3rd Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (using the Cycle A readings) are:

1. Exodus 17: 3-7
2. Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
3. Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8
4. John 4: 5-42

• The meaning of adversity
• The children of Israel get a bad rap.  In the Old Testament reading, they make a valid point.  They are herdsmen.  If their livestock dies, they die.  So they had every right to voice concerns over water in the desert.
• Think of the last time that you went through a hard time.  Maybe it was a death in the family, loss of a job, the year 2019, you name it.  When you hit that hard time, did you ask yourself why that happened to you?
• Did you come to a conclusion?
• Do you have to come to a conclusion?  In other words, do tragedies, suffering, calamities have to make sense?
• Did that hard time impact your relationship with Jesus?
• If so, how, and why?
• Should that hard time have had that impact on you?

• Testing God
• Have you ever been angry at God?
• How did you process that anger?  Did you talk yourself out of it, were you to horrified at the though of being angry at the creator of the universe to even think about it, did you pray honestly and heatedly ...?
• How did God answer you?
• What do you think God wants of us when we are angry, sad, bruised and beaten by life?

• The power of hope
• The theological virtue of hope helps us to "keep our eye on the prize".
• At the end of your life, what do you hope to accomplish?  Give that some serious thought, and try to boil it down into one sentence.
• How is your relationship to God helping with that goal?
• What have you done today towards that end?

• The benefits of water
• The woman at the well had monumental courage.  Doubtless ostracized by her community because of her rocky marital status, upon meeting Jesus, she becomes an apostle.  I sometimes wonder whether anyone dismissed her because they had all dismissed her.
• Why is it so hard to reach out to someone in real need?  Maybe they have lost a loved one, lost their job, fallen into an addiction, ... we just never feel comfortable around such folks.
• Why does Jesus never seem awkward around those in need?
• What can you do to become more like Jesus?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can my challenges, hurts, afflictions make me a better child of God?
2. Am I totally honest with God?
3. What difference does my hope make in my daily life?
4. Who are the invisible ones the ones that I scarcely see, in my life?

Worn Stones

Whether or not this was truly the site of Jacob's well had stopped mattering to me.

I could feel the great cloud of witnesses who have been here before me,

Hallowing this spot with their hopes and fears, prayers and longings.

As they sought to find their tentative way forward.

I ran my hand reverently over the worn stones bordering the well, 

Still warm from the afternoon sun, warn smooth through the centuries.

I sat down where so many others have rested, and prayed.

Prayed that I too might see the world through new eyes.

Like the deep well before me, fear of the unknown, 

Uncertainty over tomorrow yawned.

Dark, impenetrable, yet alive with possibilities, 

If only I had the courage to plumb their depths.

I touched the hearts of those before me who have found hope here.

Asked them what drew them to this lonely place.

And where their newfound hope sent them.

And most of all, what brought them hope, when all seemed cold, still, dim, lost.

I asked myself what right I had to look for peace, joy, fulfillment,

At this point in life.

When I had already received so much, from so many, over so much time.

After all, there must be a limit to the supply of grace for any one man.

And finally, after sundown, it came to me.

That the graces that I needed now were different from what I needed earlier in life.

Now I needed strength to continue, courage to persevere, and a prophetic voice to speak.

Now I needed to finish well, no matter how long it took.

Bones creaking and sinews complaining as I stood in the cold of early evening,

I once again turned toward the town and started waling.

Ready to minister peace and solace to those lost and alone.

Ready to give hope on those who have given up.

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday of Lent are:

1. Genesis 22: 1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
2. Psalms 116: 10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
3. Romans 8: 31b-34
4. Mark 9: 2-10

• Take nothing for granted
• Survivors are never the same.  Anyone who has survived a close call with death never looks at life the same, never looks at everyone else the same.  I'm sure that Abraham doubtless never looked at Isaac the same.
• Who are some people in your life that you tend to take for granted?
• Do they have any idea of how much you appreciate them?
• How do you think that you can be more appreciative towards them?

• Finding God in afflictions
• Think of a time when you felt far from God.
• What questions did you ask of God through that time?
• What answers did you receive?
• What/who helped you through that time?
• What did you learn through that?

• Give me Jesus
• Jesus does not pay the bills, confer degrees on you, shower you with gifts, or anything else that's terribly practical.  Yet so many of us firmly believe that we could not get along without him.
• How has Jesus transformed your life lately?
• How did that happen?
• What can you do today to make sure that you are more open to His gift to you in the future?

• The blessing of memory
• I have to believe that Peter, James, & John spoke of the Transfiguration among themselves.  They doubtless wanted to make sure that they were not going crazy.  They probably wanted to know what it all meant.  They probably struggled to understand how Jesus Himself fit into that picture.
• Is there anyone in your life that you can share deep faith experiences with?
• What happens to you when you do share?
• How does that sharing change your perceptions of your experiences?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God trying to open my eyes to those around me?
2. What can I learn from suffering in the past, and present?
3. Where is Jesus looking to be my sustenance, my all?
4. Where/with whom am I sharing my faith?

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 1st Sunday of Lent are:

1. Genesis 9: 8-15
2. Psalms 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
3. 1 Peter 3: 18-22
4. Mark 1: 12-15

• Redemption can be more painful
• As a child I was often frustrated when I tried to build things and they did not turn out the way that I envisioned them to.  I never blamed my tools, materials, ...; I knew the fault was somehow with me.  The question was always between three alternatives: start over and hope that I had learned something from the past experience(s), try to salvage what I had done, give up on the project altogether (I always had plenty of others in mind).
• Does God cry?
• What do you think makes God mourn?
• Do you think that there is anything that you can do or say to comfort God in that mourning?
• Is it worth it to you?

• A covenant people
• A people can be defined by history, location, culture, common beliefs, and so many more things that hold them together.  We are first and foremost, a covenant people.
• How has God shown you His ways in your life?
• Why do you think that He has chosen to do it that way?
• Do you wish He were more direct with you?  Perhaps a well-timed e-mail?

• Celebrating your baptism
• Fr. Alidore mentioned in a homily lately that we faithfully celebrate birthdays, but hardly any of us celebrate the day of our baptism.
• Who would you invite to such a celebration?
• What might you sing for the occasion?
• Every liturgical celebration is both a source and a summit.  Source of strength for what is yet to come, a summit representing where our journey has led us.  How would you celebrate where you are when you celebrate your baptism day?
• How would such a celebration prepare you for what was to come?

• Waste no words
• The economy of language in Mark can take your breath away at times.  I imagine Jesus spending His time in the desert sharpening His focus, fine-tuning His mission, shedding everything that was not going to serve the mission His Father was putting before Him.
• Is there anything in your life that you wish you could shed, that would make it easier for you to follow closer to God?
• What have you prayed in that regard?
• What about that shedding are you afraid of?
• What of your fears have you prayed about?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where can I be a companion to Jesus?
2. What of my life do I need to give to God?
3. How is my baptism calling me today?
4. Is there clutter in my life?

The Old Priest

Weary of my sins, weary of their persistence,

Most of all, weary of my weakness,

I stood in line for the old priest, 

Hoping that he would offer absolution and wisdom.

I entered the sacramental space, leaving my expectations at the door.

Sat down with a sigh, turning to my confessor and companion.

He looked at me with eyes practiced in mercy and asked:

"What troubles you my son?"

Suddenly I could feel the presence of so many desperate sinners

Who had sojourned to this very room, this sacrament,

This shrine of grace along their pilgrimage, here, and everywhere.

And I knew that we were all one on the journey, the healing, the release.

I listed the sins that I had so carefully cataloged ahead of time.

The old priest smiled and waited.

The two of us embraced the silence, and out of that quiet I heard myself ask:

"Why do I never seem to learn?  Why does victory over my sin elude me?"

Silence laid its warm acceptance on my shoulder again.

Finally the old priest said: "we've shared much here together through the years.

I think you have some clues to your own questions.

You tell me."

"These sins, they remind me that I'm no better than those around me.

More, they teach me empathy for other weary souls.

They remind me what Jesus gave me victory over.

They remind me that my strength alone is never sufficient, but always required."

He replied: "for your penance, go and find someone else who struggles with some of the same.

Give them hope, compassion, love.

Let them know that they are not alone,

That all of us, those on both sides of eternity, pray for them."

I said: "but I cannot give absolution, no sacramental grace.

I have no stunning achievements of my own with which to inspire,

No gleaming example to set before them.

Just brokenness, and growing humility."

He smiled again, with a far off look in his eye and said:
"sometimes, shared brokenness and humility are more than enough.

In the sharing are we healed and heal.

And that is what our faith is all about."

Shalom!

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Leviticus 13: 1-2,44-46
2. Psalms 32: 1-2, 5, 11
3. 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
4. Mark 1: 40-45

• Seeing past the misery
• The role of the priest in ancient Jewish culture had many dimensions, but the most demanding of them must have been to examine a person for leprosy.  The priest knew well the implications of their diagnosis.
• In a culture that condemns condemnation, it seems that judgment of any sort is anathema.  Are we called to judge others, their actions, the consequences of their actions, ever?
• If so, what virtues ought we to cultivate before we judge?
• Why not let someone else do the judging?

• The power of redemption
• Sometimes, the worst part of suffering the consequences of our actions is the deep seated realization, maybe for the first time, that there are consequences to our actions.
• You commit a sin, hurt others in the process, realize the seriousness of what you have done, pray for forgiveness, then what do you do?
• Is it as though nothing ever happened?
• How would true healing of the community be achieved?
• What would such healing look like?

• Decision making made "easy"
• St. Ignatius articulated the root principle that governed all else here.  The more you think about those simple words, the more demanding they become.
• What have you done lately that was for the glory of God?
• What motivated you to do that at the time?
• How did that decision change you?

• Empathy
• Empathy is often painful.  Particularly if the other person is somehow different, culturally, their station in life, their beliefs, their practices, all make empathy more difficult to practice, more difficult to explain to your closest friends and family.
• Think of a time that you were going through a hardship.  Perhaps it was loss of your job, a surprise health diagnosis, collapse of an investment.  How did that affect the way that you related to others?
• Was that change in your relationships their fault, yours, anyone's?
• How did you bridge that divide between you & others?
• What might have made that easier?
• What virtue do you wish you had more of at that time?
• What virtue do you wish those around you had more of at that time?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who in my life needs me to listen to them attentively?
2. Where should I be restoring, mending, healing wounds caused by my sin?
3. What things am I attached to that hinder my relationship to God?
4. Who is God asking me to heal with my presence in their life?

Healing Touch

A long time ago, when people visited others in the hospital,

I saw a friend well into recovery from surgery.

He was a man, stout of heart, courageous of soul,

And most gentle of spirit.

"Juan, so good to see you!" he cried.

The orderly beamed as he went about tending my friend.

"How are you?  Thank you for your help.

Let me introduce you to my friend here."

And suddenly, I was ushered into Juan's circle of friends

On the recommendation of my friend.

Juan finished his work, tarried awhile to talk heart to heart, and moved on.

My old friend told me of Juan, his new friend.

Juan's dreams and goals, his hard work and uncertainty

How Juan managed to express his love in the most menial tasks

By being faithful, caring, and loving.

And I was transformed.

I have to confess, to me Juan was just another part of the hospital machinery,

Doing what he was trained to do, getting the necessary needs met.

My friend helped me see a person, beloved of God, missioned to this little corner of earth.

Just as confused and awestruck by life as I was.

And I realized that I had just received a wonderful gift:

Called forth from my own preoccupations

Into a wider, more generous space 

Where I could learn to serve so much better.

Shalom!