22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8
   
2. Psalms 15: 2-3, 3-4, 4-5
   
3. James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27
   
4. Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
   

• Setting an example
  
• Each of us is called to be a living demonstration of what it is like to be close to God, what the results are of striving to live a meaningful life.
• Who are some folks in your life who have inspired you, in one way or another, to be a better child of God?
• How have you benefited from that inspiration?
• Have you ever thanked them for that?
• Do they continue to inspire you?
• How would you like to inspire others?
  

• Finding peace
  
• God promises peace to those who follow Him.  As I've gotten older, peace seems to be harder to find.  All of the demands on my attention seem to multiply (particularly right before the start of the semester), things to worry about crop up like dandelions in the front yard, and questions about whether I'm spending my time rightly abound.
• Do you think that you deserve to be at peace in your life?
• What disturbs that peace?
• If you had greater peace in your life, how would that improve your relationship with God, your family, yourself?
• Are those things that rob you of peace worth it, or is it maybe time to let them go?
  

• Conviction
  
• God speaks to us in many ways.  I suspect that He's speaking to us at all times through life experiences, the love of others, the time that we spend in prayer, the sacraments, and so many other means.
• Think of a time when you became convinced that some change was necessary in your life.  Maybe that was giving up a habit that was bad for you, cultivating a new (hopefully beneficial) habit, taking on a new ministry, leaving a toxic relationship ...  How did you come to see that as God's will or your life?
• Did you discuss that with anyone?
• How did you pray through that experience?
• If you had to go through that discernment again, what would you do differently?
• Are you still convinced that you did the right thing?
  

• Clinging
  
• It's easy to fixate on the means, and miss the ends.  It helps strengthen a community to ask ourselves "why" from time to time to make sure that we have not lost sight of the root meaning of what we do and say, make sure that we have not "fallen asleep" to the deeper purpose.
• Take a look at a habit that has been with you for awhile.
• How did you start doing that?
• Is that reason still applicable in your life?
• Are there other, newer reasons for you to continue that habit?
• Do you really even know why you are doing that today?
• What would happen if you stopped?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How could my life be more inspiring to others?
• What fears do I have that might be standing in the way of my life with God?
  
• What is God trying to say to me today, that I might not be comfortable with?
  
• What is God inviting me into today?

Force of Habit

The withered old man sat in his favorite chair by the window -
Looking out at the tidy lawn that had been there for years.
Remembering happier days filled with bar-b-que,  family gatherings, his beloved wife.

He wondered again what she would be saying if only she were still here.
He wondered how he would go about explaining to her how he felt, and why.
She was such a rock to him for so long, he still could not believe that she was gone.

Reaching for his book of prayers, he turned the well-worn pages to the rosary.
The words familiar, memorized long ago, still he sought the printed page -
Drawing comfort from the feel of the paper between his fingertips.

Slowly, the prayer formed on his lips, silently at first, then in a reverent whisper -
As memory of the many times that he and his wife had prayed thus through the decades
And found God in the peace of each other's voice, touch, beating heart.

After a brief silence, he closed the book, put it back where it belonged,
And wondered what he might say if God were there in the room with him.
Whether he would have the courage to cry out in loneliness, fear, and anger.

Such sentiments seemed at odds with the beauty of the rosary.
He still felt her presence in the room with him and did not want to disturb her
By his raw and aching feelings that stalked him day and night since her death.

So he painfully got up, moved outside of the house to the front porch and sat.
Feeling that in this new place, he could start a new conversation,
And not sully the brief peace and connectedness that he had enjoyed earlier.

"It's not fair" he began "that you would take her from me without warning.
We hardly had time to say good bye to each other before she was gone.
Everyone looks at me with my tragedy in their eyes, and little else.

I'm defined by my loss, not my life, and I don't like it one bit.
And to top it all off, you, YOU God seem so very distant these days.
I scarce know where to find you anymore."

Spent, the old many listened, waiting to see what might come of his outburst.
"My son, I am as close to you as your own skin, your own breath.
Reach out to me and touch me in your family, your community, your loved ones.

Above all else, I call for honesty and humility.  Hold nothing back from me.
I will never be offended by your feelings, however you express them.
I will never turn my back on you.

You do not have to come search for me.
I am always searching for you, seeking you, my beloved.
Just let me find you."

The old man bowed his head in worship.
The rosary coming once more to his lips.
New charged with his hopes, and regrets, dreams and fears.

And he realized that he was not alone.
Not now.
Not ever.

Shalom!

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Joshua 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21
   
3. Ephesians 5: 21-32
   
4. John 6: 60-69
   

• Uncharted territory
  
• Life is full of letting go and picking up.  Upon entering the Promised Land, the Jews had to let go of their nomadic lifestyle, their dependence upon God for the manna and quail to feed them, and learn to depend upon God in new ways.  Yet they were still God's children, and He still their God, in spite of any changes that might come their way.
• What are some big changes that have come in your life?
• What stayed the same in spite of those changes?
• What did you have to give up in order to step into that next season of your life?
• What gave you the courage to make that transition?
• Would you do it all over again?
  

• The lowly will hear me.
• Richard Rohr speaks of a downward mobility here.   I'm reminded of Fr. Greg Boyle, the father of Homeboy Industries.  Fr. Greg never does a speaking engagement without a handful of the homeboys and homegirls with him.  He doesn't bring them as exhibits.  Rather, they are as much a part of his ministry as he is, as much a part of the celebration of new life.
• Who are some of the people that you minister to?
• What do they offer to you in your ministry?
• How has that give and take helped you grow?
  

• Eternity in your eyes
  
• The great work of the Church is to be the ongoing incarnation of Jesus into our world.  One of the ways that He is made Present among, and through us is the sacraments.  Of those sacraments, perhaps the most intimate is marriage.  As the decades of a marriage flower, bear their fruit, and ripen, there grows a security in knowing that you are known, and that there is no end to the growing knowing that you will have with your spouse.
• When you look into the eyes of your spouse or a loved one, do you see God there?
• What do those eyes tell you about God?
• About yourself?
• What would you like for those eyes to be telling you in five years?
• What would you like for those eyes to be telling you on your deathbed?
  

• Do you also want to leave?
  
• This sixth chapter of John is poignant.  Jesus is risking everything in this dialog, knowing that the easy way for his disciples is to just give up.  Jesus could have tried so soften the message, make it a little easier to swallow, maybe delivered it in installments that would gradually lead to the climax that we see in this week's Gospel.  But no.
• What are some ways that life, other people, God Himself have challenged your faith?
• Were you able to meet that challenge immediately?
• If you turned away from God for a time, how did you come back to God?  What drew you?
• Have you ever offered that experience of yours to anyone else to help them in their life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Is God calling me into a time of transition in my life?
• Am I letting pride get in the way of my deepening life with God?
  
• Where can I be more tender?
  
• Am I being truly honest with God and myself about my relationship to Him?

Shalom!

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Proverbs 9: 1-6
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7
   
3. Ephesians 5: 15-20
   
4. John 6: 51-58
   

• Cultivating wisdom
  
• One of the biggest mistakes that couples can make is to put their relationship on autopilot while they go and attend to more urgent matters.  Truth is, there are no more urgent matters.  That sacramental relationship is a source of life to your family and community.  It deserves, nay demands steady attention and development.  So it is with the relationship that we need to have with Godly wisdom.
• In the past, how have you grown in wisdom?
• How are you growing lately?
• How does wisdom strengthen your relationship with God Himself?
• Would you identify wisdom with the Holy Spirit?
• How does that change the way that you look at the Holy Spirit?
  

• Why do you praise God?
  
• When I was young, I appreciated God for giving me what I wanted, when I wanted it.  Of course, God's will lining up with mine was both rare and random.  Later, I learned to praise God for gently giving me the chance to learn that His plan would work out in the end.  Later still, I learned that God alone really knows what "work out" really means.  Freeing and terrifying at the same time.
• When you take the time to praise God, what do you praise Him for?
• How personal is that list of praiseworthy things that God has done, praiseworthy traits that God has shown?
• As you have experienced those gifts of God, what have you learned about Him?
• What would you like to be able to praise God for?
  

• Bucket list
  
• One way to structure your life is to develop a list of things that you want to accomplish before you die, and then organize the rest of your life around getting all of those things done.  As an alternative, what would it be like to always be in the right place, at the right time, speaking into that situation exactly what is needed, doing just what the circumstances call for.  Wouldn't you want that instead?
• How hard do you think it might be to achieve that "right place, right time, right action, right words" lifestyle?
• Would that be something that you get to once, and then just let that sort of judgement and wisdom just coast?
• Would it be worth the effort?
  

• God of all hungers
• We are born with a deep hunger for meaning.  We don't want to live lives that don't matter.  But it's easy to get confused by the glitter that surrounds us, into believing that there are a thousand things that will satisfy that hunger.  Some of them are adulation of our peers, success of one sort or another, trophies of one sort or another.
• How do you find meaning in the Eucharist?
• How does your Sunday worship inform, illuminate, give meaning to the rest of your week?
• How can you better prepare for communal worship?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Am I devoted to the Holy Spirit in my life?
• Am I truly free to follow God's will in my life?
  
• Where is God leading me now?
  
• What do I truly get out of the Eucharist each week?

Shalom!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 19: 4-8
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Ephesians 4: 30 -5:2
   
4. John 6: 41-51
   

• Food for the journey
  
• When someone is mourning a loss, we want to comfort them.  Find some shred of goodness to help lift their spirits, give them a reason to persevere.  Many times, such efforts backfire, and just leave the bereaved feeling more isolated, more despondent, and feeling meaningless.
• Have you ever endured a loss in your life that left you wondering "what's it all for"?
• How did you pray at that time?
• What was God's answer to you?  God speaks to us in lots of ways, not all of them are in words.
• How did that answer help you through that "valley of shadow" in your life?
  

• Glorify the Lord with me
  
• Back when I fellowshiped with my Protestant brethren, we would often share testimonies, stories of how God had met us in a time of need, and how that deepened our appreciation of God and His ongoing building of the Kingdom.  You occasionally will find small faith-sharing circles among Catholics, but it's not nearly as common a practice.
• If a close friend of yours came up to you and told you that they really wanted to share a story of how God was faithful to them, what might be your first thought?
• If you yourself were currently really challenged by and in your life, would you still be able to share in that fellow believer's joy?
• Do you ever share God stories with others in your life?
• Would it hurt to make a regular practice of that?
• How might it change you?
  

• Finding the strength to love, finding strength in love
  
• All of us are "blessed" with difficult people.  The neighbor down the street who hosts loud parties, the coworker who tries to snare you in gossip every time that you pass their desk, the family member who just will not stop talking about some slight that they received from another family member.  Loving such people would be so much easier if they just saw things with the clarity and vision that you have.
• How do you respond to those difficult people?  Do you try to avoid them, politely tell them why they are bugging you and ask them to please change, do you pray for them (and praying that your neighbor's sound system breaks down does not count)?
• If someone told you that those difficult people were meant to be a blessing, what would your response be?  Would it be outrage, disbelief, anger, prayer?
• Do you ever wonder if those difficult people find you difficult?
  

• Give me ears to listen
• Jesus' listeners suffered from two challenges: Jesus was too ordinary, and their own history with Good was too extraordinary.  They missed the fact that the manna in the desert was a sign that would eventually point to Jesus.  They missed the fact that all of life is here to bring us closer to God.
• Think of a time when God spoke to you through someone, some event, some experience that suddenly had profound meaning for you.
• Would you term that a revelation?
• What happened to let you get past the ordinariness of God's chosen messenger?
• Why do you think that God revealed Himself to you in that way?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God in my sorrow?
• What can I share of the joy of the Gospel in my life with someone else?
  
• Is there someone in my life that I have failed to pray for?
  
• Is God coming to me in my life in ways that I don't appreciate (yet)? 
  

Shalom!