Epiphany Sunday

Our readings for Epiphany Sunday are:

1. Isaiah 60: 1-5
   
2. Psalm 72: 1-2, 708, 10-11, 12-13
   
3. Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6
   
4. Matthew 2: 1-12
   

• Finding the glory
  
• In evangelical circles, the notion of God's people being a beacon to those around us is very strong.  I don't get that same vibe in most Catholic settings.
• How do you think your parish and family could be a more powerful message to the surrounding community?
• Do you think that maybe that outreach to those around you might be better done by someone else?  Are all of us called to reflect the glory of God?
• Can you think of anyone in your life that would benefit from having an epiphany by looking at the way that you live your life?
  

• Rescuing the poor
  
• I have read that Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.  Friends of ours decided that they were too comfortable, that comfort was not God's call in their lives, and they started fostering at risk children even though they had a family of their own, and a full time job to hold down.
• In what way(s) do you identify with the afflicted?
• In what way(s) do you identify with the comfortable?
• Is it bad to be comfortable?
• Is it necessarily good to be afflicted?
• What can we do to be more sensitive to those around us in need?
  

• Bearers of Promise
  
• Hospitality is hard.  Receiving new people into our lives is always a risk, a challenge to our comfort zone, our held beliefs, the way that we have lived until now.
• Think of someone whose entry into your life rocked your world.
• Did you become a better person for that experience?
• How do you think you rocked their world?
• Where was God in all of that?
  

• Letting go
  
• I feel for Herod.  He worked hard to get where he was, and then his intelligence network tells him that some upstart king is threatening all of his hard work as a politician.  No doubt Herod had a vast network of friends and family who benefited from his power and influence.
• Have you ever tried to cling to something in your life when God was trying to get you to let it go?
• How did you finally realize that it really was time to let that go?
• How did that experience change you?
• Is that experience still changing you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be a light to those around me?
   
2. Am I comforting the afflicted at all in my life?
3. Where might God be calling me to greater hospitality?
   
4. Where is God teaching me more trust today?

It's the Thought That Counts

Gift-giving is a delicate art.

The gift is more than just a transfer of ownership.

It's a form of communication between the giver and the receiver.

A thoughtful gift tells the receiver "I hear you, I respect your needs, your deepest desires."

A gift well-received says "I appreciate your insights into who I am, I accept this token of your love."

When I and my travel companions first spied the newborn king, we were distracted.

His parents were clearly of peasant stock.

His father's hands roughened by hours of manual labor.

His mother's plain but open features spoke of trust and peace, not power or wealth.

No attendants swarmed near him, no courtiers thronged the room.

The local magistrate seemed totally ignorant of His arrival.

As though this newborn king deliberately arrived in secret.

Far away from the halls of power and influence.

Hidden in plain sight.

Where none would ever think to look for Him.

At first, our gifts seemed out of place.

Perhaps it would have been merciful to bring other offerings:

Meat, bread, warm clothing, better lodgings.

I feared that our fine offerings would be a mockery of this family's rude circumstances.

But the gifts, and we, were received with wonder, awe, fear and uncertainty.

The new king's mother seemed to divine His future in these gifts.

Seeing the destiny of her son that they pointed to.

Knowing that kingship brings authority -

And authority brings responsibility -

And responsibility brings heartache when the gift of kingship is not received by his people.

So we left our gifts in their care.

Not knowing how they would benefit the newborn king.

But knowing that we had done our part in celebrating His arrival.

We went our way, knowing that we had been party to something new, unheard of, 

Maybe even glorious.

 

Shalom!

Holy Family

Our readings for Holy Family Jesus, Mary & Joseph are:

1. Genesis 15: 1-6, 21: 1-3
   
2. Psalm 105: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Hebrews 11: 8, 11-12, 17-19
   
4. Luke 2: 22-40
   

• Frankly God ...
  
• I sometimes wonder what Abraham might have been like in person.  To the point, no pulled punches, no hesitation to speak his mind, probably not someone that you would take to a social gathering.  He'd quickly antagonize most of the people there.
• When you pray, does God ever tell you something preposterous?
• What makes some of those things that God has told you hard to own, to believe?
• How did you let God know about your feelings?
• How did God respond to that honesty on your part?
  

• Forever faithful
  
• In our Western culture, especially here in the USA, we have a very short memory.  It's all about "what have you done for me lately?"  The Eastern mindset that the Hebrews spring from sees history in terms of millennia.  By the time that Jesus arrived, thoughtful Jews were despairing of the greatness that God had foretold because it was so long coming.  Hope endures forever because He whom we hope in is forever.
• How has God shown His faithfulness to you in your life?
• How often do you get the chance to share that experience with others?
• How does that experience shape your hope for the future?
• How should it?
  

• Don't overthink this
  
• Thinking is something that I find enjoyable.  When someone tries to tell me not to overthink something, I have a hard time with that.  I'm learning that my intellect is a fragile thing, and given family history, is quite likely to desert me years before I die.  So I want to savor it while I still can.  Abraham had a thorny problem to solve.  God asked Him to sacrifice his son Isaac, but clearly this son of promise was how God was going to fulfill His promises to Abraham.
• Clearly God gave you many gifts: heart, soul, body, mind, voice, deep intuition, and many more.  No one of those will equip you for the call that God has on your life.  How do your head and heart work together to bring you closer to God?
  

• Active waiting
  
• Waiting involves creative tension.  On the one hand, waiting calls for faith that the passage of time is accomplishing something, that forces unseen and unknown are at work, just over the horizon.  At the same time, waiting calls for readiness, diligence, discipline that brings peace rather than stress.  Peace that comes because of purpose and expectation, rather than stress that is restless with no clear goal or objective.  In a way, we are all Adventing throughout life.
• What is some time in your life when you had to wait for something to come to fruition from God?
• When that wait came to an end, how did you know?
• What was accomplished in, and through that waiting?
• How did you find the faith for that wait?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Could I be more honest with God?
   
2. Do I trust God as deeply as I might?
   
3. Am I using all of the gifts that God has given me?
   
4. Where is God teaching me more trust today?

Let Your Servant Go in Peace

I have been lonely for a long long time now.
All of my childhood friends are long dead.
Most of the people my children's ages are dead or dying.

I have struggled to make new friends
Even while missing and morning the old ones.
Because I didn't want to find myself totally cut off.

Keeping watch for the Messiah.

Holding fast to the urgency of His coming.

Fanning the all but gone flames of expectation.

Serving as the light of longing 

To God's sleeping chosen.

Mired down in the tar of "just getting by".

And now I see Him before me.

The one to carry the torch after me.

The fulfillment of the promise -

The font of our hope of renewal.

I only hope that there are still those

Who are looking, longing, thirsting ...

For God to ignite their lives with His Presence.

Give them the courage to hope.

Power to heal.

 

Shalom!

4th Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 4th Sunday of Advent are:

1. 2 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
   
2. Psalm 89: 2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
   
3. Romans 16: 25-27
   
4. Luke 1: 26-39
   

• Wrong place at the wrong time
  
• Sometimes, the hardest part about finding God's will in your life is deciding not to do a good thing.
• If some action is good, such as building a hospital, providing relief funds to refugees, working a local soup kitchen, can such an action be bad for you?
• When trying to decide between investing yourself in one good thing or some other good thing, how do you choose?
• Do you think that God cares?
  

• Finding the faithfulness of God
  
• To one extent or another, we all believe that God will never leave us nor forsake us.  Sometimes though, that belief can be hard to hang onto.
• Have you ever felt forsaken, as though there was no one who really knew what it was like to be you, no one who cared enough to make a difference in your life?
• Where was God at that moment?
• If you ever get into a situation like that again, what will be different about your attitude the next time around?
• What might help you to have a really deep down trust in God to be faithful?
  

• Finding strength to do the right thing
  
• One definition of integrity is "what you do when you know no one else is looking".  There you are, just you, all of your experiences up until that moment, a decision before you, and God.
• When you found yourself in those pivotal moments, did God seem right there with you, supporting you, or distant, obscure, maybe even absent?
• What do you pray in such situations?
• How do you know when it's time to move forward, to commit yourself, even though you still don't feel strong enough?
• How has that turned out for you?
  

• Boot camp
  
• Often God calls us in unexpected ways into unexpected ministries, and we wonder why He didn't do a more thorough job preparing us.  After all, He knew this calling was going to come our way, you would think that He could be more organized about the preparation.
• Think of a calling from God in your life that caught you by surprise, and gave you little time to prepare yourself.
• Did you find that you were better prepared than you thought that you were?
• How did you find the trust necessary to step into that new chapter in your life?
• Do you trust God any more deeply now than you did then?
• If you were able to go back in time to your younger self when you were contemplating that next step, what would you say to yourself?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might I be trying to pack too much into my life?
   
2. Do I trust God as deeply as I might?
   
3. Where is God inviting me to deeper humility, deeper integrity in His service?
   
4. Where is God teaching me more trust today?

Letting Go

I don't think that plans are bad.

God is not some anarchist set on disrupting our carefully built expectations.

In fact, I think God teaches us how to rely on Him

Each time that we make a decision with the intent to draw closer to His side.

The danger comes when we become attached to those plans,

Let them define us, provide our identity.

Soon, nothing makes sense anymore without those plans coming to fruition.

And we lose sight of why we made them in the first place.

Planning is all about the journey.

It's part of the journey.

And just as any journey can lead to unseen places along unfamiliar pathways,

A plan that was precious and holy may have to be given up for even more trust, more holiness.

The grace and mercy of God is not -

Not in letting us walk in the way that we have charted.

No matter how much prayer went into that course of action.

Rather God's mercy lies in His intimate presence and guidance.

We are only as alone as we make ourselves.

God is only as far away as we move ourselves.

No matter how dark the passage ahead might be.

The Light of Life is there before us.

Sometimes we just have to close our eyes to see it.

Shalom!

3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete)

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 61: 1-2a, 10-11
   
2. Psalm Luke 1: 46-48, 49-50, 53-54
   
3. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24
   
4. John 1: 6-8, 19-28
   

• Liberty to the captives
  
• We can be captive to all sorts of things in this life. 
  
• Think of something in your life that you just cannot seem to shake.
• What do you think victory over that resentment, addiction, trauma, co dependency, ... might look like?
• How can Jesus help you get there?
• How can you start that process this Advent?
  

• We are not so different after all
  
• All of us need mercy.  Those who have achieved much, who have fame, fortune, appreciation in abundance may think that they do not need mercy, but they do.  Our common need for God's mercy binds us together as His people, whether we know it or not.
• Where/when has God been there for you when you least expected to find Him?
• How did you get into that position to need His help?
• How did you get outside of yourself enough to seek God's help?
• How did that Divine Intervention change you?
  

• Finding strength in humility
  
• One way to look at the virtue of humility is to see ourselves, the world around us, and most especially God in a light that is certain and true.  Humility brings trust.  Trust brings resilience in the face of change because trust knows that control is an illusion.
• What are some times when you have had to learn humility?
• How has humility made life easier, richer, fuller?
• Why do you think that those lessons in humility were so hard?
• Has it gotten any easier through the years?
• Why?
  

• One you do not recognize
  
• All of us have personal heroes in our lives who have made an impact on us, who were there just when we needed them, who were the presence of God in our lives in some way big or small.
• Think of one of those personal heroes in your life.
• How did they come into your life?
• How were they the Presence of God for you?
• Have you ever thanked them for their influence?
• Do you ever get a chance to tell others about how God touched you through them?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to greater freedom?
   
2. Where is God inviting me to greater mercy?
   
3. Where is God inviting me to deeper humility, deeper walking by His side?
   
4. Where is God incarnating in my life today?

Who Are You?

When we meet new people for the first time -

We try to establish our identity in terms of other things.

 

As though what we do, or did, what we have, establishes who we are -

Establishes how this new person should regard us.

 

But what might happen if instead we introduced ourselves:

I am the spouse of my beloved, parent to our children, son of my parents.

 

I am a member of my parish community -

Finding God in serving God's children with, in, and through that parish family.

 

I am seeking to find God in the ordinary, the every day.

I strive to build virtue with everything that I do and say.

 

In my service to God, I am helping to bring His kingdom to earth.

That justice and wisdom may blossom in just one more heart.

I am a sacrament of God's own Presence on earth.

A beacon to the lost who are seeking their true destiny.

And in the midst of all of that, the thing that I strive for most

Is humility.

 

Give that a try, and tell me how it turns out.

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11
   
2. Psalm 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14
   
3. 2 Peter 3: 8-14
   
4. Mark 1: 1-8
   

• Leading with care
  
• My father-in-law was in the hospital recovering from a heart valve replacement.  They were trying to get him to walk and he was reluctant.  Mark, his son, positioned himself a few feet away and said "Dad, you just have to get to me, that's all."  His father started slowly moving towards Mark.  Meanwhile, Mark cleverly starting walking backwards.
• How has God led you in times past in your life?
• How is God's leadership of His people similar to some of the really great leaders that we have, or have had in our midst?
• How is God's leadership different?
• Do you think that all leadership should be godly?
  

• Too many voices
  
• Our culture tells us that if you are doing just one thing at a time, you are wasting your time.  Far more efficient to multi-task.  Single mindedness is for sissies.
• What are some of the voices in your life?  They could be articulate: the news, your friends, family, things that you read.  Those voices could be memories that you have growing up, values and virtues that you have learned.  Those voices could be instincts that you might not even know where they came from.
• Do you give equal weight to all of those voices?
• Which one/ones of them can God speak through?
• How do you focus on God in all of the chatter of your life?
• When do you focus on God?
  

• Spiritual beings having a physical experience
  
• I love the original Karate Kid just because the master, Mr. Miyagi, teaches his pupil in the most mundane and repetitive tasks.  If we're open to it, there is always more going on than meets the eye.
• What do you think that you are learning, how are you growing, from some of the experiences that you are going through right now?
• Do you think that you would grow as well if you were not facing those challenges?
• What do you think God is going to do with those new virtues that He is building in you?
• Does it matter what use He's going to make of those virtues, of you?
  

• New beginnings
  
• Everything is so abrupt in Mark.  "John appeared in the desert" makes it sound as though the space was empty, and then suddenly, John was there.
• Do you think that God's revelation is still ongoing?
• Do you think that renewal, reform, transformation within the Church is going on to this day?
• What do you think God is asking of us in that ongoing renewal?
• How can we be more ready for that ongoing renewal?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to lead?
   
2. Where is God speaking that I'm not hearing?
   
3. Where has God offering me graces today?
   
4. Where is God gently leading us today as a family, community, Church?

Now What?

There was a certain fiery majesty about John.

Utterly focused on the message he was proclaiming.

Utterly sure of the transformations that lay ahead.

Utterly confident that God was on the move.

Each of us and all of us there that day

Felt as though John was speaking to them especially.

No matter who you were, John had a word for you.

Soldiers, Scribes, wheelwrights, it didn't matter.

All of us had room to reform, all of us need to repent.

Our collective sin made a sorry community of us.

Each of us looking at each other with new eyes.

Realizing that we have all fallen short.

This baptism of John's was meant to be crossing the Red Sea.

Leaving certain slavery behind -

Along with predictable meals and shelter -

And embarking on a journey full of uncertainty and freedom.

I look upon the family farm that I inherited differently now.

I know that we are feeding the hungry, giving hope to the hopeless.

Our hired hands are God's children just as much as my family.

The very land a daily gift from God to be nurtured, not raped.

And I am afraid.

Afraid that I will not live up to the calling that I heard so clearly that day.

Afraid that life will, bit by bit, erode into just getting by again.

Afraid that all that I will have is jagged memories and regrets.

You can only cross the Red Sea once in life.

John's baptism is not a gate that you can go through time and again.

This change in me, these new eyes, these transformed hands -

Demand faithfulness, perseverance, resilience of me and my family.

And I don't know where we're going to find it.

John told us that he was making the way for this Jesus.

I just have to hang on to those desert dreams and passions until Jesus arrives.

I just hope that I recognize Him when He comes.

 

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 1st Sunday of Advent are:

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

• Unfolding creation
  
• Lately, I can really relate to the image of me being the clay and God the potter.  That helps to explain the glazed look I get so often.  All of us and each of us are part of God's ongoing creation story.
• Where do you see God gently forming you into a better person lately?
• Is that process painful?
• Would you have it any other way?
• Why do you think that God is working with/on/through you that way?
  

• Too busy to pray
  
• "Barely keeping our head above water" is an apt metaphor for life for many of us.  New demands on our time, emotional resources, physical stamina sometimes seem to come at us with little or no warning, and we can feel overwhelmed.  At such times, it is hard to justify taking the time to pray.  Prayer can seem like an impractical luxury that is just going to have to wait.
• When is a time that you found it hard to pray?
• How did you respond?
• If you were able to pray anyway, do you think that it helped?
• What came out of your prayer?
• What went into your prayer?
• How were you changed by that experience?
  

• Gifted
  
• Gift-giving can be hard.  We wonder whether the person that we are giving the gift to really needs what we want to give them.  We wonder whether they will appreciate the thought behind the gift.  We wonder whether they will find the time to really enjoy the gift.  I suspect that God feels the same way when He gives us spiritual gifts.
• Do you feel as though you have all of the spiritual gifts that you need?
• If you could choose one gift that would help you the most, what would that be?
• Why don't you think that you have that gift already?
  

• Living prophetically
  
• Prophets and poets have a lot in common.  Both look at the world around them, and search out the meaning of their circumstances, culture, events, and share those reflections with their listeners.  I think that the poets and prophets among us are most often the ones who call us to be awake to the bigger picture.
• What are some things in your life that make it hard for you to see the bigger picture - where God is leading you in your life overall, where God is taking your family, your community?
• How do you think that you can make those things less distracting?
• Has there ever been a time when you suddenly saw your life in a new light, essentially had an "awakening"?
• How could you have been more ready for that awakening?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to newness and freedom?
   
2. Where is my prayer life weak?
   
3. Where has God already gifted me?
   
4. How can I be more sensitive to God's leading?

Examen

Thank you God for your great love. 
Thank you for the sun that bathes each of us in its generous radiance.
Thank you for the hours and minutes that you have given me today.
That I might labor at your side -
Bringing all of creation closer to your ultimate fulfillment.

Shine your light into my heart now, as I ponder my day.
Remind me of your gentle Presence,
Your loving hand upon me at each turn of the day.
That I might see better the gifts that you have given me today,
That I might see better where you were leading and inviting me into your freedom.

Remember with me the paths that I have trod.
Remind me of your Presence.
Give me gratitude for the times that I accepted your invitation.
Show me when I have have turned away from you.
Let me learn from today how to draw closer to you tomorrow.

Forgive me when I would not accept your graces.
Forgive me when I clung to what was, just because it made me comfortable.
Forgive me when I failed in generosity out of fear.
Forgive me when I became too busy to remember why I am here at all.
Forgive me when my day was anything less than prayer.

Help me to decide to be more open to life
More open to freedom
More open to love given and received
More open to a prophet's sight in this world
More open to the moments of courage that come my way.

Goodnight Jesus.

Shalom!

Christ the King

Our readings for Christ the King Sunday are:

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

• Taking responsibility
  
• God chooses to lead and care for His people through other people, even though His leaders can sometimes disappoint Him by deceiving His children, taking advantage of them, or not following God's ways.
• Who are some of God's leaders (alive or dead) that you look up to?
• What was it about them that told you that they were godly leaders?
• How do you think God goes about raising up such leaders?
• Could you be one of those leaders?
  

• Right place, right time
  
• Not knowing the first thing about herding, I feel a little sheepish commenting on this Psalm.  But I would think that the well being of the sheep depends on being in the right place at the right time. The pasturage in any location is likely to be seasonal, not to mention the fact that the sheep need to move on after awhile because they consume all of the available pasturage.  So they have to be on the move just about all of the time.
• How has God changed things in your life?  Maybe that was a change in location, change in relationships, change in job, moving to a new home, getting a degree, ...
• If you had hung onto your present reality, clung to what you had, not dared to step forward into what was in front of you, what might have happened?
• Did you know that was the call of God at the time?
• How might you become more sensitive to that call of God in your life?
  

• Subject to whom?
  
• Our world seems full of tyrants large and small who try to wield power of their own without being subject to their right and proper authority.
• Where is an area where you have, or have had a measure of authority over others?
• Who did you work for in that capacity?
• How did their values determine what you did in that role?
• How did your discipleship to Jesus determine what you did in that role?
• Did you ever have to reconcile your "official boss's" desires and directives with those of God Himself?
  

• Getting it done
  
• Mother Theresa is famous for seeing the face of Jesus in the outcast, the marginalized, the oppressed.  But maybe God calls us to even more than that.  Maybe He's looking to us to serve those in need simply because they are in need.
• There are no end of folks in need.  How do you avoid despairing of ever making a real difference in our world?
• How do you protect yourself from burnout?
• How do you find where it is that God is calling you?
• How do you tell if you have stumbled into service that you are not called for?  Or even that you are still trying to serve in some capacity that you are no longer called to?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to be a shepherd?
   
2. Is God leading me from something, to something?
   
3. Am I faithful to God as my ultimate authority?
   
4. Is there ministry in my life that is not working, that I should let go of?

Shalom!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• God's work
  
• When I was a young man, I asked a respected preacher whether the work that I was considering for my career could be Godly.  His answer was "could a non-Christian do that work just as well?"  The implication was that if a non-Christian could do something as well as a Christian, then save the Christian for work that only a servant of God could do.
• Is it possible for our work to be holy?
• Even if we are paid for it?
• What makes any given work holy?
• Is it the case that a given work is necessarily going to be holy for everyone?
• How did you find the holy work that God called you to?
  

• Enjoying the fruit of your labors
  
• All of us work for many reasons.  What are some of yours?
• How have your reasons for the work that you do changed through the years?
• What do you think the most important reason is for the work that we do?
• How do you know what the fruit (or compensation) should be for the work that you do?

• Being awake
  
• Wakefulness calls for us to be prophetic in this life, to be alert to the deeper meaning of what goes on around us, to be discerning of the will and intent of God, to go beyond mere survival in this life.
• Who are some of the prophetic voices in our world today?
• How did those prophets get to be that way?
• How have their words and lives touched you, made you a better person?
• Do you think that your life could ever be prophetic?
  

• Building the kingdom
  
• When considering what final judgement will be like, I anticipate watching a newsreel of my life, and Jesus sitting there with me.  As the painful points come across the screen, those points where I acted in fear, cowardice, selfishness, Jesus will tell me that He was there, right there at that darkest point in my life.  And I'll get the chance to receive that Presence, or refuse it.
• How do you know when you are investing yourself into God's kingdom?
• Does the normal day to day that we all go through have anything to do with that setting the stage for Eternity in your life?
• Can every waking minute be holy?
• Would that be practical?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me a greater sense of holiness in my work?
   
2. How can I find/make more holiness in my work?
   
3. Where is God calling me to be healing on this side of Eternity?
   
4. Where is God calling me to be His Presence in unexpected places?

Shalom!

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Wisdom 6: 12-16
   
2. Psalm 62: 2, 3-4, 5-6,7-8
3. Thessalonians 4: 13-18
   
4. Matthew 25: 1-13
   

• Free from care
  
• Jesus tells His disciples to fear not.  I'd have a lot easier time taking Him at his word if I knew that he has ever had to pay a mortgage, or worry about outliving his money in retirement.
• Do you think that a person who is wise worries more, or less, then a person who is not wise?
• Do you think that the wise person does not worry because:
• They trust God to meet all of their needs
• That they know that, no matter how bad it gets, God will always be with them
• They know that none of this really matters in the long run
• Some of the above?
• All of the above?
• If you knew that you could cast all of your cares aside if only you had sufficient wisdom, would you seek out wisdom?
• What's stopping you?
  

• Spiritual dehydration
  
• As a Boy Scout I heard about the dangers of dehydration.  Once your body gets past a certain point, you no longer feel thirsty, a pervasive fatigue sets in as your brain starts shutting down for lack of water.  To give in to sleep at this point often leads to death.  I believe that your spirits can become parched to the point that we no longer feel it anymore.
• What do you do on a regular basis to replenish your soul's reserves?
• How did you come to that practice in your spiritual life?
• How is that working for you?
• How do you respond when times are especially stressful for you?  Do you spiritual practices grow stronger or weaker?
  

• Dead in Christ
  
• When I was in aerospace, one thing that I prayed for was accountability.  I longed to see the consequences of decisions made in haste, decisions made out of convenience or cowardice would come home to roost so that those who made those decisions would finally know the true consequences of their actions.  Of course, because I was always above reproach, I would have nothing to fear from accountability.  I wish.
• When we all meet each other as one vast assembly, do you think there will be awkward moments?
• What of injuries that we've dealt to others, and never asked pardon for?
• What of damaged legacies that we've left to those who came after us?
• What would be the best way to prepare for that great gathering today?
  

• Survivalist
  
• These are the folks who know that armageddon is immanent, and the only ones who are going to come out the other side of that are those who are prepared.  The spiritual life is somewhat like that, just a little less whacked out.  We're not engaged in a sprint, but a marathon.  Perseverance, patience, endurance, none of these are splashy virtues.  But they are what the coming days, months, and years call for.
• What are you enduring lately in your life?
• Do you know when that challenge is going to end?
• How are meeting that challenge in your daily life?
• Are you sure that you are prepared for that challenge to endure a good while longer?
• How are you praying about that challenge?
• How can you flourish now, today, because of, not in spite of, that challenge?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to greater wisdom and less care?
   
2. How can I be better at caring for the Spirit within me?
   
3. Where is God calling me to be healing on this side of Eternity?
   
4. Where is God calling me to flourish that surprises me?

It all Turns to Dust In Time

Sooner or later, that flat screen TV that you always wanted
Will first become obsolete, then needing repair, and finally -
Just one more piece of junk to safely dispose of and recycle.
Even the beloved sports teams that you watched will get sold to another franchise.

That coveted honor bestowed on you by your boss last year -
Will soon be forgotten by the colleagues who watched you receive it.
Later yet, the organization that you were in at the time will be disbanded.
Later yet, the company that you were with will outsource to India.

The profound insights that came to you, unbidden, along your life -
That showed you to be a person of intellect, judgement, and intelligence -
Are very likely going to seep out of your conscious memory.
Leaving you with nothing but a memory of a memory to haunt you.

Yet we all hope that somehow, we will be immortal.
That there is some essence of our lives that will endure,
Be a benefit to those coming after us, our legacy.
So that there will, in the end, be some meaning to all of this.

All of the heartache over those close to us,
All of the long lonely nights agonizing over life decisions -
Trying to discern where, how, when to give yourself away -
And in so doing be a living sacrament, a sacred vessel.

Wisdom is not knowing how to advise someone in a jam.
It is the patience to listen for that still small voice -
Gently showing you the way that God has set before you.
Wisdom is simple, and it is simply this: 

What we receive, no matter how wonderful, joyous, and blessed -
None of that endures.
What we give away, freely, without measure or accounting -
That, that brightens the skies of Eternity.

Shalom!

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

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

• One father
  
• No matter who that other person is in your life, no matter what their background, point of origin, life work, or the size of their bank account, you do know one thing about them: they are God's child to the same extent that you are.  Yet there are many people that we meet in life who are very different from us.  And that can be a real challenge.
• Who is one person who you have a hard time relating to?
• What is it about them that makes them so difficult to understand, to even approach them?
• Prayerfully imagine that you come upon that person in an hour of need for them.  It can be anything: flat tire, loss of a loved one, disappointment at the way the lotto turned out last night ...
• Imagine that Jesus is in the room and you are the only one who can see Him.
• What would you do/say to/for this challenging person?
• What if Jesus promised to be with you if you can touch this other person the way that Jesus would?
  

• Haughty eyes
  
• "Looking out for number one" isn't a bad sentiment, as long as you don't get confused over who "number one" really is.  A hint: it's not you, and it's not me.  A really nice set of humility prayers can be found here.  I like the last two the best.
• Who are some of the humble people in your life?
• How do you think that they got that way?
• How does their humility help them in their ministry?
• What could you learn from them?
  

• Sharing your life
  
• Back in the day, evangelically fired Christians would greet each other with "how many souls have you saved today?"  In all honesty, the intent was celebration of the ongoing work of God in the world, saving sinners one at a time.  Turns out, getting someone to respond to the altar call was one thing, helping them to find a true home among the believing community was quite another.
• Who is someone who has had a profound effect on your faith, helped you go deeper, more profoundly into your relationship with God?
• Did they have that effect on you because of things that they said or wrote, the way that they lived, a combination of both, ...?
• How do you think that your life is inspiring others?
• What would you like to hear at your eulogy?
  

• Looking up to others
  
• At first I found it hard to work for managers who were younger than I was.  After all, I thought, how is this kid who's too young to remember punch cards going to tell me what's important?  That, it turns out, has been the start of a long journey in humility for me that will probably never really end.  At least on this side of eternity.
• What do you do when you find yourself looking down on someone?
• Do you think that they have anything that they could teach you?
• Do you think that Jesus might be trying to touch you through those disdain-worthy folks?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be His Presence?
   
2. How can I think more of others than myself?
   
3. Where is God calling me to share more deeply?
   
4. Where is God calling me to see him in places I've never seen Him before?

Shalom!

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• Learning compassion
  
• Marginalized, disenfranchised, silenced all describe those who have no voice, no champion, and often no hope.  God looks for those among His people who can champion those who would otherwise have none.
• Have you ever stood up for someone, even though you were unsure or had reason to be afraid of what would happen?
• What made you take that stance?
• How did the person receive your support?
• Would you do it again?
  

• Our God is an awesome God
  
• In our culture, strength comes in many forms.  There's the body-builder sort of strength, which, while impressive seldom inspires.  There strength of purpose that gives one the ability to persevere in spite of overwhelming odds and opposition.  From that strength can spring leadership.
  
• Have you ever had to pray for perseverance?
• How did you come to that point that you needed to make that prayer?
• What made you think that God would answer you?
• What might the difference be between perseverance and triumph?
  

• Finding joy
  
• Joy in life is something that God calls all of us to.  Joy is not so much something that happens to us, but our response to life.
• What brings you joy?
• Would you say that is a gift, something that you earned, something that you achieved?
• How has that joy changed your life?
• Would it weaken your relationship with God if that joy were to suddenly vanish, for whatever reason?
  

• Finding context
  
• Our image of God is often the sum total of everything that we have come to attribute to God, good and bad alike.  Sometimes, that image of God needs to be challenged.
• Do you see God as someone watching you, taking notes of your responses to life, in some sort of clinically detached way?
• Or is God more like a companion on the way who is with you in all things, no matter what?
• Have you ever felt abandoned by God?
• What made you doubt that He was there for you?
• Do you think that there can be healing, even in the midst of that hurt, even now?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to be more like Him in compassion?
   
2. Where is God calling me to celebrate the perseverance that He has gifted me with?
   
3. Where is God revealing Himself to me in joy?
   
4. Where is God calling me to healing and a deeper love?

What I don't know yet

Would fill a vast library floor to ceiling, wall to wall.
I doubt that things will be much different by the time that I die.

I don't know why innocent children are born with defects,
Or why it seems as though new diseases are always emerging.

I don't know why there is never enough time in the day
To get to all of the things that I want to get done.

I don't know why the golden years of life don't seem so golden.
And I don't know why I didn't learn more when I was younger.

I don't know why I seem to have more or less the same sins
That I've been struggling with for years on end.

I don't know why I have so little to say in the face of grief.
But at least I've learned not to try to come up with a pat answer.

I don't know why wisdom seems so elusive to me at my age
But at least I know enough to seek wisdom, knowing its quiet value.

I don't know why we cannot get the occasional vacation from life - just relax, enjoy, indulge.

But I've learned to find comfort in life's steady, and yet chaotic rhythms.

But I do know that God, somehow, is present in all these things.
His love never failing in its intimate presence.

His arm around my waist supporting me.

His heart beating next to mine.

And I know that the best that He has to offer me -

Is for me to learn to do the same to those He brings into my life.

Shalom!

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• Finding meaning
  
• Life can be hard to understand at times.  Events can be cruel, even twisted.  Tragedy strikes for no apparent reason, leaving us feeling vulnerable, and shaken.  Things like a terminal disease in a young child, the death of a person before their time, war in the Middle East all strain our ability to cope, strain our faith.
• Think of something that's happened to you that really challenged your faith.
• Do you have any idea why God allowed that to happen to you?
• Do you feel that God was with you through that tragedy?
• What was your prayer through that trial?
• What was God's answer?
• Does God always owe us an answer in such times of trouble?
  

• Our God is an awesome God
  
• A Michael Smith rendition of Awesome God can be found here.  It is quite stirring for a number of reasons, among them the talent and raw power of the performance.
• What are some events/seasons in your life that showed God to be awesome?
• What character traits of God shone through in those events?
• How did that experience change your image of God?
• How did that experience change your image of yourself?
• For those of us who attended Greg's funeral, did any of you find any awesomeness there?
  

• Labor of love
  
• Paul speaks of "work produced by faith, labor prompted by love".  I wanted to know why he distinguished between work and labor.  According to some, labor seems to me to be an expression of the Spirit.  Something that we can prepare for, be open to, but never really control.
• What is an event, passage in your life, decision that you made, that was an inspiration?
• What had gone on in your life that prepared you for that?
• How was it that you were open to that inspiration?
• Did you think at the time that you really could answer such a call?
  

• Coin of the realm
  
• St. Ignatius published the First Principle and Foundation as part of his Spiritual Exercises.  In those few paragraphs, St. Ignatius rather starkly sets the context for our lives on this earth, and the purpose of everything around us: to serve and glorify God.
• What are things in your life that make it hard to stay focused on God?
• Why are they important to you?
• What might life be like without them?
• How do you decide whether let something now into your life?
• How do you decide when to let something go?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to appreciate His blessings?
   
2. How am I celebrating the community of believers that I find myself in?
3. Where is God calling me to find His contentment in my life?
   
4. Where is God calling me to enjoy His abundance?

Full Time Poet

My editor sent me to a little village to interview a local poet.
Upon entering the quaint hamlet, I asked where he might be.
"Hard to say for sure" said a grizzled villager.
"He frequents several spots.  They are all by the river.
He likes to sit, ponder the passing water,
And God only knows what else."

So I made my way to the river, looking for likely places to sit.
Finally coming upon a lone figure at ease on a fallen log.
Back straight, head up, his hair flowing gently in the morning breeze.
So very still, as though he were a statue, so profound was his rest.
I felt a sympathetic hush from the forest that he and I were in.
As though creation was meditating with him, each finding themselves in the other.

I broke the silence without intent, a twig breaking beneath me.
Without looking, he said "welcome stranger, come sit awhile."

"How do you know that I'm a stranger?" I asked timidly.

"No one from these parts comes looking for me anymore.

The passing animals are more stealthy than any human.

So I knew you to be neither beast, nor local man."

"What do you do here, in this solitude of yours?" I asked.

"Write poetry.  Seek meaning.  Talk to God in all things."

I looked around.  There was no pen, no papers, no Samsung tablet.

In fact, the poet had nothing but the clothes on his back a floppy hat, and a canteen.

"Do you memorize your poems as you think of them?"

I asked, subconsciously trying to find his methods.

"What I do here is labor.  It comes unbidden, like a deer or fox.

I do not control the timing, the content, or the depth of inspiration.

I just know that I need to be open to it a good part of each day.

Then, at the end of the day, when the sky folds in on itself,

The stars come out of hiding, and the forest night shift commences,

I go back to my cabin and see what of today craves recording on paper.

Sometimes, I go for weeks at a time without ever putting anything down.

Sometimes, the words come in a torrent from some bottomless well.

I only know that I need to be ready to pass along what I have first received.

Be faithful to who I am as a writer.

Be generous to myself and those whom I serve with, in, and through my writing.

And this brings me contentment and peace."

Trying to to decide whether he was compensated fairly for his work, I asked:

"And how much do you think you bring in in a year?"

"Don't try to measure the unfathomable."  He said.

"But you work hard at this, I've seen your work, you deserve notoriety, security, ..."

He slowly answered as if from a great distance: "Work is what I do to sustain this body.

What I do here, and at my desk at home are labor.  Freely received, freely given.

I have just one question for you.

What is your labor?"

Shalom!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 25: 6-10a
   
2. Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
   
3. Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20
   
4. Matthew 22: 1-14
   

• Finding abundance
  
• God's blessings are never "just enough" but overflowing.  The wine at the wedding at Cana, the left over bread at the feeding of the five thousand, the care that Jesus showed to the outcast, the marginalized, and the forgotten.
• Do you think that God's abundance applies to this life as well as the next?
• How has God blessed you abundantly?
• When was the last time that you shared that blessing with others?
  

• Living in the house of the Lord
  
• Community within the Church is sometimes hard to see.  We don't live in a designated area of the city, we don't wear distinctive clothing, we don't eat special food, and we can be found in almost every line of work imaginable.  So what defines us?
• A friend comes to you and tells you that they want to become Catholic.  Of course you know to direct them to the RCIA inquiry team, but your job is not done there.  You ask why they would want to do that.  What might their answer be?
• If they were to ask you "what is the hardest part of being Catholic"?  What would you say?
• Is it worth it?
  

• Transcendent contentment
  
• Your cellular provider wants to make sure that you are not settling for merely adequate service.  They don't want for you to be content with anything less than the service that they can provide.  But God calls us to a contentment that goes beyond mere goods and services.
  
• Are you content with your life now?
• Would you still be content if there were significant changes in your life?
• What do you base your contentment on?
• What is the minimum in your life that you need to be content?
  

• Come to the feast
  
• Getting things done when we expect to get to them, in the way that we expect to do them, by the time that we hope to get them done is the definition of happiness for some.  Not for others though.
• Have you ever been surprised by God?  Something that came into your life totally unexpected that you had to make room for in your life?
• What did you have to set aside to make room for that?
• How did you decide that this new opportunity was from God?
• Would you do it again?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to appreciate His blessings?
   
2. How am I celebrating the community of believers that I find myself in?
3. Where is God calling me to find His contentment in my life?
   
4. Where is God calling me to enjoy His abundance?

A Place at the Table

I came to the wedding feast at the appointed time. 
Gift in hand, I was tastefully dressed  as befit the occasion.

I found myself seated next to a total stranger.
Which did not surprise me, given how different he was.

I could tell his wedding garment was thrown over much meaner garb.
His hair had no sheen of fine oil the way that mine did.

He kept looking around, gazing at what must have seemed endless splendor to him.
For my part, I began to wonder when the wine would make its appearance.

He turned to me and said "I so appreciate being invited.
The groom and I used to play together as children."

I concluded that our host's family had come up in the world since then.
Where is that wine?

He went on "this family has been generous to my village for years,
Helping us when crops were poor, sending in seed for the planting."

I could hardly imagine why my host would bother, it's just one lonely village.
But, I suppose, that's the glory of wealth, you can spend it however you like.

Trumpets blasted, cymbals clashed, doors thrown open, and the bridal party appeared.
Our host came in with the bridal party, dressed unaccountably simple.

Suddenly, his hand was on my shoulder, his face stern.
"My friend, you have not donned the attire that I gave you."

"Instead, you have chosen to flaunt your good fortune, set yourself apart.
You are not clothed in humility.

This feast is for those able to see abundance in all blessings,
See past the surface riches that this world chases after.

I'm afraid you do not belong here.
Please allow my servants to attend you to the door."

Not welcome!  Well, there was no reason for me to put up with such treatment.
I only regret that they didn't serve that wine sooner.

Shalom!

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 5: 1-7
   
2. Psalm 80: 9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
   
3. Philippians 4: 6-9
   
4. Matthew 21: 34-43
   

• God's disappointments
  
• We get disappointed when things don't go the way that we wanted for them to.  Perhaps we were counting on a good friend to come through for us and they did not have the time to be a support when we really needed it, or we invest time and effort into something only to have it fail.  Oddly, I believe that God can be disappointed as well.  Maybe not surprised, but disappointed.
• Have you ever disappointed God?
• How did you come to know that?
• How did that make you feel?
• How do you think it made God feel?
  

• God's punishment
  
• Is gravity unfair?  Falling accounts for a lot of death and injury, yet no one asks about the fairness or justice of gravity.  When we stray from God's plan for us, bad things happen, and we should not be surprised.  But that doesn't explain all the bad things that happen to us.
  
• Does every event in life have to have a purpose?
• Is it necessary that we know what that purpose is?
• When tragedy has come in your life, how did that affect your relationship to God?
• If you were to draw a picture of God, what would He look like?
• And if God were to draw a picture of you, how would He portray you?
  

• Transcendent peace
  
• True peace in this life transcends our understanding.  That isn't to say that this peace defies understanding, or that it is contrary to understanding, but that it is bigger than anything that we can understand.
• Can you recall a time in life when you suddenly caught a deep sense that it was going to work out, in spite of what was going on that moment?
• Did you see that as a grace, a gift of God at the time?
• Did it turn out to be true, did it all work out?
• Did that challenge in your life work out the way that you had hoped?
• Did it matter whether it worked out the way that you had hoped?
  

• Bearing fruit
  
• The fruit that a tree bears is the product of many things, the soil that the tree is planted in, the age of the tree, the sunshine and water that it receives.  To an extent, the entire life of that tree is summed up in its fruit.
• How have some challenges in your life born fruit later?
• Do you ever thank God for those challenges and the way that God was able to transform them?
• Is it our place to go looking for challenges?
• Is it safe for us to seek comfort and security?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me into His unconditional love?
   
2. Do I have a punishing or a vengeful God?
3. Where is God calling me beyond my comfort zone?
   
4. Where is God calling me to be more fruitful, or fruitful in a new and different way?

Shalom!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• Eyes on the prize
  
• A paradigm shift occurs in our lives when we are able to see things in a whole new light, regard the familiar from a different perspective, and hopefully draw new conclusions from what has been there in front of us all along.  God is looking to grace each of us with a paradigm shift regarding His mercy.
• Has there been a time in your life in which you saw the mercy of God extended to you, or someone close to you?
• How did that experience of mercy make you feel?  Were you awestruck, grateful, or resentful (particularly if that mercy went to someone else)?
• Given your faithful service to God all of these years, do you feel that you are more deserving of mercy than the average person?
• Does it matter what you think?
  

• Learning patience
  
• Particularly for dads, one of the hardest lessons is that of patience.  Patience requires trust.  Trust that time and effort invested now will eventually yield fruit, trust that behind that screaming child there is a blessing from God, and that blessing might be that screaming child.  Of course none of us tries God's patience the way that children do.  Right?
• How has God been patient with you?  Are there lessons that He has taught you in life that you were slow to learn?
• Why do you think that God is patient?
• Why do you think that God is patient with us?
• Why do you think that God is patient with you?
• What can we learn from God's patience?
  

• Beware the martyr
  
• I suspect that one of the most devious ways to corrupt humility is to fall into a martyr complex, to see our hardships as an incredible burden unjustly inflicted on us.  That perception might be true, but it might not be complete.
• Have you ever had to set aside something that you wanted, maybe wanted very deeply, in favor of a greater good?
• Did you resent that?
• Do you think that your attitude in such situations matters?
• Did you find the grace to see that loss as a gain, your change in plans an opportunity, that pain a chance to draw closer to God?
• Do you think it matters whether you undergo that transformation?
  

• It is the action that counts
  
• We're told that "actions speak louder than words" to help ground our words in authenticity, to help us be truly authentic, to give our words power.  Sometimes, following God is a process that takes time to work through.
• When faced with a tough decision, do you have a process, steps that you generally go through when discerning what you are to do?
• Have you ever started that process with a clear gut feeling of what you wanted, and had to set that aside in favor of something even better?
• How did you pray through that?
• How did those close to you support you in that process?
• Does that process ever get lonely?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God being awesome in His mercy in my life and the life of those around me?
   
2. Do I have the faith to be patient with God?
3. Am I truly open to what God might be working in me through present hardships?
   
4. Where is God calling me to the freedom of letting go?

If Only

As an adolescent growing up, I remember one elder or another in my church,

Looking at me fondly and saying "if only."

If only I had been where you are now when I was your age
I would be so much further along in my walk in the Lord by now.

If only I had not squandered those early years of my life aimlessly
But found purpose and direction in God.

If only I had not been so thoughtless in my youth, so headlong in my pursuit

Of so many things that really didn't matter in the end.

If only I had sought wisdom rather than acquiring, getting, receiving

Where would I be today?

At the time, I never had a proper reply, but I knew enough to say nothing.

If that rhetorical question was put to me today, I might respond -

You are living proof to you, and all of us, of God's rich mercy.

That His mercy is reckless, abundant, and overflowing.

Beyond that, you are proof that His mercy is effective, true, unstoppable.

Like the patient waters that carved the Grand Canyon -

God's mercy shapes us, emerges the beauty that He created in us

Reveals His secret and sacred glory with, in, and through our lives.

That all of us may see His work in you, and all His children

And glory in His patience, trust, courage.

And maybe learn a little patience ourselves.

Shalom!