23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 9: 13-18b
2. Psalms 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 4, 17
3. Philemon 9-10, 12-17
4. Luke 14: 25-33

• The big picture
• Have you ever been told that your take on something suffered because you didn't have "the big picture"?
• Were you able to find out the "big picture" so that you could make decisions more intelligently, or did you have to continue to muddle along, knowing that there was more going on than met the eye?
• Why do you think that God doesn't always give us the "big picture"?
• Do you think that any of us has that "big picture"?

• Separation anxiety
• Have you ever felt abandoned by God, lost in some maze that no one else can see?
• How do you think that you got into that circumstance?
• How did you work your way out?
• What did that teach you?

• Transformation
• Have there been any sharp turning points in your relationship with God?
• Were any of those expiences brought on by something that you did, or were they totally initiated by God?
• Do you wish that you had seen those coming?

• Decluttering life
• If your house was burning, what would you be sure to rescue on your way out?
• How do you know if your attitude toward that thing/person is helping you, or hurting you in your walk with Jesus?
• How are we supposed to rid ourselves of attachments to things in our lives that are hurting us?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How deep is my trust in God?
2. What in my life is robbing me of my peace?
3. What is going on right now in my life that will make my relationship with Jesus better?
4. What is holding me back from true freedom?

Trading my sorrows

The hard part of making your career in a large corporation
Is that, in the aggregate, there's a powerful, nameless, faceless presence,
That often lacks anything that anyone would call kindness.

Some shrug their shoulders and call it the law of the jungle.
The fit survive, the rest of us don't.  It's hopeless to try to make it different.
You might as well try to stop the wind from blowing.

Others will tell you that it is no one's fault.  Fear is the constant strand
Woven through the decision making process.  Fear of losing business
Fear of losing suppliers, fear of losing control, fear of irrelevance.

Others will tell you that it's not worth worrying about, whatever the reason,
Just move on with your life and be grateful that you dodged those bullets,
All those years.  Gratitude will ease the pain, buffer the grieving, open your eyes.

For my part, I just know that nursing a grudge, cherishing a hurt
Hurts no one but myself.  The hard part is knowing who to forgive.
And maybe that forgiveness needs to start with me.

Forgive myself for getting so attached to a career, a position, a spot at the table
That the whole bundle became so important to me, that I let the rest slip away.
And mistook obsession for a work ethic.  Forgetting that there are all sorts of work.

Maybe the best way to be ready to give something/someone up is to savor that now,
And know that there will be no regrets later for lost opportunities to learn and grow.
And remind myself that every moment is privileged, every season in life unique.

Shalom!

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29
2. Psalms 68: 4-5, 6-7, 10-11
3. Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24a
4. Luke 14: 1, 7-14

• Finding humility
• When you think of humility, who are some of the examples to you?
• When I was a kid, one saying that was in circulation was "it's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am."  That chestnut was always delivered with a self-mocking air so that the speaker would not get shot down outright, but it speaks to an underlying conception that humility and greatness are somehow at odds with each other.
• Do you feel that a humble person somehow needs to downplay, hide, or camoflage their skills, talents, accomplishments?
• If someone came to you and asked you for some exercises (practices/habits) that they could adopt to foster greater humility, what would you give them?

• Making room for the forgotten
• How do people "fall through the cracks"?  For instance, an elderly widow may have relatives, but they are all from a younger generation, occupied with the pressures of getting their kids through college, finishing off a morgage, worrying about threatened budget cuts, and the like, so they never get any visitors.
• As a whole, what do these "invisible" people have to tell us about us as a culture?
• What can we do to change that within our families, our communities, our churches?

• Seeing is believing
• As Catholics, our sacramental life is replete with things that we can touch, smell, taste and hear (the so called "smells and bells" of our faith).  If all of those sacraments are there for one purpose, to point us to God, why are there so many?
• How can we, as liturgical ministers, make those sacramental experiences richer, more potent in terms of making the hevenly realities more immanent and accessible?
• How can the sacraments permeate/inform/illumine our lives and vice versa?

• Giving up the outcome
• In aerospace, we were pretty famous for hosting meetings that went nowhere.  The reasons for such time wasters were legion.  Folks didn't come prepared, the agenda was unclear, the hidden agenda was out of phase with the published agenda, the leader forgot, and invited Ron, when everyone knows that Ron will never let anything of consequence happen unless he's in charge, ...  When we endure something like that, the assessment can often be "there's an hour of my life that I'll never get back."
• If you were given a secret power that allowed you to predict whether something was going to be a success before you embarked on that effort, how would you use that ability?
• Let's take it a step further, and say that you could establish what you meant by "success", and this amazing power of yours would take that into account.
• Do you see God ever giving us such a capability?
• Why or why not?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I willing to invest in order to achieve real humility?
2. Am I willing to bear the pain of what it means to be "forgotten" so that I can minister to the forgotten ones around me?
3. What about my life is not sacred that should be?
4. Am I willing to serve, with no thought for the benefits?

Kindness Anonymous

Pithy words of advice tell a great deal about the culture that spawned them.
In fact, I suspect that such bits of sage wisdom could easily be used
As a yardstick to measure changes in our culture as they happen.

"Never "google" an old girlfriend.  You'll never really like what you see."
If she's done well for herself, you'll kick yourself for not making it work.
And you'll wonder why the two of you went your separate ways.

If she's fallen from grace, and become some pale caricature of herself,
You may feel a moment of triumph and relief that you bailed when you did,
But then another part of you asks whether she would have been better with you.

Nowadays, fame, notoriety, publication if you will
Is so easy to come by, that a life of anonymity is unheard of,
And can rouse suspicions.  After all, the Unibomber was pretty private too.

There's scarcely any room anymore for quiet, unassuming virtues like kindness,
Extending a gentle hand when needed, saving a heart, wiping a tear, offering tea
Each of these acts of love has a sharp focus, one, maybe two at a time.

The love is extended, the event done, and everyone goes back to what they were about.
But a transformation has occurred in sharing a burden, a sacramental exchange of gifts
And Christ is remembered in the sharing of pains and sorrows, joys and triumphs,

Whether there was anyone there to record it and post it
Or not.

Shalom!

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 66: 18-21
2. Psalms 117: 1, 2
3. Hebrews 12: 5-7, 11-13
4. Luke 13: 22-30

• Unexpected brotherhood
• More and more we are learning to appreciate and value diversity along different dimensions: ethnic, gender, cultural, and even religious.  Do you think that God meant for us as a race, a people, to be so diverse, or do you think that a Godly unity is built upon all of us sharing the same point of view?
• Do you think that God expresses Himself differently to different people?
• Why do you suppose that is?
• What does it say about how we try to show God's glory to others?

• Our place in history
• God's faithfulness spans generations, continents, epochs.  Have you ever reviewed family history and looked for signs of God's hand in past generations, previous places?
• What do you think that you would find?
• Who is the historian in your family?
• Do they ever draw lessons from the family history, try to apply them to the present, invite the present generation to a deeper sense of identity as part of a long and enduring relationship with God?

• Seeking transformation
• There is a great deal of attention being paid to the question of the distinction between discipline and abuse.  How would you define each of those terms in the context of a family?
• How would you define discipline vs. abuse in a Church setting?
• Does God ever get angry?
• Does that anger ever lead to abuse?
• Why not?
• What can we learn from that?

• You never know who you'll run into in heaven
• How would you define hospitality?
• Where is hospitality appropriate?  Is there a hospitality dimension at home, work, school,church?
• How are those ministries of hospitality related?
• How can we be more hospitable?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to reach beyond my comfort zone to show God to another?
2. How do I celebrate God's mercy in my life?
3. Am I disciplining myself to God's service?
4. Can I trust God to touch the heart of even those whom I don't like?

Shalom!

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10
2. Psalms 40: 2, 3, 4, 18
3. Hebrews 12: 1-4
4. Luke 12: 49-53

• Speaking up for those who speak up
• Do you think that we can ever have enough prophets in our midst?
• What are some of the traits that you would look for in someone to serve God as a prophet?
• How should we, as God's people nurture and support those with a prophetic gift?
• Do you think that a prophet could be a musician, an artist, a poet, ...?

• The shape of victory
• Do you think that God is actively working on your behalf, day in, day out?
• How would you go about proving that to someone?
• What form does that help and support take?
• Based on your experience, what does it really mean to say that God is victorious in our lives?

• Freedom can be a very lonely thing
• What do you spend the bulk of your time thinking about, talking about, taking care of?
• Is that in any way related to an eternal priority, something that will last?
• What are some ways that you could simplify your life?
• Do you think that such simplification would sharpen your focus, free you from distractions?
• Is such a "leaning down" worth it?

• "In spite of" peace
• How do you tell when you're on the right track?  Often, for the tough questions we often seek the advice of others, maybe read the lives of great men and women for inspiration, pray through the Scriptures, or even ask ourselves what a sane, sensible person might do in our situation.
• What role do your feelings play in your decision making?
• If you found yourself utterly alone in terms of a decision that you had made, would that be a clear sign to you that you had strayed?
• Do you think that Jesus can meet you there in such loneliness?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to say what needs to be said, without thought for the consequences?
2. Where do I go for the good news that is happening in the world around me?
3. How am I drawing strength and encouragement from the saints who have gone before me, the saints around me, the saints who are to come?
4. Am I willing to be alone for Jesus?

Go Big or Go Home

used to be a battle cry among the folks I worked with at Boeing.
We would unsheath that sentiment when someone wavered,
Uncertain whether to take a risk or not for fear of the response.
It was meant to convey a wealth of sentiments all in one package.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
You have to break some eggs to make an omelette.
No pain, no gain.
There is magic in boldness.

And behind such determination must lie something stronger, and quieter.
A realization that what is at hazard in any decision is far greater,
Greater than embarrassment, loss of stature, loss of fame.
Rather it is loss of the true self.

Paths chosen because they are easy, comfortable, consistent with the past
Or radically creative traces through the wilderness,
The path less taken, the road less traveled
Are a gateway to our future, the emerging me at once becoming.

A true friend is the voice, daring you to be ineffably yourself
In spite of the fear, the risks, the potential disappointments.
We all need such friends in our lives.
Being that prophetic voice for another is perhaps our highest calling.

Not all such friends are alive with us today.
Some have gone before us.
Some have yet to be born.
Yet all of us witness to each other, and journey together.

Shalom!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 18: 6-9
2. Psalms 33: 1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
3. Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19
4. Luke 12: 32-48

• Wait for it, wait for it ...
• What are some promises that God has made to us that you cherish?
• How have those promises changed your outlook, your actions?
• How are you preparing for the fulfillment of those promises.

• The chosen
• Do you feel that you choose your work, or that your work chooses you?
• Have you ever felt chosen for some particular purpose/role/destiny?
• If not, how might that change your attitude and actions?
• How can we find that calling?

• Indifference versus "whatever"
• Have you ever gotten frustrated with God, with your relationship to God?
• Did you talk with God about that frustration?
• What's the difference between faith that it will all work out somehow in the end, and a "whatever" attitude that basically just disengages and waits for what's to come without getting involved?

• Holding down the fort
• T-shirts with the question "what would Jesus do?" were popular at one point in time.  How far do you think that question will take us in the face of questions that we face today?
• If Jesus were alive and in our midst today, where in our society do you think he'd be?  Maybe a CEO of some corporate where He could benefit the employees, customers and stockholders?  Would he be some Church official?
• What do you think Jesus might want to say to us, today, if He were here right now?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How am I showing God my trust in Him?
2. What am I waiting for in my life?
3. What am I willing to risk to follow Jesus more closely?
4. Where is my treasure?

In it for the long haul

So what's the difference between a distraction and a calling?
How do you tell when a person or a community,
Have lost sight of their ultimate purpose
And traded it away for security, predictability, safety?

Are all of us called to be ultimately creative?
What does creativity look like?
Is it inherently predictable, steady, arrives on schedule?
Is the muse intrinsically rational, or intuitive?

A project manager hates nothing more than the phrase:
"It will get done when it gets done."  Or worse:
"We have nailed down the known unknowns,
But the unknown unknowns are still emerging."

I somehow doubt that Jesus worked to a schedule
Or had a secret Day Planner tucked in his robes.
Ghandi was known to wait for months at a time
For the inspiration that led to his next flurry of action.

Lord, grant me the ear to hear you through the day to day,
Let the routine, the predictable, the consistent,
Be the strings which you pluck, to call me to my center,
Where I can find your next move for me, day in, day out.

Shalom!