Third Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the third Sunday of Advent:

1. Isaiah 35: 1-6a, 10
2. Psalms 146: 6-7, 8-9, 9-10
3. James 5: 7-10
4. Matthew 11: 2-11

• Freedom is coming
• I suspect that each of us is shackled by something.  Maybe it's a need to be in control.  Maybe it's a need to be appreciated and noticed.  Maybe it's an addiction of some sort, or fear of failure, an oppressive job, an abusive spouse.  God offers us freedom in all of those circumstances.
• How have you become more free over time?
• How did you first realize that you were bound to begin with?
• What had to change in you before you were able to step into that freedom?
• Was that freedom a "one and done" transition for you, or do you continue to embrace/appropriate that new-found freedom? 

• Being that welcome
• It's sometimes a challenge to welcome someone new.  They might be just a little different from the rest of the comfortable community.  They don't think the way that the rest of us do, they don't express themselves the way that we have learned to.
• When is a time that you felt personally welcomed?
• Were there requirements that you had to meet before you were "a full member"?
• How did that welcome change you?
• When have you tried to be welcoming in your own way? 

• Complaining about one another
• Gossip seems to be second nature to most of us.  Once I was gossiping full tilt until a good friend called it to my attention.  I just thought that I was telling them some of the community stories.  So they could get to know us better.
• Have you ever been in a community, even family, in which you "lost" someone?  Maybe they no longer felt welcome, maybe their views changed and they were no longer in agreement with the prevailing opinion(s) on key issues, ...
• How did that make you feel?
• Did you speak up about that?
• Why or why not? 

• Taking no offense at Jesus
• Jesus can be hard to understand sometimes.  It's easy to be offended at the way things happen in our lives.  We wonder what sort of God would allow such things.
• What is something that has happened in your life that made you wonder whether God really cared about you.  Or maybe you thought that God cared, but He just wasn't able for some reason to make a difference in your life at that time.
• How did that occurrence affect you, how did it make you feel?
• How did you pray about that?
• What did you learn about God in that experience?
• What did you learn about yourself? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God renewing me?
• What does God's justice mean for me?
• Where is God calling me to be more grateful for others?
• Where might God be calling me to greater trust? 

Tell my cousin I love him

Jesus my cousin has stirred up the whole region.

Hope blooms in the breast of the afflicted.

The lepers find acceptance at last.

The crippled run and leap for joy.

 

Yet here I am, His herald.

Confined to this stinking cell.

With barely any room to roam.

Hardly enough food to live.

 

Maybe I missed my calling.

Called attention to the wrong messiah.

And now I, and my countrymen

Are all paying for that mistaken identity.

 

This isn't my vision of a successful ministry.

This is not the stuff of a mini series.

I'm all but forgotten, rotting here.

With no one to tell me why I might be here.

 

I was in the sun for a brief moment.

Turning eyes and hearts toward Jesus.

And yet, and yet, if He is the one,

Why am I here when I have served so well?

 

I don't worry so much for my part.

I worry for my bretheren who look to me.

To help them make sense of it all.

After all, that's what prophets are for!?

 

Perhaps, rather than an anvil,

God is shaping me with uncertainty.

Rather than finding Him in the light -

He's calling me through this darkness.

 

Give me patience Lord.

That I might stay the course 

That you have set before me.

And find my joy in you regardless. 

 

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the second Sunday of Advent:

1. Isaiah 11: 1-10
2. Psalms 72: 1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
3. Romans 15: 4-9
4. Matthew 3: 1-12

• Making all things new
• God's action in our world seems to be about making all things new, rather than making all new things.  He's never started over, but always seeks to transform, to reinvent, to bring new life to what already is.
• Have you ever had a resurrection experience?  When something in your life gave way to something even better?  Maybe it was a child leaving home to begin life as an adult, or a relationship maturing to a new level, loss of a job to make room for a new career or a new take on work itself.
• How did you gain the courage to make that transition, cross that threshold?
• How did you come to realize that it was all for the best?
• Where was God in all of that? 

• Bringing God's justice, bringing God's kingdom
• Do you think that true justice has to happen for God's kingdom to be present?
• Do you think that God's kingdom on earth is the same as true justice?
• How would you define justice?
• What can we do to help bring that justice about? 

• Welcome one another
• I remember John Flaherty talking about the welcome that newcomers get at a church that he attended.  Newcomers would see a sign at the entrance to the parking lot "turn on your headlights if you are new here".  The newcomers each got a dedicated guide who would accompany them throughout the service so they felt welcome.  I love that.
• Welcoming can be hard.  Is there any one that you would have a hard time welcoming into a community that you are a member in?
• What about that person makes you uncomfortable?
• What does that say about you?
• What does that say about your community? 

• Bearing good fruit
• Richard Rohr frequently observes that Jesus never said "believe the right things about me."  Instead, He always called others to "follow me", which Rohr takes to translate to "do the things I do in the world."
• Who is someone close to you that has been fruitful for God?
• What are some of the fruits of their life?
• What of their attitude, approach, practice do you think that you could adopt so that you might become more fruitful? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God renewing me?
• What does God's justice mean for me?
• Where is God calling me to greater generosity?
• Where might God be calling me to be more fruitful? 

Get Me to the River

I can hear the labored breathing of my friends as they bear my litter.

Even in my wasted condition, I am quite the burden, today and always.

 

I too was once straight and strong,

Clear of eye and bold of bearing.

 

But age has taken its relentless toll,

And I lie here at the threshold of eternity.

 

When I heard of this cry in the wilderness,

This ringing invitation to awaken,

 

I begged them to bring me to the river.

That I might be baptized into greater awareness. 

 

I realized that old age has not brought me comfort,

But it it has given me occasion to reflect.

 

To ask whether the world is better for my passing through,

Whether I have given more than I have taken.

 

And I realized that I have never asked the important questions:

Why am I here?  What is my ultimate calling?  Where is my true home?

 

And I realized that this preacher offers the answer.

Not in words so much as in awareness.

 

Awareness of how content I have been to let others suffer.

Telling myself that it was no concern of mine how they chose to live.

 

Awareness of how much I have been given all these years.

And what a gift I could be to those around me.

 

I only hope that in this, the twilight of my existence,

I might burn just a little brighter than before.

 

Help others to find their way here, to the burning sands of the desert.

That they might find their own flame, though flickering.

 

That they might find the heart of their maker

Beating within their own breast. 

 

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the first Sunday of Advent:

1. Isaiah 2: 1-5
2. Psalms 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
3. Romans 13: 11-14
4. Matthew 24: 37-44

• Instructed in God's ways
• Faith formation is a life-long work that never really ends.  But for so many of us, we get to some milestone, often Confirmation, and think that our learning, our formation, our transformation is somehow at an end.
• Imagine a place where we all teach the ways of the Lord to one another.  What would that be like?
• How could we make such a community happen?
• Where can we start?
• What can we do today? 

• Action and contemplation
• Action without contemplation can often be frantic, seeking to find direction in movement, and meaning in accomplishment.  Contemplation without action can become decoupled from reality, sterile for lack of connection.
• How do you know when you have enough contemplation in your life?
• How do you know when you have enough action?
• Is the goal here for a proper balance, or something deeper?
• What might that be? 

• Awake from sleep
• A person sleeping may be present, but not aware, not engaged, to one extent or another, not conscious of the meaning of what is going on around them.  Full, conscious, and active participation in our lives is the goal of mindful living, intentional engagement.
• How much time do you spend trying to make sense of what is going on in the larger context?
• How do you achieve that greater awareness?
• If you had more time for it, how might you spend that additional time?
• What role does prayer play in that awareness? 

• One will be taken, one will be left
• I think that most of us are called to be "in the world, but not of the world.  To some extent, the reason that we do what we do makes all the difference.  Both to the good and the bad.
• Think of a period in your life when your work (paid or not) was particularly rewarding.  Why/how did you get into that work?
• Do you feel that you were, at least in some small way, bringing about the Kingdom of God?
• Do you think that anyone doing that work necessarily would be bringing about the Kingdom?
• Do you think that it is possible to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons, and do harm in the process? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• When did I stop learning more of God?
• Is my prayer informing my obedience, and is my obedience informing and shaping my prayer?
• Where is God calling me to greater awareness?
• Where might God be calling me to examine my motives more deeply? 

What Does it All Mean?

Survivalists know how to prepare for Armageddon.

Diesel generators, canned goods, vegetable gardens,

A home deep in the woods, with plenty of guns & ammo. 

All aimed at living off the grid, relying on no supply chain.

 

What preparation for the days ahead should we make?

Imagining coming persecution, taunts and jeers.

Should we form a commune in some remote location?

Form an alternative community away from it all?

 

That way, we could be pure in spirit, free of contagion.

Able to live how we want, worship how we want,

Pray how we want.

After all, who wants to live in Sodom and Gomorrah?

 

Or is our calling far more challenging?

To be that leaven in the dough of the world around us?

Serving as witness to a very alternative way of life,

That stands out in hope in the midst of despair.

 

But what if no one listens?

What if our very lives bring nothing but a chuckle,

Or worse, a yawn,

From those around us?

 

What if we never see that our lives make any difference.

Then are we total failures, spiritual nobodies in life?

Or is there something deeper, more meaningful for us?

Some hidden meaning, some deep purpose that's hard to see?

 

Is it possible that perseverance faithfulness, even hope,

Are what are asked of us.

Not notoriety, not success, not even notice.

Just steadfastness in the face of cynicism & despair?

 

I hope so. 

 

Shalom!

Christ the King Sunday

Our readings for Christ the King Sunday:

1. II Samuel 2: 1-3
2. Psalms 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5
3. Colossians 12: 1-20
4. Luke 23: 35-43

• Servant leadership
• We often seek God to lead us.  If God is a leader, how does God's leadership stack up against other great leaders?
• Have you ever had a leader that you would say is "Godly"?
• In what way?
• Have you ever been in a position of leadership?  Perhaps as a teacher, manager, parent, council member?
• What Godly qualities did that position call for?
• Were you able to the that Godly leader? 

• Can you go with me?
• Living virtuously can be a lonely way of life.  Not only are we in a culture that has little use for anything that does not contribute to the "bottom line", but to some extent each of us must find our own path to holiness in Jesus.  No two of us have exactly the same path to travel.
• Where do you go when you feel the need for an understanding listener?
• Do you look to them for advice, or as a "sounding board", a place and time where you can better listen to the voice of God as someone else listens to you?
• Do you see yourself being that spiritual companion to anyone else? 

• I can only imagine
• Jesus is the image and likeness of God.  Amazingly enough, we were created, are created, are being recreated in the image and likeness of God.  I look at my sagging visage, feel the steady march of aches and pains in my body, and I'm pretty sure that however long I have left to live, when the end comes for me, it ain't going to be pretty.  Will I be a better image and likeness of God by then?
• Who are some folks that you would say are an image of God for you, someone who shows you by their life who God is?
• What is it about them that makes you say that?
• Are they getting better at being God's image as they age?
• How is that possible? 

• Listening through it all
• It's easy to let personal issues like having half inch spikes driven through your wrists and feet distract you from listening to someone else.  Especially if you've just paid good money for a manicure.  But Jesus was able to be true to His identity in spite of all that.
• To be truly generous to others, do we have to deny ourselves?
• What does that denial of self actually amount to?
• How do you tell when your self denial has become toxic, to you and others (a martyr complex)?
• Is it possible to be generous by being truer to your essential identity? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to servant leadership?
• Who around me needs a good listener?
• How am I imaging God today? 
• Where might God be calling me to greater mercy? 

Awed by Mercy

There was a dry, dusty breeze that day.

The sun beat down on us mercilessly.

Sweat gathered and ran down my body.

The heat of today's hammering burning me.

 

I glanced at my knotted arms.

Rippling muscles testament to many days

Spent impaling prisoners to crude wood.

And hoisting them high for all to see.

 

My commander is proud of me, my work.

Tells me that we help keep the rabble orderly.

"Nothing like good crucifixion" he'd say

"To help put things into proper perspective."

 

At first, "proper perspective" was simple:

"I'm glad that I'm not that poor sod" I'd say.

Then I changed and began to realize

Sometimes they stole to feed their babies.

 

And I'd realize that I was lucky to have steady work.

Gruesome though it may be.

I began to wonder if this sort of punishment

Was the only way to keep Rome great.

 

Out of curiosity, at first anyway,

I started to ask the prisoners what they were in for.

Some for heinous acts, some for petty thievery,

Others for unfortunate adultery with the proud and prominent.

 

All, all of them sent here to dangle and die.

No risk of pardon, no second chance, no dignity.

The sorry likes of me & my cohort here

The last human faces that any of them would see.

 

None of them thinking of anyone but themselves.

Not that I could blame them.

And once they were hoisted between heaven and earth -

The searing pain and fatigue soon took over.

 

But this man, Jesus.  He listened to another doomed man.

Jesus had been stripped, beaten, spat upon.

Everything taken away from him.

Except for His mercy.

 

And He gave that freely to a complete stranger.

And I'll never be the same again.

My longtime buddies won't understand.

My family will think that I've "gone native".

 

But somehow, I need to find a life -

Where I can start showing mercy rather than efficiency

Give honor to this miracle of mercy that I've witnessed here

And maybe find this Jesus still walking our streets today.

 

Shalom!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Malachi 3: 19-20a
2. Psalms 98: 5-6, 7-8, 9
3. 2 Thessalonians 3: 7-12
4. Luke 21: 5-19

• You're going to get yours!
• It's easy to regard the second coming as a great restoration, a giant "reset" in the world and a point in history when suddenly all wrongs will be righted, those who have steadfastly persevered in their faith will be rewarded, and the rotten folks who made the faithful's lives miserable will finally get what's coming to them.
• Has there been anyone who deliberately set out to make life difficult for you?
• How did you pray for them?
• How did you pray for yourself?
• How did God respond?
• If you were as merciful as God is, how might you have handled the situation? 

• Justice on the installment plan
• What are some injustices in the world around you today?
• What do you think is God's will in those circumstances?
• When do you think that God wants for His will to be accomplished?
• What do you see as your place in making that part of God's kingdom to come to earth?
• What do you think is our place as your community? 

• Inspiring one another
• We should all aspire to inspire.  When we grow in holiness, those who have helped us along the way sometimes are privileged to be able to see that, and they rejoice in our happiness.
• Who are some of the folks that you have mentored, catechized,  raised, ... who gladden your heart when you look at them today?
• Do you ever tell them that?
• What about the others, the ones that you are maybe not so proud of.  Do you still pray for them?
• What is that prayer? 

• Lord grant me wisdom and courage
•  It seems as though the need for both wisdom and courage becomes more acute each day.  Not just the ability to tell fact from fiction, right from wrong, but the ability to know when its time to stand up for what you believe in, regardless of the consequences.
• What form do you think persecution might take in your life?  Might it be getting passed over for that coveted promotion, maybe your kids cannot get into the prestigious schools because of your faith, or your kids get picked on at school because your family is "weird."
• What would you pray for in any of those circumstances?
• Where would you go for help with those very real consequences of your beliefs?
• How do you think that God will help in those times? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to greater mercy?
• Where might God be calling me to right a wrong, remedy an injustice?
• What of my life could/should be inspiring that is not?
• Where might God be calling me to stand up and be counted? 

 

Shalom!

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Our readings the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica:

1. Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8-9, 12
2. Psalms 46: 2-3, 5-6, 9-9
3. 1 Corinthians 3: 9c-11, 16-17
4. John 2: 13-22

• Temple worship
• If God dwells in the temple, and He dwells in each of us, that would make us out to be temples.
• If someone were to come to you and say "I realize that I find myself more centered when I am near you.  Things seem clearer to me after we have talked.  I feel the Presence of God in you." what would you say to that?
• Would that make you likely to act/be any different around that other person?
• Perhaps there are some folks, perhaps several, who feel that way about you, but have never said anything.  What then? 

• Fear not
• Rationally, there is plenty to rightfully be afraid of if "the mountains plunge into the sea".  Here in earthquake country, that's more likely than it would be in most other cases.  In our minds we may believe that "God is our refuge and our strength", but in our hearts, that is another frontier to cross.
• When have you been afraid in times past?
• Was that fear reasonable?
• Did you pray at that time?
• How did you pray?
• Did it help?
• Do you think it really matters how we pray? 

• Take me to your leader
• Finding God in our lives is, perhaps, our highest calling.  There seems to be no end of places where He can be found.  Yet we still can feel abandoned, isolated, alone, forsaken.  Why is that?
• If God is among us, that suggests that we all have a part to play in fostering, strengthening that presence.  How do we find out what that part is?
• Can any one of us truly be the Presence of God without the rest of us?
• How far does that community extend?  Is it just whomever is in the room with you, your local parish, the faithful within your city, or is that community even confined to those who are consciously religious?
• What must we do to make that community stronger?
• How do we start? 

• The art of the possible
• A time, place, person, event, ... can be dedicated/consecrated to a specific purpose.  It's hard to dedicate anything to just one use, one purpose.  The favorite chair that you use for prayer might also be where you like to play with the grandchildren.  Does that say more about your prayer time, or the time you spend with your grandchildren?
• What are some things in your life that you know belong to God?
• How do you treat those differently from the "profane" part(s) of your life?
•  Is anything really "profane"?
• If that is the case, what difference does it make to the way that you live? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might my life be a better witness for God?
• Where can I gain more trust in God?
• Where can I partner with God more closely?
• Where might there be parts of my life that I need to consciously give back to God?

Honoring God

I like gorgeous places of worship as much as the next person.

The architecture can be a powerful mute witness to the glory of God.

The care lavished on every detail bearing witness to the faith of the builders.

The commitment and perseverance shown by such a structure

Offers a stunning testimony to the faithfulness of the community.

 

But I hope that I have a heart that is even more moved by God's dynamic presence.

A community throbbing with life and generosity.

Giving of itself to those in need,

No matter who they are, nor what circumstances they find themselves in.

Where the voices of children, the elderly, the forgotten are the music heard.

 

Lord give me a heart of flesh, rather than one of marble.

 

Shalom!

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings the Feast of All Souls:

1. Wisdom 3: 1-9
2. Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
3. Romans 6: 3-9
4. Luke 6: 37-40

• Words fail me
• Finding the right words to comfort the bereaved is never easy.  No two grief journeys are the same.  It is never wise nor even true to tell a bereaved person "I know just how you feel."
• If you have been bereaved in your life, where did you eventually find comfort?  Was it just the presence of loved ones sharing time with you, the thoughtfulness  of friends and family who were willing to just listen, maybe some really great lasagna that miraculously showed up in your refrigerator?
• What were the thoughts that went through your mind as you processed your loss?
• And of those thoughts, which ones brought you closer to God?
• If you could go back to that time, what might you say to those who love you and sought to support you through that season in your life? 

• Walking in the Valley of Darkness
• What is a "valley of darkness" that you have had to walk through?  A place that filled you with dread, where there seemed no hope of anything better.  A time when you felt abandoned by God.
• How did you make it through that season in your life?
• How was God present during that time?
• Do you think that you are the better person for having gone through that? 

• Finding freedom
• Probably most all of us want to be free from those things that bind us: prejudice, fear, greed, disordered attachments, and many other things that can get in the way of our service to God.  Yet sometimes it's hard to let go.
• What is something that you've had to let go of in your devotion to God?
• How did you become aware that you needed to leave that behind?
• Was it hard?
• How did that letting go change you?
• Were you ever tempted to pick that up again? 

• Nothing is truly lost
• In a sense, father Abraham lost his son Isaac on Mount Moriah.  Whatever relationship Abraham had with Isaac, it was fundamentally transformed on that mountain when Abraham took that knife, ready to slaughter the child of promise.
• Has there been anything that you have lost that transformed you?  Maybe it was a friendship, a job, employment itself, a loved one, maybe you had to move to a new place without warning, each of these losses is a death in our lives.
• Why do you think that God allowed that to happen?
• Does He need a reason?
• Do you?
• How are you a better person in the wake of that loss? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I find God through my losses rather than in spite of them?
• Where can I gain more trust in God?
• Where is that better version of myself struggling to break free?
• Where can I partner with God more closely?

Shalom!

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Sirach 35: 12-14, 16-18
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
3. II Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18
4. Luke 18: 1-8

• The power of prayer
•  It's often instructive to try to put words to our God-image to see whether we really believe in the God that we think that we do.  
• A related question would be: "if you were going to paint a picture of you praying to God, what would that scene look like?
• What expression are you wearing on your face?
• What does God's face look like?  Is it turned toward you?
• If you could change that picture, how would you change that picture? 

• Taking refuge in God
• Do you see God as your defender?
• If so, what do you think God will defend you from?
• What don't you think that God will defend you from?
• Are those defenses at all conditional?  If you sin, are you on your own? 

• The message of your life
• Write your own eulogy.
• Then give that eulogy to someone else, ask them to read it, and ask them if they recognize that person that you described.
• Is your eulogy about the person that you wish you were, is about to emerge in your life, or some secret part of you that only you can know or acknowledge?
• Is that person that you described in your eulogy going to become more evident in the near future? 

• Finding God in prayer
• As I get older, I'm more and more reminded that I am not God, and astonishingly, God is not me either.  God has His own plans and agenda, and He asks me to follow His lead.  Sometimes, its easy to pray to ourselves, and just use our prayer to reinforce our own biases.  If you don't get surprised by prayer from time to time, maybe it's time to change who you're praying to.
• How do you select what to pray for?
• Have you ever experienced a profound change in the way you pray and what you pray for as you are praying through the days and weeks?
• Why do you think that happens?
• How did your feelings toward what you were praying for change? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I find greater humility?
• Where can I gain more trust in God?
• Where is that better version of myself struggling to break free?
• Where can I partner with God more closely?

 God Have Mercy on Me a Sinner

God,

Forgive me if you can.

For all of the times that I have judged others.

 

The disorganized student of mine,

The homeless that I see on my way home,

Even the kid on his bicycle because he's not wearing a helmet.

 

Teach me your mercy.

That I might see how your mercy envelops me.

And learn myself to show some to those around me.

 

To see myself in your hands.

Rather than seeing myself as better than others.

 

Help me to see you in all of your children.

Not just the ones who are like me.

 

Give me the courage to open my heart to others 

In a smile freely given,

And a listening ear that is slow to judge.

 

Give me the perseverance to always look forward.

Always grateful for a new day.

Excited by the sunrise.

 

Help me be grateful for each sunset.

As I commend my spirit into your care once again 

And always. 

 

Shalom!

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Exodus 17: 8-13
2. Psalms 12: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
3. II Timothy 3: 14-4:2
4. Luke 18: 1-8

• It takes a village
• In a counter-intuitive way, God shows His might by working through each and all of us.  Many of us are hard to coordinate.  I'm sure it would be a lot easier for God to get things done Himself.  But he chooses over and over again to invite as many of us as possible in to ministry so that we truly become a priestly people.
• How have you gotten involved in the various ministries that you are in?  Was it bulletin announcements, someone recruiting you personally, a gentle nudge coming to you in prayer, ...?
• How do you know whether you are in the right place?
• Do you have to be good at a ministry to have a calling to that?
• How do you tell whether you are successful in your ministry?
• What is success? 

• Help is on the way
• It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the relentless day to day.  We can despair of ever getting a break in the demands on our thoughts, emotions, bodies, and wonder when there will ever be a pervasive sense of peace in our lives.
• What do you do when you feel as though life is just "too much", that there are more demands on you than you can possibly meet?
• Where do you find help in such times?
• What form does that help take?  Is it a different perspective on your part, maybe a change in priorities, a shift in your outlook, unexpected relief from one burden or another?
• The sentiment "there are multitudes of people who would be very grateful to have your problems" is not much help.  Why do you suppose that is? 

• Setting an example
• One rather frightening thought is that those that you have taught in years gone by are still looking to you for an example, looking to your life as proof that the Gospel really works long term.
• Who are some of the folks who have been an example to you?
• Do they still inspire you?
• Do you think that your life still inspires those that you have witnessed to over your life?
• What might you want to do differently to be a better encouragement to them? 

• Partners with God
• One tenet of Ignatian spirituality is that creation is ongoing.  God wishes to have each of us take our rightful and destined place in furthering that creation, helping the rest of creation to achieve its full glory.
• If you look at your work as God's disciple as a creation story, what are you creating?
• Is that the same thing that you were co-creating with God a year ago?
• Is it different from what you were bringing to life five years ago?
• Do you feel as though you are getting more creative as you mature?
   

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I find greater humility?
• Where can I find be more honest with God about the demands on my life?
• Where might God be inviting me to die to myself in a new/deeper way? 
• Where can I partner with God more closely?

 Helping Hands

Caring for the elderly and infirm is a humbling experience, 

A road full of the unexpected and surprising.

 

Just when you think that you have their needs attended to,

Something shifts, needs change, their perception transforms.

 

And there you are, scrambling to respond, trying to figure it all out,

And wondering why you didn't see that coming in the first place.

 

Caring for the elderly makes you grateful for all the help.

Especially for the occasional specialist who looks to the whole person.

 

Especially for the occasional friend who reminds you of self care -

Reminds you that you're useless once you burn out.

 

Caring for others reminds you that all of us depend upon each other.

None of us is as independent as we might like to believe.

 

And caring for another reminds you of what is truly important -

In the midst of the ceaseless clamor of things demanding attention. 

 

You are important to me, and it is important that I remember that.

Finding myself in offering you some small help fulfills me.  

 

And through that vast web of care giving and receiving

Flows the love of God for, with, and through all of us. 

 

Shalom!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. II Kings 5: 14-17
2. Psalms 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4
3. II Timothy 2: 8-1
4. Luke 17: 11-19

• Finding humility
• Naaman was in a position of authority in his own land.  And yet he ventured out of his comfort zone to seek Elisha out and ask for healing.  Naaman probably hoped for some quest that he would have to follow, or some test of his fortitude, instead, he was just asked to wash in the muddy Jordan.
• Have you ever found it difficult to accept a gift because you were not humble enough?
• How did you eventually come to understand that?
• Why is humility so hard? 

• Everyone's welcome
• Back in the day, each god was presumed confined to the land where they were worshiped.  When a people won a battle or war with another nation, it was because their god was badder than the other guy's god.  The notion of one God overall was slow in coming to the Israelites, and it can be hard for us as well.
• Have you ever found it difficult to relate to/minister to someone who was remarkably different from you?  Maybe it was the culture, their occupation, their spending habits, their taste in wine, ...
• How did you manage to get past that, to really see them for who they are, despite your differences?
• Did those differences go away, or just become less important or even be transformed into something that you enjoyed?
• Do you think that you're getting better at seeing past the differences? 

• Dying with Jesus
• It's good to know that Jesus died for our sins so that we don't have to.  I don't have a lot of experience in this regard, but I'm pretty sure that I'd be happy to hear that Jesus has done all of the dying that's needed.  Or has He?
• What do you think that it means to "die with Christ"?
• Can there ever be an "upside" to suffering?
• Have you ever grown/matured in the midst of, because of suffering in your life?
• Was Jesus at all present for/to you in that experience?
• How did you pray in that encounter? 

• Increase our faith
• Jesus did not appear to promise the ten lepers anything.  He just told them to show themselves to the priests.  I'm sure that those poor souls, who doubtless had endured countless rejections in their lives were not looking forward to the reception that they would get when they got to the priests.  But they went anyway, maybe without any clear indicator of what they would find.
• Have you ever thought to ask God "why"?  Maybe it was "why me" or "why now", or "what's in it for me" and many other questions.
• Do you think that God minded hearing that question from you?
• When do you think that asking God questions transitions over into questioning God?
• What might we do to make ourselves more open to God's grace, no matter how it comes to us? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I find greater humility?
• Where can I find more common ground with other of God's children?
• Where might God be inviting me to die to myself in a new/deeper way? 
• Where can I learn to obey just for the sake of obeying?

 I'm going anyway

regardless of whether the rest of you want to or not.

Sure, in our present condition, the priests will find us disgusting.

Our flesh slowly rotting even while we live in this forsaken shadow world.

Our kith and kin barely able to recognize us any longer.

 

But I refuse to let this disease define me.

I defy its slow, relentless march of destruction.

I have lost everything to its ravages.

But I refuse to lose hope.

 

Hope that our God still loves me.

Hope that He cares in ways that I can scarce imagine.

Hope that this suffering, rejection, and want -

That it all means something.

 

It's a beautiful day for a walk.

I have nothing more urgent to do.

Who knows what I'll encounter along the way.

Perhaps something to excite my sense of wonder.

 

 But I'd rather not take this journey alone.

Won't any of you come along with me?

You don't even have to share my hope.

Just share a walk with me.

 

A walk from despair into the light.

Where anything is possible if only we let it.

Where we no longer need be alone with our suffering.

But rejoin the ranks of God's people.

 

Shalom!

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Habakkuk 1: 2-3, 2: 2-4
2. Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
3. II Timothy 1: 6-8, 13-14
4. Luke 17: 5-10

• Finding vision
• Some of us don't expect much of this life.  We know that heaven will be glorious, and look at this life as little more than a proving ground that we have to endure on our way to our reunion with God and our loved ones.  At the same time, we know better than to equate discipleship with prosperity.
• What do you hope for in this life?  Where do you think that you'll be in five years?
• What about your family as a whole?
• Your parish/congregation?
• Our Church at large?
• Where did you get that notion of what to hope for? 

• Could you spell that out for me?
• The children of Israel had had enough and they were not going to take it any longer.  They began to doubt Moses' skill in leading them, and maybe even God's intentions.  Maybe things would have gone better all of the way around if God had just told them (through Moses of course) that He was toughening them up for the battles ahead, that they were learning obedience and many other things.  In essence, give some meaning to their suffering.
• What are some things that you have suffered in life?
• Did you ever find any meaning to that suffering?
• Does all suffering have to have meaning?
• If it has meaning, do we have to know what that is? 

• Ashamed of God's ministers
• Diversity within Christian circles is at an all time high. Different beliefs lead to divisions among believers in ways large and small, and it seems that unity is all but impossible.  I remember a friend years ago who had a strong Franciscan background telling me that "when we spoke of ecumenism, we meant the Jesuits."
• How important is unity among/between us?
• If you find that you disagree with something that you hear from the pulpit or that your child hears in Confirmation class, what should you do?
• How do you tell whether a disagreement is something that you can live with, or signals a deep need for you to speak up or just move on to some other community that better agrees with your values? 

• Increase our faith
• Just ahead of this week's Gospel Jesus tells His disciples that even if a brother sins against you seven times in a day, and they repent each time you are to forgive them.  That's what inspired them to ask Jesus to increase their faith.
• Who are some of the people that you have had the toughest time forgiving?
• Before you forgave them, what did that do to you?
• How did you find the strength/courage to forgive?
• How did you know that you had been successful in forgiving them?
• How did that forgiveness change you? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might I pray in greater hope?
• Am I willing to let God lead me through suffering?
• Where can I find more common ground with other of God's children?
• Where am I still on a forgiveness journey?

 Clutching my Hurts

Forgiveness can be a lengthy journey.

Sometimes with setbacks and detours.

Always requiring courage and faith.

 

Courage that the unexplored parts 

Of my heart where forgiveness goes

Will prove to be healing in the end.

 

Faith that God

An unseen, and often unfelt Presence

Is always there along the way at each step.

 

And that letting go of the ashes of my anger

Is more about healing than losing.

More about love than vindication.

 

True forgiveness takes practice.

I forgive you if, or when, or because

All put strings on what must be a free gift.

 

No holds barred love.

That brings us closer to God.

By helping us to act more like He does.

 

Shalom!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Amos 6: 1a, 4-7
2. Psalms 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10
3. 1 Timothy 6: 11-16
4. Luke 16: 19-31

• The collapse of Joseph
• There are many these days who raise the lament that we as a culture, maybe even a civilization, are no longer able to discourse, to hear each other out, to really listen to each other and get out of our familiar comfort zone out of fear.
• Do you think that what we're seeing today is materially worse than past generations, even past years?
• How do we, as individuals, foster hope for a better tomorrow?
• How can we, as God's children here on Earth, start to build a better tomorrow?
• How can we move through and out of despair? 

• Finding the oppressed
• Oppression and privilege seem to be everywhere these days.  If you enjoy any privileges, then it must be because  you oppressing someone else.  And if you don't have everything that you wanted out of life, it's because you are oppressed.
• Do you agree with the above assessment?
• Do you think that the only way for someone to become wealthy is to take wealth from others?
• If so, what do you offer someone who feels that they have been oppressed?  

• Learning by enduring
• One famous bit of advice is that the race is as much mental as it is physical.  Seems as though applies to so much in life. 
• What are you enduring these days?
• How do you make it from one day to the next?
• Is it getting any easier?
• What do you think God's point in making you go through that?
• Does God have to have a point? 

• Seeing the flowers and the flower peddler
• I wonder whether the rich man (notice he has no name) asks that warning be sent to his brothers.  I wonder whether the rich man wanted to warn them that indifference has serious consequences, or to warn them that the indifference itself was killing them.
• I have to confess, when I see someone by the side of the road selling flowers, fruit, or just looking for money, I try to become invisible.  I don't want to make eye contact.
• How have you found ways to connect to the needy that cross your path?
• How do you know that you must be the one to help?
• How do you know when you've given enough?
• How do you avoid "fig leaf" giving?  That's giving just enough to assuage your conscience, but not enough to really make a difference. 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might I pray in greater hope??
• Where do I need to show more mercy? 
• How could God transform something that I'm enduring into blessing??
• Where can I be a better steward of God's gifts?

 The Eyes of Jesus

 My students have all sorts of hopes, dreams, aspirations.

Some just want that six-figure income that they are sure is out there for them.

Others envision a dream job building the next wonder video game.

 

The more thoughtful ones want to find themselves.

Find where they fit, where they are needed, where they find purpose.

So that they can matter, even if just a little.

 

I used to despair of telling some of them that they are in the wrong place -

Marooned in a vain search for a career where there is none for them,

Try something else, anything else I sometimes wanted to scream.

 

Then I asked myself whether a career is the only brass ring in College.

Or whether there might be other/additional benefits to being here.

And I wondered how I might more effectively usher them into their true purpose.

 

But I don't have the insight nor the training for anything that lofty.

And lately, its come to me that maybe my best gift that I have to offer

Is to tell them that they already matter.

 

Right here, right now, to me if to no one else.

That sometimes the journey is the destination,

And that no salary will ever make them worth more than they are worth right now. 

Shalom!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Amos 8: 4-7
2. Psalms 113: 1-2, 4-6, 7-8
3. 1 Timothy 2: 1-8
4. Luke 6: 1-13

• How far does injustice extend?
• At CSULB there are those who want CALPERS to divest from any and all fossil fuel corporations as a means toward ecological justice.  Regardless of your views on climate change, this presents a complex scenario.
• How deep should we go when looking at the sources for what we purchase/consume/give to others?
• If your favorite clothing line is manufactured with underage slave labor in Indonesia, does that make you a bad person?
• Or should we just charge them a higher tariff? 

• Lifting up the poor
• Fr. Al Scott has dedicated his life to lifting up the poor.  He stands as a challenge to all of us to find where/how God is calling each of us to lift up the poor.
• What makes a person "poor".  Is it just a matter of money, or mental/physical health, community, culture even?
• How can we tell that we are doing enough?
• How can we detect selfishness on our part?

• Praying for our leaders
• When did life get so complicated?  It seems as though there are no easy answers these days.  It's hard to tell who the "black hats" and the "white hats" are anymore.  Finding common ground from which to pursue peaceful solutions to problems that we have in common seems all but impossible.
• When you pray for our local, state, and national leaders, how do you pray for them?
• What do you think God wants to see for and from these servants of the people?
• Do you think any of God's desires are realistic?
• What action(s) do you think your prayer might lead you to? 

• Proper use of God's wealth
• A steward manages his master's wealth.  I would presume that the master would specify some parameters, such as invest in sustainable enterprises, support the marginalized and downtrodden, and do all of that while still growing the master's net worth.  If we are stewards of all that God has given us, what are our parameters?
•  Time is not like money.  We cannot make more time.  But we do invest our time.  How do you insure that you invest the time that God has given you wisely?
• Time and energy invested in our talents increase our abilities.  Think of some of your talents that you have invested in.  How have your talents made the world a better place?
• How do you decide where/when/how to invest the treasure that God has given you stewardship of?  How do you tell whether a cause is good or not? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might I be unjust and not know it?
• Where do I need to show more mercy? 
• What is God's heart for our political leaders?
• Where can I be a better steward of God's gifts?

 The Widow's Mite

I used to like to sit in the Temple courtyard

Watching the faithful deposit their offerings into the treasury.

So many different motivations for their generosity.

 

Some felt it a singular part of their worship, acknowledging that all is God's.

Some did it just for the show.  Making sure everyone saw their generosity.

Others, because they felt a kinship with the downtrodden.

 

I never trusted myself to give that way.

I made my contributions directly to a priest friend of the family.

All but anonymous, and much more personal.

 

But I'll never forget one day when a poor widow came.

Barely able to walk or stand.  Clothes shabby and torn.  Hair awry.

Shuffling slowly towards the treasury in stark contrast to the rest of us.

 

One hand clutching her walking stick, the other lightly holding two small coins.

She waited humbly for the prima donna givers to have their day.

Then she let loose of her offering into the treasury with barely a sound.

 

I ran to catch up with her, and asked breathlessly

"That's all all that you have, isn't it?

"Yes" was all that she would say.

 

"But what of tomorrow, what will you do then?"

"God will provide.  He always has.  He will stop when I no longer need anything.

I have been His servant lo these many years.  He won't abandon me now."

 

"It seems as though God could be more generous to you don't you think?" I said.

"God has been generous to me.  He has given me freedom to follow Him without question."

"Let me pray for you" she said.  "What is it that you desire from our Lord?"

 

"Humility" I said.  Scarce believing that I said that.

"Then you shall learn humility.  Probably in places you never dreamed of.

Our God is generous with that gift to those with the courage to receive it." 

 

Shalom!

Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sunday

Our readings for Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sunday:

1. Numbers 21: 4b-9
2. Psalms 78: 1-2, 34-35, 36-37
3. Philippians 2: 6-11
4. John 3: 13-17

• Where are the serpents?
• I find it interesting that when the children of Israel repented of their rebellion, that there was no mention of God removing the serpents.  That's what the people prayed for, but it's not what they got.  Instead, God instructed Moses to craft a bronze serpent and mount it for all to see.
• Have you ever had a "thorn in your side" that was a real challenge for you, and yet, it never really went away?
• Has your attitude/relationship to that thorn (whatever/whoever it might be) changed over time?
• Would you say that, in any way, that thorn has become something of a blessing?
• How did that transformation come about?
• Did you see that coming? 

• Second chances
• All of us need a second change at one point or another in life.  But it can be hard to give someone else a second chance, particularly if this is their third or fourth "second chance".
• How would you define "mercy"?
• When is a particularly meaningful point in your life when God showed mercy to you?
• How do you think God decides whether or not to show mercy to His children?
• Given that, how often, under what circumstances, should you show mercy to others?
• How can we balance mercy with protecting ourselves? 

• Finding freedom
• It's easy to become attached to things in life.  That could be a job, a role, a place, a ministry.  All of that may well be gift from God.  But sometimes, the best way to show appreciation for what we have been given is to give it away.
• What are some things that you've given away in your life?  Maybe it's time, talent(s) that you have (no matter how modest those talents might be), or other resources.
• How did you come to being so generous?
• How did that giving away affect the recipient(s)?
• How did it affect you? 

• Finding my sins
• When Moses elevated the bronze serpent for the children of Israel, he reminded them of their sins, and the punishment for them.  It can be hard to really come to terms with our own sin, and the consequences of that sin.
• How do you tell when you have sinned?
• Does that realization usually come to you right after you commit the sin?
• Do you have a practice that you follow to help you see your sins for what they are?
• How successful is that practice?
• How might you make your self-reflection practice better? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God blessing me in unexpected ways lately?
• Where do I need to show more mercy? 
• What do I need to give away/give away more?
• How can I better form my conscience before God?

 

Shalom!

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Wisdom 9: 13-18b
2. Psalms 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
3. Philemon 9-10, 12-17
4. Luke 14: 25-33

• Figuring God out
• My marriage has improved my prayer life immensely.  In the course of 45 years of marriage, I've come to realize that my wife is not me.  She has her own way of doing things, her own desires, dreams, and loves, and I'm still learning to appreciate all of that diversity after all this time.  God is not me either.
• If someone were to ask you who God is, what His essential character is, what would you tell them?
• With all of that knowledge and experience of God, is He still a mystery to you?
• What is the nature of that mystery of God?
• Do you think that that mystery is a good thing?
• To what extent do you feel that you can predict how God will react/respond in a situation? 

• It's all gift
• The play Godspell includes the song All Good Gifts.  I have always found the lyrics and the orchestration to be inspiring because it speaks to the faithfulness of God in our lives, and just as importantly, our role in the ongoing unfolding of creation as we work with God to bring about His kingdom.
• What are some of the greatest gifts in your life?
• How are you giving those gifts away to others?  My wife Mary & I do volunteer work for Guide Dogs of America.  I have to admit, Mary is the one who does most of the work there, but I support as I can, encourage her every chance that I get, and let her know as often possible that I support her work.  And yes, I do clean up after the dog.  I like to feel that I'm helping her to be generous. 
• How do you decide when/how to give those gifts away?
• How has that giving changed you through the years? 

• Receiving again, receiving anew
• In Genesis, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, the child of promise.  God spared Isaac, and I'm sure that the relationship between Abraham and his son was never the same again.  In Philemon, we see someone who had Onesimus as a slave, and Paul was offering Onesimus back to Philemon as a brother.
• Can you think of anyone, anything that your attitude toward them was changed radically?
• What brought that change about in your life?
• Was that change necessarily something that you would have sought?
• What was different about your relationship afterwards?
• What was the same? 

• Finding their place
• If we are lucky, we have a small handful of relationships that truly define us.  They help us know who we are, what our meaning is in life, give us strength to carry on even in times of trouble.  The temptation is to look to those people for support and strength that only God can provide, and forget who it is who ultimately sustains us, regardless of who He works through.
• Who are the people whom you look to when you are down?
• What is their charism in your life?  What is it that you know that you can count on them to provide you?
• When you are thankful for their presence in your life, whom do you thank?  God, them, both, ...?
• How did God bring them into your life?
• Do you think that God might one day ask you to leave one or another of them behind for something, someone even better? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Who is God to me lately?
• Is it time that I become generous in new ways? 
• How might I be clinging to something/place/person rather than the freedom God wants for me?
• Where might God be calling me into more trust with my relationships?

All Good Gifts

I thank you God for the gift of wonder.

That I can wonder about the little things,

Like why it is that I have to have everything in exactly its place.

That I can wonder about the big things,

Like why it is that you have blessed me so thoroughly with, in, and through the love of my life.

 

I thank you God for the gift of time.

For it reminds me that each moment is a choice.

Once time is spent, there is no getting it back.

How I give myself away means something.

And that generosity requires trust as much as it requires love.

 

I thank you God for the gift of my body.

For it, too, reminds me of the passage of time.

That all too soon these limbs, this heart, my mind,

Will noticeably begin to return to you,

As I make my uncertain journey to eternity.

 

I thank you God for the gift of friends.

Their generosity inspires and challenges me.

Their needs invite me to humility.

Their faithfulness reminds me of Your presence in my life.

Their joys, sorrows, fears, and triumphs remind me that we are all in this great journey together.

 

I thank you God for the gift of gratitude.

That turns my gaze beyond myself -

To your holy, yet broken body among us.

Your ongoing passion and death in our midst.

As you continue to pour Yourself out in our midst.

 

Help me to desire to follow you so closely -

That I am able to give beyond my fears,

Offer what you have first given me.

That I may fully and finally appreciate the Gift

That is you, the gift that you invite me into. 

 

Shalom!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time:

1. Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29
2. Psalms 68: 4-5, 6-7, 10-11
3. Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24a
4. Luke 14: 1, 7-14

• Is ambition a bad thing?
• My father use to counsel me that in my career I needed to always look ahead, always ask myself what I can be doing to qualify myself for that next promotion, that next assignment, push myself to greater ability and responsibility.  I don't know that that's necessarily bad advice, but maybe there's a point where ambition becomes toxic and we start to look like Shakespeare's Macbeth all over again.
• Have you ever had to say "no" to an offer of more responsibility, bigger scope to your function, maybe even a pay raise?
• What made you back away from that offer?
• How did you turn that down?
• How did you feel after that?
• How did you pray through that experience? 

• A home for the poor
• I have never in my life been food or shelter insecure, I've never felt threatened by any form of oppression or prejudice.  So finding solidarity with the poor is something that I have to work on.
• What exactly makes someone poor?  Is it just about money, or does it include the esteem of your peers, your security, your relationships, your education, ...?
• How do you help the poor?
• How did you get involved in those efforts?
• How do you know that what you're doing is enough? 

• The blood of Abel
• Cain and Abel remind us of the depths to which we can fall when we lose sight of God's love in our lives, and instead try to grab what we want, rather then ask ourselves where we have parted ways with God.
• How can you tell when your relationship with God is getting strained?
• When it happens, how do you find the source, the root of that strain?
• Do you think that you're getting better at that process as you get older?
• Why? 

• The danger of false humility
• Perhaps the most insidious of vices is false humility.  A person with false humility may use their appearance of humility as a way to manipulate others, or gain control of a situation, or gain validation of themselves.  But perhaps the worst liability is that the person afflicted with false humility can eventually fool themselves.
• What are some benefits of true humility?
• Does true humility have any down side?
• Is true humility about actions, motivation, both, neither?
• How do you guard against false humility?
• How has genuine humility brought you closer to God and others? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How is God calling me to greater trust?
• How might I find greater solidarity with the poor around me? 
• How might I become more sensitive to how my relationship with God is going?
• Am I truly humble before God and those around me?

After You

True humility finds:

Joy in giving,

Courage in honesty,

Meaning in serving.

 

When giving, honesty, or serving become a burden,

The coward's way out is to ignore that seismic shift in perspective.

Try not to answer the really deep questions about what's changed.

And desperately hope that no one notices.

 

But doing the right things for the wrong reasons is a poison,

That infects everything that it touches.

Sowing seeds of confusion and doubt.

All because I was afraid to look within.

 

Look within and find when 

When the light within me died.

The lamp of my love and passion winked out.

Leaving just an empty shell of a man where once I stood.

 

Maybe it was burnout from too much giving.

Maybe it was disappointment in the tangible results.

Maybe it was just time to move on, and I refused.

Maybe it was the sad, sad thought that I never belonged here at all.

 

Whatever the cause, I need to find it.

Pray for healing and consolation.

Admit to those that I serve that I am empty.

And maybe find solidarity with them in that emptiness.

 

Shalom!