25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• Defend me oh God
• We always like to be on the winning side.  No one likes to be a member of the team that consistently loses, it's just bad for morale.  We all are betting that God will come out on top in the end, but what about in the meantime?
• As a faithful (and faith-filled) disciple, do you feel as though you are entitled to anything?  Maybe good health, the respect of your peers, retirement home in Martha's Vineyard ...?
• What makes you think that your list of entitlements should come your way?
• Where did that list come from?
• What do you think Jesus felt entitled to?

• Be careful what you ask for
• All of us want to know that God hears us when we pray.  But sometimes He's a little hard to predict.
• If you asked God for something that would ultimately do you harm, do you think that He would give it to you anyway?
• Do you think that everything that comes to/at you in life is a gift from God, or at least allowed by God?
• When things go wrong in life, just what is it that you think that God is looking for from us?
• Why is this so hard?

• Passion gets a bum rap
• What are your passions?  What moves you so much, that when you are doing that thing, enjoying your passion that time seems to stop?
• Where do you think that passion came from?
• What role do you think that passion should play in your decision-making?
• Do you think that we should all have the same passions?
• How did you discover yours?
• Do you think that your passions can change over time?
• Should they?

• Missing the forest for the trees
• I once thought that a person was truly old when everything that they once took for granted, getting out of bed in the morning, eating a hearty meal, being able to drive to the grocery store, ... become a chore that had to be carefully managed.  Then I thought that the onset of old age came when you thought more about the past, than you do about the future.  Lately, I've developed the opinion that old age comes when change, any change, is seen more as a bother, than an opportunity, a gateway to see God in some new and profound way.  And in that sense, I never want to grow old.
• In today's Gospel, the poor disciples just could not get their heads wrapped around the concept of a suffering savior, so they started working on a different problem, one that they could understand: figuring out the hierarchy in this new kingdom.
• Do you suspect that God might be calling you into a new kingdom in some way?  Calling you from a familiar, comfortable place into a broader horizon, an undiscovered country of some sort?
• How long has this been going on in your life?
• What do you think would happen if you answered that call?
• What is the first step?
• What's holding you back?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God asking me to rethink my expectations of Him?
2. Where is God trying save me through adversity?
3. Where is God leading me through my passions?
4. Where is God calling me out of my comfort zone?
5. Where is God?

Shalom!

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 50: 4c-9a
2. Psalms 116: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
3. James 2: 14-18
4. Mark 8: 27-35

• Embracing it
• Sometimes the best that we can do with something in our lives is to manage it.  Sometimes, we get lucky and there's a solution for the problem.  Other times, God calls us to embrace it like Paul's mysterious "thorn in the flesh" in 2 Corinthians 12: 6-7.
• Have you ever doubted God's presence with you during a time of loss, grief, stress?
• Did you ever figure out whether God sent that into your life?
• Does it matter whether God sent that into your life?
• Do you think that God can get some benefit out of anything that comes our way?

• Stumbling
• When calamity strikes, it is easy to feel isolated from God, from others, even yourself.  You begin to wonder what happened to that happier you that you are having a hard time recalling.
• The last time that you prayed really really hard to God, what did you pray for?  Faithfulness on your part, God's presence in your life, courage to keep on keeping on, perseverance, relief, ...?
• What did God give you in response to those heartfelt prayers?
• What did you learn about God in that experience?
• What did you learn about you?

• Hands on
• As part of Confirmation prep, we require a certain number of service hours from each young person.  Hopefully that exposure will help them see themselves in a larger context, help them realize that serving others is sacramental, help them realize that living out their faith is more than just an intellectual exercise.  But I often wonder.
• If we had the resources, what sort of service projects would you think would make good Confirmation sacramental preparation fodder?
• How could sacramental prep be transformed so that the focus shifts entirely from weekly teaching and fellowship with a sprinkling of service to a two year service project with supporting theology sprinkled in to help them see their service in the bigger context?
• So, these kids get confirmed, they are now adults.  Then what?  How is the rest of the parish going to be ready to receive them?

• I'll take you up if you take me up
• Taking up your cross is easy to mess up.  Particularly when we identify someone else as our cross to bear.  Even more so when we let them know that they are our cross to bear, and we are very grateful to God for giving us that cross.
• What/who are some of the crosses in your life?
• How are you taking those up?
• How do you pray about/for those crosses?
• Are you getting any better at bearing them?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God calling me to be more grateful?
2. Where should I get angry at God?
3. Where is God asking me to look at my world through the eyes of service?
4. Where is God calling me to let Him help me with the crosses in my life?

Nostalgia

There once lived a little girl born with an old soul.

Tucking her into bed one night, her father heard her ask
"Daddy, do you miss the toddler me?  I think I do sometimes."

Her father, being something of a philosopher pulled up a chair.

He knew the start of a long conversation when he heard it.

"Well dear," he said, "yes and no."

Your mother and I enjoy the you that you are today.

Your toddler self will always be with us in treasured memory.

We know that we had to give up the old you for the new."

"But what if I was a better person as a toddler.  What then?"

"Then ", he said "the rest of us would be here to help you

Grow into the best version of you that you can be."

"But how do you know that's going to be better?

No one knows what lies ahead, how I'll grow

Whether I'll ever get the right of whatever's next."

Her father leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling.

His daughter held her peace, having learned this was thinking time for her dad.

Eventually he came back to her room from his wanderings and said:

"Remember that crab that we saw molting at the aquarium?

If that crab never got out of its old shell, and grew a new, bigger one

It would die because it could not grow into its new horizons.

You & I, we are like that crab.  We have to leave our old selves behind

To embark on new, wider, bigger journeys,

Or we die."

"I understand.  But I'm still afraid."

"So am I, so am I.

But never forget that neither of us is ever alone in this process."

Shalom!

23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 35: 4-7a
2. Psalms 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
3. James 2: 1-5
4. Mark 7: 31-37

• Reckless abundance
• God never seems to be stingy with his grace, yet we always want to dole everything out as though it could dry up at any moment.
• What do you give to God?  That could be time spent in service, time spent in prayer, investing your talents into pro bono work, or investing your money into charitable causes, or ...
• Why do you give all of that away in the first place?
• How do you know how much to give, and how much to retain to support you & your family?
• Does that giving bring you joy?

• Strangers in our midst
• The holy family were refugees in Egypt shortly after Jesus' birth, fleeing their homeland to escape the wrath of Herod.  These days, it seems as though half of the world's population is on the move, trying to escape oppression, only to find neighboring countries unwilling/unable to welcome them in because of their shear numbers.
• If God protects the stranger, those with no one to defend them, how does He actually do that?
• Who is the stranger among us?
• Does God care whether they are deserving of help?
• Does God care whether they are properly appreciative?
• What does that tell you about God?

• Losers among us
• Who could argue with success?  No one likes to be known as a failure.  And we all particularly want to succeed when we give of ourselves to others as a celebration of our faith.  Yet Sr. Theresa once said "God does not require success of us, only faithfulness."
• Think of a ministry that you are giving yourself to.
• What makes for success in that ministry?
• If you were to fail in that ministry over and over again, no matter what you tried, what would you conclude?
• Why?

• Up close and personal
• Jesus never seems to be in a hurry when healing.  At the same time, the Gospel accounts seem less a recipe for successful healing, and more a lesson in caring about, and for the one seeking healing.
• Who are the ones in your life needing healing?  Maybe they are bruised and bloodied by abuse that they have suffered, maybe they have been oppressed/silenced/marginalized by others in power, ...
• How do you think that Jesus would show them that He cares, that He is always with them, that He loves them even though they have been through these calamities.
• Can you see yourself being that Presence for them? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I share the abundance of God better?
2. Who are the refugees that God wishes me to reach out to?
3. Where is God asking me to give up seeking success and seek to love more deeply instead?
4. Where is God calling me to companion the wounded?

Shalom!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• The next big thing
• When the children of Israel were about to enter the promised land, they doubtless had a lot of questions like "will my flocks and herds find enough to eat in this new place", "how will we know what to plant in proper season in this new place", "we have been nomads for more than a generation, how are any of us to learn to become city dwellers" and many more.
• When you have contemplated a big change, perhaps getting married, moving to a new place, getting a new job, the birth of your first child, graduation from college, what changed in those transitions?
• What stayed the same in your life?
• Which of those was more important, the things that were changing or the things that were staying the same?
• Which of those two made you feel better about that impending transition?
• Where was God in that transition?

• Justice versus retribution
• When things go wrong because of someone else's actions, our inclination is to look for justice, to make them accountable, have them pay the price for their actions.  But one is left with the question of what are the real benefits of such retribution.
• Is justice the same as retribution?
• Does justice at least often call for retribution?
• If you had to choose between healing, and retribution, which would you choose?
• What do you think Jesus' choice would be?

• Defending the weak
• Orphans and widows were perhaps the most easily marginalized in ancient Israel.  Widows had little means to support themselves and their families without a husband, and orphans had even less support.
• Who are the widows and orphans of our day?
• Is it enough to vote in politicians who write legislation that supports the poor?
• The plight of the poor seems overwhelming, what can we do as individuals?

• Defiling the temple
• Defiling something sacred does violence to the purpose for that article, place, time, ...  The defilement says that the higher purpose has no meaning, no merit.  Each of us has a sacred purpose before God, a destiny that only each of us can fulfill.
• Why do you think that you are on this earth?
• Has your answer to that question changed over the years?
• How did you discover your true call?
• What do you do to make sure that you stay true to that call?
• How can the rest of us help you in that? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I more fully lean on God's faithfulness?
2. Where can I be a healing presence today?
3. How can my walk with God become more authentic?
4. Where is God calling me to be more the me that He made me?

Change is Hard

Camel dung!  Get your sun dried camel dung right here!

Listen ma'am, the camels that gave us this load,

They have been eating nothing but dates the past few days.

The smoke from this batch will give you just what you need 

To give your next bar b que an extra special hint no one else has.

How do I know which camels produced what dung?

How do I know what those camels have been eating?

Listen pal, I don't get into your business, whatever it is.

So you just stay out of mine and leave me alone.

A man's gotta provide for his family by whatever means.

Yeah I'm nervous about this whole "Promised Land" thing.

No one I know has ever seen it.  All we got is rumors.

And the rumors ain't none to savory if you ask me.

I heard of giants with legs like tree trunks.

And a soldiers outfitted with steel swords and shields.

Besides, who wants to settle down into just one place?

Out here in the wilderness, storm comes in, 

Wipes out all of the trees in the area in one swoop.

We just gather the children and flocks, and be on our way.

No harm, no foul.  It's that easy.

We pin ourselves down to farms and cities, now that's different.

Fire, flood, wind, hail, any of those could level your farm

Leave you starving the next winter,

Your wives and babies dying of crop failure.

Unless of course, you're a city dweller of some sort.

And I have no idea what those folks do.

I've slept under the stars my whole life.

Things get bad, you just move on.

Out here in the wilderness,

Most folks are people of the herds.

You get into cities, soon there will be governors,

Administrators, clerks, treasurers,

Before you know it, hardly any of us left

Who know how to make an honest living.

Or remember that we are all equal before God.

I just hope God knows what He's doing.

And I hope that Joshua is listening very closely.

Shalom!

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• God of all
• The Semitic culture that the ancient Jews belonged to held that different parts of the Earth had different god(s) inhabiting them.  So emigrating to a new place logically would mean taking on new gods.  One God over all the earth, throughout all time was a novel, even heretical idea at that time.
• Throughout your life, there have been many changes, perhaps different locations, different careers, different relationships, and yet here you are, still worshiping God.  Why is that?
• Many young people, somewhere around the time they become adults in our society, "out grow" God.  The lucky ones find their way back.  Did you go through such a period in your life?
• If you had the chance to talk to that younger, doubting version of you, what would you tell them?
• In the long run, is doubting, wrestling with doubts about our faith, always bad?

• Being courage for others
• Who are some of the lowly in your life?  Are they homeless, in chronic poor health, unemployed and unemployable, addicted, ...?
• Do you think that there is anything about your life that encourages them?
• Why is that?

• Trinity invitation
• Richard Rohr makes the case that the ultimate mystery of the Trinity is not how God can be three and one at the same time.  The ultimate mystery is that God through all time, in all creation, is inviting each and all of us (at the same time) into that Trinity fellowship.
• If invitation and love defines who God is/are, then what does that tell us about how we relate to those who come to the Church looking for sustenance, healing, compassion?
• If Jesus is forever inviting His Church into the Trinity, and Christian marriage is meant to mirror, even incarnate that same love and invitation, how ought we as married couples give of ourselves generously?

• Sometimes you need a friend
• In large corporations, it's always wise to remember that true loyalty, the sort that inspires the best in people, comes of relationships between people.  No one is really loyal to a concept, an organization, a project.  They are principally loyal to a person.
• When has following Jesus been hard for you?
• What made that chapter in your life difficult?
• Did you just give up and turn your back on Jesus?
• Why or why not?
• How do you think that made Jesus feel?
• How did you feel afterwards? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where might I draw strength from my doubts?
2. How can I lift up just one of "the lowly" today?
3. How can I, my family, my community, my Church be more invitational?
4. Where is God calling me to companion Jesus today?

Shalom!

Assumption of Mary

Our readings for the Feast of the Assumption are:

1. Revelations 11: 19a, 12: 1-6a, 10ab
2. Psalms Psalms 45: 10, 11, 12, 16
3. 1 Corinthians 15: 20-27
4. Luke 1: 39-56

• Signs and wonders
• In Catholic theology, a sign conveys what it signifies.  By contrast, a symbol points to or reminds us of something beyond, something larger than the symbol itself.  God uses both to help us in our daily living.
• What are some of the moments when you felt particularly cared for by God?  Perhaps it was a loved one who called you on the phone when you needed it the most, or a word from Scripture that suddenly came unbidden to mind, or something as simple as a sunset that reminded you of fond memories of other sunsets.
• When have other people been a sign of God's love and care for you?
• When have you been a sign of God's love and care for someone else?

• The Bride of Christ
• How is the Church like a bride to Christ?
• Is any of that happening now?
• Should it?
• How can we be part of that more perfect bride?

• Following Jesus into resurrection
• Why do you think that Jesus made resurrection appearances at all?  If it was to prove that He was, indeed back, would not just one appearance in front of a large crowd have done the job?
• What do you know about resurrection from Jesus' example?
• What inevitably precedes resurrection?
• How can we prepare ourselves better for both what leads to resurrection, and resurrection itself?

• Sometimes you need a friend
• The readings for the past three Sundays have come from Jesus' starkly radical bread of life discourse in John 6.  We will return to that next week.  This week's Gospel can be seen as a pericope, a meaningful insertion into the bread of life discourse because it speaks to the beginnings of God's incarnation: Mary's acceptance of her role in that divine miracle.
• What sort of woman do you imagine Elizabeth to have been?
• Of all of the people that Mary doubtless knew, why do you think that she chose Elizabeth to commune with once she answered this call in her life?
• If something this momentous happened in your life, who would you likely want to talk to?
• What is the likelihood that something this momentous might ever happen to you?
• Why is that? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who might God want to provide for, through me, today?
2. How can I help my congregation/parish be a better bride for Christ?
3. What might God be calling me to die to?
4. Where is God calling me from my comfort zone today?

Shalom!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• Food for the journey
• In the verses ahead of the first reading, Elijah had very publicly debunked the priests of Baal and discredited the rulers of Israel in the process.  Oddly, no one thanked Elijah for showing them the truth, and so he fled for his life.
• Have you ever felt that God was asking too much of you?
• Did you wonder at the time whether it was really God's leading that you were following in the first place?
• What was your prayer like during that time?
• How did God get you through that challenging time?

• The joy of the Lord
• Think of someone you admire for their joyful attitude.  Maybe that is a close friend, a relative, or even someone you have heard about like Mother Theresa.
• Where do you think that joyful attitude came from?  Was it because everything that they tried turned out really well, or because God showered material blessings on them, or maybe because they became wildly famous because of their devotion to God?
• What do you think that this person sought, what were/are their priorities?
• How might you take an example from them?

• Compassion
• When have you needed some compassion?  Maybe you were suffering a health issue, maybe it was a relationship that was souring, maybe trouble in your career.
• Where did you turn?  Who/what did you go to for comfort?
• How well did they understand what you were going through?
• How did that make you feel?
• How/when have you been the compassion of Jesus for someone else?

• Needs and wants
• Eternal life, by its nature, sounds like something at a healthy distance to most of us.  And if we were honest, we would probably admit that we prefer to keep eternal life at a distance, at least for the immediate future.
• Do you think that eternal life has anything to do with the life that you are leading now?
• Is the eternal life that God offers us exactly the same for all of us?
• When does eternity start?
• Is it possible to start enjoying the benefits of eternal life now? 

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who do I know who needs provision for the journey that they are on?  Where is God calling me to be their sustenance?
2. What stands between me and deep and abiding joy?
3. What keeps me from being more compassionate to my family, fellow parishioners, colleagues, ...?
4. What about eternal life do I need right now?

Shalom!