25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 55: 6-9
   
2. Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18
   
3. Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a
   
4. Matthew 20: 1-16a
   

• Blue Light Special on mercy
  
• K-mart used to have in store blue light specials that ran for just minutes.  The eager shoppers would throng to one end of the store or another when a blue light special was announced, hoping to score the deal of a lifetime.  I suspect graces and mercy can be similar to those blue light specials.
• Has there been a time when God offered you a grace, some mercy that was particular to a period in your life?  Maybe help getting through the loss of a loved one, help making a momentous decision, ...
• Were you reluctant to accept that grace or mercy in your life?
• Did you eventually let God bless you?
• What do you think would have happened if you had waited longer to fully receive that blessing?
• What might you do differently the next time that God offers you such a blessing?
  

• God is near to you too
  
• We all have much in common.  We are all children of one God.  We are all subject to temptation.  We are all recipients of that Divine Mercy every day of our lives.  And yet, humility is so very hard.
  
• How has humility strengthened your ministry, made you more effective, given you more joy?
• How do you connect with those that you minister to?
• How have you managed to remind yourself that you are not so very different from those whom you minister to?
  

• Freedom of indifference
  
• Ignatian indifference offers us the freedom from our own narrow perspective to an openness to whatever God is offering us in the present.
  
• How would you define "a good death" from a Catholic perspective?
• How would one prepare for such a death, knowing that none of us can control our future?
• How would such a death benefit the rest of your community?
• What can you do today to start preparing?
  

• I'm happy for you
  
• When someone else receives a blessing, some recognition, some reward, it's natural to ask ourselves "why them and not me"?  Lurking underneath that is the question "am I somehow deficient in my service, my results, my character, is that why I was passed over"?  Lurking underneath that question is "does God love me less"?
• What makes you think that God loves you at all?  After all, you know that you have not done anything to deserve His love at all, let along more of His love than anyone else.
• If God were to somehow recognize you for your superlative service, your generosity as His servant, your contributions to His kingdom, what form might that take?
• Was it eventual recognition that drew you into that ministry in the first place?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to respond to His gifts today?
   
2. Am I at all judgemental of others?
3. Do I have the trust I need to embrace my own death?
   
4. Where is God calling me to the freedom of anonymity?

Lifetime Achievement Award

 Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce someone who needs no introduction
Someone well known, appreciated, nay loved by one and all
A true luminary among us, a shining star, an inspiration
Please welcome our guest of honor - <your name here>

Maybe your delusions of grandeur are not nearly so pronounced,
Your dreams of achievement and appreciation not nearly so high flying
Maybe you have learned true humility and the peace that comes with it
But I have not.

As a young man, I envied other's recognition.
Fancying myself eclipsed by those whose talents
While not as important as mine, but were much more visible.
Telling myself that not all of us are called to be quarterbacks in the game of life.

Then I gradually realized that, in many cases
Those superstars really had accomplished a great deal more than I had
They deserved the laurels heaped upon them
And I, I had not achieved as much and should be content.

Then I gradually realized that sometimes the greatest achievements
Are often obscure, quiet, though none the less real.
That there may never be a "proper recognition"
And that Jesus is calling me closer to Him in humility.

Lately, I'm seeing that God blesses His children abundantly
In the abundance of His children
Showering His love with, in, and through all of His sons and daughters.
And it is in the giving and receiving that we fulfill our destiny as His children.

So, I'm trying to find peace in gratitude
Joy in giving without measure
Security in deep trust
And leave the rest up to God.

Give me another few years and I'll tell you how that turns out.

Shalom!