27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 5: 1-7
   
2. Psalm 80: 9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
   
3. Philippians 4: 6-9
   
4. Matthew 21: 34-43
   

• God's disappointments
  
• We get disappointed when things don't go the way that we wanted for them to.  Perhaps we were counting on a good friend to come through for us and they did not have the time to be a support when we really needed it, or we invest time and effort into something only to have it fail.  Oddly, I believe that God can be disappointed as well.  Maybe not surprised, but disappointed.
• Have you ever disappointed God?
• How did you come to know that?
• How did that make you feel?
• How do you think it made God feel?
  

• God's punishment
  
• Is gravity unfair?  Falling accounts for a lot of death and injury, yet no one asks about the fairness or justice of gravity.  When we stray from God's plan for us, bad things happen, and we should not be surprised.  But that doesn't explain all the bad things that happen to us.
  
• Does every event in life have to have a purpose?
• Is it necessary that we know what that purpose is?
• When tragedy has come in your life, how did that affect your relationship to God?
• If you were to draw a picture of God, what would He look like?
• And if God were to draw a picture of you, how would He portray you?
  

• Transcendent peace
  
• True peace in this life transcends our understanding.  That isn't to say that this peace defies understanding, or that it is contrary to understanding, but that it is bigger than anything that we can understand.
• Can you recall a time in life when you suddenly caught a deep sense that it was going to work out, in spite of what was going on that moment?
• Did you see that as a grace, a gift of God at the time?
• Did it turn out to be true, did it all work out?
• Did that challenge in your life work out the way that you had hoped?
• Did it matter whether it worked out the way that you had hoped?
  

• Bearing fruit
  
• The fruit that a tree bears is the product of many things, the soil that the tree is planted in, the age of the tree, the sunshine and water that it receives.  To an extent, the entire life of that tree is summed up in its fruit.
• How have some challenges in your life born fruit later?
• Do you ever thank God for those challenges and the way that God was able to transform them?
• Is it our place to go looking for challenges?
• Is it safe for us to seek comfort and security?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me into His unconditional love?
   
2. Do I have a punishing or a vengeful God?
3. Where is God calling me beyond my comfort zone?
   
4. Where is God calling me to be more fruitful, or fruitful in a new and different way?

Shalom!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Ezekiel 18:25-28
   
2. Psalm 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Philippians 2: 1-11
   
4. Matthew 21: 28-32
   

• Eyes on the prize
  
• A paradigm shift occurs in our lives when we are able to see things in a whole new light, regard the familiar from a different perspective, and hopefully draw new conclusions from what has been there in front of us all along.  God is looking to grace each of us with a paradigm shift regarding His mercy.
• Has there been a time in your life in which you saw the mercy of God extended to you, or someone close to you?
• How did that experience of mercy make you feel?  Were you awestruck, grateful, or resentful (particularly if that mercy went to someone else)?
• Given your faithful service to God all of these years, do you feel that you are more deserving of mercy than the average person?
• Does it matter what you think?
  

• Learning patience
  
• Particularly for dads, one of the hardest lessons is that of patience.  Patience requires trust.  Trust that time and effort invested now will eventually yield fruit, trust that behind that screaming child there is a blessing from God, and that blessing might be that screaming child.  Of course none of us tries God's patience the way that children do.  Right?
• How has God been patient with you?  Are there lessons that He has taught you in life that you were slow to learn?
• Why do you think that God is patient?
• Why do you think that God is patient with us?
• Why do you think that God is patient with you?
• What can we learn from God's patience?
  

• Beware the martyr
  
• I suspect that one of the most devious ways to corrupt humility is to fall into a martyr complex, to see our hardships as an incredible burden unjustly inflicted on us.  That perception might be true, but it might not be complete.
• Have you ever had to set aside something that you wanted, maybe wanted very deeply, in favor of a greater good?
• Did you resent that?
• Do you think that your attitude in such situations matters?
• Did you find the grace to see that loss as a gain, your change in plans an opportunity, that pain a chance to draw closer to God?
• Do you think it matters whether you undergo that transformation?
  

• It is the action that counts
  
• We're told that "actions speak louder than words" to help ground our words in authenticity, to help us be truly authentic, to give our words power.  Sometimes, following God is a process that takes time to work through.
• When faced with a tough decision, do you have a process, steps that you generally go through when discerning what you are to do?
• Have you ever started that process with a clear gut feeling of what you wanted, and had to set that aside in favor of something even better?
• How did you pray through that?
• How did those close to you support you in that process?
• Does that process ever get lonely?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God being awesome in His mercy in my life and the life of those around me?
   
2. Do I have the faith to be patient with God?
3. Am I truly open to what God might be working in me through present hardships?
   
4. Where is God calling me to the freedom of letting go?

If Only

As an adolescent growing up, I remember one elder or another in my church,

Looking at me fondly and saying "if only."

If only I had been where you are now when I was your age
I would be so much further along in my walk in the Lord by now.

If only I had not squandered those early years of my life aimlessly
But found purpose and direction in God.

If only I had not been so thoughtless in my youth, so headlong in my pursuit

Of so many things that really didn't matter in the end.

If only I had sought wisdom rather than acquiring, getting, receiving

Where would I be today?

At the time, I never had a proper reply, but I knew enough to say nothing.

If that rhetorical question was put to me today, I might respond -

You are living proof to you, and all of us, of God's rich mercy.

That His mercy is reckless, abundant, and overflowing.

Beyond that, you are proof that His mercy is effective, true, unstoppable.

Like the patient waters that carved the Grand Canyon -

God's mercy shapes us, emerges the beauty that He created in us

Reveals His secret and sacred glory with, in, and through our lives.

That all of us may see His work in you, and all His children

And glory in His patience, trust, courage.

And maybe learn a little patience ourselves.

Shalom!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 55: 6-9
   
2. Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18
   
3. Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a
   
4. Matthew 20: 1-16a
   

• Blue Light Special on mercy
  
• K-mart used to have in store blue light specials that ran for just minutes.  The eager shoppers would throng to one end of the store or another when a blue light special was announced, hoping to score the deal of a lifetime.  I suspect graces and mercy can be similar to those blue light specials.
• Has there been a time when God offered you a grace, some mercy that was particular to a period in your life?  Maybe help getting through the loss of a loved one, help making a momentous decision, ...
• Were you reluctant to accept that grace or mercy in your life?
• Did you eventually let God bless you?
• What do you think would have happened if you had waited longer to fully receive that blessing?
• What might you do differently the next time that God offers you such a blessing?
  

• God is near to you too
  
• We all have much in common.  We are all children of one God.  We are all subject to temptation.  We are all recipients of that Divine Mercy every day of our lives.  And yet, humility is so very hard.
  
• How has humility strengthened your ministry, made you more effective, given you more joy?
• How do you connect with those that you minister to?
• How have you managed to remind yourself that you are not so very different from those whom you minister to?
  

• Freedom of indifference
  
• Ignatian indifference offers us the freedom from our own narrow perspective to an openness to whatever God is offering us in the present.
  
• How would you define "a good death" from a Catholic perspective?
• How would one prepare for such a death, knowing that none of us can control our future?
• How would such a death benefit the rest of your community?
• What can you do today to start preparing?
  

• I'm happy for you
  
• When someone else receives a blessing, some recognition, some reward, it's natural to ask ourselves "why them and not me"?  Lurking underneath that is the question "am I somehow deficient in my service, my results, my character, is that why I was passed over"?  Lurking underneath that question is "does God love me less"?
• What makes you think that God loves you at all?  After all, you know that you have not done anything to deserve His love at all, let along more of His love than anyone else.
• If God were to somehow recognize you for your superlative service, your generosity as His servant, your contributions to His kingdom, what form might that take?
• Was it eventual recognition that drew you into that ministry in the first place?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to respond to His gifts today?
   
2. Am I at all judgemental of others?
3. Do I have the trust I need to embrace my own death?
   
4. Where is God calling me to the freedom of anonymity?

Lifetime Achievement Award

 Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce someone who needs no introduction
Someone well known, appreciated, nay loved by one and all
A true luminary among us, a shining star, an inspiration
Please welcome our guest of honor - <your name here>

Maybe your delusions of grandeur are not nearly so pronounced,
Your dreams of achievement and appreciation not nearly so high flying
Maybe you have learned true humility and the peace that comes with it
But I have not.

As a young man, I envied other's recognition.
Fancying myself eclipsed by those whose talents
While not as important as mine, but were much more visible.
Telling myself that not all of us are called to be quarterbacks in the game of life.

Then I gradually realized that, in many cases
Those superstars really had accomplished a great deal more than I had
They deserved the laurels heaped upon them
And I, I had not achieved as much and should be content.

Then I gradually realized that sometimes the greatest achievements
Are often obscure, quiet, though none the less real.
That there may never be a "proper recognition"
And that Jesus is calling me closer to Him in humility.

Lately, I'm seeing that God blesses His children abundantly
In the abundance of His children
Showering His love with, in, and through all of His sons and daughters.
And it is in the giving and receiving that we fulfill our destiny as His children.

So, I'm trying to find peace in gratitude
Joy in giving without measure
Security in deep trust
And leave the rest up to God.

Give me another few years and I'll tell you how that turns out.

Shalom!

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Sirach 27:30-28:7
   
2. Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
   
3. Romans 14: 7-9
   
4. Matthew 18: 21-35
   

• Sneaking up on forgiveness
  
• It is never easy to forgive.  When another hurts us, we feel helpless.  Sometimes, a hurt is deep enough that we think of vengeance as a means to "right the wrong".  Forgiveness is not about making it as though that hurt had never happened.  Rather, forgiveness is transformative.
• When have you been deeply hurt, maybe even betrayed by someone, maybe even yourself?
• What did that do to your relationship with that person?
• What did that do to your relationship to God?
• Do you feel that you are free from that hurt?
• What do you think that God wants for you in this regard?
  

• Noticing the mercy
  
• Most of us lead good, maybe even exemplary lives.  If pressed, we might confess that we do not have much to confess most of the time.
• When was the last time that you looked back over the past 24 hours of your life to see where/when/how you either moved more towards God or away from Him?
• What did you learn from that?
• Would it be worth the time and effort to do that exercise on a regular basis?
  

• Freedom of indifference
  
• Ignatian indifference is not giving up, nor giving in.  Rather, it is an intentional recognition that there is only one universal good, one final clarion call to draw us forward, one ultimate fulfillment.  Everything else is means to that end, resources to be applied to that one work.  To the extent that we can embrace that glorious singularity of purpose, we know freedom.
• What are you ultimately living for?
• What do you hope to achieve before you die, your spiritual bucket list?
• How did that purpose, that goal shape your life today?
• How should it?
  

• True power
  
• Power is often defined in terms of being able to influence people's thoughts or actions.  But our God's power lies in transformative love that calls forth the very best in us.
• Who is someone that you had to forgive, how did they hurt you?
• How did you come to the realization that you needed to forgive them?
• Was that forgiveness an event or a process?
• How has that forgiveness healed you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to reckless forgiveness?
   
2. Where has God been merciful to me?
3. Do I have the courage to "let go and let God"?
   
4. Where is God calling me to move forward in forgiveness?
   

Shalom!

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Ezekiel 33: 7-9
   
2. Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Romans 13: 8-10
   
4. Matthew 18: 15-20
   

• Radical humility
  
• If we think about it, one reason we don't speak up when we see injustice, corruption, oppression is that we're afraid that we might be wrong about it all, that we might not have the last word on what we are seeing.
• How do you think that prophets mature in life?
• How would you define a false prophet?
• Is this someone who says the wrong thing as God's revelation?
• Or is the false prophet someone who says something with the wrong motivation?
• How do present-day prophets speak?
• Do you think that the message emerges, matures, comes to fruition in the course of sharing it with others?
• How would you know if God gifted you with a message to share/bear?
  

• Seeking a soft heart
  
• Our God is a God of second chances.  We don't have to be right the first time (though that saves a lot of grief if we are right the first time) but our God stands ready to welcome us back if we are willing to admit that our first response to a situation was less than God's best for us.
• Think of a time when your first response was less than your best.
• How did you come to realize that?
• What made it difficult to admit that you had missed the mark?
• What did you do to make that right again?
• How might you make that whole process easier in the future?
  

• First do no harm
  
• A true friend is one who is somewhat prophetic in your life, someone whom you trust to have your best interests at heart, even when you yourself don't know or understand your best interests.
• Have you ever had a close friend tell you something that you didn't want to hear?
• What happened to that relationship in the wake of that exchange?
• Did your trust in them increase, or decrease?
• Do you ever wish that you had more such friends?
• What could you do to cultivate such vital relationships?
  

• Everyone is offended
  
• A tee shirt that I'm fond of says "Just because you're offended doesn't mean that you're right".  Sometimes, we have a right to be offended, but we hesitate to say anything because we are afraid that our being offended will offend.  Matthew 7: 3-5 teaches us how to gently offer correction with humility.
• What are some blind spots that you have in your life, things about you that you don't notice?
• How do you even know that you have blind spots?
• Is there anyone in your life that you could comfortably go to and ask them whether something that you said or did was appropriate, life giving, holy?
• Are you that person to anyone else?
• Why?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God offering me a chance to speak up/speak out on His behalf?
2. Do I genuinely desire a soft heart before God and His people?
3. Am I humble enough to accept correction in my life?
   
4. Where is God calling to me to more freedom?

Shalom!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Jeremiah 20: 7-9
   
2. Psalms 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
   
3. Romans 12: 1-2
   
4. Matthew 16: 21-27
   

• Honesty in prayer
  
• Maybe we feel that God will be offended.  After all, these days it seems as though just about everyone is offended by something/someone.  Maybe we think that God, in all of His glory, is not interested in how we really feel.  But the great heroes of the Bible gave God a piece of their minds, and did so frequently.
• Have you ever been angry, frustrated with, or disappointed in God?
• Did you talk to Him about your feelings?
• How do you think that made God Feel?
• Did you think to ask Him?
  

• Longing for God
  
• What is it about God that attracts you?  Is it the sense of purpose that you find in His service, maybe the community that He has called you into, the sense of being part of something bigger than just yourself, or is it more personal?
• Think of three things that are essential to who God is that you want more of in your life.
• For each of those, what stands in your way, why do you feel you don't have enough of those right now?
• Imagine what it would be like for you to have those blessings in abundance.
• Pray that vision.
  

• Transformational theology
  
• I found this meditation on the wounds borne by the risen Christ.  It's a little lengthy, but very well done.
• Is there an experience or even a full chapter in your life that you would rather never happened at all?
• How has that part of your past affected you since then?
• Do you think that God wants to heal that, or transform it?
• How might God use that part of your past to make you a better person today?
• How can you help God in that soul work?
  

• The resilience of humility
  
• Take note that this Gospel immediately follows Peter giving voice to his recognition of just who Jesus is.  Seems rather ironic that poor Peter goes from head of the class to almost a suspension in just a few verses.  A more humble response on his part might have been something like "Lord, I'm terribly confused and astonished.  Help me in my confusion."
• What are some things in your life, your perspective, that have limited what you can accept from God in your life?
• Do you think that you would be better able to accept those things, be more free in your life now than you were then?
• Can you think of any way to cultivate resilience (call it flexibility, or even "rolling with the punches") in your life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God offering me a chance to speak up/speak out on His behalf?
2. Am I pursuing my God-given longings in life?
3. What blocks my trust in God?
   
4. Where is God calling to me to more freedom?

Shalom!

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 21th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 22: 19-23
   
2. Psalms 138: 1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
   
3. Romans 11: 33-36
   
4. Matthew 16: 13-20
   

• Finding your place
  
• Shebna was the king's right hand man, a person of enormous influence in Israel.  But Shebna was looking for more than even that position was due.  Shakespeare tells a similar story of tragic out of control ambition in Macbeth.
• What are your ambitions for your spiritual life?
• Do you think that you'll be ministering the same exact way that you are today in another five years?
• If God suddenly called you into some other role, even some other place, how would you take that?
• Do you think that God might be calling you to anything to prepare you for that next chapter in your life in His service?
  

• Celebrating God in prayer
  
• God's greatest act of ongoing love for us is to help us continue to unfold, continue to grow, continue to become more like Him, and in so doing become more like that man or woman that God made us to be.
• Intercessory prayer comes down to asking God to be true to God's own nature in our lives and the lives of others.
• We often see psalms reminding God of who God is, as a preamble to a request.  Got needs no such reminding, but we often do.  How do you remind/celebrate God's character?
• Is it a loving response on your part to invite God to act from His central character, His personality in our world?
• Would you have it any other way?
  

• Foundations of trust
  
• In our age, cynicism is a national pastime.  We sneer at anyone who trusts those in authority to do the right thing for the right reasons, we hesitate to believe what we hear, no matter who we hear it from.  For many, trust is equal to naivete.
• Why do you trust God?  Is it because He has proven Himself?  Because you have heard testimony of God's trustworthiness from others?  Is it because you have no choice but to trust?
• Does God have to explain Himself to us?
• Why not?
• Do you think that you could be happier if you trusted more?
• What is holding you back from that greater trust?
  

• Lonely at the top
  
• It's hard to know what went through Peter's mind when Jesus broke the news to him that he was going to be in a position of authority in the Kingdom.  Being a good Jewish boy, I'm sure one thing that crossed his mind was "Mom will be so proud."  Or perhaps "Maybe now, those rotten brothers of mine will show me a little respect."
• To what extent is your congregation/parish a family for you?
• To what extent is your family a community for you?
• Have you ever found ways to support those in authority?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God offering me more profound humility?
2. Why do I pray?
3. What blocks my trust in God?
   
4. Where is God calling to me to support my leadership in love and respect?

 What are you building?

By nature, I am a strategist.
I like to see the big picture.
I want to know where the matter in hand fits in.

Others I know are content to do as they are told
Asking only that the expectations they are held to be clear.
The work itself being reward enough.

I try to pray the prayer of unknowing:
God, I have no idea where this effort is going, when it will get there, or what will happen -
What matters is that my hands and feet are bringing me closer to you.

But a part of me, a part that I believe is God-given, craves assurance.
Assurance that today really matters.
Assurance that what I am pouring my heart into will amount to something in the end.

And so I pray that I can find that assurance in trust.
Trust that God has a plan, that I am part of that plan.
And that all of His followers are part of that plan along with me, unseen though they may be.

Even if you and I disagree, I have come to believe that God can be using both of us.
And on my better days, I can just believe that God needs both of us -
Keeping watch over each other in a dynamic tension that is both painful and creative.

And I have come to believe that what looks like a reversal, a failure, a death
Can be transformed, reawakened, resurrected to new life if I but trust enough -
Trust enough to enter that dark valley in the first place.

I doubt the big picture will come to me in a flash.
I only hope that I am attentive as God reveals Himself in the time ahead.
And that I will learn to need a blueprint less and less -

As God executes that plan in me more and more.

Shalom!