12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Jeremiah 20: 10-13
   
2. Psalms 69: 8-10
   
3. Romans 5: 12-15
   
4. Matthew 10: 26-33
   

• Fear of failure
  
• Fear of failure often shackles us to our comfort zone.  No one wants to see something that they invest in fail to produce the desired results.  More profoundly, as God's people, we fear failure because deep down inside we think that failure means that we had missed God's will for our lives, that failure was a result of our sin.
• What are some failures that you have had in your life?
• Why do you feel as though you failed at that?
• Do you think that you took that challenge on because you were led by God?
• How do you think God feels about your failure?
  

• No longer strangers
  
• A prophet is someone who says what needs to be said, not necessarily what anyone wants to hear.  Perhaps the toughest part about being prophetic is the isolation that the prophet feels in the wake of rejection.
• Who are some prophets that you can think of?
• If they spoke out in the past, how did that message strike you at the time?
• How can we support our prophets in our time?
  

• Amazing grace
  
• Actual grace is a little more tangible than sanctifying grace.  One definition of actual grace is a "spiritual kick in the pants."  St. Ignatius I believe would call such interventions in our lives a divine consolation.
• Think of a time you found the strength, the courage, the vision to be God's presence in a way that surprised you.
• How did that happen?
• What do you think led up to that breakthrough?
• How did that grace change you?
  

• Fear no one
  
• Corporations, governments, countries, entire generations can have a discernable character, a personality.  Trying to alter the course of something as large as such character, such culture may seem foolhardy at best.
• What are some things that you do that are counter-cultural?
• Why do you do those things?
• What effect do you think that your actions are having on the greater culture?
• Is that effect enough to make the work worth it?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. What fears do I need to place into God's hand?
2. Where are God's prophets calling me today?
3. Am I open to the grace that God has for me?
   
4. Where am I living in fear and need to step out of my comfort zone for God.
   

  Three pebbles - two of them are spares

Towering over the valley floor the giant stood - death in a pair of sandals.
His heavy armor gleaming defiantly in the morning sun,
His sword and shield lowered.  He felt no fear, no threat -
Not from the lone shepherd boy coming toward him with fierce determination -
And hardly anything else.

"I am offended that you cowards send out this defenseless youth against me!
At least have the courtesy to put suitable armor on him
So that I am not dishonored to slay this miserable specimen
Who dares to desecrate this battlefield by his feeble presence.
Today I will water this valley with his blood and yours."

God's servant sprinted to well within javelin range.
Meanwhile feeling one pebble in his hand, learning its shape, and edges -
Praying that his God would give him strength, aim, and courage.
And land a blow that no one of this shepherd's kinsman could imagine.
And free God's people from the hands of their oppressors.

He stood there, all alone, no army to back him, no one shouting encouragement.
Slowly his sling began to circle, faster and faster.
The boy began to run again, fully present, fully alive,
Straight at certain death at the hands of his towering foe.
Releasing that stone at the top of its arc.

His aim was true, his missile found its mark.
The giant staggered, bled, and toppled.
The boy had no sword to finish him off.
He improvised and finished the battle with his foe's own sword.
Hoisting the trophy of God's intervention for all to see.

The boy's kin suddenly found their lost courage.
Now they saw that God was still with them despite appearances.
And they charged into battle for freedom -
Confident that they were not alone, that they never had been.

Now go, and find your Goliath.

Shalom!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Exodus 19: 2-6a
   
2. Psalms 100: 1-2, 3, 5
   
3. Romans 5: 6-11
   
4. Matthew 9: 36 - 10: 8
   

• You can never be too holy
  
• If you define holiness as "right relation with God", and you define "right relation with God" as fulfilling God's own destiny for you in your life, then the holy person is the one who is most authentically and courageously who God created them to be.
• Who are some folks in your life who stand out to you as holy?
• How are they making a difference in the world around them?
• Does their example at all inspire you?
• What would you like to do, to become, to be more like them?
  

• God is always faithful
  
• God never turns His back on us, no matter how dark the time, no matter how deep the despair that surrounds us.
• Do you think that God is able to turn anything to good?
• How has that sort of transformation occurred in your life?
• What was the hardest part of such a transformation?
• If you had to go through that again today, would it be easier?
  

• Reconciled to God
  
• Reconciliation in most of our minds has been identified with the sacrament of that name.  But that's to miss a good portion of the glory of reconciliation.
• What are some signs that you need to be reconciled to God in some way?
• When you see those signs, how do you respond?
• How do you find reconciliation to God when you need it?
• Do you think that you are more or less sensitive to that need for reconciliation?
  

• Against all odds
  
• Sometimes, the work in front of us seems overwhelming.  We want for the energy, the affirmation, the success, at least once in awhile, to reassure us that we are doing the right thing, and doing the thing right.  I think we need to get over that.
• How do you know when you are where God wants you?
• If no one agreed with the work that you were doing, or with you, is it possible that you could still be doing God's work?
• What are some signs that you have received in the past that you were doing God's will?
• Are those signs there all of the time?
• Does that matter?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. How is God calling me to be more authentic today?
2. Where are there hurts in my life that God would love to heal?
3. Where can I build greater peace in my life?
   
4. How are the various ministries in my life building the Kingdom?

  Lost

Imagine that you are out hiking in the local mountains.
The trails are well marked, well kept, easy to see.
Time goes on, and the trail begins to get dimmer.
Signs disappear, the grade gets steadily steeper.
And you realize that you are no longer on an established path.

At that point, you could just turn around and return the way that you came.
But trails have crossed each other more and more lately.
Retracing your steps seems all but impossible now.
To make matters worse, your canteen is all but empty.
And the sun is going down soon, plunging all into darkness.

You pull out your handy US geological survey map of the area.
And try to locate yourself on that map,
Starting with your last known location.
Hoping that you actually do know where that was.
Then, trying to trace your decisions of the day on the map.

At least you know you are lost.

Imagine instead that you don't realize that you're off the trail
Because you never knew that there should be a trail.
Instead, you just pick your direction by instinct.
Trying to judge where the cliffs and cataracts might be.
Looking for a place to camp for the night, with no clear direction.

Imagine that you are sent into the wilderness to find and rescue
Someone who was lost, and who did not know they were lost.
You cannot just pluck them out of the wilderness,
They have to want to come to safety with you.
You have to convince them that there's a better way to hike.

In the meanwhile, they are in a hurry.
They don't know where they are going, but they are making great time.
You keep up so that you can converse
Sharing the trail with them as you are trying to make a rescue.
You try to come up with ways to get through to them.

Then you let them know that friends, family, relatives are worried.
They tell you that they are out here in the wilderness for sweet freedom.
They don't want to be shackled by other's ideas of what to do, how to live.
They find that communing with nature satisfies their every longing.
And they know that they are happier this way, with no restraints.

And suddenly you know how Jesus feels about His children.

Shalom!

Corpus Christi Sunday

Our readings for Corpus Christi Sunday are:

1. Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a
   
2. Psalms 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20
   
3. II Corinthians 10: 16-17
   
4. John 6: 51-58
   

• Faith sharing through the generations
  
• In certain Protestant circles, sharing your testimony of God's goodness in your life is called "witnessing".  I always looked upon such sharing as an opportunity to show appreciation to God for His goodness.  Now I feel as though I can go deeper, looking for the Presence woven through affliction and pain, the strength provided in weakness, the hope that shines through despair.  If only we can learn to listen for it.
• Thinking back to stories that you heard from previous generations in your family, can you see the hand, the Presence, the voice of God in those?
• Has God been faithful to your family, your community through the years, the decades?
• How has that faithfulness become evident for you?
  

• I'm special
  
• None of us wants to just be "one of the herd".  We all want to stand out, be special for one reason or another.  That specialness helps us to identify and define our purpose, our mission.  But the hard part can be finding the best use for that specialness in each of us, seeing where God wants to use that gift that each of us has.
• Can you think of someone in your life who has made good use of the blessings that God has given them?
• How have they figured out where to apply themselves?
• How has that inspired you?
  

• We are one Body
  
• Jim O'Neil used to go to Communion, and when the Eucharistic minister handed him the sacred host with the words "The Body of Christ", Jim would say "Yes, we are."  The Eucharistic minister offers the Body of Christ to the Body of Christ that we might all become more perfectly the Body of Christ
• How had your celebration of Communion changed you through the years?
• What difference does your celebration of the Eucharist make to you on Monday morning when you have to face your day to day challenges?
• How do you prepare for your next celebration of the Eucharist?
  

• Sacraments of sustenance
  
• Sacraments are funny things.  They are easy to take for granted if you are not careful.
• We only get baptized once in life.  We only get confirmed once in life, yet some go to Communion daily.  Why is that?
• If daily Communion is good, would twice a day be even better?
• How long do the effects of Communion last in you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. How is God's faithfulness changing me today?
2. Where might God be calling me to give myself away in some new capacity?
3. How am I sustained through the week by my celebration of the Eucharist?
   
4. How might I gain more from my celebration of Communion?

  We Sing Alleluia

It is easy to view the world around you through the lens of self-love.
After all, you are the only one of you in the entire universe.
You know yourself better than anyone else knows you,
So naturally, you know what your legitimate needs are.

Others deflect all attention from themselves, no matter the occasion.
Always worried that any attention on them is wasted -
Especially when so many others are perishing for lack of care.
Unloved, unheard, shoved to the side by indifferent hordes.

Still others look for a balance, a give and take between self and others
Trying to find a natural and organic way to gently sway from one to the other
Always trying to keep self and others in healthy harmony
Refereeing the struggle to attend to both, making sure they play fair.

Maybe a deeper dynamic beacons use in the bread we share, the cup we pour.
Jesus gave everything for all of us, yet He found time for warmth, laughter,
The occasional cup of local wine, the family meal shared with loved ones.
He was, is, ever shall be One with, in, and through all of us.

And we are as much One with Him as we too are One with each other.

Shalom!

Trinity Sunday

Our readings for Trinity Sunday are:

1. Exodus 34: 4b-6, 8-9
   
2. Daniel 3: 52, 53, 54, 55
   
3. II Corinthians 13: 11-13
   
4. John 3: 16-18
   

• Majestic mercy
  
• Mountaintop experiences can be transformative, giving us a totally new perspective on what is going on in our lives, giving us hope of a path forward where before there was only darkness and obstacles.
• How has God revealed Himself to you?
• In one of those revelations, what did you learn of God's character?
• How did that revelation change you?
• Has God revealed those same character traits in other revelations to you?
• How might you share that with others?
  

• It's cool in the furnace
  
• Shadrach, Meshack, and Abedego were Jewish officials in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar.  They refused to worship an image that he had constructed, and were about to be thrown into the furnace for their insubordination.  Their response was that they would not bow down, regardless whether God spared them in the fiery furnace.  Their devotion was not conditional on God preserving their lives.
  
• Have you ever tried to bargain with God?
• What were you willing to trade God for what you were seeking?
• How did that turn out?
• How did that change you?
  

• Steadfast, formidable, stalwart
  
• One thing that I routinely marvel at is the support that my wife Mary has been for me through the 43 years that we have been married.  No matter what the decision is before us, she never responds out of fear, but of trust, never from self-interest but always in courageous love.  She truly brings out the best in me at every turn.  All of us are called to be that sort of presence to each other in some measure.
• Who is someone who has been a support for you?
• How do they typically show that support?
• When they speak to you, is that voice what you need to hear, or what you want to hear?
• How have you thanked them?
• How have they changed you?
  

• The benefits of belief
  
• It's hard to watch a life without God play out.  You look on, seemingly helpless to change the course of their life, because it is their life.  You want to tell them how much better off they'll be if they give their lives back to God.
• What do you do to try to coax that unbeliever in your life into a relationship with Jesus?
• And if that strategy does not work, then what?
• If they asked you "what exactly is the difference that God will make" what would you say?
• What exactly is happiness?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be more open about my faith?
2. Do I follow God just because I expect something in return?
   
3. Who is it in my life who needs a word of encouragement/?
   
4. Where is God in my happiness?

Two Left Feet In the Divine Dance

Some describe the Trinity as three in a Divine Dance
Each holding the others, each in the others, each supporting the others.

That sort of inter-relationship is hard for our minds to comprehend.
But what seriously challenges our imagination is that we invited into that Divine Dance.

It is not enough that God in all His/Their majesty commune with each other this way.
He/they want all of us to join in as partners.

Which raises some serious challenges to our notion of inclusion.
For all of us are one with all of us to the extent that we are one with, in, and through God.

And our fellowship with God depends on, is sustained by, is illuminated by -
Our fellowship with each other.

Yes, I believe that we will all get better at this in Eternity.
Once divine judgement reveals us to each other for all that we are and might have been.

But something tells me that it will be a great deal easier in Eternity -
If I have the courage to venture into that Divine Dance now, before I get there.

Tell me about yourself, who you are, how you got here, where you feel led.
Teach me how to listen intently, and creatively to your stories and life.

Maybe you'll be the one to teach me how to dance,
And not step on anyone else's feet.

Shalom!

Pentecost Sunday

Our readings for Pentecost Sunday are:

1. Acts 2: 1-11
   
2. Psalms 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
   
3. 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7, 12-13
   
4. John 20: 19-23
   

• Reaching out
  
• The early disciples must have looked at each other and asked "what's next?"  First the messiah is murdered after the mockery of a trial.  Then He comes back from the dead.  Just when the thought that they were getting the hang of His resurrection Presence, He leaves them, and now He's back, in the form of the Holy Spirit, and they end up ministering to people that they never would have thought that God would reach out to.
• How can we be more welcoming to others of different languages, cultures, backgrounds?
• What would it take for us to really understand and empathize with folks that we know next to nothing about?
• How can we avoid tokenism?
• How do we do all of that and keep the original Gospel message strong and clear?
  

• The Holy Spirit is creative
  
• All of us were probably raised to value honest work, to strive to find our place in life, our ultimate purpose, and fulfill that purpose in and through the creative energies expressed in our two hands.
• Why do you work?
• Does it have to earn a salary to be worthy?
• Is there work that is uniquely Christian?
• Is one type of work intrinsically better than another?
• How does the work that you do fit in with the ongoing work of Creation?
  

• Finding your place
  
• There are an abundance of ministries within the Church.  Each has its place and qualifications, each a blessing in its own way.  Years ago, we would have guest speakers come to RCIA meetings to tell the Elect and Candidates about ministry opportunities within the parish.
• Could we do a better job of recruiting people?
• How does one, how do we, discern where a person's gifts lie?
• How do we tell when it's time for someone to move on in their ministry?
• Does the discernment process ever end in our lives?
  

• Peace be with you
  
• Jesus told His disciples "peace be with you" before He sent them out.  I take that to mean that we need to be at peace to be truly effective ministers.
  
• What brings you peace?
• Is peace always possible?
• Is peace always necessary?
• Is there a way to live more at peace in life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be more inclusive?
2. Where might God be calling me to be more creative?
   
3. Am I serving right where I need to be?
   
4. Where am I looking for peace?

You Have to Just Feel It

I'm really good at fractions.

To the point that I can tell you exactly how many beats a triple-dotted quarter note represents.

I remember John Flaherty, our choir director in days gone by,

Telling me that sometimes, the music on the page stops being a guide,

And instead becomes shackles that keep me from letting the music inside,

And playing it, praying it, from the heart.

 

I think that, for some of us, following God gets that way.

We want to "get it right", know that everything is just perfect,

As though the intrinsic messiness of life,

Somehow has no place in ministry,

As though Jesus can be a refuge from the unexpected and the uncomfortable.

Somehow, it doesn't seem to work that way.

 

What I can tell you,

Is that your definition of "success" is bound to change as you mature.

Often in ways that you would never have believed when you were younger.

And that success becomes not so much a matter of settling for less,

As it becomes a matter of letting go, and letting God,

And realizing that any illusion of control that I might have is just that - illusion.

 

I gave up praying that the Spirit would speak louder.

Instead, I've starting praying that I can become quieter.

Taking time each day to turn off the noise, no matter how helpful it might be,

Tune into the silence all around me,

Let God take my hand in His,

And see where He has been guiding me of late, and the path directly in front of me.

 

I pray that I can learn to set aside "getting it right",

In favor of being nimble, sensitive to God's leading, His Spirit's voice.

Open to the unexpected, unplanned, even the undesired.

So that I don't miss that still small voice quite as often as I used to.

And along the way, learn to be more generous with myself,

And let the messy process of maturation wend it's mysterious course -

 

However long that might take.

Shalom!

Ascension Sunday

Our readings for Ascension Sunday are:

1. Acts 1: 1-11
   
2. Psalms 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Ephesians 1: 17-23
   
4. Matthew 28: 16-20
   

• Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus has left the planet.  Or has he?
  
• The ushers at Elvis concerts would often have to tell the audience that the star performer has left the building so that they would stop looking for another encore and go home.  I have to wonder if the first disciples were looking for Jesus to do just one more really amazing thing.  Maybe play an out take reel or something.
• Where do you feel Jesus' continued presence the most?
• Why do you think that He comes to you there more than other places/times/activities?
• How does your prayer life leaven the rest of your life?
  

• The rightful king is in charge
  
• In Western history, the rightful king, the one ordained of God, brings order, peace, prosperity to the kingdom when they are on the throne.  The usurper brings only ruin and despair.
• What tells you that Jesus is in charge?
• How do you celebrate your membership in that Kingdom?
• What is your function in His kingdom?
  

• Seeking wisdom
  
• We seek the wisdom that is from above, but the concept of wisdom itself seems elusive at best.
• Who are some wise folks in your life?
• How do you think that they got that way?
• Should we all be wise?
• Is it enough to merely imitate wisdom?
• How do you seek greater wisdom?
  

• The Great Commission
  
• Ours is a culture of self-help.  Gurus by the dozens speak to anyone who will listen from the shelves of every bookstore and TV set.  It's easy to see Jesus and religion in the same way.  But Jesus comes to us with the startling message: "I came because you are beyond help.  I came, not to give you a tuneup or a tweak, but a transformation."
• Why are you a Christian?
• Have your reasons for your faith changed at all through the years?
• If someone told you that they don't need all of the rules and regulations of the Church in their lives, they have the beauty of the the sunrise, the smell of baby's breath, the feel of sand between their toes at the beach to tell them of God.  What would you say to them?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. How can my prayer practice make a bigger difference in my daily life?
2. How can I acknowledge God's kingship in my life?
   
3. Where might Christ be inviting me to greater wisdom?
   
4. How is my life making a difference?

Ghosts

My wife keeps a portrait of me taken as a young man in my 20s on her dresser.
I cannot tell you what I was thinking about when they took that picture.
But I can tell you that a lot has changed since that time in my life.  To the point -

To the point that I can scarcely remember what it was like to be in my 20s,
To the point that I hardly know that young man staring back at me from the picture.
To the point that I wonder whether he would recognize me if we were to ever meet.

I wonder whether that younger version would be disappointed in me,
If he would think that I had let him down in some material way,
Or if he would think that I have navigated middle age well, and gained wisdom.

Either way, that young, optimistic, man in the picture is gone.  A ghost in my memory.
Along with my children's younger selves, the cherished job that I no longer have,
And friendships that have somehow petered out over the years.

Some of those ghosts are best left alone, their memories just cherished mementos.
Others of them serve as lessons in life, signposts to guide me even today.
Other ghosts still call me, remind me of where I have come from, my terra firma.

Those last ghosts challenge me to to find them in new forms, new guises.
Welcome their latest manifestation as old friends.
And stitch the old and new together in the tapestry of memory and story.

Those last ghosts keep me authentic, and true.  The tough part -
The tough part is to recognize what to let go of, and what to hang on to.
And not to cling to something just because it is comfortable or easy.

Nor fail to embrace the latest incarnation of God in my life
Just because it's new, uncomfortable, maybe unrecognizable.
Sometimes our resurrected selves are hard to recognize.

Shalom!

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the 6th Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17
   
2. Psalms 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
   
3. 1 Peter 3: 15-18
   
4. John 14:15-21
   

• Signs of Presence
  
• When Jesus called people, He didn't tell them to subscribe to an orthodox theology, He simply said "follow me".  In last Sunday's Gospel (John 14: 1-12) Jesus tells His disciples "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father."
• What are some of those works that the Church is doing today?
• Do you think that those works are what is bringing in new people?
• The Mormons are amazingly organized about their service to the community.  Are we any better, different?
• Do we have to be?
  

• Singing a new psalm
  
• In Protestant circles, they witness to each other, to unbelievers, anyone who will listen basically (sometimes even folks who won't listen) about the greatness of God.  On the whole, Catholics tend to be a bit more reserved in that regard.
• Telling the Good News from a street corner isn't really our style.  What might be a better way to witness of the goodness and greatness of God within our communities?
• How about our own family?
  

• What do you worship?
  
• Matthew Kelly once wrote to the effect that we can tell what we worship in our lives.  That will often be the first thing that we think of when we get up in the morning, the last thing that we think about when we go to bed at night, what we speak of first when we introduce ourselves to a stranger, what we spend the most time on during the day, what we spend the most money on.
• Given those indicators, what is it that you worship?
• Why is that?
• What could you do to change that (assuming that you want to change)?
  

• The Spirit of Truth
  
• In the wake of the death of Floyd George, my son Justin called me.  He was trying to discern whether to join in a protest march on Lakewood city hall, and he asked me a question that still haunts me: How are we to know the truth?  There are so many voices today, some saying this, some saying that, some saying we ought to respond one way, some calling for another response.  I'd like to say that I had a insightful answer for him.
• How is God revealing His truth today?
• Does that revelation shed light on every aspect of our lives?
• How much of this are we supposed to figure out for ourselves?
• How much do we figure out together as a community?
• Have you ever seen the sensus fidelium at work?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Is my life a beacon of hope to others?
2. Where might I thank God more?
   
3. Whom do I really worship and why?
   
4. Am I honestly listening to God's call in my life?

Shalom!