2nd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Baruch 5: 1-9
2. Psalms 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
3. Philippians 1: 4-6, 8-11
4. Luke 3: 1-6

1. Mercy me
• Do you feel a strong sense of God's mercy towards you?
• How important to you feel such a sense is in our relationship toward God?
• To cultivate that sense of God's mercy, should we pay more attention to God's action in our lives, or our actions towards God?
2. Story time
• My mother is fond of saying that before TV, families would sit together and recount family stories from the past.  I suspect that such tales helped the family establish an identity, and give everyone a sense of being rooted.
• What are the stories that you tell around the dinner table, or at family reunions?
• What are the stories of our faith, our community, our parish?
• Who should be telling those stories?
• Who should be hearing them?
3. Work in progress
• Have you ever felt "stalled" in your relationship with Jesus, as though you just could not get it out of first gear?
• What do you think those times mean?
• What did you do to get through those episodes?
• Are the something that you need to get through?
4. Is there a prophet in the house?
• Who do you see as the voices for justice in our world today?
• If injustice is going to happen regardless whether we speak up or not, isn't it just smarter to "lay low"?
• Whose business is it to speak up anyway?
• Can you have too many prophets?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. When was the last time I appreciated the mercy of God in my life?
2. When was the last time that I recounted a real blessing that God had given me to someone else?
3. Do I take stock of where I am on the journey?
4. Am I content to let others speak up for the oppressed around me?

Holy Waiting

Waiting for something to ripen properly is the hardest thing of all.
It takes great faith, and diligence.
But the danger is, that I'll not be able to pay proper attention
If I am in a frenzy all of the time,
And I'll miss the first, gentle appearance
Of the Christ in my life.

All because I couldn't wait for Him.

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 1st Sunday of Advent are:

1. Jeremiah 33: 14-16
2. Psalms 25: 4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
3. 1 Thessalonians 3: 12 - 4:2
4. Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

1. Who doesn't want justice?
• How would you define justice?
• Why do you think that God is so concerned about everyone getting justice?
• If some of us are treated unjustly, is it possible for the rest of us to have true justice?
2. Highway to Heaven
• Sometimes, someone gets to know you, your patterns, your views so well, that they seem able to tell what you're thinking before a word comes out of your mouth.  Do you ever think that someone could get so close to God, know His ways so well, that they could anticipate how God is going to react in a given situation?
• So if that's not possible, are we left with seeking God's well out in all things, no matter how often we've been down that particular road with God?
• Doesn't that make us rather high maintenance?
• Most leaders appreciate some initiative in their subordinates.  Why not God?
3. Careful, someone may be watching
• Who are the examples of love in your life?
• Are they in any official capacity?
• How then does such a person exert an influence in other's lives?
• Where might you be exerting an influence in other's lives?
4. It's too late for broccoli
• How do you think that Jesus' children are going to "escape" the tribulations that are coming?
• What does "escape" really mean?
• Is that perhaps the ability to somehow find refuge before they start?
• Or maybe find some safe place to hide for the duration?
• What would you feel is a successful weathering of tribulations?
• Are we in those days now?  I have a friend who is convinced that the 2nd coming is just around the corner on account of the increasing political instability in the world.

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to see marginalization wherever it might occur, or would I rather not know?
2. Do I trust God to reveal His desires for me in good time?
3. Is my life actively seeking to please God, or just avoid His anger?
4. What preparation am I making today for my own death, and the death of this age?

What if I'm Just Anxious by Nature?

Fear not, the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Well, that's not as comforting as you might think.
That number keeps getting smaller by the day.

I always felt as though Martha got the short end.
Tangible things, getting things done, items checked off,
That feels like accomplishment, that brings me joy.

All this talk of the old passing away, to be replaced with the new,
Just leaves me wondering if I'll need cardigan sweaters in heaven,
And worrying whether I'll remember to turn off the lights when I go.

I think Jesus gets good entertainment value out of me,
He watches me fret and worry over things that will be eclipsed,
And wants very much to comfort me, but knows even He has limits.

I only hope that I'm as understanding of those around me,
And give them space to cope in their own ways.
As we all make our way along on this pilgrimage of understanding.

I don't as much long for vast understanding of the cosmos.
Nor great theological revelations to dawn full throttle upon me.
I'd just like to understand who I am, how I'm best at being me,

Laugh all you want.
Jesus laughs with you.
Some day, if I live long enough, I'll join in too.

Shalom!

Christ the King

Our readings for Christ the King Sunday are:

1. Daniel 7: 13-14
2. Psalms 93: 1, 1-2, 5
3. Revelations 1: 5-8
4. John 18: 33b-37

1. Enduring is hard to do
• Kingdoms topple in the face of change.  That change can come from within or without, or both, but it will come.  Typically, that institution/nation/kingdom which cannot adapt to change is doomed.  Yet the kingdom of God is constant, eternal.  It's very constancy is its greatest strength.
• Why is that?
• What does that say about the institutions that we are a part of, that we support?
• What does that say about the amount of energy that we pour into those temporal institutions?
2. God's interior designer has it tough
• The throne room of rich and powerful kingdoms have symbols, mementos if you will, commemorating the greatness of the kingdom.  Perhaps the crowns of conquered kings, tribute from loyal vassals, palace guards resplendent in their polished armor.
• What do you think God's throne room looks like?
• If you were to design a church that would encourage the attendees to worship with full, conscious and active participation, how would you design it?
3. It's going to be too late for broccoli
• At the end of the world, Catholic doctrine tells us that we will all understand each other the way that God understands us.  Just maybe, when we really see why people acted the way that they did, what motivated them, what their dreams and passions were, we'll get a far clearer vision of who our creator is.  Maybe that's the ultimate revelation of God.
• Do you think that you'll be at all surprised when you see God's face?
• Is that bad?
• If it is, what can we do now, so that seeing God face to face is not so much a surprise?
4. The truth is out there, maybe way out there
• So, if those of us who belong to the truth are listening to God's voice, why are we hearing different things?
• Or are we?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What of my life is going to endure into Eternity?
2. What am I doing to build my trust in God?
3. Given that I don't understand anyone the way that God does, how ought I to treat those around me?
4. What am I doing to bring about peace among God's children?

Bare Essentials

So much of the first half of life is spent gaining, acquiring, accumulating.
The second half, about shedding.

I don't think the shedding gets easier with time.
Each loss digs a bit deeper than before.

It's so unpredictable how it's going to occur for you.
Maybe your tennis game falters first, then your memory.

Or maybe your vision grows larger than your surroundings,
And you're no longer able to spend it all

On things that just don't matter anymore,
And suddenly, those around you, who thought they understood you,

Don't understand at all, and there you are, a living contradiction
Somehow transusbstantiated into someone new.

Beckoning, just by being there,
To follow the pilgrimage of humility into the uncharted waters of freedom.

And once you set foot to that path,
You gradually learn to embrace everyone, even the you that you left behind,

And you wake up one morning and realize,
With quiet intake of breath, that you cannot find your way back to who you were,

And with unbridled mirth you realize you don't care.
And you're able to embrace that too.

Shalom!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Daniel 12: 1-3
2. Psalms 16, 5, 8, 9-10, 11
3. Hebrews 10: 11-14, 18
4. Mark 13: 24-32

1. It isn't easy being wise
• In our culture, wise men and women are often dismissed as cranks, someone who, for one reason or another, refuse to "fit in".  Sometimes the wise person is vindicated during their life time, more often, it's not until after they are gone that appreciation for their far-seeing begins to accumulate.
• What does that tell you about wisdom in general?
• Do you think that we are all called to be a Richard Rohr or a Matthew Kelly, Mother Theresa or Burnadette Farrel, or can we leave that sort of thing to those who seem to be called to dedicating their life to the pursuit of wisdom?
• Is there such a thing as too many wise men and women?
2. I somehow thought joy would be happier
• The joy of the Lord sounds like a simple enough thing, but I've heard it defined as a deep rejoicing in God, in spite of whatever trials we might be facing.  Come again?  You mean to tell me that if I had the joy of the Lord I could still be happy even if my fantasy football team is having a lousy season???
• Where do you think the joy of the Lord comes from?
• Is it pure gift, do we work at it, do we have to be open to it?
• How important is this joy?
• What does it mean that it's a fruit of the spirit?
3. Wash, rinse repeat, sin, confess repeat?
• For those of you too young to remember, shampoo bottles used to have directions that said "wash, rinse, repeat" on them.  Speculation was that someone who wasn't properly equipped mentally could end up spending a long time in the shower with an apparently infinite loop.  You know who you are, no need to confess.
• If Jesus' sacrifice was once for all, why is it that we keep sinning?
• Worse, if we're supposed to be victors in Christ, why is it that we often fall into the same sins over and over again?  For my part, I could use some more variety.
4. The more things change, the more they stay the same
• What will be different after Jesus comes again?
• What will still be the same?
• What does it really mean to be on a pilgrimage through life?
• How can we better remind ourselves and each other of what's really important?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to be misunderstood, or worse, dismissed for my values?
2. If God is all that I have to look forward to in eternity, is that enough for me?
3. How am I changing my habits to help me draw closer to God?
4. What am I doing to help me focus on the eternal?

My Days are Numbered, I Just Don't Know the Number

Sometimes, as a means of centering yourself, it helps to answer some questions:
If I knew that I was going to die tomorrow, what would I do today?
If I knew that I was going to die in a year, how would I live that year?
Such questions help sift the important from the not so important.

At my age, the occasional thought crosses my mind to ask about legacy.
What will I be leaving behind when I go, what continuity will there be?
Living on in the memory of loved ones is fine as far as it goes,
But something of more substance would certainly be nice as well.

But that question begs another, deeper question.
As a community, a people, a race, what is it that we want to leave behind?
If all of this is going to pass away, our monuments, our cities,
What of eternal value are we building today, that will be there in eternity?

For just as each of us is appointed to die
So too is this age that we are in, and all of the accessories that come with it.
I firmly believe that when we all gather in the heart of God,
All of us will completely understand ourselves and each other.

I think those memories are going to bring a lot of tears, a lot of consolation,
Discoveries like the fact that Uncle Jack used to whittle so much
Because it reminded him of time that he spent with a beloved grandfather
Will give us something to rejoice over and appreciate well into eternity.

From that vantage point, looking back on today, I'm going to venture
That kindness and mercy are probably the best way to live now
So that there are fewer regrets, self-recrimination later.
Because the memories of what we do today are going to be there a long long time.

Shalom!

32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 17: 10-16
2. Psalms 146: 7,8-9, 9-10
3. Hebrews 9: 24-28
4. Mark 12: 38-44

1. Give that you may receive
• How has God supplied your needs during tough times?
• It's often difficult to tell our wants from our needs.  How have you made that distinction?
• Where do you think that our dreams/aspirations come from?
• How can God honor, even celebrate those dreams if we are giving ourselves away?
2. You new in town?
• Conflict has made refugees out of so many in our day and age.  People displaced are at a natural disadvantage because they have no support network.
• Displacement can happen from any sort of loss: a loved one, a job, the gradual loss of our health as we age, even something as natural as a good friend moving away can leave us feeling cut off.
• Do you know anyone who is displaced?
• How can we be better at being God's presence to them?
3. It's all in what it's not
• It's said that in eternity, all moments in time are equally accessible.  If that's true, then each celebration of Eucharist is an invitation into eternity as we enter into that eternal unbloody sacrifice, not to offer it over, as though the first time were not enough, but to bring ourselves back to that central reality of our faith.
• How might we become more Eucharistic in our daily lives?
• How might we better live a life that is, itself, a manifestation of God's continuing Presence?
4. Trust is so hard
• Jesus rejoiced in that widow's faith because she gave to God before she saw to her own needs.  Do you ever wonder how things turned out for her?
• How do we authentically celebrate the fact that everything that we have is of God, and belongs to Him before it ever comes into our hands, while we have these blessings, and after we give them away?
• What can we do to make that detachment from this earth easier?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to be bold in prayer about the desires that God has planted in my heart?
2. Am I sensitive to the displace around me?
3. How am I a tabernacle of Jesus here on earth?
4. How am I growing in trust to God?

Making sense of my cents

My husband Jacob was so good to me for so many years.

He worked so hard in his tailor shop to put bread on the table

Keep a roof over our heads, and yet so full of laughter.

The neighborhood children would come by the house,

And no one could tell whether it was for my cooking or his stories,

Either way, the house was always full of noise, and running feet.

We could never have children of our own, and yet,

Yet Jacob treasured me, treated me with loving kindness,

And opened his heart in other ways, along different paths.

I still miss you Jacob.  When you died, a big part of me died too.

But Yahweh has been my comfort, now as always.

Only now, there is so little else in my life, Yahweh stands out more than ever.

This temple was built by that oppressor Herod,

But I know that something of Solomon, Moses and Aaron are in these courts.

Even Herod cannot break the continuity of thousands of years of history.

God has been faithful to all of us, and especially to me all these years.

Soon I will be gathered to my ancestors, to you Jacob.

The only thing standing between me and starvation is here in my hand.

Two copper coins, enough for a loaf of barley bread, and then it's over.

It's not much to live on, but it's enough to give away.

To let God know that I trust Him with my life, all of it, past present, future.

I'll not blow a horn at my generosity, nor herald my gift.

My humble trust doesn't compare to these lavish offerings of the rich.

But it is all that I have to offer, all that's left of me in this old world.

Now I'm officially destitute, and yet I feel free.

Nothing separates me from God, everything I have, I'm wearing.

Lord, you have always befriended the widow and the orphan, tend me now.

Let me persevere until you call me home,

Let me keep my eyes ever on you.

And tell my dear Jacob that I'm coming soon.

Shalom!