30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Sirach 4: 6-8, 16-18
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
   
3. 2nd Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18
   
4. Luke 18: 9-14

• Finding the willingness
  
• Serving God willingly can be hard.  God seems to have a knack for nudging us out of our comfort zone, challenging us to go where we might not have even though was a real destination.
• Think of a time when your faith led you to some new place in your life.
• Would you say that you were led, nudged, pushed, abducted by the experience?
• How did you come to terms with your discomfort in that transition?
• How did that transition change you?
• Why did it have to be so hard?
  

• Legacy planning
  
• Deep down, we all want to be remembered.  Maybe we ought to be a little more specific and spell out what we'd like to be remembered for.  I can think of any number of cringe-worth deeds and actions in my life that I can only hope no one will remember.
• What do you want to be remembered for?
• Who would you like to have those memories of you?
• What do you think the chances are that those will be what you are remembered for?
• Does it really matter?
  

• Appreciation
• We all want to be appreciated.  Honest appreciation tells us that we are doing the right things with our life, that we have made wise decisions, that what we have been doing matters.  But is appreciation really necessary?
• OK, so maybe you can get along without human adulation and the occasional recognition dinner held in your honor, but what of God.  Should He at least express some appreciation for your service?
• What would you think that appreciation would look like?
• If you did not feel any appreciation, what would that mean to you?
• Does appreciation make you a better person?
  

• Praying to yourself
  
• Authenticity can be hard.  We might have the most honorable of intentions, and still end up "faking it" because our heart is not in what we are doing, we are superficial about our actions or speech, we are not fully invested in what we say or do.
• You may have heard the aphorism "fake it 'til you make it" which suggests that action can lead the heart in some cases.  Can we do that in prayer?
• If it is possible for us to pray our way into the right attitude/mindset/paradigm, is there really such a thing as dishonest prayer?
• How do you know that you are honestly praying to God and not yourself?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. How can I be more honest in my prayer?
   
2. Where do I need rescuing?
3. How can I be more humble?
   
4. Am I praying about what really matters?

Prayer of the woebegone

Hey God, me again.
Sorry that it's been so long.
I'm past busy.  Now I'm just in survival mode.
So many demands on me, I have no idea where to start.

I'm finally past asking you for advice.
Wisdom to help me prioritize
Discernment to make right decisions
Strength to carry on ...

I could pray for all of those.  But I won't.
Today, I just have one simple request:
Give me rest from all the demands on me,
Help me find my rest in you.

Help me put my hand in yours,
Feel the soft warmth of your love in my flesh,
Breathe in your Presence
And just be with you a spell.

I don't know if that will make it all better.
But it will make me better.
More centered, less distracted,
More in touch.  Maybe even holy.

This is me putting down all the balls
That I have been juggling lately.
Maybe I'll pick them up again,
Maybe I won't.  I'll have to see. 

For now, it's more than enough
To just be in the now,
And let the rest of the moments
Before and after, go their own way. 

How are you doing today? 

 Shalom!