Epiphany

Our readings for the Feast of the Epiphany are:

1. Isaiah 60: 1-6
2. Psalms 72: 1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
3. Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6
4. Matthew 2: 1-22

• Let your light shine
• It is perhaps appropriate that we celebrate Christ's coming when the days are shortest (at least in the Northern hemisphere).  There is darkness all around us of various sorts, and Christ calls us to help Him dispel that darkness.
• What are some areas of darkness in your own life?
• What are some areas of darkness in your family?
• What are some areas of darkness in your community?
• Do you have to be personally perfect before you can start work to dispel the darkness that is outside you?
• How do you know which darkness you are called to dispel?

• The king's own son
• Many that I talk to are now hopeful that, with new leadership, we will see improvements in our country.  Maybe.
• If God told you to utter just one prayer for our leadership, who would you pray for?
• What would you pray for them?
• Do you think that Jesus would have that prayer for them if He were here today?
• Why?

• Revelation can be hard
• History is replete with people, some of them who became quite well known, even infamous, because of what they thought were revelations to them.
• How would you define a revelation?
• Do you think that God still gives revelations to His followers these days?
• Do we need any new revelations?
• Who would you believe could have a legitimate revelation?
• How would you test a revelation?

• Hark!
• Scripture is not specific about where the Magi came from, but it's safe to say that they did not have the benefit of Jewish doctrine or Scriptures.  Yet somehow, these journeyers recognized the authority of God's word to them in a dream, and followed that direction.
• How does God communicate His will to you?
• Do you feel that God makes Himself pretty clear?
• Do you find that it's any easier to discern God's will for your life now that it was earlier in your life?
• What is your process for finding God's will in your life?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What darkness has God brought me here, to dispel?
2. Where is God moving me to bring His kingdom to earth in our government?
3. Where might God be revealing something to me?
4. Where is God calling me to something new?

Prayer by the Lakeshore

The old fisherman looked out over his beloved lake, and inhaled deeply.

He had seen epic storms brew and brood here, 

Howling wind, blinding snow, pelting rain.

And the sun eventually always came back.

As though nothing unusual or cruel had happened.

No matter how much damage had been done to the docks and houses.

When he was young, he thought that nature was just being mean.

Throwing temper tantrums from time to time,

Hurting his family and community out of sheer spite.

Later, he lost faith in God, and decided that the storms were borne of indifference.

They occurred because there was no reason for them not to, 

At least to a God who didn't care.

Later still, he lost faith again, and decided that it was not indifference,

But the non-existence of God that explained the careless hand of fate,

That dealt such random blows to all those who relied on the lake for sustenance.

Now, having been through so much, he saw only beauty.

Towering thunderheads marching across the sky in all their glory

Might bring rough weather, hail, bitter cold, but also beauty, always beauty.

Not just when all was done and quiet, for quiet is its own beauty.

But during the epic grandeur of the fury of nature in full riot,

The sky lighting as though on fire from a thousand sparks.

Beauty that transformed hardships, even tragedies, into portals

From comfort and security, to freedom and larger horizons.

He had learned to find God in every condition, every outcome, every event.

And he finally breathed a prayer of thanks for all the storms that he had endured,

And watched the sun slowly set into the trees on the far shore of his beloved lake.

Knowing that no matter how many storms lay ahead of him, he knew them to be gift.

Shalom!

Feast of the Holy Family

Our readings for the Feast of the Holy Family are:

1. Sirach 3: 2-6, 12-14
2. Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5
3. Colossians 3: 12-21
4. Luke 2: 22-40

• Dignity cannot be given
• We have all seen it: an elderly, or homeless, or diseased person treated as just a problem to be solved, just one of far too many such problems for the staff on shift, for the allocated budget, the time allowed.  And we wonder what such treatment does to the dignity of the subject of such treatment.  Maybe we shudder, wondering if we are looking down the barrel of our own future.
• Where does dignity ultimately come from?
• Can it be truly taken away?
• How then should we treat each other with dignity, regardless of whether the other person is able to speak up for themselves, demand better treatment, assert that they are worthy?

• The fruit of our handiwork
• We never actually stop working.  Every time that we exercise creativity, build something that was not there before, be it a civic organization, a local library, or a belt buckle, it is all work, all creative, all part of the unfolding of the creation if we do it in prayer.  Injustice deprives us of the fruits of that labor, steals our work from us, gives it away.
• What does it mean to fear the Lord?
• How do you think that fear of the Lord brings justice?
• Does that connection and fear of God always work out?

• Not talking about it is not mercy
• Honesty is the best policy.  Really?
• Think of times that you have finally "had it" with someone, and you decided to speak up about something that's been bugging you for a long time.
• How did that go?
• If something else started to bother you about that person, would you try that honesty thing again?
• Why do you think that worked out that way?

• Trust
• Simeon and Anna both trusted God.  Their trust had no timetable, no expectations of what the promised Messiah would look like, form whence He would come.  They were there, ready, waiting, to see God's deliverance.
• What are you waiting for in your life?
• Is that waiting just a matter of killing time, or is it creative, active, productive?
• Does it have to be all of those things?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who in my life deserves to be treated with greater dignity?
2. Where is God calling me to bring even a little justice?
3. Where is Love calling me to speak up?
4. Where am I trying to limit God?

Prayer of Anna

Lord, thank you for all of the love that you have heaped upon me through the years.

From those within my family who accepted me when no one else would.

From friends who encouraged me when I was inconsolable.

For the heartaches that have given me strength to persevere.

Thank you for your constant promise of Your Presence in my life,

In the life of my community,

In the life of your people.

Thank you that you never wavered even when I did.

Thank you for this long string of days leading up to this one.

Each providing strength and sustenance for the next.

Each giving me new graces to look back on and rejoice in.

And thank you most of all for today, always today.

Shalom!

Christmas Day

Our readings for Christmas Day are:

1. Isaiah 52: 7-10
2. Psalms 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
3. Hebrews 1: 1-6
4. John 1: 1-18

• Singing ruins
• It's easy to lose our way.  We lose sight of the giver and settle for the gift instead.  Maybe because we don't understand the true nature of gift.
• What are some of the gifts that God has given you in your life?  Maybe friends or family who have sustained you, talents that you have been able to share with others, an experience.
• How have you been changed by that gift?
• Did there ever come a time when you had to give that gift up?
• How did that change you?
• Do you think that you have made the best use of all of your gifts?
• Why?

• Reminding God
• The most powerful form of prayer comes when we remind God of His essential nature.  At that point in our prayer life, we have moved beyond treating God as some cosmic Santa Clause.  We have entered mysticism, we are relating to God out of appreciation for His incredible goodness.  We have fallen head over heels in love.
• Think of a time when you were desperate for God to do something for you.  How did you pray?
• How did God respond?
• How did that response change you?
• Did you expect that?
• Why?

• Are you talking to me?
• We all tell stories.  The ones that begin with "when I was your age" are often directed to just one person, so you know who the speaker is talking to.  Often the rest of the conversation sets the context for the story, so the listener has an idea of the import of the story.  Salvation history is God's story telling to us.
• Looking back on your life of this past year, what do you think God has been trying to tell you?
• Can you imagine yourself telling stories from this past year to others in the years ahead?
• What lessons do you think that you might try to impart in those stories?

• Refulgence
• That's a word that is a tough one to work into a sentence.  "My, you are simply refulgent in that dress."  What woman could resist that?  Try it and tell me how it goes.  And yet, it describes Jesus' presence among us, in spite of the fact that so few realized who He was.
• If someone were to ask you "prove to me that God exists by your life", what would you say?
• Where would you start?
• If you had a year's warning of that challenge, would this past year have gone any differently for you?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God doing a work of rebuilding in my life that I need to help?
2. Where can my prayer get closer to the heart of God?
3. What events of this last week should I spend some time pondering?
4. Where is God calling me to be His glory?

Shalom!

4th Sunday in Advent

Our readings for 4th Sunday of Advent are:

1. 2 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
2. Psalms 89: 2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
3. Romans 16: 25-27
4. Luke 1: 26-38

• Why are you here?
• "What's the use?"  Especially when things do not turn out the way that we had planned/hoped, we want to know whether there was any purpose or reason behind what did happen.
• Think of a great disappointment in your life.  How did that change you?
• Looking back on it now, if you were to live through that same disappointment now, how might it change you?
• How many other decisions about how you responded to a disappointment would you like to change?
• How can you prepare for your next disappointment?

• Litany of saints
• God has taken care of His people through the centuries in many ways, maybe most notably in the form and person of His various saints and prophets who have arisen to call His people to deeper awareness.
• Who are some of your ancestors in faith who have gone before you, preparing the way in one way or another for who you are today?
• Do you ever thank God for them?
• Who do you think is looking up to you, right now, and gaining inspiration from the life that you are leading?

• Finding holiness in obedience
• Why do you try to obey God?
• You know that if you do, things will work out in the end?
• You know that if you do not, people will get hurt?
• You know that this is the way for you to be most fulfilled as a person?
• You love God and you want to get closer to Him.
• Come up with some answers of your own, and rank them.
• What does that tell you about your relationship to God?

• Jesus among us
• God comes to you in a dream, and tells you that He has a very important message for you, and that He is going to send Jesus Himself to your door to deliver that message.  God doesn't tell you when Jesus will come, or how to even recognize Him.
• How would you prepare?
• How would you know that this person at your door was Jesus for you?
• How would you receive them?
• What makes you think this is just conjecture?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God inviting me to be transformed through my sufferings?
2. Who is that great cloud of witnesses cheering me on right now?
3. How can I deepen my prayerful obedience to God?
4. Where is God talking to me right now?

Making Time

Sacred art is replete with nativity scenes

In which everyone is stock still.

I've seen young infants in action, 

I've seen their parents striving to keep up with their needs.

No one is ever that calm around a baby,

Unless one or both of them is asleep.

So, just what are these icons meant to portray?

What inner reality beckons?

Maybe those scenes depict contemplation.

The picture of prayer

Prayer conducted after all of the immediacy of the day

Prayer that picks up the scattered moments,

Weaving them back together into the larger whole,

Seeing the unseen for what it was,

Camouflaged against the backdrop of the urgent and necessary,

Hidden in plain sight, yet accessible to anyone with eyes to see.

A silent invitation to each of us,

To take nothing for granted in the busyness of life.

To see the grander scope of the incarnation,

In the next spoonful of food offered to the hungry

In the welcome given to those with nowhere to go,

And the light offered to those who realize they are lost.

Shalom!

3rd Sunday in Advent

Our readings for 3rd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 61: 1-2a, 10-11
2. Luke 1: 46-48, 49-15, 53-54
3. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24
4. John 1: 6-8, 19-29

• What breaks your heart?
• Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:4 that those who mourn are blessed.  Normally we associate mourning with mourning the dead.  But Jesus has a different type of mourning in mind.
• What brings you sorrow?
• What have you received from God in prayer about those things?
• Are they the same things that made you mourn five years ago?
• Why is that?

• How much mercy do you need?
• All of us try really hard to be good, and we probably feel as though we are at least modestly successful.  But before we are able to really receive the mercy of God, we have to first see how much we need it.
• When has God been merciful to you in the past?
• Did you ever find the time to thank Him for it?
• How/when have you been able to show mercy to others?
• Was that mercy extended to them generously, or reluctantly?

• Praying or being in prayer
• Do you ever pray without words?
• Some get to that place with God out of desperation.  Life seems so overwhelming that words seem inadequate, or worse, pointless.  Others get there as the fruit of long hours spent in prayer, finally leading them to contemplation.
• Is it possible to pray at the same time that you are doing something else as well?
• Is that a good thing? 

• Jesus among us
• John told his followers that Jesus was among them, anonymous, unheralded.  That might have been because Jesus was trying to "lay low" until He was ready to "make His move".  Or it could have been that He simply vanished in plain sight.
• Why do you think that Jesus was so unnoticed?
• What does that say about our attitude when our good deeds go unnoticed?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Out of all that is going on around me, what should be breaking my heart?
2. How ought I to live, given the mercy that God has shown me?
3. How is my prayer life deepening lately?
4. How much attention should my accomplishments be getting?

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for 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

• The courage of hope
• Cynics are cowards.  The cynic expects the worst of people, events, new developments because they are afraid to be disappointed.  The prophet, on the other hand, reminds us of where our actions and attitudes are taking us, where they are leading us, giving us the bigger picture if you will.
• What do you hope for in life?
• How well do you think that hope is grounded?
• Where did that hope come from?
• Why do you think that faith, hope, and love are the three cardinal virtues?
• How do you think that hope supports faith and love?

• Justice and peace
• Pope Paul VI once said "if you want peace, work for justice."
• If he had said "if you want peace, pray for justice", how would that have changed the meaning?
• Which is more meaningful for you?
• Which gives you more hope?

• Who issued your passport?
• Advent calls us to look at both of Christ's comings to Earth in the context of each other.  Same Earth, same Christ, but very different in many ways.
• How do you celebrate, remain faithful to, shine your true eternal identity in the midst of getting the laundry done, washing the dishes, and caring for your family?
• Do you feel that you have any sort of an advantage over someone with no faith?
• What might that be?

• OK, now what?
• John the Baptist's message seems so stark: "repent of your sins to prepare for Him who is coming".  Makes you wonder what sort of follow-up ministry John had.  Maybe he had "people" for that.
• What, or who, are you preparing for this season?
• How will you know when it/they arrives?
• How will that arrival change you?
• How long do you think that change will last?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How is my hope changing me?
2. Is there some small way that I can bring some justice to those around me?
3. Where, ultimately, am I from?
4. What is God transforming in me?

Finding the courage to repent

Repentance is like the wings of a butterfly.

One wing: the regret for the outcomes of our actions, our thoughts, our failures to act.

The other wing: what we will do instead.

Long have I been reluctant to repent of some of my actions

Because I feared what that other wing would call forth from me.

Knowing that the butterfly cannot take flight on only one wing.

But now I am a little older, ever older.

I trust my God a little more, and even myself.

And I am sure that as I ease into the first part of repentance

As I ease into the first part of repentance,

The second will emerge

With God, gently holding my hand.

Holding my hand as I make my way into the change

That my heart calls for in faith.

Giving me the courage to enter the journey of repentance

Towards a shore at best shrouded in fog.

Knowing that life lines the path,

And growth the final outcome.

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for 1st Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b; 64: 2-7
2. Psalms 80: 2-3, 15-167, 18-19
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9
4. Mark 13:33-37

• Lord show yourself
• Let's face it, humility can be annoying.  It would be so much simpler if God would do something dramatic, prove that He's here among us, and show those foolish heathen who's boss so the rest of us can get some peace.  If only.
• What, in your personal experience of God, has been truly awesome?
• Have you, do you tell anyone about that event?
• Why or why not?
• Why do you think God chooses to be anonymous?

• The God of second chances
• Giving someone a second chance is dangerous.  They could disappoint us again, make us look foolish to friends and family alike, break our hearts.
• Can you think of a time when God called you, you declined, and you got a second chance?
• Why do you think that God bothers?
• Can you think of any times in which you gave anyone else a second chance?
• Why is that?

• Ready
• Jesus sent His disciples out to tell the world about Him, and I'm sure that at least a few of those early apostles thought "you have got to be kidding!"
• Have you ever accepted a call of some sort and felt unready?
• How much more time, more training, more study would you have needed at that time before you really felt ready?
• Why do you think God pushes us into the deep end like that?

• Each with his own work
• I invite you to look here, and read about the power of having a purpose?
• Why do you think that you were put here?
• If God came to you and asked you what purpose you wanted in life, what would that be?
• What makes you so sure that's not your purpose?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I show the glory of God?
2. Where is God calling me to show His mercy?
3. Where might God be calling me to step out of my comfort zone?
4. What is God's calling in my life?

Is there a poet in the house?

We have all seen those dramas where disaster strikes,

Someone desperately needs medical attention,

Too soon to get them to a hospital.

And the plaintive call goes out "is there a doctor in the house."

There once was a young man, humble of circumstances and attitude,

Who loved to connect with those around him.

Put him alone in a train station, and within minutes,

There would be a small swarm of folks wanting to talk to him.

He never took notice, he was always just glad

That no matter where he went, he was never alone,

He always found other's stories so very interesting.

He would remember them in detail for months and months.

And when someone would share their story, 

He could recall another story very like it.

And he would share that other story with his companion,

And they would feel a kinship, a community,

That had never been there for them before.

Depending on the story that he shared, he would weep,

Rejoice, laugh, sometimes even sing a little,

Whatever the moment seemed to call for in the telling.

Finally, an old friend of his asked him

"What are your stories, what have you experienced?"

To which he said "oh, nothing worth telling really.

Except maybe how folks encourage each other who've never met."

"But how do you decide what to share with someone.

How do you know what to tell them?"

To which the young man said "I am but a mirror,

Reflecting back to them how much they matter."

"This exchange that I have, one story for another,

Is just my way of celebrating the meaning of the life in front of me,

And the story that I have heard elsewhere.

A building of community one experience at a time.

The beauty is that I never am poorer for giving myself away.

My listeners always give me more than I can ever offer.

I make no grand conclusions,

I don't change anyone's mind.

I just help them see their own life in a larger frame,

Get their attention out of the "right this minute"

And soar a little, even just a minute.

To know that they are not alone, have never been alone."

I had to go.  A little girl was waiting impatiently.

To tell him about a tooth that she had lost.

And he listened with rapt attention,

Taking it all in, applauding her courage and tenacity.

That young man helped others to see the meaning

In and of their lives, whether they knew it or not.

His was the ministry of being a poet, without fanfare.

And a community growing by the day.

Shalom!

Christ the King

Our readings for Christ the King Sunday are:

1. Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17
2. Psalms 23: 1-2, 2-3, 5-6
3. 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28
4. Matthew 25: 31-46

• Servant Leadership
• We've been through a grueling several weeks as a nation.  We used to complain that the campaign leading up to the presidential election seemed to take an eternity.  Now the bitterness, accusations, legal maneuvers after the election have become a season all its own, and there is still no end in sight apparently.
• When you pray for our leaders, for the world's leaders, what do you ask God for?
• When you think about elections, what sort of framework do you long for?  Is it a gladiator winner take all, perhaps vindication of the right perspective over the wrong perspective, maybe preservation of all that's good against the forces of evil, a chance to discuss different point of view and forge a consensus, a time for prayer and reflection, several of the above, ...?
• If you could bless every one of our leaders with just one virtue which would that be?  Maybe courage, integrity, patience, ... those are all good.  Personally, I'm going to vote for humility.
• How will you pray going forward?

• Giving what you deserve
• Luke 6:38 "Give and it shall be given unto you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
• The hardest thing about spiritual discernment is often knowing when to say "no" to a request that comes our way so that our "yes" can really mean something.  How do you know when to say "no"?
• Once you have said "yes" to something, how do you know when to review that "yes" at a later time?
• What are some things that prevent you from becoming an altogether cheerful giver?

• Finding the real enemy
• Mary & I watched a movie about prayer called War Room.  Very moving.  One of the lines was to the effect that we are often fighting, be it with a heartless manager, a lazy coworker, a self-absorbed child, but the real enemy remains hidden because he likes it that way.
• What are some of the things/people that you are fighting in your life?
• How do you pray about/for them?
• Do you ever stop to think about what the root/source of those problems might be?
• Should that change the way that you pray?

• Playing to your strengths
• I call it the service inoculation.  Your church has a vibrant ministry to some group of marginalized and needy constituency, and part of you wants to say "great, we have that covered, glad that's done."
• "Needy" comes in lots of forms.  It might be someone who never learned to read, someone who's never learned the life skills to manage a budget on their own, or someone who's been abused as a child and can never trust anyone, or the result of a broken marriage, or ...  Who are the needy in your circle?
• Which of those needs calls to you in some way?
• How qualified do you think that you have to be, in order to be useful to the needy?
• How deserving do you think they have to be before Jesus would ask you to help them?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I help our leaders to lead more wisely?
2. Does my generosity need a tune-up?
3. Do my prayers go deep enough to make a difference?
4. How am I giving myself away?

Happy New Years

The liturgical calendar reminds us of an alternate reality,

One not governed by month end closing, or Black Friday specials,

But one framed in signs, and wonders, and memories near and distant.

The warp and woof of this hidden life has been gradually a weaving

Since our first parents gazed into the heavens and recognized the hand of God

And gave thanks in return.

It can all seem disconnected, unreal.

What is Advent without Christmas Carols, big family parties, shared football games?

How are we to truly celebrate in this quarantine?

But still, we turn the calendar page, and there it is,

The end of this year, the start of the next,

Seemingly indifferent to all that has gone on this year.

Or maybe we have it all wrong.

And the steady march of seasons, feasts, remembrances,

Is there to remind us not that recent events are petty, or small,

But that they fit into a much larger story that is easy to miss

Simply because it spans so much time, so many lives, all peoples,

The story of God's faithfulness in our midst through it all.

So I pray that this Thanksgiving, wherever and however you celebrate,

You take a little time to ponder whatever heavens arc above you,

And be as specific as you know how to be

As you breathe your prayers of thanks.

Shalom!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31
2. Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5
3. 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6
4. Matthew 25: 14-30

• An unfading love
• When I hear of young women battling bulimia, anorexia, and other body image problems, I feel a little guilty for fueling that obsession with the superficial in my own life, I resolve to look deeper than the surface, try to see with God's eyes.
• What is true beauty?
• From whence does it come?
• How can we make this world more beautiful?

• Getting what you deserve
• Injustice steals many things from the oppressed.  Injustice robs them of the benefits of their hard work, it robs them of tranquility and peace of mind, it robs them of their sense of worth within the community.
• Have you ever been the victim of an injustice?
• How do you know that you really get what you deserve?
• Do you think that God can ever transform an injustice into a moment of grace?

• Awake!
• When I was young, we would accuse someone of "majoring in minors" when they missed the bigger point, the grand scheme of things, by obsessing on the little stuff.  Easy to do.
• What is the big picture perspective on your life?
• Where do you think we are all headed as a community?
• What is the point, the meaning, the value of what we are going through right now?
• How does that broader perspective help living in the day to day?

• Playing to your strengths
• It's easy sometimes to feel like the poor servant with just one talent.  You do not know what to do with yourself, you feel that the consequences of failure are steep, you do not even know what your true talents are.
• How would you define generosity?
• Can one give generously if they do not have much?
• What then can we say of Luke 21: 1-4 (the widow's mite)?
• How can you tell what to give of yourself and when?
• What happens if you botch it?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How am I beautiful?
2. Where can I bring about justice?
3. How am I living God's big picture of my life?
4. How am I giving myself away?

The Heartbreak of Arrival

Comes to every one of us

When arriving at some hitherto distant shore

Brings a harsh reality with it: we are there.

"There" might be that coveted job, 

That longed for spouse,

Or even a new maturity.

And the shoes that got us there no longer fit.

Growing into arriving,

Shedding the skin of the pilgrim

Requires attention to the objective of the journey

Balanced with attention to the shrines and holy places along the way.

The meaning of the destination

Can often be found in the footprints that led to it

Regardless of who left them.

Shalom!

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Wisdom 6: 12-16
2. Psalms 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
3. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
4. Matthew 25: 1-13

• An unfading love
• A true friend is the one who inspires you to be your best self, the one who helps you find courage when you need it, to draw on strength you never knew that you had, to persevere when you were ready to give up.
• I would say that Wisdom is just another name for the Holy Spirit, the author and finisher of all truly great friendships.  How have friends in your life inspired you to go "above and beyond" what you thought yourself capable of?
• How did they manage that?
• How do your truest friends inspire trust in you?
• Does God have your trust?
• Why or why not?

• Wants, desires and longings
• The world around us conditions to want lots of things: fame, affirmation, appreciation, security, the next iphone, whatever the model might be.  Satisfaction from these things lasts awhile, but never for very long.
• What satisfies you, really meets your longings, and keeps satisfying you?
• When did you discover that about yourself?
• How has that longing, and its satisfaction changed you?

• The ultimate diversity
• Much has been said of late about solidarity, that we are all one by nature of our shared humanity.  I would like to humbly posit that one divide that we don't talk about much has nothing to do with gender identity, skin color, culture, but the divide between the quick and the dead.
• Think of someone that you have lost, someone who inspired you when they were alive.  Say that they were, by some means, to appear before you right now, and that they were totally up to date on how you have lived your life since they passed.  What expression would be on their face when they see you?
• If you knew that they were here to stay and not just an apparition, would you live any differently?
• What would you say to them?
• What makes you think that they are not here?

• Sprint, marathon, or journey?
• Most of us spend a good deal of our time preparing for the future.  You read briefings ahead of a meeting, you talk to friends to prepare to vote, you attend college to prepare for a career.
• What is it that you feel your life has prepared you for?
• Is that very much different from what you are doing now?
• Why or why not?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Do I have the courage to let Wisdom guide me?
2. Where is my treasure in this life?
3. How am I honoring those who truly love me?
4. How am I preparing for the rest of my life?

Pilgrimage

The old man on the trail almost blended in with his surroundings.

His boots scuffed and worn, his backpack clearly an old model.

Yet he made his slow, deliberate way with his head high.

His eyes taking in every inch of the scene before him.

Instead of passing him, I settled in behind him, matched pace.

And I asked him what brought him to this lonely stretch of wilderness.

"Memory, and sure death" he said, daring me to continue.

Taking my cue from his response, I asked "Memory of what?"

"When I was a teenager, I used to hike here with friends.

We would pit our strength, our equipment, our resolve

Against the inclines of these mountains, 

Against the uncertainty of this weather.

And we told ourselves in guarded whispers,

That if we were strong enough to meet the mountains on their terms

And come home safely, that we would have the strength

The strength to face whatever lay before us in life.

All of those old friends are gone, I stand alone of that company,

The one member on this side of eternity to mourn and remember.

I can only hope that they too have learned

That life is not so much about overcoming things

As it is about letting them go."

"And what of certain death?"  I asked, not sure what he would say.

"Death, in its proper time, is gift.  But to properly appreciate it,

You need to train a bit before you get there.

On this hike, I have no schedule, I camp where sunset finds me.

I carry just enough water for the day, trusting God to provide.

If I see a trail that I've not explored before, and it calls me

I walk it, wide eyed, full of awe and expectation.

Never knowing where it might take, nor how long I'll be."

"But," I said, "you could get lost, or hurt, 

And no one would know how to find you."

He stopped there, and turned to face me.

"To let fear of the unknown govern your life is to die before your time.

If you only go where you have gone before, you are lost before you begin."

Shalom!

All Saints Day

Our readings for the All Saints Day are:

1. Revelation 7: 2-4, 9-14
2. Psalms 24: 1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
3. 1 John 3: 1-3
4. Matthew 5: 1-12a

• We're all in this together
• One thing that impresses me about the scenes in Revelation is that there are no small crowds in heaven.  Everywhere John goes, there are massive gatherings.  These crowds are, right this minute, cheering us on.
• Imagine that friends and family who have gone on before you are clustered around you, watching you as you pray, as you arrive at decisions, as you strive to follow God's will in your life.  Who are some of these people?
• How do you think that various ones of them would respond to what you are going through right now?
• If they were here in front of you right now, what would you ask them to pray for on your behalf?
• What might they tell you?

• Does this career make me look fat?
• No one wants jeans that are not flattering.  No one wants others to feel sorry for them, maybe because they don't have a stellar position in life, or a fabulous income.
• So, if an epic fit in your clothing, a spectacular resume, a home in Bel Air are not important to you, what is?
• Where did you learn those values?
• How do you try to pass them along to others?
• How have those values helped you in your walk with God?

• I don't know who you are anymore
• Our identity is more than just our name, Social Security Number, or parish envelop number.  True identity speaks to who we are as a person.  What life has made of us, and what we make of life.
• If someone walked up to you and told you that they have an offer for you of an amazing vocation, something that you will find completely fulfilling, demanding, and meaningful, and you have 30 seconds to tell them who you are, where would you start?
• Given the description of this opportunity, what questions would you want to ask them?
• Do you think that you deserve such an opportunity in life?
• Do you think that God finds you deserving?
• What makes you think that you are not already living that way?

• Intentional mourning
• My late father-in-law followed the news of the day, and was totally bewildered by it.  He never got over wondering what had become of his country, his world.  Nothing made sense to him anymore, and he mourned the loss of what he called "common sense."
• What do you mourn in your life?
• When do you think that you will be able to "move on" in that part of your life?
• Do you ever think that God calls us to "get over" a loss in our lives?
• What are some of the things that Jesus lost during His time here?
• Some of us find it comforting to think that Jesus can have empathy towards us.  Do you ever try to empathize with Jesus?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How is my faith getting stronger?
2. Where is my treasure in this life?
3. Who am I becoming in God?
4. How can I find more empathy?

An Old Wooden Table

A friend of mine tells me that he prays in the same place each day.

At an old battered wooden table in a corner of his garage, where it's quiet.

On that table is his bible, a notebook, a pen, a candle, and some matches.

It seems that this table belonged to his grandmother years ago,

And it reminds him of the years that he spent living with her

While his parents were going through a rough time in their marriage.

It was here that his grandmother would pray each day,

Calling on God to visit her children, guard the grandchildren,

Bring joy, peace, and holiness to the entire family.

He still felt her presence there in that table.

Thanked God for her care during a difficult time,

And found a measure of connection in the worn wood grain.

God provides doorways for all of us, all of the time.

My friend runs his hand over that old table, and touches

The time that he has spent there in prayer

    The time that his grandmother has spent there in prayer

        The love of a dear family member still praying for him even today

            The love of past generations who have gone before him

                The God of ages, the author of all love, generations, the earth, its trees

It's all so connected, it's all one, and that oneness is beautiful.

Shalom!

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Exodus 22:20-26
2. Psalms 18: 2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
3. 1 Thessalonians 1: 5c-10
4. Matthew 22: 34-40

• Remember who you are
• The friendless, the voiceless, the disenfranchised, the marginalized all share many things with all of us.  God calls us to empathy.  To really empathize, we first have to come to terms with the things that have happened in our lives.
• Have you ever been bullied, or had someone close to you bullied?
• How did you get through that?
• Who were the ones who helped you deal with that?
• Who are the ones in your life now who are pushed around, made to feel small and insignificant?
• What can you do about that treatment?

• Who are you calling strong?
• Strength comes in many forms.  Of course there is the physical strength of a suspension bridge, or a weight lifter.  There is the strength that comes from conviction.  Then there is a strength that comes of embracing your weakness, handing that weakness to God, and asking Him to transform that to strength in Him.
• Where does your strength come from to do difficult things, go outside your comfort zone to help a friend in need, be vulnerable to others?
• How do you see that changing as you grow older?
• Do you see your strength getting deeper with the passing years.

• I don't know who you are anymore
• The hard part about going through conversion is that we become uncomfortable with who we were, with who we were with before.  Freedom comes at a cost, and part of that cost is to leave behind a home that has grown too small for us, a neighborhood as it were that no longer gives us enough room to grow.
• How many conversions have you gone through?
• Let's define conversion as a turning point in life which draws you closer to God in new ways, changes your outlook on the familiar, and makes you far more aware of God's revelation in your life.
• How many conversions have you gone through?
• How have they (it) change you?

• Two sides of a coin
• How does a love of God find the deepest and most beautiful expression?
• How is it possible for us to love someone who is infirm, needy, depressed, and unable to give back?
• Jesus is looking for companions to be with Him on the way, now, today.  Without taking anything away from His divinity, He is asking for help, and company.  Where do you see that happening in your life?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who in my life is God inviting me to stand up for?
2. Where is God calling me to a deeper source of strength?
3. Where is God calling me to walk away, that I can walk toward Him?
4. How can my love for God ignite my love for others, and vice versa?

God Wears Leather Gloves and a Straw Hat

My son and I got the privilege of working at a Habitat for Humanity build once.

There were a myriad of things that all needed to come together that day.

The professional builders had their hands full with all of us well-meaning volunteers.

And I had to wonder whether we were making the work go faster, or not.

Safety was a big concern from start to finish.

Inexperienced or careless ones among us could have ruined the day for everyone.

The contractors there that day had their hands full keeping us safe.

And I had to wonder whether we were making the work go faster, or not.

But then I realized that the build itself was just an opportunity for us

To be in solidarity with those who could never afford a home like this.

To declare, one hammer blow at a time, that we are here with them, right now

To show them the love of God for them in human form.

I never saw the family who eventually moved in.

Maybe I don't need to know, maybe its better this way.

Because now I can feel the connection to every family seeking shelter,

Leftover humanity seeking a home, a place to invest in.

Maybe I can identify with the homelessness of Jesus

On his way to Golgotha.

Maybe I can see the eyes of Jesus in Gethsemane

In the eyes of those totally alone in this world.

Shalom!

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 45: 4-6
2. Psalms 96, 1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
3. 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5b
4. Matthew 22: 15-21

• Who are you working for?
• The Jesuit perspective on creation is that it's still happening.  That is, the final destination for creation is still emerging.  And God wants all of us to take our rightful place in the process of fulfilling creation's destiny, of bringing creation to fulfillment, of bringing God's Kingdom.  Whether we know or acknowledge that or not.
• Why do you think that God doesn't share His whole plan with us?
• Do you think that it would help if He did?
• What would God have to do in order to earn your trust?  Don't be shy here.  He's actually interested.

• What if the other team is praying too?
• The ancients believed that gods were regional.  When we go to battle and beat our foes, we prove that our gods are stronger than their gods.  The fact that God is God over all should be a starting point for how we relate to each other.
• Do you think that God has favorites?  Favorite communities, favorite cities, nations, ...?
• Do you think that all of us can and should pray to God for peace, freedom, security?
• How can we be "our brother's keeper"?
  
• Who are our brothers?

• Finding conviction
• What is more important: what you believe, or who you believe in?
• Which of those two is more likely to change your actions, make you a better person, help you to help others?
• In your past, what has threatened your relationship with God, pushed it to the breaking point?
• How can you be better prepared for such trials?

• Paying to Caesar ...
• It's another major election, chock full of propositions to worry over.  A common theme is trying to prevent faulty legislation from getting written into law.  "Faulty" generally boils down to squeezing the citizenry for more money to put into the hands of politicians accountable to no one to perform services that we're not sure are a good idea.  James Dobson once called our current level of taxes "confiscatory" which is pretty dire.
• What are our responsibilities as citizens?
• What help can we count on God for in these times?
• What does it mean that Christians of good intent cannot all agree on important debate points in the national rhetoric?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I be freer to follow Jesus?
2. How can I better celebrate that we all have but one God in this world?
3. What am I doing to strengthen my relationship to Jesus?
4. How can I be a blessing to my community, my city, my state, my nation?

Shalom!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 25: 6-10a
2. Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
3. Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-10
4. Matthew 22: 1-14

• We are saved
• Are you saved brother?  Growing up, the ardent evangelicals among us would start a conversation with strangers that way.  Sort of "in your face", but I'm sure that many meaningful dialogs got their start that way.  Such evangelists were always looking to find evidence of a personal relationship to God.
• Are you & God on a first-name basis?
• What has God saved you from lately?
• What is God saving you to?

• Depth of trust
• The shepherd has to earn the trust of their flock.  The sheep need to become familiar with the shepherd and his/her voice, the shepherd has to demonstrate that they have the good of the sheep at heart.  For a sheep, needs are pretty simple: protect me from getting eaten, make sure that I have food and water regularly, make sure that I have plenty of company of my own kind.
• What has God done to earn your trust?
• If someone told you that they don't feel God is worthy of trust because of the bad things that have happened to them in life, what would you say?
• How do you demonstrate to God that you trust Him?

• Whatever ...
• We all want to feel secure, that we know what's coming, that reasonable expectations like a roof over our heads, clothing, food, ... will be met.
• How much of what you enjoy today is truly essential?
• If you were able to live without those things for a day, a week, maybe longer, would that open up more options for you in life?
• Is that freedom worth the risk?

• Invitation
• God always invites us into deeper relationship with him, that never changes.  But individual invitations within that grand invitation can have an expiration date.  That dream job that God wants for you will go to someone else if you don't take it.  That person that God is calling you to help will go elsewhere if you don't reach out to them in time.
• What is God inviting you to today?
• How long have you been putting off answering that call?
• What are you worried about?
• Have you talked to God about those worries?

• Preparation for Reconciliation?

1. Where is God calling me to greater freedom?
2. Do I really appreciate all that God has given me?
3. What is one thing that really has a hold on me, on my heart?
4. Where is God calling me to greater or different generosity?

Just One Pair of Sandals

You see these home buyer shows on the TV

The real estate agent proudly ushers the eager couple into the master bedroom

Then, before they get too enraptured with that, he hustles them to the walk in closet

Where there is enough storage space to accommodate a battalion,

And the couple heaves a sigh of relief.  At last, enough room for our stuff!

And I wondered what Jacob Marley would say to such sentiments.

Would he scream "all of that, all of it is only so many chains

That you, you have forged, link by link, foot by foot,

Until your life is consumed with storing, protecting, and acquiring

Yet more things."

And they don't have to be denizens of a walk in closet

The size of a NFL locker room.

The links in those chains could be the appreciation of others,

Friendships that demand that we conform to expectations,

People that we so desperately want to impress.

What price freedom?

What benefit from freedom?

What does freedom honestly look like?

How do you know freedom when you have it?

Can freedom itself be clutched at, like a well-endowed purse?

Holy Spirit

Help me to see the links that I've forged in my own chain

Help me to break those chains before it's too late.

Help me to value the freedom that you want for me,

More than anything else in this life.

Amen.

Shalom!

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 5: 1-7
2. Psalms 80: 9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
3. Philippians 4: 6-9
4. Matthew 21: 33-43

• We are called ...
• We don't often think or even hear about God's emotions.  One entry into prayer is to ponder how your life, the way that you live it, your response to what comes your way, impacts God.
• Picture God gazing on you now.  What sort of expression is He wearing?
• Tell Him about your day, the ups, the downs, and especially where, maybe now for the first time, you felt closest to Him, and farthest away.
• Has that expression on God's face changed at all?
• Why do you suppose that is?

• Family therapy on a grand scale
• Imagine that God gently suggests to you that your relationship with Him needs some help, and that the two of you should see a therapist together to bring some healing to that relationship.  You're in the therapist's office for the first time.
• What things would you bring up?  Maybe it would be some times that you felt betrayed by God, times when you felt that God had not been faithful to you, or times that you felt that God was capricious or not steady.  Remember, you can tell this therapist anything, they are very professional.
• What do you think that God might say in such a meeting?
• Most of us are not trained in this sort of counseling, but what sorts of homework do you think the therapist might assign the two of you?

• Ask, and ask again ...
• I'm finding that prayer is transformative for us.  We start in prayer with one set of issues, one set of desires, and as we pray, we see things from a different perspective, and our prayer changes.  That cycle might happen several times over before we're done.  Maybe it never really finishes.
• What are some of the things that are going on in your life lately that you have not prayed about?
• Why not?  Were they too minor an issue, you didn't want to bother God with it, you didn't really care about the outcome that much, you were too busy, ...?
• What might have happened if you had prayed about that matter?

• To whom much has been given ...
• God's biggest miracle in circumstances of real tragedy is that He's able to transform a hardship into a growth opportunity if we're willing.  In those cases, what looked like a disaster has in it seeds for new life.  In a way, if we are willing to accept them as such, every event in our lives is a chance for growth.
• What are some of the tough times in your life where God was able to tend you, make you stronger, more empathetic, draw you closer to Him?
• What did it take for you to find those growth opportunities?
• Can you think of another way that would have been easier, less traumatic that you could have achieved that same growth?
• Why do you think that other, easer, path did not happen?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. When have I taken the chance lately to gaze on God and He on me?
2. How healthy is my relationship with God, and what am I doing about that?
3. What is one difficult aspect of my life that might bring growth?
4. Where is God calling me to be generous with what he has nurtured within me?

Shalom!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Ezekiel 18: 25-28
2. Psalms 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
3. Philippians 2: 1-11
4. Matthew 21: 28-32

• Getting what's coming to you
• It's hard to watch injustice go unpunished.  One cold comfort is to tell yourself that the oppressors will get theirs in the next life.  All we have to do is wait.
• Think of someone who hurt you in some way.  Maybe it was a single action or word on their part, or maybe it was a consistent pattern of behavior that they exhibited towards you.  How do you think of them today?
• If you met this person by chance today, what would be your first impulse?
• If you knew that just one kind word from you would completely change their life around, and make them a better person, would you do it?
• Maybe it's more than just one kind word, how much might you be willing to do for that person to see them truly happy?
• How much does any of us truly deserve happiness?

• Wisdom and humility, the dynamic duo
• Many of us look back on our younger years and wonder a) how anyone was able to put up with us b) what were we thinking when we said/did those things, and c) am I really all that different now?
• What are some of the hardest lessons that you have had to learn in life?
• What made those so difficult?
• What had gone on in your life to prepare you to learn those things?
• Do you think that things you're going through now are preparing you for anything?
• What might that be?

• Being open to humility
• The hard part about putting others first is being authentic about it.  We've all met personalities who take on hardship because they have a "martyr complex" rather then a motivation of true generosity.
• Who are some of the people in your life that you routinely put ahead of your own desires?
• How did you get to that point?
• If you had an intimate knowledge of God's desires, if you had a crystal clear understanding of what God wants, how would that change your life?
• Are you willing to make any of those changes with just a fuzzy idea of what God wants?

• By their fruits you shall know them
• I'm sure that John the Baptist looked like just another nut case in a long string of such prophets to the established religious leaders of his day.  Jesus' condemnation of those leaders was that they chose to cling to what they knew, had handed down to them, rather than see the consolation that John brought, and take that to heart.
• What are some things that you are especially attached to?  Lately, we've had to give up our sanctuaries, the church music, in-person meetings of any sort, and the list goes on and on.  The question is, is any of that essential?
• In your life, how to you separate the critical, the essential from the accidental, the cosmetic aspects of your life?
• How then should you treat those non-essentials?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. Where is God inviting me to show greater mercy?
2. Where is God inviting me into greater humility?
3. Where do I need to give something up in my life, in order to draw closer to God?
4. Where is God calling me to be generous?

Training Camp

Giving generously isn't easy to do.

First there's the fear.

What I give away, I don't have for myself, my family.

Then there's motivation.

Looking at your giving as an investment.

That will yield interest in the sweet bye & bye.

Or giving as a way to wield influence.

I'll give of myself to you,

But I have a few suggestions on how you can do better.

Or using giving as a way to advance socially.

The truly generous among us occupy a stratospheric level of life,

And to be ushered into their ranks for your generosity is an amazingly affirmative experience.

But giving because it's the right thing to do.

Because it's the only thing to do.

Because it's the godly thing to do.

That's hard.

No one will hold a parade in your honor.

No one will invite you to the speaking circuit.

No plaques in the lobby to remember you.

Just consolation for the hopeless,

Just a voice for the abandoned,

Just an answer to prayer for someone who needs you.

Holy Spirit,

Grace me with trust, humility, and open hands.

That I might touch your children with your love, and not notice it.

Shalom!

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Sirach 27: 30-28:7
2. Psalms 103: 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
3. Romans 14: 7-9
4. Matthew 18: 21-35

• The power of giving it away
• Injustice suffered has a way of making the oppressed feel powerless.  Certainly restorative justice repairs the harm done by the perpetrator, but the oppressed has a power that no one can take away from them, no one else can exercise: to forgive.
• What calls for more strength, to forgive, or to hold a grudge?
• What calls for more courage, to forgive, or to hold a grudge?
• What gives you more power, to forgive, or to hold a grudge?
• Why?

• Kindness and mercy chillin' together
• Oftentimes, inspiration comes to us from unexpected places.  Someone who seems to have nothing in this life, is still able to be kind to someone less fortunate.  Or someone who has suffered a great wrong is still able to show mercy.
• Can you be kind without mercy?
• Can you be merciful, without being kind?
• Have you ever consciously shown someone mercy?
• What prompted you to do that?

• What are you living for?
• A preacher with an unfortunate turn of phrase once said "I get paid to be good, the rest of you have to be good for nothing" yet retirement often feels that way.  The retiree's efforts no longer get weighed in the balance, valued, and paid for, so does that work still have value?
• Who finally establishes the worth of what it is that we do?
• How do you find out that ultimate valuation?
• If you knew just what the value of your labor was, and what was most valuable about it, how would that change you?

• Gratitude changes everything
• Often we miss the chance to be godly because we don't pay close enough attention to God's example of godly behavior in our own lives.  We miss the generosity, the abundance, the awe inspiring courage and incredible sense of timing that God exhibits.
• What of God's blessings in your life are you most grateful for?
• When was the last time that you thought about those blessings?
• What do they tell you about God?
• What is the best way that you can show your gratitude for those blessings?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. Where can I find greater freedom in life by forgiving?
2. Where is God inviting me to celebrate His kindness in another's life?
3. In the final analysis, what is my life good for?
4. Where is God calling me to be generous?

Footprints in Hearts

Sometimes, the best results of our lives

Are largely unnoticed

Often not celebrated.

That doesn't make them less worthy

Or smaller in importance,

Just less visible.

The kindness of a moment can live forever,

In the heart of someone who really needed it.

The bridge to hope from an act of mercy,

Can last for an eternity.

Look for the collateral beauty

The chance to show kindness and mercy.

Look for it in the unexpected, the brief, the fleeting.

And so savor the moments of life as they pass through your fingers,

Like the sand at the beach.

Shalom!