be more evident in your family, our parish, our nation?
• What's stopping you?
• This week's Gospel calls us to look at the needs around us.
• We are daily bombarded with needs that are going unmet in the world around us.  Of the many responses that we're capable of, two are easy to fall into:
• Thinking that there is nothing that we can do that will make a substantial difference in the face of so much need, so we become apathetic.
• Getting caught up in so many causes that we become burned out and of no use to anyone.
• How do you decide what needs to meet in your life?
• Is all of that giving on your part very much the same week in/week out, or is there some spontaneity to your generosity?
• Which is better, to send a lavish check to an organization that you know is doing good things, or spend your time helping out personally?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I a joyful giver?
2. How much do I trust God when He takes me out of my comfort zone?
3. What am I doing to bring about the Kingdom of God this week?
4. How have I been discerning where to spend myself?

Smelling Like Sheep

My middle school kids have a whole different set of challenges that they have to meet than I do.

Everything from acne to term paper deadlines are just a distant memory to me.

They probably look at me, and see their parents.

Or, with a little imagination, their grand parents.

For better or worse, I've made all of the decisions that they are facing now.

I just have to learn to live with the consequences,

Much less uncertainty at my stage in life, far fewer crisis.

And I wonder what I have to say to them that really means anything to them.

All of the wisdom of the ages is just noise if its delivered by someone

Who cannot relate to their listeners,

Who is unable to know the dark night of the soul that they wander through

And lead them gently, one step at a time, from right where they are.

Lord, give me true understanding of these your children,

That I might have the respect and awe of them that you hold,

That my love might be unconditional and authentic,

That I might show them your face in ways that they can see clearly.

Shalom!

Our readings for this coming week are: Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31,
Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5, 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6, and Matthew 25: 14-30

1. Proverbs:
• Why do you think that we turn in our offerings during the Mass?
• Wouldn't it be more efficient if everyone just filled out pledge cards and had an automatic deduction made from their checking account?
• Or better yet, take a page from Uncle Sam and deduct it from our paycheck before we even see it?
2. Psalms:
• Have you ever felt robbed, you put in time and effort into something, be it a project at work, an initiative at Church, something you tried to establish at home, and you didn't get the results that you were counting on because someone sabotaged you in one way or another?
• How did that make you feel?
• What did you do about it?
• Do you feel as though that might have been a justice issue in some regard?
• How do you think that made God feel?
• Did you ask Him?
3. 1 Thessalonians:
• What part of what we do, who we are in this life is going to endure into eternity?
• Is heaven going to be any richer because Michelangelo lived?
• If something that you're doing today isn't quite perfect, is it going to matter at the end of the world?
• Why?
4. Matthew:
• Do you think that each of us is born into this world with a destiny that only we can fulfill
• How do we go about finding out what that is?
• How late in life do we find that destiny?
• I'm reminded of the story of the 4th wiseman (http://www.cfcmiddleeast.org/?p=3117).

Preparation for Reconciliation

1. 1) How do I measure success?
2. What am I doing to help others enjoy the fruits of their labors?
3. How is today preparing me for eternity?
4. What are my gifts and how am I sharing them?

Ennobling Love

Loving another is an act of defiance.
It defies the fear that the other will disappoint, or betray.
It defies the fear that this relationship will cost in unpredictable ways.

No one in their right mind sets out on a relationship hoping to change the otherHistory has proven that to be a false hope time and again.
But perhaps love has a power to change the world around the beloved.

Love for another states in ways beyond words "you are worthy"
That simple message, spoken into enough ears,
Helps to transform those around the beloved.

They see them with new eyes, new expectations.
The beloved is able to live and move and have their being in that new context.
And find themselves where before there were only ashes.

Christ's love for us changed the world.
I think He's inviting us to be as reckless and generous.
That we might partake in and of His love in unpredictable ways.

May the breathless waiting of Advent transform your entire year.