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!