18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Exodus 16: 2-4, 12-15
2. Psalms 78: 3-4, 23-24, 25, 54
3. Ephesians 4: 17, 20-24
4. John 6: 24-35

• The anxiety of it all
• Not knowing where your next meal will come from is a serious challenge.  Those who live with such "food insecurity" for very long learn never to take food for granted, never to leave any behind.  But food, shelter, clothing are only our most basic needs.
• Think of a time when you felt insecure about something.  Maybe your job was threatened, or an important relationship was at risk, or an investment of some sort was imperiled.
• How did that make you feel?
• What was your prayer during that season in your life?
• How did that change you?

• Thanks for teaching me trust
• The manna from heaven came with some strings attached.  You could not hoard it.  You could not gather it on the Sabbath.  It literally was "daily bread".  Trusting God is never easy.  Part of it might be that there's nothing that we can do to God if He proves to be untrustworthy.
• What are some of the things that you trust to God?
• How far would you trust Him in those areas?
• Why is that so?  What has God done to prove Himself to you?
• What would He have to do to make you trust Him more?

• Revelation
• Jesus tells us that He is the physical revelation of God the Father.  That implies that gazing on Jesus will tell us everything that we need to know about God the Father.
• How do you do your "gazing"?
• How often do you contemplate Jesus?
• What has He revealed to you of the Father?
• What more revelation would you like?

• Gateway to all my needs
• It sounds as though Jesus lost His patience with the crowds because they appeared to be content with one feeding after another.  Much like the woman at the well, (John 1: 1-45), Jesus tries to inspire His followers to think bigger, deeper.
• What are some of your deepest needs?
• How do you suppose you got those?
• What does that tell you about Jesus?
• Do you see any evidence of Jesus meeting those needs?
• Why?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God looking for me to pray about my worries?
2. Where is God calling me to learn more trust?
3. How can I get to know Jesus better?
4. Am I willing to trust Jesus with my deepest needs?

Shalom!

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. 2 Kings 4: 42-44
2. Psalms 145: 10-11, 15-16, 17-18
3. Ephesians 4: 1-6
4. John 6: 1-15

• Reckless generosity
• Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.  So goes the conventional wisdom.  Such thinking asks "how can we make this aid sustainable, how can we structure the help that we give others so that they do not need it?
• Do you think that God wants to fill all of our needs of the needy?
• If so, how is He going to perform that?
• Which is better, to share what you have, knowing that it is not enough, or wait until all of the resources needed are available, and then go minister?

• What do you need?
• The problem with losing a loved one is that right after they pass, your house is full of condolences, offers of help, people, even strangers.  But pretty soon, that all thins out and you are left behind with no company but cherished memories.
• Think of a time when someone you knew really needed support, but you didn't know what you could do for them that would make a difference.  Did you offer help?
• Were you specific about what sort of help you were offering, or did you leave it open-ended?
• How did you know when you were done?

• Perseverance
• I think that it's a common experience that as we get older, life becomes more and more about just showing up, and being being flexible.  I just saw a saying semper gumby that sort of sums that up.  For those of you too young to know who Gumby is, well, you had to have been there ...
• Do you think that there is ever any benefit from simply accepting something that you know is not going to change in your life?
• Is such acceptance a loss of hope?
• How do you know when it's time to stop looking for improvements?

• Unquestioning obedience
• I'm often struck by the seemingly nonsensical things that God asks of His people when He wans to perform a miracle.  See 2 King 5: 9, Joshua 3: 8, John 9: 7, Luke 17:14.
• Why do we consecrate bread and wine at Eucharist rather than grain and grapes?
• Why do the sacraments each have a physical component at all?
• Why do we?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God calling me to be recklessly generous?
2. Who of my neighbors is in need?  How can I help?
3. Where is God calling me to change my attitude about something troublesome in my life?
4. Where am I being called to offer what little I have?

Shalom!

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Jeremiah 23: 1-6
2. Psalms 23: 1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
3. Ephesians 2: 13-18
4. Mark 6: 30-34

• Subcultures within
• All of us want an immersive cultural, and especially religious experience: to be situated in a context that supports our values, affirms our priorities, and tells us that we are in good company.  But particularly this generation comes from so many places, cultures, backgrounds, such contextual harmony is all but impossible.
• What does someone else have to believe before you would feel comfortable worshiping God together with them?
• What does that same someone have to believe before you would feel comfortable working with them on some common goal?  That might be a Habitat for Humanity build, community cleanup, serving the homeless, ...
• What does that same someone have to believe before you would feel comfortable having dinner with them?
• And what would that same someone have to believe before you would feel comfortable with them proposing to your son or daughter?
• Why the difference?

• Protection from what?
• All of us feel that we can count on Jesus.  He's been faithful for years, maybe in some families you can even say generations.  Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to do what is right, in spite of your fears.  Put those two notions together ...
• Name three things that you are certain that Jesus would never allow to happen to you.
• Why is that so hard?
• If we cannot count on Jesus to protect us from specific calamities in life, what do His promises amount to?
• How does that change your prayer?

• Trinitarian invitation
• I guess that I am getting old.  Some of the music that has most shaped my life is getting rather old.  One such piece is Rory Cooney's One Is.  Here Cooney's lyric poetry extends the Trinity's invitation to all of us to be one with, in, and through the relatedness that is God.
• When you ponder the word "reconciliation", does that have more of the feel of a noun, or a verb?
• What part does God call us to in reconciliation?
• Can God do His part without us doing ours?
• Why is reconciliation so hard?
• What can we do to learn to be reconcilers?

• Perseverance
• Jesus sometimes seems like some sort of superman in robe and sandals, oh, and a beard.  He never seems to lose His patience (well, maybe with His disciples from time to time), He never whines or complains, yet His life seems chock full of needy people.
• What goes on inside of you when your plans get disrupted by unexpected demands?
• What is your first response?  Do you react to the person making the demand, the demand itself, or something else?
• Do you necessarily always have to "give in" to every demand, or is it OK to say "enough already, I need to recharge, rejuvenate, get better perspective?
• Do you think Jesus ever had to say "no" to anyone?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who is God calling me to welcome?
2. What does my faith tell me about God's protection?
3. How can I be more inclusive?
4. Where am I in danger of burnout in my life of service to God?

Welcome

I have always hurried past the greeters at the door,

Barely acknowledging them as I dashed inside, looking for a good seat.

Never looking at their name badges, never saying hello,

Regarding them as a service that some folks needed, but certainly not me.

But today, I needed to wait there by the door for a friend,

To catch him on his way in to service.

I had no badge, no winning smile, but everyone else did.

Soon I was paying attention to all those coming by.

I remembered to thank the lector for her wonderful work.

I remembered to ask after a mutual friend I'd not seen in months.

I heard stories of how others were doing, where they had been,

And I realized that I was not welcoming them, they were welcoming me.

I never did find my friend, but Jesus certainly found me.

And reminded me that we are all connected, whether we know it or not.

And the best celebration of who we are happens between us

And that revelation can happen whenever we let it.

Shalom!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary are:

1. Amos 7: 12-15
2. Psalms 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14
3. Ephesians 1: 3-14
4. Mark 6: 7-13

• Against the flow
• Apparently, no one becomes a prophet to win a popularity contest.  Or win much respect, or make a lot of money.
• Who are some of the prophetic voices that we have in our world today?
• What do you think motivated them to speak out the way that they do?
• Do you think prophecy is a full-time gig?
• How do you know that you have never been called to that ministry?

• Justice & peace
• Some have described homelessness as a blight, as though the homeless were some sort of disease that need to be cured.
• Is there a justice lens through which we can view homelessness, poverty, disease?
• Who are the prophets speaking of such things today?
• Are those prophets speaking and we just don't hear them?

• Jesus, the man with a plan
• Revelation has come to mean something that can be written down.  But that form of revelation has its limits.
• Think of someone that you really care about.
• How did you come to care that much about them?  Was it things that they wrote down, said, or was it their actions, or even just a feel about them?
• How have you come to feel about God & the Trinity?
• So what is it about God that inspires your trust?

• Urgency
• Working for Boeing, I always wondered were project deadlines came from.  After all, I often sacrificed nights and weekends to help make those dates come true, I figured I was entitled to know.  Funny thing was, the answer never really seemed to make a lot of sense.
• What sort of urgency does your life have?
• Do you have a "bucket list" that you are working on?
• What do you want to accomplish this year?
• What do you think God wants to accomplish in you this year?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I open to being lonely, misunderstood, ignored for God?
2. Where is God calling me to look at the poor with new eyes?
3. How are God & I getting closer lately?
4. Where am I running out of time?

Shalom!