28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. 2 Kings 5: 14-17
2. Psalms 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4
3. 2 Timothy : 8-13
4. Luke 17: 11-19

• Attitude of gratitude
• What are you thankful for these days?
• Were you always thankful for that?
• How was God's mercy shown you in that gift?

• Seeing is not always believing
• The popularity of apologetics is that once you master that material, you have something coherent to say to the next person who wants to challenge your faith.
• No one wants to be caught saying something lame like "well, I believe because I believe", or worse, "that's how I was raise."
• Why do you believe?
• Why do you stay where you are?
• If you felt a call elsewhere, how would you check that out to see whether it's really God's will?

• Perseverance takes such a long time
• Is there any aspect of your faith journey that is getting harder with time?
• What do you think is contributing to that?
• Looking ahead, when you are in the last year of your life, what do you think your faith will be like then?
• Is there any way to make that better now?

• On the way there
• Luke tells us that Jesus was journeying to Jerusalem.  If I were on my way to be executed, I think I'd be a little more focused, a little less attentive to anything else going on around me.
• Have you ever been on your way somewhere, trying to get somewhere and suddenly found that your immediate future had taken a turn?
• What made you stop and realize that had happened?
• How long did it take you to be generous in that situation?
• How did that "detour" change you?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. When was the last time that I told God "thank you", and for what?
2. Am I fully engaged where I am now, or am I in a "wait and see mode"?
3. What am I doing to make my spiritual self stronger, more lively?
4. How am I making a different along the way?

Quo Vadis?

It's not always where we are, but where we are headed that makes all of the difference.
"I have arrived" sounds more like a pronouncement of death-like stasis
Than it speaks to some blazing achievement.

I'd rather say "I am on my way to wholeness, one step at a time"
Or better, "I seek oneness along the journey to peace"
And leave plenty of room in the itinerary for surprises along the way.

Peace, I'm finding, is about giving away, shedding, simplifying,
Finding those things that once demanded so much attention
Now command next to nothing of me because I see them better.

The hardest thing to give up is a sense of importance,
In order to gain an element of transparency
Realizing that I'm just a conduit, a gateway.

There is a great deal of value added, in not trying to add anything
To what you are given.  The best thing to do with gifts is share them
Thus making sure that you never lose them.

And all of this life takes is proper perspective
As a medium of exchange
Gifts from the creator to be spread abroad as gifts.

Shalom!