4th Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 4th Sunday of Advent are:

1. Micah 5: 1-4a
2. Psalms 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19
3. Hebrews 10: 5-10
4. Luke 1: 39-45

1. Peace on earth or the earth in pieces
• If you define peace to be freedom from worry, disquiet, a state of tranquility, it's hard to find anyone who's against that.  But peace to what end?
• If your outlook was peaceful, if you had the sort of faith in God that you could trust Him to accomplish all things in His own good time, what would such peace equip you to do?
• If you were so focused on God that you cared more about serving Him well than health or sickness, wealth or poverty, regard from others or disdain, what would you be doing differently?
• What's stopping you?
2. Grow where you're planted
• Do you feel as though you're right where you ought to be in life, or do you feel like a round peg in a square hole?
• Do you feel that your whole life has gradually led right to where you are right now, or do you feel as though you've jumped off the rails of destiny somewhere?
• As we prepare to welcome Jesus into the world, into our communities, our families, our hearts, where do you see that welcome taking you?
3. Where there's a will there's a way
• Do you feel that you've sacrificed a great deal in your life for God, do you feel that the blessings outweigh the sacrifices, or do you feel that following God is its own reward and it's faintly heretical to even ask the question?
• Do you feel that it's important that our will be in line with God's will before we do that will of God, or is it merely enough that we obey, regardless of the motive?
• What are some ways that you've found to "get on the same page" with God?
4. Leaping lizards Sandy!
• What do you think motivated Mary to go see her cousin Elizabeth?
• As their respective sons grew older, what do you think happened to the relationship between Mary & Elizabeth?
• Do you think that God can use friendships, family ties to get the work of the Kingdom done?
• What does that say about how we treat our relationships?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I simplify my life and become more at peace?
2. What am I willing to endure to be where God formed me to be?
3. What have I done to know God's will?
4. When was the last time that I told anyone about a blessing in my life?

Thank you for putting skin on God

God bless all of you
God bless you for the hearty chuckle, the quick squeeze, the hugs, the tears,
God bless you for the courage to show your true self, to reveal what really matters to you,
God bless you for showing me the heart of God in ways that I can relate to.

Jesus discipled his friends, and doubtless today He would friend his disciples.
Jesus steals into our lives, our hearts on the wings of of flowers given,
Holding the hand of a dying loved one
Or wrapped up in a casserole delivered to someone grieving the lost of a spouse.

He shows me who He is by calling me to show others who He is.
Kind, generous, tender
His rays of love seek a way through the cracked and abused window of my life
If only I let him clean me, that I may more faithfully be who He created me to be.

In the meantime, squint a bit when you look at me
To see that there is some hint of Jesus looking at you
Out of my baby blue eyes.
And if you cannot see Him, tell me so, I can always use the help.

Shalom!

3rd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Zephaniah 3: 14-18a
2. Isaiah 12: 2-3, 4, 5-6
3. Philippians 4: 4-7
4. Luke 3: 10-18

1. Rejoicing over me?
• Ignatius of Loyola had a profound sense of the gaze of God upon him, and began each time of prayer just making himself more in touch with and conscious of that gaze.
• When you see two young lovers gazing at each other, do you think that each brings about a change in the other with just that gaze?
• Why do you think that sometimes a look can convey more than words?
• If God were to try to convey His gaze at you in words, what would those words be?
• Do you think that those words change in response to what you do, how you behave, who you are becoming?
2. The messiah is among you
• You've probably heard this story, but I like it anyway.  Years ago a monastery was slowly coming apart.  Petty jealousies and meaningless squabbles were becoming more and more of an issue, and the abbot was near his wit's end trying to get the monks to rise above such pettiness.  Finally, he sought a wise old man rumored to be deep in the surrounding woods, found him and explained his plight.  The wise old man said, "you must go back to your monastery, and take one fellow monk into your confidence.  Tell them that the Messiah is among you, and tell them they they can tell no more than one person this great truth, and then it must never be brought up again in conversation.  That person that they tell may in their turn tell just one other person."  The abbot was credulous, but tried it.  Soon, all of the monks began to defer to one another, see each other's faults and foibles in a different, more charitable light, and they began to listen to each other more.  Soon they became known as a group with a strong charism for hospitality and love, and new novices were pledging to the monastery in record numbers.  But the abbot was worried that he had kindled all of this based on a lie.  So he went back to the old man and related all that had happened, and asked "what am I to do now?  I know the Messiah is not among us."  The old man said "how are you to know that?" and "does it really make a difference if He is not?"
• Is the God of our fathers among us?
• How is that God most evident?
• How can we be more aware of that Presence?
3. Perfect peace
• What does perfect peace mean?
• If someone told you that they were in perfect peace, regardless of the circumstances, what would you conclude?
• Does peace of mind even make sense in this day and age?
4. Next time I won't bother asking
• This is one of the few places where we are given specific direction about how to live.
• Do you think that God has specific direction like this for all of us?
• All in all, how does God direct your life?
• Do you wish He could be a little more direct?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What do I really believe about God's love for me?
2. Am I willing to accept God's salvation in all of its abundance?
3. What am I anxious about today?
4. What am I willing to share with those in need?

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Baruch 5: 1-9
2. Psalms 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
3. Philippians 1: 4-6, 8-11
4. Luke 3: 1-6

1. Mercy me
• Do you feel a strong sense of God's mercy towards you?
• How important to you feel such a sense is in our relationship toward God?
• To cultivate that sense of God's mercy, should we pay more attention to God's action in our lives, or our actions towards God?
2. Story time
• My mother is fond of saying that before TV, families would sit together and recount family stories from the past.  I suspect that such tales helped the family establish an identity, and give everyone a sense of being rooted.
• What are the stories that you tell around the dinner table, or at family reunions?
• What are the stories of our faith, our community, our parish?
• Who should be telling those stories?
• Who should be hearing them?
3. Work in progress
• Have you ever felt "stalled" in your relationship with Jesus, as though you just could not get it out of first gear?
• What do you think those times mean?
• What did you do to get through those episodes?
• Are the something that you need to get through?
4. Is there a prophet in the house?
• Who do you see as the voices for justice in our world today?
• If injustice is going to happen regardless whether we speak up or not, isn't it just smarter to "lay low"?
• Whose business is it to speak up anyway?
• Can you have too many prophets?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. When was the last time I appreciated the mercy of God in my life?
2. When was the last time that I recounted a real blessing that God had given me to someone else?
3. Do I take stock of where I am on the journey?
4. Am I content to let others speak up for the oppressed around me?

Holy Waiting

Waiting for something to ripen properly is the hardest thing of all.
It takes great faith, and diligence.
But the danger is, that I'll not be able to pay proper attention
If I am in a frenzy all of the time,
And I'll miss the first, gentle appearance
Of the Christ in my life.

All because I couldn't wait for Him.

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 1st 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

1. Who doesn't want justice?
• How would you define justice?
• Why do you think that God is so concerned about everyone getting justice?
• If some of us are treated unjustly, is it possible for the rest of us to have true justice?
2. Highway to Heaven
• Sometimes, someone gets to know you, your patterns, your views so well, that they seem able to tell what you're thinking before a word comes out of your mouth.  Do you ever think that someone could get so close to God, know His ways so well, that they could anticipate how God is going to react in a given situation?
• So if that's not possible, are we left with seeking God's well out in all things, no matter how often we've been down that particular road with God?
• Doesn't that make us rather high maintenance?
• Most leaders appreciate some initiative in their subordinates.  Why not God?
3. Careful, someone may be watching
• Who are the examples of love in your life?
• Are they in any official capacity?
• How then does such a person exert an influence in other's lives?
• Where might you be exerting an influence in other's lives?
4. It's too late for broccoli
• How do you think that Jesus' children are going to "escape" the tribulations that are coming?
• What does "escape" really mean?
• Is that perhaps the ability to somehow find refuge before they start?
• Or maybe find some safe place to hide for the duration?
• What would you feel is a successful weathering of tribulations?
• Are we in those days now?  I have a friend who is convinced that the 2nd coming is just around the corner on account of the increasing political instability in the world.

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to see marginalization wherever it might occur, or would I rather not know?
2. Do I trust God to reveal His desires for me in good time?
3. Is my life actively seeking to please God, or just avoid His anger?
4. What preparation am I making today for my own death, and the death of this age?

What if I'm Just Anxious by Nature?

Fear not, the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Well, that's not as comforting as you might think.
That number keeps getting smaller by the day.

I always felt as though Martha got the short end.
Tangible things, getting things done, items checked off,
That feels like accomplishment, that brings me joy.

All this talk of the old passing away, to be replaced with the new,
Just leaves me wondering if I'll need cardigan sweaters in heaven,
And worrying whether I'll remember to turn off the lights when I go.

I think Jesus gets good entertainment value out of me,
He watches me fret and worry over things that will be eclipsed,
And wants very much to comfort me, but knows even He has limits.

I only hope that I'm as understanding of those around me,
And give them space to cope in their own ways.
As we all make our way along on this pilgrimage of understanding.

I don't as much long for vast understanding of the cosmos.
Nor great theological revelations to dawn full throttle upon me.
I'd just like to understand who I am, how I'm best at being me,

Laugh all you want.
Jesus laughs with you.
Some day, if I live long enough, I'll join in too.

Shalom!

Christ the King

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

1. Enduring is hard to do
• Kingdoms topple in the face of change.  That change can come from within or without, or both, but it will come.  Typically, that institution/nation/kingdom which cannot adapt to change is doomed.  Yet the kingdom of God is constant, eternal.  It's very constancy is its greatest strength.
• Why is that?
• What does that say about the institutions that we are a part of, that we support?
• What does that say about the amount of energy that we pour into those temporal institutions?
2. God's interior designer has it tough
• The throne room of rich and powerful kingdoms have symbols, mementos if you will, commemorating the greatness of the kingdom.  Perhaps the crowns of conquered kings, tribute from loyal vassals, palace guards resplendent in their polished armor.
• What do you think God's throne room looks like?
• If you were to design a church that would encourage the attendees to worship with full, conscious and active participation, how would you design it?
3. It's going to be too late for broccoli
• At the end of the world, Catholic doctrine tells us that we will all understand each other the way that God understands us.  Just maybe, when we really see why people acted the way that they did, what motivated them, what their dreams and passions were, we'll get a far clearer vision of who our creator is.  Maybe that's the ultimate revelation of God.
• Do you think that you'll be at all surprised when you see God's face?
• Is that bad?
• If it is, what can we do now, so that seeing God face to face is not so much a surprise?
4. The truth is out there, maybe way out there
• So, if those of us who belong to the truth are listening to God's voice, why are we hearing different things?
• Or are we?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What of my life is going to endure into Eternity?
2. What am I doing to build my trust in God?
3. Given that I don't understand anyone the way that God does, how ought I to treat those around me?
4. What am I doing to bring about peace among God's children?

Bare Essentials

So much of the first half of life is spent gaining, acquiring, accumulating.
The second half, about shedding.

I don't think the shedding gets easier with time.
Each loss digs a bit deeper than before.

It's so unpredictable how it's going to occur for you.
Maybe your tennis game falters first, then your memory.

Or maybe your vision grows larger than your surroundings,
And you're no longer able to spend it all

On things that just don't matter anymore,
And suddenly, those around you, who thought they understood you,

Don't understand at all, and there you are, a living contradiction
Somehow transusbstantiated into someone new.

Beckoning, just by being there,
To follow the pilgrimage of humility into the uncharted waters of freedom.

And once you set foot to that path,
You gradually learn to embrace everyone, even the you that you left behind,

And you wake up one morning and realize,
With quiet intake of breath, that you cannot find your way back to who you were,

And with unbridled mirth you realize you don't care.
And you're able to embrace that too.

Shalom!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 33rd Sunday in 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

1. It isn't easy being wise
• In our culture, wise men and women are often dismissed as cranks, someone who, for one reason or another, refuse to "fit in".  Sometimes the wise person is vindicated during their life time, more often, it's not until after they are gone that appreciation for their far-seeing begins to accumulate.
• What does that tell you about wisdom in general?
• Do you think that we are all called to be a Richard Rohr or a Matthew Kelly, Mother Theresa or Burnadette Farrel, or can we leave that sort of thing to those who seem to be called to dedicating their life to the pursuit of wisdom?
• Is there such a thing as too many wise men and women?
2. I somehow thought joy would be happier
• The joy of the Lord sounds like a simple enough thing, but I've heard it defined as a deep rejoicing in God, in spite of whatever trials we might be facing.  Come again?  You mean to tell me that if I had the joy of the Lord I could still be happy even if my fantasy football team is having a lousy season???
• Where do you think the joy of the Lord comes from?
• Is it pure gift, do we work at it, do we have to be open to it?
• How important is this joy?
• What does it mean that it's a fruit of the spirit?
3. Wash, rinse repeat, sin, confess repeat?
• For those of you too young to remember, shampoo bottles used to have directions that said "wash, rinse, repeat" on them.  Speculation was that someone who wasn't properly equipped mentally could end up spending a long time in the shower with an apparently infinite loop.  You know who you are, no need to confess.
• If Jesus' sacrifice was once for all, why is it that we keep sinning?
• Worse, if we're supposed to be victors in Christ, why is it that we often fall into the same sins over and over again?  For my part, I could use some more variety.
4. The more things change, the more they stay the same
• What will be different after Jesus comes again?
• What will still be the same?
• What does it really mean to be on a pilgrimage through life?
• How can we better remind ourselves and each other of what's really important?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to be misunderstood, or worse, dismissed for my values?
2. If God is all that I have to look forward to in eternity, is that enough for me?
3. How am I changing my habits to help me draw closer to God?
4. What am I doing to help me focus on the eternal?

My Days are Numbered, I Just Don't Know the Number

Sometimes, as a means of centering yourself, it helps to answer some questions:
If I knew that I was going to die tomorrow, what would I do today?
If I knew that I was going to die in a year, how would I live that year?
Such questions help sift the important from the not so important.

At my age, the occasional thought crosses my mind to ask about legacy.
What will I be leaving behind when I go, what continuity will there be?
Living on in the memory of loved ones is fine as far as it goes,
But something of more substance would certainly be nice as well.

But that question begs another, deeper question.
As a community, a people, a race, what is it that we want to leave behind?
If all of this is going to pass away, our monuments, our cities,
What of eternal value are we building today, that will be there in eternity?

For just as each of us is appointed to die
So too is this age that we are in, and all of the accessories that come with it.
I firmly believe that when we all gather in the heart of God,
All of us will completely understand ourselves and each other.

I think those memories are going to bring a lot of tears, a lot of consolation,
Discoveries like the fact that Uncle Jack used to whittle so much
Because it reminded him of time that he spent with a beloved grandfather
Will give us something to rejoice over and appreciate well into eternity.

From that vantage point, looking back on today, I'm going to venture
That kindness and mercy are probably the best way to live now
So that there are fewer regrets, self-recrimination later.
Because the memories of what we do today are going to be there a long long time.

Shalom!

32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 32nd Sunday in 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

1. Give that you may receive
• How has God supplied your needs during tough times?
• It's often difficult to tell our wants from our needs.  How have you made that distinction?
• Where do you think that our dreams/aspirations come from?
• How can God honor, even celebrate those dreams if we are giving ourselves away?
2. You new in town?
• Conflict has made refugees out of so many in our day and age.  People displaced are at a natural disadvantage because they have no support network.
• Displacement can happen from any sort of loss: a loved one, a job, the gradual loss of our health as we age, even something as natural as a good friend moving away can leave us feeling cut off.
• Do you know anyone who is displaced?
• How can we be better at being God's presence to them?
3. It's all in what it's not
• It's said that in eternity, all moments in time are equally accessible.  If that's true, then each celebration of Eucharist is an invitation into eternity as we enter into that eternal unbloody sacrifice, not to offer it over, as though the first time were not enough, but to bring ourselves back to that central reality of our faith.
• How might we become more Eucharistic in our daily lives?
• How might we better live a life that is, itself, a manifestation of God's continuing Presence?
4. Trust is so hard
• Jesus rejoiced in that widow's faith because she gave to God before she saw to her own needs.  Do you ever wonder how things turned out for her?
• How do we authentically celebrate the fact that everything that we have is of God, and belongs to Him before it ever comes into our hands, while we have these blessings, and after we give them away?
• What can we do to make that detachment from this earth easier?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to be bold in prayer about the desires that God has planted in my heart?
2. Am I sensitive to the displace around me?
3. How am I a tabernacle of Jesus here on earth?
4. How am I growing in trust to God?

Making sense of my cents

My husband Jacob was so good to me for so many years.

He worked so hard in his tailor shop to put bread on the table

Keep a roof over our heads, and yet so full of laughter.

The neighborhood children would come by the house,

And no one could tell whether it was for my cooking or his stories,

Either way, the house was always full of noise, and running feet.

We could never have children of our own, and yet,

Yet Jacob treasured me, treated me with loving kindness,

And opened his heart in other ways, along different paths.

I still miss you Jacob.  When you died, a big part of me died too.

But Yahweh has been my comfort, now as always.

Only now, there is so little else in my life, Yahweh stands out more than ever.

This temple was built by that oppressor Herod,

But I know that something of Solomon, Moses and Aaron are in these courts.

Even Herod cannot break the continuity of thousands of years of history.

God has been faithful to all of us, and especially to me all these years.

Soon I will be gathered to my ancestors, to you Jacob.

The only thing standing between me and starvation is here in my hand.

Two copper coins, enough for a loaf of barley bread, and then it's over.

It's not much to live on, but it's enough to give away.

To let God know that I trust Him with my life, all of it, past present, future.

I'll not blow a horn at my generosity, nor herald my gift.

My humble trust doesn't compare to these lavish offerings of the rich.

But it is all that I have to offer, all that's left of me in this old world.

Now I'm officially destitute, and yet I feel free.

Nothing separates me from God, everything I have, I'm wearing.

Lord, you have always befriended the widow and the orphan, tend me now.

Let me persevere until you call me home,

Let me keep my eyes ever on you.

And tell my dear Jacob that I'm coming soon.

Shalom!