14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 66: 10-14c
2. Psalms 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
3. Galatians 6: 14-18
4. Luke 10: 1-12

• Hope for renewal
• Isaiah sees a day when God will once again be generous with Israel and bless her with bounty following the Babylonian exile.  As a race, the Israelites would never look at their homeland the same because of their exile.
• What experiences in your life have restored something, someone, some favorite activity that you had lost for a time?
• How did you great that restoration?
• How were things just as they had been?
• How were they different? 

• Relying on God
• We in the United States culturally have a short memory.  Other cultures's memories, like the Jews, go back millennia.  Far more often than us, they see the present through the lens of centuries, and the present looks far more like a variation on the past than many of us would like to believe.
• What do you know of God's character?
• Where did you get that knowledge?  Was it from the Bible, stories that your parents told you, experiences of your faith community, the Church as a whole?
• Do you feel that you can trust God the way you trust an old friend?

• Let's get physical
• Ignatian spirituality includes three levels of humility.  The third is a state in which a person so identifies with Christ that they are no longer afraid of being despised, misunderstood, and isolated from the rest of humanity if it brings them closer to Jesus.  I think that Paul had arrived at that level of union.
• For all eternity, Jesus is resurrected, yet still wounded.  How have you been wounded in life?
• Has there been a resurrection for you?  Far from forgetting those wounds, Christ offers you the chance to join your wounds with His?
• What would that be like for you?
• Do you feel that your hurts, your sufferings, your losses somehow are in a different league from what Jesus suffered?
• How do you think Jesus feels about your wounds?

• Laborers in the harvest
• The life that Jesus calls His disciples to is one of utter dependence on God for even their most basic needs.  That posture is both frightening and freeing.
• I once heard a sermon where the minister tripped over himself a little.  He said "I have an advantage.  I essentially get paid for being good.  The rest of you have to be good for nothing."  I can only hope that that remark was not in his sermon notes and that he was guilty of an unfortunate ad lib at that moment.
• If you receive some sort of monetary compensation for things like cantoring, does that make you a professional?
• Does that make your generosity any less noble than the person who gives of their time and talent for nothing?
• How do we tell when we are just in our compensation to those who minister?
• Why does it matter? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What in my life needs renewal?
2. What kindnesses of God should I be grateful for?
3. How can I be more humble?
4. Where is God calling me to serve today?

One Day At a Time

I have a journal that I have kept of our travels these past few weeks.
Jacob and I have been places, seen people, touched lives
That we have only heard about growing up.

Preparing the way for Jesus has changed us,
Just as much as our touch has changed those that we ministered to.
Going up and down the length and breadth of Israel has shown me -

Shown me that there is so much more
To the Kingdom that Jesus talks about.
Broader than anything I could have imagined.

Every time we enter a new village
I realize how different this community is from my home
How different they are from the last community that we served.

Yet all the same in one important way:
Jesus means to set them free.
Free from past prejudices, free from fear, free from hatred, free from sin.

And somehow, I know that it cannot stop here with God's elect.
Because all of us are elect, all of us chosen, all of us loved.
The miracles of healing are amazing - the acceptance profound.

But the most amazing healing is the one that I have felt.
As I realized that our nation, our history, our culture is not alone
In the temple of God's favor.  No, it is brimful of beloved.

And the more lives that I touch,
The more real that temple is.
No walls, no roof, love as the door.

In a strange way, this openness is lonely.
Gone is the warm comfort of home
Where I was defined by we, and them.

I will never be small enough to fit into that village again.
And yet I have to share this oneness with my brothers.
And somehow midwife them too into wholeness.

And that coming home to my own village
Is going to the be the most frightening journey of all.
God give me courage, patience, strength, and most of all humility.

Shalom!

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21
2. Psalms 16: 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
3. Galatians 5: 1, 13-18
4. Luke 9: 51-62

• Succession plan
• Think about the various ministries that you have served in and are serving in.
• How did you get invited into those ministries?
• How were you discipled into that ministry?
• If you had to do it over again, what might have been a better path to bring you into that service within the community?
• How are you bringing "new blood" into your ministries today?
• Why don't we just stick with the same folks doing the same thing, year after year?

• Bargaining with God
• In Genesis 18: 16-33 we see the amazing story of Abraham bargaining with God over the fate of the city of Sodom.  You would think that someone in Abraham's position would have no bargaining chips.  Interestingly, he appeals to God's own nature and character to influence God.  That is the mark of a true friend.  Today, our psalmist does something similar.
• In what ways is your relationship with God a friendship?
• In what ways is it not?
• In John 15: 15 Jesus calls His disciples friends.  What prompted Him to say that?
• Do you treat any of your other friends the way that you treat God?
• Would they stay with you if you did treat them that way?

• Freedom in giving yourself away
• When do you feel the freest?  That feeling of unlimited possibilities, when anything is possible, when you have no idea what is next and you are able to punch through the fear into a wide space of awe.  What are you doing at that moment?
• How do you achieve such freedom?
• Do you think that we should be/feel/do that sort of freedom all of the time?

• Humble is as humble does
• Jesus never forces Himself on us.  Yet He is always available.
• How might we make ourselves more available to those who need God's love?
• Is there a balance between programs - defined services offered by an established group on a set schedule, versus spontaneity, freedom in ministry? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is the next generation of disciples coming from?  How am I helping bring them forth?
2. Where is my friendship with God going?
3. How do I give myself away?
4. Who is God calling me to reach?

Sons of Thunder

Here in the 'hood we don't take no disrespect from anybody
Least of all the likes of you.
You run along now and come back
When you learn to show proper respect.
And not a moment sooner.

Hardly the words out of Jesus' mouth.
Yet, so often, we tell others they are not welcome.
Maybe they dress oddly,
They smell badly,
Their tatoos are in bad taste.

Yet Jesus somehow always found a way to connect,
Draw others out of their fear,
No matter how many times they had been refused,
No matter how many times they had been turned away.
They knew that they could trust Jesus to be kind.

He even welcomed Judas, His betrayer
Celebrated the first Eucharist with him,
Let him give Him a kiss of greeting in the midst of betrayal.
Can we do any less?
I just don't know how to follow His example.

Maybe you can help.

Shalom!

Corpus Christi

Our readings for Corpus Christi Sunday are:

1. Genesis 14: 18-20
2. Psalms 110: 1, 2, 3, 4
3. 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26
4. Luke 9: 11b-17

• Separation of Church and State
• The US founding fathers came from a generation fraught with nations that had a state religion, that permitted no deviation from that official, accepted religion, and they wanted none of that.
• We pledge our allegiance to "one nation under God".  What does that mean?
• Do you think that we in the US have all but abandoned the original intent of those words?
• What would "one nation under God" really look like if we got it right?
• How far would religious tolerance extend in "one nation under God"?
• Why would it matter?

• Source of all power
• All of us have power of one sort or another, but the key lies in how we use it.  As parents we have a certain power over our children.  As managers, we have a certain power over our subordinates, as friends, we are able to influence those close to us.  We maybe shy away from thinking of relationships in that way, but there is a power there, however muted.
• Do you think that all power ultimately comes from God?
• If someone, say a malign dictator, however small, misuses that power to oppress others, what ultimately happens to such people?
• How would you define oppression?
• Would oppression include trying to influence someone to life a life that they were never meant to live?  For instance, go to a college that God never intended for them, marry the wrong person, ...?

• If every Eucharist is a meal, is every meal a Eucharist?
• We claim that Eucharist is a meal, an exchange of gifts, a feasting on the Body and Blood, but what does that mean?
• Why do you observe a Eucharistic fast?
• Are we really being true to God's intent if anyone is excluded from that feast because of skin color, culture, imprisonment, divorce, ...?
• To what extent is true communion possible if we do not truly celebrate Jesus' original intent?

• You have to be kidding
• On the job training (OJT as we called it) has three steps: you watch me do it, I watch you do it, you do it all by yourself.
• Jesus honestly seems to think that the disciples were ready to feed all of those people.  Was He delusional?
• How has Jesus prepared you for the various ways that you serve others?
• If you had it to do all over again, how might you have preferred to have been trained to do what you are doing?
• How are your current ministries preparing you for what is coming? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God calling me to be more prophetic in local governance?
2. Where is God teaching me mercy?
3. How can the meals that I share with friends and family be more Eucharistic?
4. How can I be more open to what God is preparing me for?

Make me a Blessing

God, make me compassionate, like you.
Help me to be a blessing to those around me.
An answer to prayer that they may not know yet.

Help me to see with your eyes of mercy.
To see your children rather than needs.
To see opportunities rather than burdens.

That I might learn true humility
From the master of all humbleness
And walk the path of the true disciple.

Shalom!

Most Holy Trinity Sunday

Our readings for Most Holy Trinity Sunday are:

1. Proverbs 8: 22-31
2. Psalms 8: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
3. Romans 5: 1-5
4. John 16: 12-15

• Work/life balance
• We make a sharp distinction between play "to have fun" and work "to build something from smaller, less complex constituents."  But Wisdom seems to have done both at the same time during the creation of the cosmos.
• Do you think that God has "fun" at any time?
• When we say that we do something "just for fun" we usually mean that the activity has no meaning, no benefit aside from enjoyment.  Do you think God regards "fun" that way?
• If God found it fun to make all of creation, do you think that He still finds it very good?
• If God is disappointed in how things turned out, why does He not just start over?

• Has anyone seen my glory?  I seem to have lost track of it.
• In Ricky Menalo's piece Ang Katawan Ni Kristo the song builds to the climax: "behold the glory of God, we are the body of Christ."
• To the extent that we are the body of Christ, how does that show the glory of God?
• Where are we less than our full potential as families, parishes, the Church at large?
• How can we live that glory better?

• I would have hoped that hope is easier to come by
• Virtue has been defined as the ability to make it easy to do the right thing.  That only comes with steady practice, constant attention, and humility.  And that virtue is what gives us hope.  Not because we feel entitled, but because God has proven Himself over and over again.
• Think of someone in your life and think of a few of their virtues.
• How do you think that they got that way?
• What are some of the benefits that they enjoy because of those virtues?
• What would you be willing to go through to attain those virtues yourself?

• All truth is beautiful
• Today the church of St. Cyprian Long Beach celebrated the ordination of Michael and Mary Rutz to the permanent diaconate.  The service has breath-takingly beautiful in so many ways.  Much truth was expressed there, much beauty shared.
• Do you think that all truth can be captured in words?
• What role does music, art, sculpture, poetry, ... have in bringing about the Kingdom of God?
• Can the Church ever have too many artists?
• Clearly God has given different ones of us different amounts of talent.  What of us who have modest talents?  What is our role in this outpouring of truth and beauty? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God calling me to have more fun?
2. Where is God calling me to glory today?
3. Where are my virtues getting tested and strengthened?
4. Where is God calling me to be beautiful today?

Quiet Time

We seem shackled to our agendas.
Consumed with questions and entreaties.
God, give me this, make that happen, tell me what to do.

And I think that God knows and appreciates the frenzy.
He knows the origin of the worries.
I'm sure that He just wishes that we be quiet long enough to hear the answers.

In brief moments of peace,
I imagine myself on a hillside overlooking the ocean,
Seated on the grass with Jesus next to me.

The sun is setting over the waves out to the west.
A great molten egg gently resting on the water.
As a crazy busy day draws to a close.

Neither of us is in a hurry to move on.
Time is passing, we both know this time will end.
Yet we can enjoy each passing now as it comes and goes.

Neither of us says anything.
Knowing that just being there is all that either of us needs.
Secure in the knowledge that we will be back here again tomorrow.

Sadly, I have a hard time finding that quiet hillside in my heart.
The demands of the day crowding out such "unproductive" time.
My inner restlessness deaf to the whispers of peace offered me.

Jesus, fan the embers of my love for you.
Help me to seek what alone satisfies.
Do not let me settle for less,

Than wasting time with you.

Shalom!

Pentecost Sunday

Our readings for Pentecost Sunday are:

1. Acts 2: 1-11
2. Psalms 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
3. Revelations 8: 8-17
4. John 20: 19-23

• Does this robe make me look fat?
• Stage fright generally has many components.  You could worry that you'll forget what it is that you want to say, or that that particularly critical member of the audience will find issues with what you deliver, or that you really are not worthy of making such a presentation, or that you have really not prepared enough, or that you forgot to lock the front door when you left the house or ...  But the early disciples seemed to be more focused than that.
• When you give yourself away to others, in lectoring, visiting the sick, singing in the choir, helping someone with a DIY project, how important is preparation?
• How do you know that you have prepared enough, that you are truly ready?
• How has God prepared you for the ministries that you have today?
• What might He be preparing you for tomorrow?
• Why do you want to know that?

• Renewal on tap
• Throughout history there have been renewal movements that sought to bring new life to an established order.  Some have been wildly successful, others not so successful.
• What needs renewing in your life?  What has gone stale or lifeless?
• Is that renewal likely going to be a matter of throwing out the old and starting over, finding new purpose and meaning in what you are already doing, returning to the past when things were simpler, more pure, more focused, or ...?
• How can your renewal serve the larger purpose of renewing your family, community, parish, the earth?

• The only thing that we have to fear is fear itself
• The lyrics to a song Fear is a Liar are here.  I think that the composer has a lot to say about fear and its hold on us.
• What are your recurring fears?
• What are you doing about them?
• Are all of them real?

• I once was blind but now I see
• Jesus' post resurrection appearances read as though He was very selective about who He manifested Himself to.  Perhaps He had had his fill of crowds before the crucifixion and decided more intimate gatherings were called for.
• When do you feel closest to the presence of God?
• How have those times changed you?
• Do you think that you could get that same sort of intimacy in other contexts, other phases of your life?
• Why or why not?
• What does that say about the "rest" of your life?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing to prepare for what God has for me tomorrow?
2. How am I bringing new life to those around me?
3. Which fears are holding me back?
4. Where can I be more present to Jesus and He more present to me in my life?

Those Wounds

The scar tissue felt rough to my fingers.
The pain that they bore witness to
Still burned in my memory.

Yet Jesus stood there, radiant.
Full of life, laughing with us,
Celebrating a life that could not be quenched.

He tells us that we have a share in that life.
That we have all that we need.
Easy for Him to say.

These wounds speak to me
Of desire stronger than death
Of a life so much larger than me.

These wounds call me into a horizon
Larger than any I have ever known.
And I dare not hold back.

Even though the future is uncertain,
The path ahead far from clear.
I now know that the secret to life

Is to give it all away,
Fearlessly,
Recklessly.

Shalom!