30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Sirach 4: 6-8, 16-18
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
   
3. 2nd Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18
   
4. Luke 18: 9-14

• Finding the willingness
  
• Serving God willingly can be hard.  God seems to have a knack for nudging us out of our comfort zone, challenging us to go where we might not have even though was a real destination.
• Think of a time when your faith led you to some new place in your life.
• Would you say that you were led, nudged, pushed, abducted by the experience?
• How did you come to terms with your discomfort in that transition?
• How did that transition change you?
• Why did it have to be so hard?
  

• Legacy planning
  
• Deep down, we all want to be remembered.  Maybe we ought to be a little more specific and spell out what we'd like to be remembered for.  I can think of any number of cringe-worth deeds and actions in my life that I can only hope no one will remember.
• What do you want to be remembered for?
• Who would you like to have those memories of you?
• What do you think the chances are that those will be what you are remembered for?
• Does it really matter?
  

• Appreciation
• We all want to be appreciated.  Honest appreciation tells us that we are doing the right things with our life, that we have made wise decisions, that what we have been doing matters.  But is appreciation really necessary?
• OK, so maybe you can get along without human adulation and the occasional recognition dinner held in your honor, but what of God.  Should He at least express some appreciation for your service?
• What would you think that appreciation would look like?
• If you did not feel any appreciation, what would that mean to you?
• Does appreciation make you a better person?
  

• Praying to yourself
  
• Authenticity can be hard.  We might have the most honorable of intentions, and still end up "faking it" because our heart is not in what we are doing, we are superficial about our actions or speech, we are not fully invested in what we say or do.
• You may have heard the aphorism "fake it 'til you make it" which suggests that action can lead the heart in some cases.  Can we do that in prayer?
• If it is possible for us to pray our way into the right attitude/mindset/paradigm, is there really such a thing as dishonest prayer?
• How do you know that you are honestly praying to God and not yourself?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. How can I be more honest in my prayer?
   
2. Where do I need rescuing?
3. How can I be more humble?
   
4. Am I praying about what really matters?

Prayer of the woebegone

Hey God, me again.
Sorry that it's been so long.
I'm past busy.  Now I'm just in survival mode.
So many demands on me, I have no idea where to start.

I'm finally past asking you for advice.
Wisdom to help me prioritize
Discernment to make right decisions
Strength to carry on ...

I could pray for all of those.  But I won't.
Today, I just have one simple request:
Give me rest from all the demands on me,
Help me find my rest in you.

Help me put my hand in yours,
Feel the soft warmth of your love in my flesh,
Breathe in your Presence
And just be with you a spell.

I don't know if that will make it all better.
But it will make me better.
More centered, less distracted,
More in touch.  Maybe even holy.

This is me putting down all the balls
That I have been juggling lately.
Maybe I'll pick them up again,
Maybe I won't.  I'll have to see. 

For now, it's more than enough
To just be in the now,
And let the rest of the moments
Before and after, go their own way. 

How are you doing today? 

 Shalom!

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Exodus 17: 8-13
   
2. Psalms 121: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
   
3. 2nd Timothy 3: 14- 4: 2
   
4. Luke 18: 1-8

• Finding strength in prayer
  
• When I went in for pre-admission for surgery a few months ago, I chanced to walk by the hospital chapel.  It was profoundly non-denominational, but I somehow connected with the prayers that have gone up from that little corner of that vast hospital.  It felt holy.
  
• Is prayer ever wasted?
• If you are praying for something that is really not what's best for you, not what's in God's will for you, what do you think happens with those prayers?
• What do you think happens to you in those prayers?
• Is there a truly wrong way to pray?
• How do we know that we are praying to God, and not just ourselves?
  

• Some guardian
  
• I'm from the generation that watched in horror the TV footage surrounding the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.  In later years, as I learned bits and pieces of the protection that surrounds a sitting president, I wondered, if the president of the United States is not safe, who is?
• With God as your guardian, what are you safe from?
• How does that safety make you feel?
• Does that safety make you act more boldly, speak more truly, love more tenderly?
• Why is that?
  

• The right time
  
• "Timing is everything" as they say, and sometimes, opportunities open up in front of us to do the right thing when we least expect it.  Then the challenge is to seize the moment before it gets away from you.
• Can you think of a time/place when you feel as though you did just the right thing or had just the right thing to share with someone?
• Did you act on that?
• If you did not, what stopped you?
• If you did act on that impulse, how did it turn out?
• Either way, how did that experience change you?
  

• Weary of prayer
  
• It's easy to wonder whether prayer is having any effect.  We are a people always looking for gratification, feedback, reward for everything that we do, to the point that when we don't get those things, or don't recognize them, we wonder why we do what we do.
• On any given day, why do you pray?
• What good is your prayer life doing in your life lately?
• What would you like for your prayer life to accomplish?
• What do you think your prayer life is accomplishing in God's eyes?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Can I pray even if I don't know how at the moment?
   
2. Where is God calling me to rely more on him more for protection?
3. How can I be more sensitive to God's leading?
   
4. What am I willing to do to make my prayer life more vibrant?

 Shalom!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. 2nd Kings 5: 14-17
   
2. Psalms 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4
   
3. 2nd Timothy 2: 8-13
   
4. Luke 17: 11-19

• Open to blessings
  
• God ministers to us in ways that sometimes surprise us, sometimes even offend us.
• Has there ever been a time in your life when God came to you in some unexpected way?
• How did you respond at first?
• What changed your attitude?
• How might you be more open (less hard hearted) the next time?
  

• Salvation from what?
  
• In our culture, we hear the word "salvation" our minds immediately go to salvation from eternal torment, eternal separation from God, maybe our mind goes to eternal separation from our family and other loved ones, but there are plenty of other things to be saved from.
• What has God saved you from lately?  Maybe its salvation from self-pity in the face of a loss, or salvation from making a bad decision, or salvation from being hurtful towards someone that you deeply love.
• How did that salvation come to you?
• How did you express your gratitude?
  

• The "little way" of St. Thérèse of Lisieux
  
• We read of martyrs who found holiness in life and died for that.  But before they gave their all in death, they had doubtless given their all many times in many places all their life long.
• What are some examples of other people that you know who have given of themselves generously over and over again?
• What are they like personally?
• Do they inspire you?
• To what?
  

• Revelation
  
• Life today is in too much of a rush.  We are never able to savor, revisit, ponder happenings in our life right after we go through them.  Maybe, if we are lucky, near the end of life, if our minds hold together long enough, we can look back, and wonder.
• What are you grateful for today?
• Why are you grateful?
• Has that gratitude changed your life in any way?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God blessing me right now?
   
2. What would God like to save me from today?
3. What might God be calling me to give up that I might receive more from Him?
   
4. Where has God been good to me and I am only now realizing it? 

Too Busy for Breezes

It's Sunday afternoon, the day is sunny and warm.
A light breeze sighs through the branches outside
And I hear it calling me to come, even just for a moment
And enjoy the breeze, hear its chant, join in prayer.

But I'm too busy here with other things, important things.
The breeze will have to wait until I feel as though I deserve it
When I have accomplished enough today that I feel worthy
Of wasting some time doing nothing but enjoying a light air.

After all, maybe it's just a quirk of weather, with no meaning.
Or maybe it's angels murmuring, one to another
Reminding each other of the goodness of God
In the breath of each moment, each hour, each day.

Either way, it's going to have to wait. 

 Shalom!

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Habakkuk 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4
   
2. Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. 2 Timothy 1: 6-8, 13-14
   
4. Luk3 17: 5-10

• Be the vision
  
• Martin Luther King had a dream.  I suspect that vision guided him, helped him prioritize his live, figure out what was important and what was not.
• What's your vision?
• If someone asked you to tell them what the world you live in really needs, what would you say?
• How committed are you to that vision?
• When was the last time you did anything to make that happen?
  

• The dangers of a soft heart
  
• I used to think that that hard-hearted folks were very removed from me.  Not so much anymore.  A soft heart is one that's open.
• How does God speak to you, Scripture, the testimony of a fellow journeyer, tragic life events, moments when you feel completely unable to carry on, ...?
• Is God speaking to you in more ways lately?
• Are you getting better at hearing His voice in familiar ways?
• Where do you think this process might be going?
  

• Come, sit down and have lunch with the gifted kids
  
• When I was in High School, there were lots of cliques on campus.  Some more obvious than others.  The gifted kids, the ones who took the AP and honors courses, were a rather subtle bunch.  They didn't have a team T-shirt or anything, but if you were in the know, you could spot them.
• Are you gifted?
• What are your gifts?
• How are you developing them?
• How did you know that you even had them?
  

• Just do it
  
• In the verses just ahead of this week's Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples essentially to forgive without limit.  That's what excited them to ask for more faith.  It sounds as though Jesus did not cut them a lot of slack at this point.
• Think of a time when you felt a tug, a nudge if you will from God to do something that looked as though it would be hard, awkward, uncomfortable, even foolhardy.
• How did you finally decide what to do?
• How did that turn out?
• Do you think your decision changed you?
• How?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to be more aware, more focused on His vision in my life?
   
2. How can I be more soft-hearted?
3. Which graces is God calling me to pray for?
   
4. Where is God calling me past my comfort zone?

 Shalom!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Amos 6: 1a, 4-7
   
2. Psalms 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10
   
3. 1 Timothy 2: 1-8
   
4. Luke 15: 1-13
   

• We are all in this together
  
• Regardless what your beliefs are regarding global warming, the debate over climate change, what we as a species must do about it, and whether it's too late already have highlighted the simple truth that our actions have impact far beyond our borders.
• What justice issues are you concerned about?
• How do you feel about the rest of the planet?  Concerned, but unavailable, overwhelmed, apathetic, complacent?
• What would you like for your attitude to be?
  

• Privilege
  
• Privilege has gotten to be a four-letter word.  If your family was stable, loving, nurturing, then you are privileged, and you have an intrinsic advantage over those who grew up in less than ideal surroundings.
• For those of us who enjoyed or enjoy privileges, what responsibilities come with them?
• Is privilege necessarily bad?
• Is there any real way to "level the playing field" for those who have lived a life of being marginalized and silenced?
• What can we do about that?
  

• Pursuing grace
  
• If God's grace is free, unearned gift, do we just sit and wait for it?
• Are there different kinds of grace in our lives?
• Is prayer the only thing that we can do to prepare for those graces?
• What would your life be like if you were "full of grace"?
  

• Is wealth bad for your health?
  
• Relating to others in need can be challenging.  Their need could be loneliness, poor health, loss of a job, ... and relating to someone in such circumstances often defies our best intentions.
• If you suddenly fell heir to some vast sum of money, how would that change the way that you relate to others?
• How you relate to God?
• How you relate to yourself?
• Would you be better able to minister to those most in need?
• Why?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to be more aware, more focused, giving something up to make room for something better?
   
2.  Can you share your privilege with others?
3. Which graces is God calling me to call upon Him for?
   
4. Am I able to see past my own possessions, recognition, even my health?

 Shalom!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Amos 8: 4-7
   
2. Psalms 113: 1-2, 4-6, 7-8
   
3. 1 Timothy 2: 1-8
   
4. Luke 15: 1-13
   

• Showing mercy until it hurts
  
• These days, there seem to be an endless supply of justice issues demanding attention.  Doing the right thing always bears a cost.  Sometimes we pay it directly, sometimes its through a tax hike, or loss of some benefit that we are used to.
• Where are you showing mercy these days?
• How did you get involved?
• What keeps you doing that?
  

• Who is my neighbor/who are the poor?
  
• In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus answers the question of "who is my neighbor".
• Who are the poor?  Is it just those with nowhere to sleep at night, those who are marginalized and voiceless, those who are comfortable, yet underpaid, those exposed to unnecessary dangers on their job, ...?
• How is God going to lift them up?
• Why does He have to involve us?
  

• Jesus is my campaign manager
  
• All of us agree that politics is a dirty business.  Its easy to despair of anything really good coming out of government.  The separation between Church and State has come to mean that the Church can never influence the State.
  
• Do you think that God has a stake in our political process?
• If we pray to God for better government, better representatives, better political systems, How do you think that God will answer?
• How did governing get to be such a mess anyway?
  

• Return on investment
  
• The prudent among us are always looking towards the future.  Will I have enough money to retire on?  Once I retire, how long will I be able to live on my accumulated savings?  What sort of a legacy do I want to leave to my children?
• If you were attend your own funeral, what would you want to hear people say about you?  I know what I'd want to hear: "Look, he's moving!!!"
• How about in another ten years?
• What are you doing today to help make that happen?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Who might God be asking me to defend that I hardly recognize?
   
2. Who are the poor in my life?
3. Where is God moving in our city, state, country that He wants my help?
   
4. Where might God be calling me to greater/different generosity?

 Shalom!

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14
   
2. Psalms 51: 3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
   
3. 1 Timothy 1: 12-17
   
4. Luke 15: 1-32
   

• Your people
  
• Sometimes a husband or wife will try to blame their spouse for one of the children.  Dad opens a conversation with "Do you know what your son did today at school?"  That's shorthand for "I fail to see any contribution of mine in this son of ours."
• Think of the last time that you prayed to God on someone else's behalf.  How did you try to motivate God to do what you wanted?
• Reminding God of all of the good that this other person has done?
• Reminding God that God is first of all merciful and kind?
• Reminding God that you, the one doing the praying, has been good and faithful, so now God owes you this?
• Offering God faithfulness and discipline on your part, if only God will have mercy on your friend?
• ...
• How effective do you think any of those are in moving God?
• What does that tell you about God?
• What does that tell you about you?
  

• Give me a clean heart
  
• How would you define a clean heart?
• Knowing what you do about King David, Moses, Abraham, did any/all of them have a clean heart?
• How clean is your heart before God?
• What would you think it would take to make your heart more clean?
  

• Mercy me, mercy why
  
• All of us can pinpoint times/areas in our lives in which God has shown us mercy.
• Why do you think that He did that?
• Did that abundance of mercy from God change you in any way?
• Did that mercy equip you for anything later in life?
• Have you found a way to share that mercy with others?
• Did God's mercy teach you something profound that you would not have realized otherwise?
• How are you doing in making good use of that mercy?
  

• Expectations
  
• The prodigal father in this parable forgives so much.  You would think that the father would rest assured that this lost and found son would never do anything so heartless again.  But we know that is not a given.
• Think of a time when you have extended mercy to someone.  What sort of changes did you look for in their life?
• Was that reasonable?
• If you knew for a fact that this other person was not going to live up to your expectations on them, would you still be merciful towards them?
• Why does God extend mercy toward us?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be trying to reveal herself to you in new ways?
   
2. What would your life be like with a truly clean heart?
3. Where is God's mercy in my life changing me today?
   
4. Where might God be calling me to reckless mercy?

 Shalom!