Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 58: 7-10
   
2. Psalms 112: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5
   
4. Matthew 5: 13-16
   

• Anonymous vindication
  
• Vindication is proof that someone or some cause is right, justified.  But vindication doesn't need an audience.  In fact, I suspect that the vindication that God grants His own often goes unnoticed by most folks.  Which can only make you wonder whether such vindication is really worth it.
• How do you help those who are less fortunate than you are?
• Does that ministry need to be without pay to be meaningful?
• Does it have to be totally unappreciated to be meaningful?
• What do you get out of that ministry?
• How do you know that's where you belong?
  

• Enduring justice
  
• Each of us has an expiration date.  Thankfully, most of us have no idea when that is, but it's there none the less.  My own father once told me that he felt like a failure because he felt that he was not leaving a legacy to his children.
  
• Once you're gone, what of your life would you want to endure?
• What or how much of that legacy are you contributing to today?
• Most of us are probably going to die in our sleep.  But just suppose that you could choose what you were doing at the moment that death takes you.  What would that be?
  

• Demonstrating God's power
  
• Power in our world is a very distorted quantity.  When asked what makes a person powerful, most will respond with things like wealth, prestige, charisma, lofty position.  None of those is wrong in its proper place.
• Who are some people that you know of whose lives show the power of God?
• What sort of power is that?  How is it manifest?
• Do they inspire you?
• In what way?
  

• Being salt and light, together
  
• Reaching out to others is the best way for us to become more vital, more spirit-led, more alive.  Yet it's often difficult to find room for that in our lives.  As a community, we are always looking for new ways to get more people involved.  How can we get involved in more people?
  
• What are some ways that we, as a community might reach out to more folks in need?
• What are some ways that we, as a community might reach out to a broader set of needs?
• Where do we start?
• How do we know if we are doing the right things?
• How do we know if we are doing the things right?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Am I content to minister for the sake of those that I minister to alone?
2. What legacy am I building in my life today, this week, this year?
   
3. Where is God looking to show His power through my life?
   
4. How can my life be a source of joy to others?
   

Listening into Listening

Welcome, have a seat please.
Let's just close our eyes together, become aware of our breath.
Give our bodies permission to relax for a little while.
Breathe in through the nose, and gently out through the mouth.
We're in no hurry here.  And just know that God is as near as your breath.

I'm afraid that I'm losing my mind.
Ever since my beloved died,
Nothing makes sense anymore.
I feel like a pocket watch that looks perfect on the outside,
But the mainspring is broken.

You sound surprised by that.

I feel so helpless.  Nothing seems to work anymore.
I get up in the morning,
And it takes me moments to remember that they are gone.
It all still feels so unreal.
I think I'm losing my mind!

What did you think was going to happen, when you lost your beloved?

I gave up on trying to figure out why they left.
I gave up on trying to figure out why God would take them.
But, but, I would think that God would be more comfort now, when I really, really need Him.
I've served Him all my life,
My beloved and I have served Him as long as we've been married.

You feel that God is not holding up His end of a bargain?

I'm angry,
I feel betrayed by the one  that I counted on most.
The one in all the Universe that I thought would be there ...
He's gone.
I pray and pray, and nothing happens.  I'm so ashamed.

What makes you think that God has abandoned you?

 Why wouldn't He?
You should hear me scream aloud when I pray.
If I could, I'd leave me too.
No adoration, no worship, no thanks.
Just anger, frustration, fatigue, complaints.

How do you think that God feels about all of this?

What?
I have to imagine that He's sad too.
I know that he loved, and loves my beloved,
Maybe even more than I do.
I have to believe that He grieves for my grieving.

Can you imagine God, here, now, sitting next to you, holding your hand?
Can you take some time daily to sit with Jesus?
Call it meditation, call it prayer, call it whatever you like.
You can still be angry, frustrated, and fatigued.
But you are not alone.

Shalom!

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Zephaniah 2:3; 3: 12-13
   
2. Psalms 146: 6-7, 8-9, 9-10
   
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31
   
4. Matthew 5: 1-12a
   

• Speaking the truth in love
  
• Telling someone the truth can be difficult.  Ironically, it can be hardest when speaking to our friends.
• Has there been a time when you felt compelled to tell the truth, and you knew that it would make you unpopular?
• What made you decide to do the right thing?
• How did that turn out?
• Would you do it again?
  

• Blessed the stranger
  
• The Holy Family were refugees just after Jesus was born.  They had to flee to Egypt to escape the slaughter that king Herod initiated to remove a possible threat to his throne.  While they were in Egypt, they were strangers, without friends or family to help them.
• Who are some strangers that you have welcomed?
• Why did you welcome them?
• Do you think that welcome did any good?
• Would you do it again?
  

• Improvement plan
  
• Most of us have done many things to improve ourselves.  Getting a college degree, studying for a certificate, choosing to support a ministry in our parish.  If you were to compile a spiritual resume, you might be impressed by all that you have done, who you have become.
• In the end, how was it that you were able to achieve all of that?
• What does that tell you about your own character?
• What does that tell you about God's character?
  

• Rejoicing in persecution
  
• For most of us, all it takes is for one person to hate you, and you begin to second-guess yourself, see yourself from their vantage point, wonder whether you are as bad as all that.  Instead, Jesus calls us to gaze on Him in the face of opposition.
• Do you think that every true follower of Jesus is going to be misunderstood, mistreated, distrusted at some point in their lives?
• Have you ever been misunderstood for trying to do the right thing?
• Did that misunderstanding impact your prayer life?
• How did God answer your prayer?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be prophetic?
2. Who in my life might God be calling me to welcome?
   
3. How has God blessed me in my life.
   
4. Where is God offering me courage?
   

Humility Prayer

God of my ancestors,
Give me clarity of sight
That penetrates the smoke and haze
Of always getting more and more.

Help me to see past my deep rooted desire for security
And look for security in You alone.
Help me to thirst for your simplicity
That I might find freedom in just enough.

Give me the desire to be Your Presence
To the outcast, the voiceless, the powerless.
Fill me with Your empathy
That I might have the ears to hear their cries.

Give me courage to take the first step
On a journey toward a dimly viewed Promised Land
Even though all of the rest of the steps are hidden from sight
Let me see those who stand ready to lead me in Your way.

Grant me strength in my prayer
To extend my hand to others.
Even though I see how truly weak I am.
Let me find just enough strength in you to lift up another.

And if others don't understand me,
Give me strength to love them too.
So that they will someday see a spark of You in Me.
As I try to follow You.

Shalom!

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 8: 23 - 9:3
   
2. Psalms 27: 1, 4, 13-14
   
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 10 - 13, 17
   
4. Matthew 4: 12 - 23
   

• Forgiveness is not a reset button
  
• Forgiveness, at its root, is all about relationships.  To forgive is allow healing to start.  But forgiveness doesn't make the hurt go away as though it never happened.
• When was the last time that you truly forgave someone?
• How did that change the way that you looked at them?
• How did that forgiveness change you as a person?
• Was it worth it?
  

• Contemplation
  
• Most of us struggle to find time for contemplative prayer.  We always wonder whether we're "doing it right" or not.  And there is always the nagging question in your mind whether there is not something else that you really should be doing.
• How do you do contemplative prayer?
• How has that helped you?
• How much change in your life do you think it would take before someone would describe you as a contemplative?
• How would you start?
  

• Idolatry is so easy
  
• We all want a strong sense of identity.  But that seems to be harder and harder as divisions among us create more and more distinctions based on how we feel about various things within out culture, politics, and religion.
• If someone asked you for your "elevator speech" defining what you believe to be the most important truths in ten seconds, what would you say?
• If their elevator speech agreed with yours 100%, would you conclude that the two of you could share your faith with each other?
• How do you know whether it's "safe" to open yourself up to another, tell them what you really think and feel, and listen to what they have to say?
  

• Restoration
  
• These passages in which Jesus calls His disciples always strike me as pretty stark.  He expects immediate obedience, regardless of the cost to them, their families, their communities.
• What are some occasions when Jesus called you to follow him?
• How did that happen in your life?
• What made you willing and able to respond to that call?
• Do you think that we are always going to be ready for God's call in our lives?
• What can we do to help us to listen better?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to forgive someone that I'm having trouble forgiving?
2. How can I be more contemplative?
   
3. Where can I reach out to others who believe differently than I do, who still serve God none the less.
   
4. Where is God calling me today?
   

There they go

When I was young, fishing with my father, I hated mending the nets.
They were smelly, often stiff and tangled.
The mending process had to be methodical, and thorough.
Else, the next time that we strained those nets,
They might burst, and we lose our precious catch.

Then I learned to appreciate the peace of it all.
Until the mending was done, there was nothing else.
I did not have to worry about my younger siblings.
Chores around the house would have to wait.
My company were other fishermen, and the waves lapping at the boat.

Later still, mending those nets became a form of prayer.
I learned to let that peace soak into me,
And I found God himself in each knot that had to be replaced,
Each strand that needed to be carefully restored.
The mending process my small contribution to ongoing Creation.

And I learned to say a prayer with each knot.
Asking God to watch over my family,
My village,
My synagogue.
Keep them safe, and most of all, close to Him.

I had hoped that my sons, James and John
Would follow in my footsteps, and become fishermen.
Continue unbroken the family business
That has been our sustenance for generations,
Our contribution to our village.  Our identity.

Instead, they took off after Jesus without a backward glance.
None of us knowing when we would meet again.
None of us knowing where this chapter in their lives would take them.
I opened my mouth to recall them to their duty.
And realized that their duty, and mine, was to God alone.

I think about them while I'm mending my nets.
Wondering where following Jesus is taking them.
Wondering what they will tell their children one day
About how they were called to this adventure,
And how it changed their lives.

And I sit here and wonder:
If this new life of theirs is so important,
What does that say about the life that I still lead?
Does God still need me as a simple fisherman?
Will I ever receive a call from the blue?

Shalom!

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
   
2. Psalms 40: 2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
   
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3
   
4. John 1: 29-34
   

• Be the glory
  
• In some circles, it is believed that God shows His favor on His elect by showering them with clear blessings such as long life, prosperity, teenagers who actually listen to them and other amazing things.  Another perspective might be that God's intervention consists largely of helping us get through whatever challenges we have before us, one day at a time.  But what if there's more.  What if the glory of God is for His children to thrive and flourish?
• What are some things that you do that make you feel most alive, most "on"?
• Do you think that God called you to that?
• Do you think that God would ever ask you to do something that did not make you grow, mature, thrive?
• What about your life shows the glory of God lately?
  

• Being attentive
  
• Obedience to God goes beyond merely avoiding sin.  Yet it seems that we don't often get an opportunity to explore ways in which God's call comes to us.
• How does God make His will for you known to you?
• Do you think that we get second chances to do God's will if we are slow to obey?
• Do you think that any of us can really tell anyone else what God's will might be for them?
• Does discernment have to be hard?
  

• Father make me holy
  
• Fr. Peter used to declare that to be happy, we needed to be holy.  Holiness comes of dedication to God.  Dedication simply means that our lives in their entirety have just one purpose.
• How would you describe that purpose in your case?
• Do we all have the same purpose to one extent or another?
• If that is your purpose, how are you living that out?
• Where do you need help living out God's purpose for you?
  

• Pointing the way
  
• Ignatian spiritual direction seeks to help the one seeking direction to hear the voice of the Spirit in their lives, and to follow that direction.  The director does not give advice, nor tell the directee what they should do.  In a sense, we should all seek to do that for each other as friends and companions along the way.
• Who are some of the people in the vast armada of folks who have passed through your life who have pointed you towards God?
• How did they accomplish that?
• Who would you like to point to God?
• How do you see that happening?
• What help would you need?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me towards more, deeper, vibrant life?
   
2. Where do I need to be discerning today?
   
3. How dedicated am I?
   
4. Where can I be the Beauty of God to someone else?
   

I Come to Do Your Will

 The old man walked with a limp, but he didn't seem to mind.
His worn out body somehow keeping him good company
Even though he always walked with purpose.
He always seemed to be in the right town when needed the most.

He answered to many names, but the one he treasured most
Was simply "paz", short for hombre de paz, man of peace.
Wherever he went word soon got around the village,
Care worn and harried, they would seek him out.

Some, often the older ones, just wanted to be near him.
The younger ones would seek to discuss, and debate with him,
And no matter how excited they became with their own speech
Hombre de paz would listen, patiently, and lovingly.

"Paz", one old man said.  "All my life, I have sought to do good.
To be good, to serve a higher purpose.
But I look back at my life, and all I see are dust and ashes.
Nothing that I have put my hand to has prospered.  And now I am all but dead."

Paz looked on his brother with eyes of compassion, and he asked
"But why did you give yourself away like that?
Surely you must have had some goal in mind, some grand outcome?"
The old man answered "Nothing like that.  Not at all.

In fact, looking back, I realize that any act of kindness,
Any outreach of generosity that I poured myself into,
Was just doing what needed to be done at the time,
Serving those who needed a hand.  Nothing grand, nothing great."

Paz closed his eyes, breathed deeply and sighed
"Your giving without looking for a return,
Your willingness to let circumstances and needs teach you,
Your generosity are all accomplishment enough.  All that you lack is trust."

Scarcely had he finished when a young woman, full of life and purpose asked
"What must I do, what must I be, to be great, to be radiant, to be an inspiration?
I am willing to give my all, without reservation or fear."
Paz looked her in the eye, and found great love simmering there.

He returned that love in kind and said
"Seek first and always the gift of humility
That ambition may not blind you to the little things all around you
The whispers of God calling you to lift up His forgotten ones.

Know that you are precious, lovely, loved, and adored.
That you are, and have been from eternity worth dying for.
Learn to treat yourself with the care and tenderness of God.
And the way before you will become clearer one step at a time."

Shalom!

Epiphany Sunday

Our readings for Epiphany Sunday are:

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

• A city on a hill
  
• We, both corporately and individually, should be attractive to others.  Not so much in a physical sense (thank God!) but that we should draw people to our community by our example.  Most of us are not comfortable with selling ourselves or our values, but maybe we should think about getting a better Yelp presence.
• If someone came up to you and asked "why should I join your church?" what would you say to them?
• If someone came up to you and asked "why should I join your parish?" what would you say?
• Is there anything that we can/should be doing to make our faith community more of a light to the larger community?
• When we were raising funds for the new parish center, Carol Glavonich made the observation that "we get the best responses to requests for money from the dead."  By that she meant that their relatives would at least give us a response, outraged though it may be.  What do you think of that?
  

• What manner of king have we?
  
• Traditionally, the might of kings was measured in the number of men in their standing army, the amount of gold in their treasury ...  Jesus' kingship and His kingdom are very different.  How much of His kingship can we expect on earth?
• How likely is it that any level of government here or anywhere would be described as "beautiful"?
• How about within the Church?
• What can/should we do to bring beauty to the organizations that we inhabit?
  

• They will let anyone in here!
  
• It feels good to be part of an exclusive club or organization.  You know where you belong, it makes you feel special.  And maybe that's OK anywhere but the Kingdom of God.
• What would you think if God could not save people below a particular income level?
• How about people above some income level (particularly if it's near the one that you have)?
• Or if God could not save people without an education, or a home, or ...
• Have you ever seen someone excluded from our community, either overtly, or not?
• How can we be more inclusive?
  

• Seeking Jesus
  
• One theme in Jesuit theology is that God is in everything.  So we must be bumping into God all day long.  And yet, we are called to actively seek God.  How is that possible, and why is it needed?
• Think of somewhere that you found God in an unexpected place/time - maybe an angry coworker, a sorrowing family member, utter silence, a manger on a cold winter's night.
• What/who were you looking for?
• How did that encounter change you?
• Do you think that God is still there?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might I need to be more inviting/inclusive?
   
2. How might I bring more submission, and less rule/domination into my life?
   
3. Who are the gentiles in my life?
   
4. Where might God be waiting to encounter me that I'm not looking for Him?
   

Alone With God and the Cosmos

We met as strangers, along the way,
Joining our caravans for company and safety.

It was only lately that we found
That we had common destination, common destiny.

By unspoken agreement, we are each a distance from each other,
The better to pray at the end of a day of travel.

Travel that is swiftly turning into a pilgrimage
To find God as we have never found Him before.

A gentle wind whispers through the sand.
The star that we have been following stands as witness.

I pray for my family back home, that they are safe and warm.
I pray that I will bring back some blessing from my travels.

I pray that all of us might learn humility,
And from humility, learn how to live with each other.

I pray for my village, with its vying tribes,
Squabbling for dominance out of fear.

Fear that if they do not advance in our village,
They, their descendants will never amount to anything.

I pray for openness, eyes to see, ears to hear
That I will be able to see where this star is taking me.

I pray for courage to be challenged by this new King.
Courage to enter a kingdom that I cannot see, touch, or feel.

I pray for mercy, for the times when I have been close-minded,
Clinging to old ways rather than open myself to epiphany.

And I hear, faintly in that gentle breeze, an answer to all my prayers -
Be still and know that I am God.  I am exalted in all the earth.

Be still and know that I am.
Be still.

Be.

I bow low, remember that I am but dust and ashes,
And find peace in that.

Shalom!