29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

• Finding meaning
  
• Life can be hard to understand at times.  Events can be cruel, even twisted.  Tragedy strikes for no apparent reason, leaving us feeling vulnerable, and shaken.  Things like a terminal disease in a young child, the death of a person before their time, war in the Middle East all strain our ability to cope, strain our faith.
• Think of something that's happened to you that really challenged your faith.
• Do you have any idea why God allowed that to happen to you?
• Do you feel that God was with you through that tragedy?
• What was your prayer through that trial?
• What was God's answer?
• Does God always owe us an answer in such times of trouble?
  

• Our God is an awesome God
  
• A Michael Smith rendition of Awesome God can be found here.  It is quite stirring for a number of reasons, among them the talent and raw power of the performance.
• What are some events/seasons in your life that showed God to be awesome?
• What character traits of God shone through in those events?
• How did that experience change your image of God?
• How did that experience change your image of yourself?
• For those of us who attended Greg's funeral, did any of you find any awesomeness there?
  

• Labor of love
  
• Paul speaks of "work produced by faith, labor prompted by love".  I wanted to know why he distinguished between work and labor.  According to some, labor seems to me to be an expression of the Spirit.  Something that we can prepare for, be open to, but never really control.
• What is an event, passage in your life, decision that you made, that was an inspiration?
• What had gone on in your life that prepared you for that?
• How was it that you were open to that inspiration?
• Did you think at the time that you really could answer such a call?
  

• Coin of the realm
  
• St. Ignatius published the First Principle and Foundation as part of his Spiritual Exercises.  In those few paragraphs, St. Ignatius rather starkly sets the context for our lives on this earth, and the purpose of everything around us: to serve and glorify God.
• What are things in your life that make it hard to stay focused on God?
• Why are they important to you?
• What might life be like without them?
• How do you decide whether let something now into your life?
• How do you decide when to let something go?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to appreciate His blessings?
   
2. How am I celebrating the community of believers that I find myself in?
3. Where is God calling me to find His contentment in my life?
   
4. Where is God calling me to enjoy His abundance?

Full Time Poet

My editor sent me to a little village to interview a local poet.
Upon entering the quaint hamlet, I asked where he might be.
"Hard to say for sure" said a grizzled villager.
"He frequents several spots.  They are all by the river.
He likes to sit, ponder the passing water,
And God only knows what else."

So I made my way to the river, looking for likely places to sit.
Finally coming upon a lone figure at ease on a fallen log.
Back straight, head up, his hair flowing gently in the morning breeze.
So very still, as though he were a statue, so profound was his rest.
I felt a sympathetic hush from the forest that he and I were in.
As though creation was meditating with him, each finding themselves in the other.

I broke the silence without intent, a twig breaking beneath me.
Without looking, he said "welcome stranger, come sit awhile."

"How do you know that I'm a stranger?" I asked timidly.

"No one from these parts comes looking for me anymore.

The passing animals are more stealthy than any human.

So I knew you to be neither beast, nor local man."

"What do you do here, in this solitude of yours?" I asked.

"Write poetry.  Seek meaning.  Talk to God in all things."

I looked around.  There was no pen, no papers, no Samsung tablet.

In fact, the poet had nothing but the clothes on his back a floppy hat, and a canteen.

"Do you memorize your poems as you think of them?"

I asked, subconsciously trying to find his methods.

"What I do here is labor.  It comes unbidden, like a deer or fox.

I do not control the timing, the content, or the depth of inspiration.

I just know that I need to be open to it a good part of each day.

Then, at the end of the day, when the sky folds in on itself,

The stars come out of hiding, and the forest night shift commences,

I go back to my cabin and see what of today craves recording on paper.

Sometimes, I go for weeks at a time without ever putting anything down.

Sometimes, the words come in a torrent from some bottomless well.

I only know that I need to be ready to pass along what I have first received.

Be faithful to who I am as a writer.

Be generous to myself and those whom I serve with, in, and through my writing.

And this brings me contentment and peace."

Trying to to decide whether he was compensated fairly for his work, I asked:

"And how much do you think you bring in in a year?"

"Don't try to measure the unfathomable."  He said.

"But you work hard at this, I've seen your work, you deserve notoriety, security, ..."

He slowly answered as if from a great distance: "Work is what I do to sustain this body.

What I do here, and at my desk at home are labor.  Freely received, freely given.

I have just one question for you.

What is your labor?"

Shalom!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 25: 6-10a
   
2. Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
   
3. Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20
   
4. Matthew 22: 1-14
   

• Finding abundance
  
• God's blessings are never "just enough" but overflowing.  The wine at the wedding at Cana, the left over bread at the feeding of the five thousand, the care that Jesus showed to the outcast, the marginalized, and the forgotten.
• Do you think that God's abundance applies to this life as well as the next?
• How has God blessed you abundantly?
• When was the last time that you shared that blessing with others?
  

• Living in the house of the Lord
  
• Community within the Church is sometimes hard to see.  We don't live in a designated area of the city, we don't wear distinctive clothing, we don't eat special food, and we can be found in almost every line of work imaginable.  So what defines us?
• A friend comes to you and tells you that they want to become Catholic.  Of course you know to direct them to the RCIA inquiry team, but your job is not done there.  You ask why they would want to do that.  What might their answer be?
• If they were to ask you "what is the hardest part of being Catholic"?  What would you say?
• Is it worth it?
  

• Transcendent contentment
  
• Your cellular provider wants to make sure that you are not settling for merely adequate service.  They don't want for you to be content with anything less than the service that they can provide.  But God calls us to a contentment that goes beyond mere goods and services.
  
• Are you content with your life now?
• Would you still be content if there were significant changes in your life?
• What do you base your contentment on?
• What is the minimum in your life that you need to be content?
  

• Come to the feast
  
• Getting things done when we expect to get to them, in the way that we expect to do them, by the time that we hope to get them done is the definition of happiness for some.  Not for others though.
• Have you ever been surprised by God?  Something that came into your life totally unexpected that you had to make room for in your life?
• What did you have to set aside to make room for that?
• How did you decide that this new opportunity was from God?
• Would you do it again?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to appreciate His blessings?
   
2. How am I celebrating the community of believers that I find myself in?
3. Where is God calling me to find His contentment in my life?
   
4. Where is God calling me to enjoy His abundance?

A Place at the Table

I came to the wedding feast at the appointed time. 
Gift in hand, I was tastefully dressed  as befit the occasion.

I found myself seated next to a total stranger.
Which did not surprise me, given how different he was.

I could tell his wedding garment was thrown over much meaner garb.
His hair had no sheen of fine oil the way that mine did.

He kept looking around, gazing at what must have seemed endless splendor to him.
For my part, I began to wonder when the wine would make its appearance.

He turned to me and said "I so appreciate being invited.
The groom and I used to play together as children."

I concluded that our host's family had come up in the world since then.
Where is that wine?

He went on "this family has been generous to my village for years,
Helping us when crops were poor, sending in seed for the planting."

I could hardly imagine why my host would bother, it's just one lonely village.
But, I suppose, that's the glory of wealth, you can spend it however you like.

Trumpets blasted, cymbals clashed, doors thrown open, and the bridal party appeared.
Our host came in with the bridal party, dressed unaccountably simple.

Suddenly, his hand was on my shoulder, his face stern.
"My friend, you have not donned the attire that I gave you."

"Instead, you have chosen to flaunt your good fortune, set yourself apart.
You are not clothed in humility.

This feast is for those able to see abundance in all blessings,
See past the surface riches that this world chases after.

I'm afraid you do not belong here.
Please allow my servants to attend you to the door."

Not welcome!  Well, there was no reason for me to put up with such treatment.
I only regret that they didn't serve that wine sooner.

Shalom!

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!