Epiphany Sunday

Our readings for Epiphany Sunday are:

1. Isaiah 60: 1-6
   
2. Psalms 72: 1-2, 7-8, 109-11, 12-13
3. Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6
   
4. Matthew 2: 1-12
   

• Brother are you saved?
  
• Growing up in a Protestant Evangelical church as I did, we occasionally would foray out into the unsuspecting public to spread the Gospel.  Being an introvert made me ill-suited to such goings on, but I gave it the "old college try anyway".  One slogan that we would occasionally see was "Jesus is the answer!"
  
• If Jesus is the answer, what's the question?
• Who are some people in your life that you know would be happier if they were in relationship with Jesus?
• How do you think they might be drawn to Jesus?
• How do you think that Jesus might call you to be part of that call in their life?
  

• The art of the possible
  
• On occasion, you'll hear politics described as the art of the possible.  Or it's described as the second oldest profession.  Not sure which is a better description.
• As Christians, what should we expect from our governmental leaders?
• How can we hold them accountable for that?
• How are we called to participate in the governing process?
• How much justice can we expect to see in our lifetime?
  

• Just because you're saved, does that make you my brother?
  
• It's hard relating to other people when they are very different from us.  We can be judgemental, thinking to ourselves that they could easily enjoy a much better life if they just tried harder.  It's hard to remember that they are just as much God's children as we are.
• Think of someone who you know to be close to God, yet very different from you.
• How are the two of you different?
• How are you the same?
• How much do those differences matter?
• Do you think God cares?
  

• God, are you there?
  
• It's easy to envy the 12 disciples, Moses, anyone who has had a close encounter with God.  It would be so much easier if we were able to be face to face with Him, converse easily and naturally with Him, know what He wants in our lives without ambiguity or uncertainty.
• What are some of the ways that God speaks to you?
• Can His communication always be put into words?
• How successful have you been in finding god's will for your life?
• How do you know?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might God be calling me to bring His children home?
• How might God be calling me to partner with Him in bringing about justice?
• Where might God be calling me to be more inclusive?
• Am I open to God's communication to/with/through me?
  

The Life Well Pondered

We had guests today.
They were totally unexpected, at least to Joseph and me.
Jesus didn't have much to say on the matter.

Custom demanded that we extend hospitality to them.
Joseph washed their feet while I prepared some food.
I overheard them speaking to Joseph of their quest.

At first, I scarce knew who they were speaking of.
Our little boy, still a toddler, hardly seemed a king.
But they were sure that they were in the right place.

And I had to realize that Joseph and I were in the right place.
As chaotic as our lives have been, they led us here, together.
To fulfill a purpose that unfolds in its own patient way.

Revealing God's love for all of us
In ways that no one has ever seen before.
In a place and time no one would ever have believed.

We ate with our guests, and marveled
That they were just like us in many ways.
Hungry, travel-weary, unsure of what to think.

But all of us there, open to God's ongoing creation.
Taking our place in that eternal story.
And finding peace and joy along the way.

Soon, they left us.  And I wondered -
Whether they will forever be transformed by this encounter.
Whether we would be transformed as well.

And whether every encounter could be transformative in our lives.

Shalom!

Holy Family Sunday

Our readings for Holy Family Sunday of Advent are:

1. 1 Samuel 1: 20-22, 24-28
   
2. Psalms 84: 2-3, 5-6, 9-10
3. 1 John 3: 1-2, 21-24
   
4. Luke 2: 41-52
   

• We are all dedicated
  
• The Bible is full of people of great purpose, whose lives were dedicated to God's service:  Noah, Moses, Abraham, Samuel, David, Ruth, Deborah the prophet, Mary, ...  We all in some way benefit from their ministries, but they can be a little scary.  We wonder, just how disruptive to my current way of life might God be?
• When you meet someone new and start talking about yourself, what is the first thing that comes up?  Is it your job, where you're going to school, your dreams and aspirations, your faith?
• What does that tell you about your priorities?
• Do you expect to keep doing what you are doing until you cannot do it anymore, or do you think that there are changes ahead in your life?
• How will you know for sure?
  

• Where is everyone?
  
• Certainly a church standing empty can be a profound place for meditation.  The celebrations that have happened there through the years soak into the walls and woodwork in some mystical way, and faint echos of the loud hosannas through the decades can still be heard.  And yet ...
• Who do you miss that you no longer see?  They may have died, left the area, stormed out of the local church in protest, or stored out of Church period.  Maybe they are folks that God is calling today, and we have not met yet.
  
• How were you welcomed into your present church/Church?
• What parts of that original welcome are still with you today?
• How might you share that welcome and belonging with others?
  

• We don't belong here
  
• I have a friend, whose children are all grown and out of the house, and who has very few family nearby.  Each Thanksgiving, he & his wife invite folks to their home who have nowhere else to go for Thanksgiving, and give them a place to belong, even if only for one evening.
• Ultimately, where do you belong?
• What are some communities where you belong here in your life?
• What has your membership in those communities taught you?
• How might they have prepared you for heaven?
  

• Jesus has left the building
• God has a way of failing to match our expectations.  Hopefully, when that happens in our lives, we can learn from that.  And just maybe, the very act of seeking Him is, itself, a form of prayer.
• When you have sought God in your life, what were you seeking?  Was it a closer walk with God, a better relationship with your spouse, guidance for a tough decision?
• Where/when/who did you find God in that encounter?
• Is it always that way for you?  Is there just one place/time/person where we can find God?
• How has the act of seeking God in your life changed you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I become more in the image of God?
  
• Who in my life needs a warm welcome to the people of God, from me?
  
• Where is God drawing me into deeper community?
  
• Where is God in my life?
  

He's All Grown Up

 

I can still remember changing His swaddling clothes when He was an infant.

Feeling His warm breath on my cheek when I would hold Him after nursing Him.

Feeling His heart beating so close to mine, and knowing peace like no other.

 

When Joseph and I first realized that He had not left the Holy City with the caravan,

We panicked.  There was no one to go back to Jerusalem with us, no comforting companions.

We were on our own through those treacherous trails.  But we had no choice.

Jerusalem never looked so vast as it did when we were seeking our lost boy there.

Joseph and I so distraught that we could not speak to each other.

Each of us fearing the worst.

Finally, we sought Him in the Temple.  At least we could pray for him there.

And we heard His still new man voice among the learned teachers.

At first, I was horrified that He dared to disturb their sacred deliberations.

But we stopped, and listened to what was going on, and were amazed.

Each time that He spoke, there was silence, a pondering of what He said.

Not dismissal.

And I knew then that my boy had somehow, without asking permission, become a man of God.

And I knew that things between us would never be the same.

And I knew what I did not know: His future and mine.

The joy of finding Him mixed with the fear of losing Him.

My words were sharp and angry.

And I wondered that day why I had responded that way.

He was never really ours from the beginning.

His a life consecrated from the beginning.

So like my life, Joseph's and yours.

Welcome to our family.

Shalom!

3rd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the Third Sunday of Advent are:

1. Zephaniah 3: 14-18a
   
2. Psalms 12: 2-3, 4, 5-6
3. Philippians 1: 4-5, 8-11
   
4. Luke 3: 10-18
   

• Receiving God's love
  
• Unconditional love is oftentimes hard to accept.  We are so conditioned to receive the deserved promotion, the recognition that we have coming to us, the favored position at the table that we worked so hard for.  But we can never deserve the very best things in life, they come to us free from the hand of God.
• If you were to describe God's face as He looks at you, what expression do you think He is wearing?
• How does that make you feel?
• Why do you think that God feels that way about you?
• How does that make you feel about Him?
  

• Finding courage
  
• Courage is a virtue that all of us admire, but few of us feel that we have.
• When is a time that you needed courage to do/say the right thing?
• What were you afraid of would happen if things did not work out properly?
• How/where did you find the courage?
• Did you feel lonely, or did you feel supported?
• Where was God in all of that?
  

• Prayer seasons
  
• Prayer is a tough thing for many of us to find time for.  It is hard to quantify, the benefits are nearly impossible to measure, and it's oftentimes hard to do.  What's not to love about time in prayer?
• Where does the majority of your prayer time go?
• Do you have a list of things that you ask for?
• Or maybe events/outcomes that you long to see?
• Do you pray for God to change everyone else?
• Or do you pray for changes in/to your heart?
• Does God always answer your prayer that way that you were hoping for?
• Why is that?
  

• How then shall we live?
• John the Baptist was doubtless a rather obscure, fringe element to most of the established religious authorities of his day.  No seminary training, no lofty family background, no established credentials to convince anyone that he had any great insights.  Yet he was God's instrument to bring God's children to repentance.
• How do you come to the knowledge that you need to repent of something?
• Why do you think that God speaks to you/us in that way?
• If you had a choice, how would you rather that God spoke to you?
• Would you listen any better?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I become more in the image of God?
  
• Where might God be calling me to take courage in the face of a difficulty?
  
• How is God calling me to deeper prayer?
  
• Where is God calling me to examine my actions and motives?
  

The Jordan is Muddy

My friends had told me that John the Baptist was changing lives in the desert.
And mine certainly needed changing.

Cynical, angry, bitter, and just plain tired.
I hadn't shown kindness to anyone in ages.

Everyone around me had long ago lapsed into silence.
It was easier that way.

Otherwise, I was likely to give them a baleful stare.
Or a cutting remark about how little they knew.

My friends told me that I'd find peace with John.
But when I asked them to come with me, they said this as a journey alone.

Sand got into my shoes, my shirt, scoured my feet.
Soon I was looking for shade from the burning sun.

As I got closer to the head of the throng, I could hear him.
Giving each a word to get them started on the right path.

And I wondered what mine would be.
And then I heard him say to me:

"Walk along the riverbank, alone, uncharted.
Until you learn to treasure this moment, and then the one after that, and the one after that.

Forget about tomorrow, it will come when it comes."
"Should I forget the sand in my shoes?" I asked mockingly.

"Rejoice in the sand, exult in the heat, accept it all as gift.
Then come back again for the gift of baptism.

For then you will have learned how to be grateful for what you have -
And who you are.

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the Second Sunday of Advent are:

1. Baruch 5: 1-9
   
2. Psalms 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
3. Philippians 1: 4-5, 8-11
   
4. Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36
   

• Looking forward
  
• This time of year is all about arrivals, blessings that God has been preparing for us for a long time, and which are now about to come to fruition.  God asks His people to accept His blessings in faith before we can see them.
• What are some unexpected blessings that have come in your life from God's hand?
• When did you understand that God was going to give those blessings to you?
• How did God prepare you to receive them?

• Finding joy, even when you don't expect it
• You could define the joy of the lord as "the gladness of heart that comes of knowing God, abiding in Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit."
• Can you think of a time when you have felt that sort of joy?
• What was the occasion that made you feel that way?
• What has to be present in your life in order to find such joy?
• Do you feel that such joy is in God's plan for all of us?
  

• Partners in the Gospel
  
• None of us ministers alone.  Often we find partners in unexpected places and times, performing services that we never knew were needed.
• Who are some of the partners in your ministries through the years?
• How have they transformed you in your work together?
• Do you think that you have been transformative to anyone else?
• Why?
  

• How is Jesus coming today?
  
• God moves without a great deal of fanfare.  By contrast, sports figures, entertainers, politicians each make quite a stir when they arrive at a scene.  Anything that they do is newsworthy.  Everyone wants to know everything about these famous ones.  And yet, beneath the surface, where only the humble have the eyes to see, God is at work.
• In these times of turmoil, where do you see God moving?  Maybe its a relationship that is finding healing, or someone who was on the margins gradually being recognized and being invited into the community.  Maybe God moving shows Himself in a deepening prayer life, or a growing sense of joy.
• Where would you like to see God moving?  Where is healing needed in your life or the life of your family, our parish?
• What must we do to prepare for that advent?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where do I need to be more open to God's movement in my life?
  
• Is God offering me joy that I'm unaware of?
  
• How is God asking me to partner with others in ministry?
  
• Where is God moving in my life today?
  

God's Midwife

I never thought much about the life of a midwife.

Ushering new life into this world, yet having nothing to do with its beginning.

Ready to press a cold compress to a worried brow.

Ready to hold the hand of a mother in anguish.

Ready to give the brooding father something to do so that he feels useful.

 

My God is looking for another sort of birth:

A birth of hope in the breast of His children.

Hope that, despite their captivity, they can be free.

Despite their despair they can step into their true destiny.

Despite their cold, cynical heart, they can deeply experience God's infinite love.

 

God of my fathers

Kindle in me the fires of your passion -

For all of your beloved that you bring into my life.

Help me to accept them as you do.

And set aside my fear of those who are different from me.

That I might find your joy of heart in their celebration of your Advent.

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the first Sunday of Advent are:

1. Jeremiah 33: 14-16
   
2. Psalms 25: 4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
3. 1 Thessalonians 3: 12-4: 2
   
4. Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36
   

• Prophets among us
  
• It's easy to count on the coming of Jesus the second time to right all wrongs, root out all corruption, finally prove that God is in control.  But what about between now and then?
• Where do you see true justice going on in our world?
• How do you think that work got started?
• What do you think is needed for the people who do such things?
• Do you think that might include you?
  

• What are you waiting for?
  
• For most of us, there is nothing worse than waiting in line.  When we hear the phrase "waiting on God" we cringe.  But waiting on God is consists of trusting in God, having hopeful anticipation, and submitting to God's will.
• What are you waiting for this Advent?  What blessings are you yearning for from God?
• How are you praying for those?
• Have you shared that prayer with anyone else?
• Is God calling on you to help Him make that happen in your life?
  

• Abounding in love
  
• One aspect of mutual love is showing each other loving honesty.  Sharing what needs to be shared in a loving way, at the proper time and place, never weaponizing the truth, but sharing it in faith that God wants to benefit the other, hope that the truth will set the other free, and loving them enough to have the necessary courage to speak up.
• Have you ever felt that you really needed to share something with someone, but you were afraid of how they would take it?
• How did you decide whether or not to take that chance?
• How did it turn out?
• What does it mean to say that sharing the truth in love with someone else turns out "badly"?  How would you know that is ultimately a "bad" conclusion?
  

• Making a difference through indifference
  
• Ignatian indifference teaches us to always remember that everything in this physical universe is set here to bring us closer to God.  To the extent that it does so in our lives, that person, place, thing, memory, ... is holy.  Otherwise, it is slowing us down at the very least.  If we are still able to see God even in the absence of everything that's not God, we are truly at peace.
• What are some things in your life that disturbs your peace?
• Why is it that they affect you so?
• When looking at one thing that threatens your peace, what is the worst that can happen if that worry comes to pass?
• Do you believe that God will still be there by your side if that worst-case scenario comes about?
• So what do you really have to worry about?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling you to bring about some justice, even just a little?
  
• Do I have what it takes to trust in God even where my fears are greatest?
  
• Am I willing to risk rejection by telling the truth?
  
• If I believe that God is with me always, what does that really mean?
  

Incarnation Prayer

Everyday God

Help me to bask in your loving gaze.
 

Help me to hold nothing back from your sight.

Remind me that healing lies in offering my wounds, not hiding them.

 

Give me the courage to let my own failings teach me how to show mercy.

Help me to let my weaknesses teach me humility.

 

That my touch might be tender, my heart be true

When I offer my hand to one of your own.

 

And thus put new flesh on you
And a new heart in me.

That I might be your gift to others
This season, and all seasons. 

Shalom!

Christ the King Sunday

Our readings for Christ the King Sunday are:

1. Daniel 7: 13-14
   
2. Psalms 93: 1, 1-2, 5
3. Revelations 1: 5-8
   
4. John 18: 33b-37
   

• How then shall we live?
  
• Knowing that justice will prevail, all wrongs will be made right, all corruption rooted out ... eventually should profoundly affect our world view in the here and now.  Even if we are certain that we will pass on before the second coming.  The question is what should that affect be?
• If you see someone suffering an injustice, what is your reaction?
• Comfort them with the sure knowledge that this injustice will pass (maybe not before they die).
• Organize efforts to address that injustice in the here and now for that one person.
• Organize efforts to address the source of that injustice.
• Quietly look the other way and mind your own business.
• Do you wish your answer was different?
• What is holding you back?
  

• Which is it?
  
• The majesty of God is not on conspicuous display the way that it is for earthly monarchs.  Jesus gave his disciples a "sneak peek" at that majesty on the mount of Transfiguration, but that was a very private revelation.  It's enough to make you wonder why God is so shy.
• When have you seen the majesty of God in your life?
• How did that experience move you?
• How did that experience change, and continues to change you?
• Does recounting that experience move you still?
  

• Citizenship
  
• We are encouraged to remember that we are foreigners in a foreign land.  When you are away from home, you are usually there for some purpose: vacation, business trip, working for habitat for humanity, ...  But when you are home, if someone asks you "why are you here?" your only response is "this is where I live, this is where I belong."
• So, if we are here on this earth on a journey, far from home, why are you here?
• Why you and no one else filling that role?
• Has that changed for you at all through the years?
• Do you think that we ever become useless in this life?
• How do you know when it's time to hang up your spurs on one ministry, one life purpose, and take up a new one?
  

• Listening skills
  
• Ignatian spirituality teaches that God is all in all, and that He is inviting us into the ongoing work of creation, helping God in the unfolding of creation that is actively transpiring this very moment.  To step into that vocation, we must attend to God's voice in our lives.  The challenge we face is not that God speaks rarely, but that God is speaking to us in all things.
• What is an experience that taught you to listen for God in new and unexpected ways?
• How do you think that God prepared you for that experience?
• Has God spoken to you in that way since then?
• Can you think of other places, circumstances, people that you would hope that God can speak to you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Am I letting fear cloud my obedience to God?
  
• Where is God showing His majesty today?
  
• Am I truly fulfilling God's destiny for me?
  
• Am I listening with all my heart?
  

Selective Hearing

Labrador retrievers live to eat. 

So we knew that our beloved Lab Willow was deaf -
When we would pour food into her bowl, and she didn't notice.

 

I used to long for God's prophetic word
To be as clear to me as the sound of kibble in a metal bowl.
But God, in His infinite wisdom, has not answered that prayer.

Instead, He comes to me in the form of a student asking for help.
A family member looking for a baby-sitter.
A soul friend seeking help in his prayer life.

I try to remember to thank God for them.
I try to thank them for their connection, 

Their invitation into wholeness.

And remind myself that we are all pilgrims.

Here on journey to accomplish what we were sent here for.

And that none of us can do it alone.

 Harder still to know that I have claim on no one, and nothing.
All that I encounter on this journey is not mine to hold -

But only to give away.

 

Shalom!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Daniel 12: 1-3
   
2. Psalms 16: 5, 8, 9-10, 11
3. Hebrews 10: 11-14, 18
4. Mark 13: 24-32
   

• Leading others to justice
  
• Injustices are all around us.  Sometimes it might seem as though they are too numerous, too complex, too entrenched to ever make a difference.
• Where do you feel called to bring about at least a measure of justice?
• How did you become aware of that opportunity?
• Are you trying to do that alone?
• Where do you hope to be in five years with that cause.
• Where is God in all of that?
  

• You are my inheritance
  
• The joy of the Lord flows from a deep-seated sense and understanding of the simple fact that we are in God and He is in us.
• What does that mutual indwelling between you & God mean for you?
• If God knows us that well, why do we have to pray?
• If you were to try to describe God to someone, how would you go about that?
• What would you base your description of God on?
• Do you ever describe God to God?  Some call such prayer "praise".
  

• Forgiven and transformed
  
• In the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius invites his retreatants to spend time meditating on the love of God for them, and God's faithfulness.  He then leads them through meditations on their own sinfullness, and how they have treated God, in spite of His mercy.  This sets the stage for deep repentance and renewal.
• If you were convinced that you had sinned so badly that God could never forgive you, what difference would that make in your life?
• How has knowing that you are forgiven changed you?
• Do you ever get a chance to meditate on that forgiveness?
• Why do you think that God doesn't just start over, rather than redeeming us, redeeming you?
  

• It's not the end of the world, or is it?
  
• There is very little about the world that we live in that has any permanence.  This house that I'm sitting in right now will one day be nothing but a memory.  But how I have welcomed others into this place, whether this home was a place for healing and growth, those things will remain.  That sort of puts things into perspective next time I see some peeling paint or hear a faucet dripping.
• We say "you can't take it with you."  But that's only partially true.  What are some things in this life that you hope to be able to take with you into Eternity?
• Do you ever have to consciously decide between something in the oh so urgent here and now, versus an eternal value?
• How do you strike the right balance?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Is God trying to bring an injustice to my attention and I don't want to hear about it?
  
• Can I meditate on how close God is to me today?
  
• How can I let God's forgiveness work in me?
  
• What have I done today that is going to last?
  

Shalom!

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. 1 Kings 17: 10-16
   
2. Psalms 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10
3. Hebrews 9: 24-28
4. Mark 12: 38-44
   

• Taking you down with me
  
• None of us goes through life entirely alone.  There are always other people who count on us, rely on us in one way or another.  It might be something as direct as family members that we support, or as indirect as people that we don't even know who look to us as an example of godly living.  When we fail in our spiritual life, we don't just fail ourselves, we fail them too.
• Have you ever made a decision that, in some way, hurt someone else that you loved?
• In spite of that, do you think that might have been in God's plan anyway?
• When you try to discern God's will in your life, who are the other people that you are likely to talk to about that?
• How has that worked out for you?
  

• Freeing the captives
• Most all of us have a pretty distinct notion of what we mean by justice, how to achieve that, how to mete it out.  We all probably feel that justice is hard to achieve in real life, that there are complications, and that improvements to the justice system we find ourselves in are needed, but effective solutions are in short supply.
• What are some injustices that have happened in your life?
• How did that make you feel about yourself, the person or group that caused that injustice, about God?
• What would have been a better process?
• What would have been a better outcome?
• Do you personally feel any sort of a call to address any of the issues that you encountered in all of that?
  

• Sanctuaries made with human hands
  
• It is easy to loose track of what a symbol points to, and concentrate on the more accessible, and tangible symbol.  Those "disordered attachments" as Ignatius terms them, can be rather insidious.
• What is a devotion, habit, pattern, person, place, ... that you value and use in your spiritual life?
• How did you get started with that?
• Can you imagine God ever offering you something even better in exchange for that?
• How would you know that was happening?
• How can you be sure that you are free enough to appreciate such an "upgrade" in your life?
  

• Finding trust
  
• One thing about trusting God that we don't often talk about is trusting our understanding of God's will in our lives.  Trusting God to be there for us when we intend to follow His will is a different matter from trusting God when we are right where He wants us, when He wants us there.
• How do you go about deciding what to invest yourself into and what to say "no" to?
• Has that process changed through the years?
• Do you think that you are getting any better at it?
• What do you think are some of the obstacles to finding God's will in our lives?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Am I open to God's revelation, no matter how it comes to me?
  
• Do I truly worship a God of justice?
  
• How might God be calling me to greater freedom in my life?
  
• Where might God be calling me to obedience that will stretch me?

Bottom of the Jar

I don't mind the thought of death.

Starvation is not the worst way to go.

After a point, the hunger pangs grind to a steady ache.

Limbs gradually go slack for want of nourishment.

Eyes grow dim from hope bleeding out.

But my son, my son.

So many years still ahead of him.

If only I could find food for him.

I would gladly offer him my all.

If only I could spare him this famine.

Today a reputed holy man asked me for bread.

If God is so good, why doesn't He feed his prophet?

Why come begging at my door?

Why ask me to risk everything?

On a whim, I call my son to me.

I show him our jug of oil, the jar of flour.

The bottom of the jar visible through the scattering of flour.

A barely hidden pit of want.

Waiting to yawn open and consume us,

As soon as we empty out our last measure of wheat.

My son looks into that jar, and knows despair.

He looks at me and asks "what difference will one day make?

If we share with the man of God,

And our God is unfaithful, we run out of food today.

If we don't share what little we have, we run out of food tomorrow."

 

I think back over all of the days of our lives together.

The love between his father and me, and then us three.

I discover that God has been kind in all of those years.

Holding my hand through the good and the bad.

Speaking to me even now, in the voice of my son.

 

And I know that all of my days,

Good and bad,

Have been in the palm of God's hand.

And I know that I cannot deny Him today or tomorrow.

Come my son.  Let's bake the holy man a loaf of bread.

 

Shalom!

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Deuteronomy 6: 2-6
   
2. Psalms 18: 2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
3. Hebrews 7: 23-28
   
4. Mark 12: 28b-34
   

• Just one God?
  
• The peoples of Canaan were typical in that they believed that there were many gods, some a bigger presence than the others.  If one nation smote the other nation, then the first nation's god must be stronger.  At least for now.  A prudent person hedged their bets, and offered sacrifices to multiple gods, hoping to curry favor with at least one influential deity.
• What are some of the things in your life that demand a lot of attention from you each month, week, day?
• Do you think that they are all from God?
• How would you know?
• What about the demands on your life that you're pretty sure are not from God.
  

• God my deliverer
• God delivers us from bondage of many kinds.  Perhaps it is a bondage to pride and arrogance, or a bondage to anger and resentment, maybe a bondage to the good opinion of others, or a bondage to addictive behavior.
• Think of something that God has delivered you from.
• Did you ever thank Him for that?
• How and when did you realize that you had been delivered?
• Were you seeking that deliverance in the first place?
• What do you do to keep from falling into that bondage again?
  

• The priesthood of believers
  
• All priesthood before Jesus culminated in Him.  All priesthood flows from him.  He is the summit and the source for every exchange of gifts between God and we, His creation.  Jesus is the eternal Presence manifesting Himself to and through us through all time and in all places.  Jesus is the Communion of Saints, Jesus is the invitation into that great communion.
• Who are some of the saints of the past who have inspired you, given you a new perspective one your life and its purpose, taught you to go deeper in your faith?
• How have they spoken to you over the years?
• How would you like to be remembered?
• What message do you want your life to proclaim in the years from now to eternity?
• What are you doing to make that happen?
  

• You are not far from the Kingdom of God
  
• It's all gift, it's all from God.  God is all it is.  The rest is distraction, smoke screen.
• When is a time that you felt particularly close to the Kingdom of God?
• Why do you think that happened to you at all?
• Why do you think that happened to you at that time?
• How are you a better person because of that brush with eternity?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me shed distractions?
• Where might God be calling me to deeper freedom?
  
• Where do I need to be more intentional about the legacy that I'm leaving?
  
• Where might God be calling me to celebrate His love for me?

Dancing For Jesus

My wife Mary and I try to dance when we can.
Those looking on say that we make quite the couple.
I tell them that after 40+ years being together
I've learned how to tread softly.
And she's learned to keep her feet where mine are not.

The important thing for me

Is that I get to hug the light of my life.

To try to match my swaying to hers.

To enjoy the music as she does.

And do all of this without bumping into anyone else.

 

I glory in the smile that she turns to me.

My heart lifts knowing that I am lifting her.

And when I'm really lucky.

It all comes together for a few moments,
And my feet know where to go, and where to take me.

I think heaven will be a lot like that.
One eternity-long moment of complete peace

In the arms of my savior -

Finding my purpose, my meaning, my all

And not really caring much about the rest.

In the meantime, I want to practice dancing -

Embracing the moment, glorying in the now.

Knowing that I am embraced, loved, and appreciated
Both now and forever.
I just have to look into Jesus' eyes no matter where I find them.

 

Shalom!

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Jeremiah 31: 7-9
   
2. Psalms 126: 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
   
3. Hebrews 5: 1-6
   
4. Mark 10: 46-52
   

• Does God want to heal everyone?
  
• Faith healers are quite the staple in Protestant circles.  Over time some of the big name healers have had quite the following.  But sometimes I wonder.
• Do you think that there can ever be good come of suffering?
• We never hear of Jesus turning anyone down who asked Him for a healing.  Do you think that might ever have happened?
• How have you suffered in your life?
• How has that changed you?
• Are you grateful?
  

• Finding time to rejoice
  
•  Being thankful is hard.  It takes time and attention.  Especially when you don't think that you have anything to be thankful for, or anyone to be thankful to.
• How do you express your thanks to God for His blessings?
• Does that thanksgiving meet any needs on your part?
• Do you think that thanksgiving meets any needs on God's part?
• How could you be more thankful?
  

• Dealing gently
  
• It seems to me that as we get older, and sometimes wiser, that we learn how to show mercy with humility.  Things that seemed so very black and white to us when we were young now are full of subtle nuances, and we see more than one side to conflicts.
• Who is someone in your life that you strive to show mercy to?
• What is it about them that makes mercy hard?
• Is it getting any better, any easier?
• Why do you think that is?
  

• What do you want me to do for you?
  
• Sometimes, the best thing that comes to us in prayer is not an "answer" to our prayer, but a better prayer - that is a better perspective, a clearer sight of what God is calling us into, a new priority in our lives.
• Think of something that you have prayed for that you were very passionate about.
• In the course of your prayer, did what you pray for change along the way?
• Why do you think that was?
• How did you change in the course of that prayer experience?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me to appreciate my trials?
• Where might God be calling me to deeper gratitude?
  
• Where do I need to show mercy today?
  
• Where might God be calling me to greater trust?

Shalom!

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 53:10-11
   
2. Psalms 33: 4-5 18-19, 20, 22
   
3. Hebrews 4: 14-16
   
4. Mark 10: 35-45
   

• Following Jesus in His suffering
  
• Jesus seems to have done a pretty thorough job of suffering in this life.  It would seem that's not enough though.  There's still plenty of suffering going on in this old world of ours.
• Does our suffering have meaning?
• How does our suffering relate to the suffering of Jesus?
• If Jesus can help us through our suffering, how can we help others like Jesus?
  

• The kindness of God
  
• God is good all the time is a call and response that Fr. Joseph likes to use to get the gathered assembly livened up and interacting with him when he's preaching.  But sometime that goodness of God seems hard to come by.
• Why do you think that God is good to us, His people?
• Have you been good to God?
• How do you know that you've been good to God?
• Has he ever thanked you?
  

• Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner
  
• The Jesus prayer is meant as a gateway to meditation, a mantra if you will.  When I'm most troubled, I dwell in this prayer to get better perspective on who I am (someone in need of mercy) and who Jesus is (the font of all mercy) and things start to fall into proper perspective for me, and my vision begins to clear.
• When is a particular time when you were conscious of God's mercy in your life?
• Were you seeking mercy by name, or were you seeking something else from God?
• Do you feel as though you deserved, were entitled to that mercy?
• Why do you think that Jesus showed that mercy to you?
  

• The cup of Jesus
  
• Jesus calls us to follow Him.  He never tells us what that will mean in our case.  Were we to ask what following Him means, He would say "come and see."
• Do you think that every decision that you make needs to be a discernment?
• How do you find God's will in your life?
• Has that always worked for you?
• How can you tell?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me to greater trust?
• Where might God be calling me to experience His kindness in new ways?
  
• Where do I need mercy today?
  
• Where might God be calling me to give myself with greater freedom?

Thank You for Your Servants

Thank you Jesus for my Confirmation kids

Who taught me how to live in the moment -

Every moment.

 

Thank you for my students

Who taught me to care for the whole person
In order to make each person whole.

Thank you for my RCIA instructors

Who taught me how life-giving Liturgy can be -

Even the ones that don't go according to plan.

Thank you for every voice that greets me

They remind me that you speak through all of us

Even when I struggle to understand.

 

Thank you for the quiet of the evening

At the end of the day.

Reminding me that every day is precious and numbered.

 

Thank you most of all for the familiar touch of an outstretched hand
Reminding me that I am never truly alone -
And that I will find You as I share that same touch with others.

Shalom!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Wisdom 7: 7-11
   
2. Psalms 90: 12-13, 14-15, 16-17
   
3. Hebrews 4: 12-13
   
4. Mark 10: 17-30
   

• Jacob the Baker
  
• Somewhere I ran into a short series of books by Noah Ben Shea about a humble wise man named Jacob.  Despite his humility, word of his wisdom quickly spread wherever he lived, and the local villagers would seek out his wisdom.  It seemed that everyone wanted his wisdom for a specific challenges, but only one person ever sought wisdom for its own sake.
• The world can never have too much wisdom.  What are you doing to gain in wisdom?
• How is that working for you?
• How/when do you get the chance to share the wisdom with others?
• Do they always appreciate your wisdom?
• Why do you think that is?
  

• Prosperity Gospel
  
• There are those who feel that you can tell God's chosen because they are prosperous.  At first, I thought that was pretty cool since I was convinced that I was chosen, so the prosperity was just around the corner.  Then I began to better understand God's call to humility in our lives.  Now I'm beginning to think maybe my problem was that I had a poor definition of prosperity.
• If you define prosperity as "success in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth," where have you prospered in your life?
• Where would have liked to prosper?
• What makes you think that you have not prospered in those areas?
• Do you think that it's possible to prosper in life without knowing the "big picture", God's ultimate plan in that area?
  

• Is all wisdom words?
• Ignatius of Loyola would sometimes receive revelations from God that were "beyond words", truths that were profound and real, just not something that he could articulate.
• Have you ever had a sense from God that He was communicating with you without words?
• What was that like?
• How did it happen?
• How have those events changed you?
  

• What are you rich in?
  
• Matthew 6:21: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".  That goes both ways I suspect.  If you know where your heart is, that says what you treasure.
• What do you treasure in life?
• Why do you think that God brought those treasures into your life?
• How is that working out for God?
• Is there anything that you want to treasure, or wished that you treasured more?
• Can you pray for the desire for a blessing, even if you don't desire that blessing yet?
• What might these treasures cost?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me to greater wisdom?
• Where might God be calling me to greater prosperity?
  
• Am I open to God's unutterable truth as well as what He can say in words?
  
• What do my treasures say about me?

Longing Prayer

Lord, as I sit here, surrounded by all of your gifts to me:

Our home, pictures of the kids and grand kids,

My library accumulated over a lifetime,

Fond memories of those who have touched my life,

I long to ask with courage and boldness a simple question:

Have I been generous with all that you have showered upon me?

Or have I hugged it to myself, fearful of letting go,

Lacking the trust in you to know that you will always be there.

Grant me courage in the face of plenty.

Give me the trust to live with boldness.

Give me the desire to serve you above all else.

That I might be truly free.

Shalom!

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Genesis 2: 18-24
   
2. Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
   
3. Hebrews 2: 9-11
   
4. Mark 10: 2-16
   

• Finding that perfect one
  
• God took time to create the perfect mate for Adam.  Sometimes, God has a great deal more patience than we do.  Teilhard de Chardin wrote a reflection about patience that I particularly enjoy.  I wonder whether God took so long to find Adam the perfect mate because God was learning about Adam, or if Adam was learning about himself, and himself in God in that process.
• What makes a good friend in your experience?
• Once you have found one, how do you honor that relationship?
• Once you have a good friend, how do you nurture that relationship?
• Have you ever needed to repair a friendship?
• Do you consider your spouse a friend?
• Do you consider them a gift from God?
  

• Accountability
  
• Part of becoming an adult is learning to make our own decisions, and living with the consequences.  As Christians, we try to bring discernment to that decision-making process, invite God into that sometimes slow distillation of considerations that eventually leads to bold action.
• Can you think of any discernments that you have made that turned out really differently from what you had intended?
• What did you learn from that?
• Was the outcome unexpected because things went better than you expected?
• Did you learn better ways to discern God's will in your life?
• Are you better at finding His will than you used to be?
  

• Perfect in suffering
• It's true to say that Jesus shows us the way to glory.  But He also shows us how to suffer.  I'm just not sure how willing I am to follow him there.
• Has there been an episode of suffering in your life?
• How was God involved in that chapter for you?
• What came out of that suffering?
• Is there anything about that time that you should be grateful for?
  

• Blessing touch
  
• Jesus elevated marriage to a sacrament in His ministry.  He treated children with respect and love, even though the culture of His day did not.  Maybe there's a reason that those two themes are together in today's Gospel.
• For the parents among us, have your children ever been sacramental to you?  Have they been a physical means of God's grace in your life?
• Do you feel that you have been the means of God's grace in the lives of your parents at any point along the way?
• Why would you want to see your children have children of their own?
• How has your relationship to your children and your parents deepened/changed through the years?
• How do you relate most to God?  Loving Father, Mother, brother, sister ...?
• Is God as much a part of your family as you are of His?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where have I been God's Presence to my circle of friends?
• Am I always willing to be accountable for my decisions?
  
• Am I willing to find God, even in suffering?
  
• Where is God inviting me into His sacred family?

Sacred Listening

Grandchildren have a way of reminding you of what's really important.

The way that the sun flashes in the leaves dancing in the wind.

The tickle of a caterpillar crawling along your arm on a sun-kissed summer's day.

The joy of a Popsicle dripping down your chin.

I try to listen with eyes pried wide with awe.

To go beyond mere endurance, and patience.

And transcend to the rapture of life lived in the moment.

And somehow tell them "you are perfect, right here, right now."

Words fail me, the best that I can do is to steal a hug.

Offer to read them a book before they don't need anyone to read to them anymore.

Knowing that the child of today will soon be replaced by the adolescent of tomorrow.

And that I cannot cling to what is here today because we are here to grow.

I try to ponder their enthusiasm.

See the world from their point of view.

Let their words, plentiful as they may be, take me to a different place.

Somewhere more profound and generous than where I spend my harried days.

When I'm really really lucky,

I'm able to see my concerns in a whole new light.

And I realize that God is calling me by an ancient name.

Grandpa.

 

Shalom!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Numbers 11: 25-29
   
2. Psalms 19: 8, 10, 12-13, 14
   
3. James 5: 1-6
   
4. Mark 9: 38-43
   

• Being sensitive to the Spirit
  
• Years ago, when I was still teaching Confirmation, Mary Rutz and Chris McGinnis led a prayer service for the Confirmation students that were ready to be Confirmed.  Mary put down a sheet in the sanctuary, laid out some sand, and rocks, and made a worship space there that was the stage for an amazing experience.  I never would have thought to do that.
• If someone were to tell you that you are sacramental: an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace." what would you say?
  
• If you think that notion is sacrilegious, why do you feel that way?
• If you feel that notion is appropriate, why do you feel that way?
• Can we have too many sacraments in our lives?
  

• Letting joy find me
  
• True joy depends upon just two things: who Jesus is to me and who I am to Jesus.  Once I get those two landmarks firmly in view, everything else falls into place.
• What do you think that Jesus wants more for you than anything else?
• How is He offering that to you today?
• How are you growing in acceptance of that gift?
• What is slowing you down in that acceptance?
  

• Giving it away
  
• The world we live in is full of competition.  We constantly feel the urge to prove ourselves worthy of recognition, attention, care.  We measure ourselves by what we're able to acquire, be it a lovely house, great job, fame, or fortune.
• What truly makes you happy?
• Is that which makes you happy about something that you give away, or something that you received?
• How are you caring for what makes you happy?  How are you cultivating that?
• How do you express thanks to God for that blessing?
  

• Angels in our midst
  
• Maybe the challenge before is not to crowd yet more good deeds into our lives, but that we do that good more deliberately.
• Think of the last time that you offered a kindness to someone.
• Why did you do that?
• What do you think would happen if the next time you expressed kindness, support, affirmation to another person, you said in your heart: "The spark of the Divine in me recognizes, celebrates, and salutes the spark of the Divine in you.  Accept this small token of the joy I find because you are here."
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me to greater trust?
• Where is the Joy of the Lord knocking at my door and I'm not hearing?
  
• What am I doing to be more generous?
  
• Where is God calling me to live my destiny more deeply?

Morning Prayer

As the sun paints the sky to celebrate a new day

A day like no other before or hence

A day full of opportunity -

I visualize all those that I will touch today.

Those encounters both planned and unplanned.

With folks that I rejoice in, and those that I don't.

I ask you Jesus to give me your eyes to see with -

To know that you walk in and among us all

As you walk within those that you bring to me today.

Help me to see your face Lord -

In those eyes.

Help me feel Your touch Lord in their hands.

 

Give me the grace to glory in your Presence.

No matter how it comes to me.

Grant me the grace to be Your presence to them.

 

Make my life a prayer to you.

That my voice, eyes, touch 

Be a sacrament of Your love to those around me.

 

That together, we might inspire each other

To truly live out our destiny in you.

To bring our flesh to your ongoing incarnation with, in, and through us.

Shalom!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20
   
2. Psalms 54: 3-4, 5, 6, 8
   
3. James 3: 16-4: 3
   
4. Mark 9: 30-37
   

• Victory through defeat
  
• God defends us, nurtures us, cares for us, all in ways that we often fail to see during the heat of the moment.  The fact that we are treasured may come as a surprise to those around us.
• What is your image of God?
• What is on His face/in His eyes when He looks at you?
• What do you think God protects us from?  Would it be poverty, ill health, a bad hair day, death, ...?
• How does that protection make you feel?
• Do you feel as though you are precious in His eyes?
  

• Quid pro quo
  
• We know that virtue is its own reward, that serving God and neighbor brings blessings all out of proportion to the work that we put in.  And yet, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we are somehow entitled to a break at least once in a while in recognition of our own faithfulness.
• If you're honest with yourself, what do you feel would be a legitimate expectation that you might put on God as recognition for all that you've done for Him thorough the years?
• Have you ever prayed about that?
• What was God's answer?
  

• Whatever
  
• I agree with Matthew Kelly that our deepest desires and longings come from God Himself, and that listening to those longings is part of discernment and hence part of prayer itself.
• If you are honest with yourself, what are one or two of your deepest longings?
• If you have done nothing to achieve those, why not?
• What are you afraid of?
• Do you ever pray about those?
  

• Earning points
  
• We all look for affirmation - that gentle confirmation that we have made the right decisions, put our energies into the right thing, become the right sort of person.  And perhaps most of all, done all of that at about the right pace.  Not rushing things unnecessarily, yet always moving forward in our love affair with God.
• What do you think that you are great at?
• Does that make you any greater than anyone else?
• Does that feature about you make you better than most people?
• Why or why not?
• Do you think that Jesus likes that about you?
• With all of that greatness going on, can you still be humble?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me to greater trust?
• Do I feel entitled??
  
• What am I doing to achieve God's deepest desires for me?
  
• Where is God calling me to live my destiny more deeply?

Making Mom Proud

My mother Rachel never did understand this life of a wandering disciple.
"Simon," she says "where are you going to meet a nice girl on the road?

You'll bring your old mother to her grave with worry hanging around this preacher.
What's wrong with setting into the family weaving business with your brother Sidney?
At least that way you will know where your next meal comes from

And where you're going to sleep that night."

At one time I thought that Jesus would be crowned, 

My brother disciples and I would be ushered into greatness,

We would finally show all of them that this Jesus was the real thing,

And that all of us had made a sound choice in following Him,

No matter how unlikely that was,

Or how foolish we have sometimes felt.

Then, I slowly learned that Jesus was not destined for a crown.

At least not on this side of eternity.

Worse, the shame that He sees in his future will surely taint us.

Poisoning our relationships with family, friends, synagogues,

Everyone who ever cared for, or about us, who won't understand

The sad shameful end that Jesus tells use is in store for Him.

Fear nearly drove wild.

I had no where else to go.

Nowhere to turn.

I could not imagine turning my back on these my brothers,

On Jesus who somehow knows me better than I know myself.

On Jesus who always brings out the best in me in spite of my fear.

Fear has gradually given way to resignation.

And now resignation has made room for hope.

Not hope that Jesus will somehow dodge this shameful destiny.

Rather, hope that I will find joy in that shame.

Hope that I will have the strength to persevere.

Hope that I will never forget who Jesus has showed me that I am.

Shalom!

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 50: 4-9a
   
2. Psalms 116: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
   
3. James 2: 14-19
   
4. Mark 8: 27-35
   

• Caring about the important stuff
  
• I think that it's a natural consequence of maturation that things that once were so important dim in significance, life becomes simpler, and despite the fact that the prescription on our trifocals becomes ever stronger, our inner vision becomes clearer.
• What is something that used to be very urgent for you that no longer matters very much?
• How did that change in your attitude come about?
• Do you wish that you did not have to go through that transition?
• Maybe you wish that transition had come about much earlier?
  

• Brought low
  
• We want to triumph in life.  Losing is for losers.  If you cannot score at least the occasional triumph, maybe it's because you're not trying hard enough, you're not smart enough, or you're just trying the wrong things.
• When was a time in your life when you felt as though you could not hang on any longer, as though you were caught in the perfect storm with no way out?
• Obviously, you made it.  How?
• Where was God in all of that?
• How did you come to find Him in your perfect storm?
  

• Doing the next needed thing
  
• Ministry has ragged edges.  I remember Fr. Greg Boyle relating a story in Tattoos On the Heart about a homey who's refrigerator broke down.  The refrigerator was old, not worth repairing, and the homey in question was barely making ends meet.  When Fr. Boyle heard that, he dropped what he was doing, and went shopping with that young man to find a replacement refrigerator that he could afford.
• What is a touch that you have given someone, or that they have given you, that was totally outside of any "normal" ministry that either of you were involved in?
• Why do you think that happened?
• How did you respond?  Were you fearful, excited, honored, repelled, ...?
• Why do you think that you reacted that way?
• How could you be more open to such encounters?
  

• Asking the right questions
  
• The Bible is full of mighty heroes who got it mighty wrong.  It has to make you wonder what God was really looking for in that situation.  We think that we have God figured out, that we know His essence, and then He goes and does something totally unexpected.
• Has God ever shocked, even offended you?
• How did you respond?
• How did God respond to your response?
• What did you learn from that experience?
• Do you think that there might be yet more learning ahead for you from that experience?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God inviting me into more freedom?
• Am I willing to hit rock bottom to serve God?
  
• Where is God waiting for me to touch or be touched outside my comfort zone?
  
• Where is God calling me to be bold in following Him?

Looking Out for Jesus

Jesus can do some pretty scandalous things.

Talking to a Samaritan woman

Touching a leper

Healing on the Sabbath

Eating with tax collectors.

Makes you wonder whether He goes out of his way

To go where no one else will go for fear.

Fear of what will be said of them

Fear of how their family will respond

Fear of the reactions of the local village.

You wonder what Jesus might say

If you asked Him to dial it back just a little.

Try to do something conventional

Just once.

Keep everyone else on their toes.

But no, He goes charging off into the unknown.

No looking back, no second-guessing.

Eyes flashing resolute

Pace quickening in anticipation

Hands open to receive whatever comes His way.

He's so vulnerable that way.

Rejection is often all that He receives.

Word makes its way back to his family.

And you wonder whether He makes them weep -

The same way that He makes you weep.

Jesus, free me from trying to protect you.

Free me from my fear that shackles me.

Give me your lion heart.

That I may follow you with boldness.

Wherever that may be.

Shalom!