33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31
2. Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5
3. 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6
4. Matthew 25: 14-30

• An unfading love
• When I hear of young women battling bulimia, anorexia, and other body image problems, I feel a little guilty for fueling that obsession with the superficial in my own life, I resolve to look deeper than the surface, try to see with God's eyes.
• What is true beauty?
• From whence does it come?
• How can we make this world more beautiful?

• Getting what you deserve
• Injustice steals many things from the oppressed.  Injustice robs them of the benefits of their hard work, it robs them of tranquility and peace of mind, it robs them of their sense of worth within the community.
• Have you ever been the victim of an injustice?
• How do you know that you really get what you deserve?
• Do you think that God can ever transform an injustice into a moment of grace?

• Awake!
• When I was young, we would accuse someone of "majoring in minors" when they missed the bigger point, the grand scheme of things, by obsessing on the little stuff.  Easy to do.
• What is the big picture perspective on your life?
• Where do you think we are all headed as a community?
• What is the point, the meaning, the value of what we are going through right now?
• How does that broader perspective help living in the day to day?

• Playing to your strengths
• It's easy sometimes to feel like the poor servant with just one talent.  You do not know what to do with yourself, you feel that the consequences of failure are steep, you do not even know what your true talents are.
• How would you define generosity?
• Can one give generously if they do not have much?
• What then can we say of Luke 21: 1-4 (the widow's mite)?
• How can you tell what to give of yourself and when?
• What happens if you botch it?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How am I beautiful?
2. Where can I bring about justice?
3. How am I living God's big picture of my life?
4. How am I giving myself away?

The Heartbreak of Arrival

Comes to every one of us

When arriving at some hitherto distant shore

Brings a harsh reality with it: we are there.

"There" might be that coveted job, 

That longed for spouse,

Or even a new maturity.

And the shoes that got us there no longer fit.

Growing into arriving,

Shedding the skin of the pilgrim

Requires attention to the objective of the journey

Balanced with attention to the shrines and holy places along the way.

The meaning of the destination

Can often be found in the footprints that led to it

Regardless of who left them.

Shalom!

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Wisdom 6: 12-16
2. Psalms 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
3. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
4. Matthew 25: 1-13

• An unfading love
• A true friend is the one who inspires you to be your best self, the one who helps you find courage when you need it, to draw on strength you never knew that you had, to persevere when you were ready to give up.
• I would say that Wisdom is just another name for the Holy Spirit, the author and finisher of all truly great friendships.  How have friends in your life inspired you to go "above and beyond" what you thought yourself capable of?
• How did they manage that?
• How do your truest friends inspire trust in you?
• Does God have your trust?
• Why or why not?

• Wants, desires and longings
• The world around us conditions to want lots of things: fame, affirmation, appreciation, security, the next iphone, whatever the model might be.  Satisfaction from these things lasts awhile, but never for very long.
• What satisfies you, really meets your longings, and keeps satisfying you?
• When did you discover that about yourself?
• How has that longing, and its satisfaction changed you?

• The ultimate diversity
• Much has been said of late about solidarity, that we are all one by nature of our shared humanity.  I would like to humbly posit that one divide that we don't talk about much has nothing to do with gender identity, skin color, culture, but the divide between the quick and the dead.
• Think of someone that you have lost, someone who inspired you when they were alive.  Say that they were, by some means, to appear before you right now, and that they were totally up to date on how you have lived your life since they passed.  What expression would be on their face when they see you?
• If you knew that they were here to stay and not just an apparition, would you live any differently?
• What would you say to them?
• What makes you think that they are not here?

• Sprint, marathon, or journey?
• Most of us spend a good deal of our time preparing for the future.  You read briefings ahead of a meeting, you talk to friends to prepare to vote, you attend college to prepare for a career.
• What is it that you feel your life has prepared you for?
• Is that very much different from what you are doing now?
• Why or why not?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Do I have the courage to let Wisdom guide me?
2. Where is my treasure in this life?
3. How am I honoring those who truly love me?
4. How am I preparing for the rest of my life?

Pilgrimage

The old man on the trail almost blended in with his surroundings.

His boots scuffed and worn, his backpack clearly an old model.

Yet he made his slow, deliberate way with his head high.

His eyes taking in every inch of the scene before him.

Instead of passing him, I settled in behind him, matched pace.

And I asked him what brought him to this lonely stretch of wilderness.

"Memory, and sure death" he said, daring me to continue.

Taking my cue from his response, I asked "Memory of what?"

"When I was a teenager, I used to hike here with friends.

We would pit our strength, our equipment, our resolve

Against the inclines of these mountains, 

Against the uncertainty of this weather.

And we told ourselves in guarded whispers,

That if we were strong enough to meet the mountains on their terms

And come home safely, that we would have the strength

The strength to face whatever lay before us in life.

All of those old friends are gone, I stand alone of that company,

The one member on this side of eternity to mourn and remember.

I can only hope that they too have learned

That life is not so much about overcoming things

As it is about letting them go."

"And what of certain death?"  I asked, not sure what he would say.

"Death, in its proper time, is gift.  But to properly appreciate it,

You need to train a bit before you get there.

On this hike, I have no schedule, I camp where sunset finds me.

I carry just enough water for the day, trusting God to provide.

If I see a trail that I've not explored before, and it calls me

I walk it, wide eyed, full of awe and expectation.

Never knowing where it might take, nor how long I'll be."

"But," I said, "you could get lost, or hurt, 

And no one would know how to find you."

He stopped there, and turned to face me.

"To let fear of the unknown govern your life is to die before your time.

If you only go where you have gone before, you are lost before you begin."

Shalom!

All Saints Day

Our readings for the All Saints Day are:

1. Revelation 7: 2-4, 9-14
2. Psalms 24: 1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
3. 1 John 3: 1-3
4. Matthew 5: 1-12a

• We're all in this together
• One thing that impresses me about the scenes in Revelation is that there are no small crowds in heaven.  Everywhere John goes, there are massive gatherings.  These crowds are, right this minute, cheering us on.
• Imagine that friends and family who have gone on before you are clustered around you, watching you as you pray, as you arrive at decisions, as you strive to follow God's will in your life.  Who are some of these people?
• How do you think that various ones of them would respond to what you are going through right now?
• If they were here in front of you right now, what would you ask them to pray for on your behalf?
• What might they tell you?

• Does this career make me look fat?
• No one wants jeans that are not flattering.  No one wants others to feel sorry for them, maybe because they don't have a stellar position in life, or a fabulous income.
• So, if an epic fit in your clothing, a spectacular resume, a home in Bel Air are not important to you, what is?
• Where did you learn those values?
• How do you try to pass them along to others?
• How have those values helped you in your walk with God?

• I don't know who you are anymore
• Our identity is more than just our name, Social Security Number, or parish envelop number.  True identity speaks to who we are as a person.  What life has made of us, and what we make of life.
• If someone walked up to you and told you that they have an offer for you of an amazing vocation, something that you will find completely fulfilling, demanding, and meaningful, and you have 30 seconds to tell them who you are, where would you start?
• Given the description of this opportunity, what questions would you want to ask them?
• Do you think that you deserve such an opportunity in life?
• Do you think that God finds you deserving?
• What makes you think that you are not already living that way?

• Intentional mourning
• My late father-in-law followed the news of the day, and was totally bewildered by it.  He never got over wondering what had become of his country, his world.  Nothing made sense to him anymore, and he mourned the loss of what he called "common sense."
• What do you mourn in your life?
• When do you think that you will be able to "move on" in that part of your life?
• Do you ever think that God calls us to "get over" a loss in our lives?
• What are some of the things that Jesus lost during His time here?
• Some of us find it comforting to think that Jesus can have empathy towards us.  Do you ever try to empathize with Jesus?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How is my faith getting stronger?
2. Where is my treasure in this life?
3. Who am I becoming in God?
4. How can I find more empathy?

An Old Wooden Table

A friend of mine tells me that he prays in the same place each day.

At an old battered wooden table in a corner of his garage, where it's quiet.

On that table is his bible, a notebook, a pen, a candle, and some matches.

It seems that this table belonged to his grandmother years ago,

And it reminds him of the years that he spent living with her

While his parents were going through a rough time in their marriage.

It was here that his grandmother would pray each day,

Calling on God to visit her children, guard the grandchildren,

Bring joy, peace, and holiness to the entire family.

He still felt her presence there in that table.

Thanked God for her care during a difficult time,

And found a measure of connection in the worn wood grain.

God provides doorways for all of us, all of the time.

My friend runs his hand over that old table, and touches

The time that he has spent there in prayer

    The time that his grandmother has spent there in prayer

        The love of a dear family member still praying for him even today

            The love of past generations who have gone before him

                The God of ages, the author of all love, generations, the earth, its trees

It's all so connected, it's all one, and that oneness is beautiful.

Shalom!

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Exodus 22:20-26
2. Psalms 18: 2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
3. 1 Thessalonians 1: 5c-10
4. Matthew 22: 34-40

• Remember who you are
• The friendless, the voiceless, the disenfranchised, the marginalized all share many things with all of us.  God calls us to empathy.  To really empathize, we first have to come to terms with the things that have happened in our lives.
• Have you ever been bullied, or had someone close to you bullied?
• How did you get through that?
• Who were the ones who helped you deal with that?
• Who are the ones in your life now who are pushed around, made to feel small and insignificant?
• What can you do about that treatment?

• Who are you calling strong?
• Strength comes in many forms.  Of course there is the physical strength of a suspension bridge, or a weight lifter.  There is the strength that comes from conviction.  Then there is a strength that comes of embracing your weakness, handing that weakness to God, and asking Him to transform that to strength in Him.
• Where does your strength come from to do difficult things, go outside your comfort zone to help a friend in need, be vulnerable to others?
• How do you see that changing as you grow older?
• Do you see your strength getting deeper with the passing years.

• I don't know who you are anymore
• The hard part about going through conversion is that we become uncomfortable with who we were, with who we were with before.  Freedom comes at a cost, and part of that cost is to leave behind a home that has grown too small for us, a neighborhood as it were that no longer gives us enough room to grow.
• How many conversions have you gone through?
• Let's define conversion as a turning point in life which draws you closer to God in new ways, changes your outlook on the familiar, and makes you far more aware of God's revelation in your life.
• How many conversions have you gone through?
• How have they (it) change you?

• Two sides of a coin
• How does a love of God find the deepest and most beautiful expression?
• How is it possible for us to love someone who is infirm, needy, depressed, and unable to give back?
• Jesus is looking for companions to be with Him on the way, now, today.  Without taking anything away from His divinity, He is asking for help, and company.  Where do you see that happening in your life?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who in my life is God inviting me to stand up for?
2. Where is God calling me to a deeper source of strength?
3. Where is God calling me to walk away, that I can walk toward Him?
4. How can my love for God ignite my love for others, and vice versa?

God Wears Leather Gloves and a Straw Hat

My son and I got the privilege of working at a Habitat for Humanity build once.

There were a myriad of things that all needed to come together that day.

The professional builders had their hands full with all of us well-meaning volunteers.

And I had to wonder whether we were making the work go faster, or not.

Safety was a big concern from start to finish.

Inexperienced or careless ones among us could have ruined the day for everyone.

The contractors there that day had their hands full keeping us safe.

And I had to wonder whether we were making the work go faster, or not.

But then I realized that the build itself was just an opportunity for us

To be in solidarity with those who could never afford a home like this.

To declare, one hammer blow at a time, that we are here with them, right now

To show them the love of God for them in human form.

I never saw the family who eventually moved in.

Maybe I don't need to know, maybe its better this way.

Because now I can feel the connection to every family seeking shelter,

Leftover humanity seeking a home, a place to invest in.

Maybe I can identify with the homelessness of Jesus

On his way to Golgotha.

Maybe I can see the eyes of Jesus in Gethsemane

In the eyes of those totally alone in this world.

Shalom!

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 45: 4-6
2. Psalms 96, 1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
3. 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5b
4. Matthew 22: 15-21

• Who are you working for?
• The Jesuit perspective on creation is that it's still happening.  That is, the final destination for creation is still emerging.  And God wants all of us to take our rightful place in the process of fulfilling creation's destiny, of bringing creation to fulfillment, of bringing God's Kingdom.  Whether we know or acknowledge that or not.
• Why do you think that God doesn't share His whole plan with us?
• Do you think that it would help if He did?
• What would God have to do in order to earn your trust?  Don't be shy here.  He's actually interested.

• What if the other team is praying too?
• The ancients believed that gods were regional.  When we go to battle and beat our foes, we prove that our gods are stronger than their gods.  The fact that God is God over all should be a starting point for how we relate to each other.
• Do you think that God has favorites?  Favorite communities, favorite cities, nations, ...?
• Do you think that all of us can and should pray to God for peace, freedom, security?
• How can we be "our brother's keeper"?
  
• Who are our brothers?

• Finding conviction
• What is more important: what you believe, or who you believe in?
• Which of those two is more likely to change your actions, make you a better person, help you to help others?
• In your past, what has threatened your relationship with God, pushed it to the breaking point?
• How can you be better prepared for such trials?

• Paying to Caesar ...
• It's another major election, chock full of propositions to worry over.  A common theme is trying to prevent faulty legislation from getting written into law.  "Faulty" generally boils down to squeezing the citizenry for more money to put into the hands of politicians accountable to no one to perform services that we're not sure are a good idea.  James Dobson once called our current level of taxes "confiscatory" which is pretty dire.
• What are our responsibilities as citizens?
• What help can we count on God for in these times?
• What does it mean that Christians of good intent cannot all agree on important debate points in the national rhetoric?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I be freer to follow Jesus?
2. How can I better celebrate that we all have but one God in this world?
3. What am I doing to strengthen my relationship to Jesus?
4. How can I be a blessing to my community, my city, my state, my nation?

Shalom!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 25: 6-10a
2. Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
3. Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-10
4. Matthew 22: 1-14

• We are saved
• Are you saved brother?  Growing up, the ardent evangelicals among us would start a conversation with strangers that way.  Sort of "in your face", but I'm sure that many meaningful dialogs got their start that way.  Such evangelists were always looking to find evidence of a personal relationship to God.
• Are you & God on a first-name basis?
• What has God saved you from lately?
• What is God saving you to?

• Depth of trust
• The shepherd has to earn the trust of their flock.  The sheep need to become familiar with the shepherd and his/her voice, the shepherd has to demonstrate that they have the good of the sheep at heart.  For a sheep, needs are pretty simple: protect me from getting eaten, make sure that I have food and water regularly, make sure that I have plenty of company of my own kind.
• What has God done to earn your trust?
• If someone told you that they don't feel God is worthy of trust because of the bad things that have happened to them in life, what would you say?
• How do you demonstrate to God that you trust Him?

• Whatever ...
• We all want to feel secure, that we know what's coming, that reasonable expectations like a roof over our heads, clothing, food, ... will be met.
• How much of what you enjoy today is truly essential?
• If you were able to live without those things for a day, a week, maybe longer, would that open up more options for you in life?
• Is that freedom worth the risk?

• Invitation
• God always invites us into deeper relationship with him, that never changes.  But individual invitations within that grand invitation can have an expiration date.  That dream job that God wants for you will go to someone else if you don't take it.  That person that God is calling you to help will go elsewhere if you don't reach out to them in time.
• What is God inviting you to today?
• How long have you been putting off answering that call?
• What are you worried about?
• Have you talked to God about those worries?

• Preparation for Reconciliation?

1. Where is God calling me to greater freedom?
2. Do I really appreciate all that God has given me?
3. What is one thing that really has a hold on me, on my heart?
4. Where is God calling me to greater or different generosity?

Just One Pair of Sandals

You see these home buyer shows on the TV

The real estate agent proudly ushers the eager couple into the master bedroom

Then, before they get too enraptured with that, he hustles them to the walk in closet

Where there is enough storage space to accommodate a battalion,

And the couple heaves a sigh of relief.  At last, enough room for our stuff!

And I wondered what Jacob Marley would say to such sentiments.

Would he scream "all of that, all of it is only so many chains

That you, you have forged, link by link, foot by foot,

Until your life is consumed with storing, protecting, and acquiring

Yet more things."

And they don't have to be denizens of a walk in closet

The size of a NFL locker room.

The links in those chains could be the appreciation of others,

Friendships that demand that we conform to expectations,

People that we so desperately want to impress.

What price freedom?

What benefit from freedom?

What does freedom honestly look like?

How do you know freedom when you have it?

Can freedom itself be clutched at, like a well-endowed purse?

Holy Spirit

Help me to see the links that I've forged in my own chain

Help me to break those chains before it's too late.

Help me to value the freedom that you want for me,

More than anything else in this life.

Amen.

Shalom!

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 5: 1-7
2. Psalms 80: 9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
3. Philippians 4: 6-9
4. Matthew 21: 33-43

• We are called ...
• We don't often think or even hear about God's emotions.  One entry into prayer is to ponder how your life, the way that you live it, your response to what comes your way, impacts God.
• Picture God gazing on you now.  What sort of expression is He wearing?
• Tell Him about your day, the ups, the downs, and especially where, maybe now for the first time, you felt closest to Him, and farthest away.
• Has that expression on God's face changed at all?
• Why do you suppose that is?

• Family therapy on a grand scale
• Imagine that God gently suggests to you that your relationship with Him needs some help, and that the two of you should see a therapist together to bring some healing to that relationship.  You're in the therapist's office for the first time.
• What things would you bring up?  Maybe it would be some times that you felt betrayed by God, times when you felt that God had not been faithful to you, or times that you felt that God was capricious or not steady.  Remember, you can tell this therapist anything, they are very professional.
• What do you think that God might say in such a meeting?
• Most of us are not trained in this sort of counseling, but what sorts of homework do you think the therapist might assign the two of you?

• Ask, and ask again ...
• I'm finding that prayer is transformative for us.  We start in prayer with one set of issues, one set of desires, and as we pray, we see things from a different perspective, and our prayer changes.  That cycle might happen several times over before we're done.  Maybe it never really finishes.
• What are some of the things that are going on in your life lately that you have not prayed about?
• Why not?  Were they too minor an issue, you didn't want to bother God with it, you didn't really care about the outcome that much, you were too busy, ...?
• What might have happened if you had prayed about that matter?

• To whom much has been given ...
• God's biggest miracle in circumstances of real tragedy is that He's able to transform a hardship into a growth opportunity if we're willing.  In those cases, what looked like a disaster has in it seeds for new life.  In a way, if we are willing to accept them as such, every event in our lives is a chance for growth.
• What are some of the tough times in your life where God was able to tend you, make you stronger, more empathetic, draw you closer to Him?
• What did it take for you to find those growth opportunities?
• Can you think of another way that would have been easier, less traumatic that you could have achieved that same growth?
• Why do you think that other, easer, path did not happen?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. When have I taken the chance lately to gaze on God and He on me?
2. How healthy is my relationship with God, and what am I doing about that?
3. What is one difficult aspect of my life that might bring growth?
4. Where is God calling me to be generous with what he has nurtured within me?

Shalom!