Corpus Christi Sunday

Our readings for Corpus Christi Sunday are:

1. Exodus 24: 3-8
   
2. Psalms 116: 12-13, 15-16, 17-18
   
3. Hebrews 9: 11-16
   
4. Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26
   

• Exchange of gifts
  
• The blood of the covenant that Moses sprinkled on the people made them one with the sacrifice that the nation offered that day.  The sprinkling of holy water on us reminds us that we are one with Jesus, and hence, with each other in our baptism.
• How does that oneness of the Body of Christ color the way that you look at God's children?
• How does that oneness of the Body of Christ influence the way that you treat others in the Church parking lot?
• How does that oneness of the Body of Christ influence the way that you treat your family members?
• How should it?
  

• Taking the cup of life
  
• Drinking of a cup has no reservations, no ability to pick and choose what you partake of.  Either you down it, or you don't.  Throughout the Bible there are a number of cups celebrated, each a blessing, each an adventure into greater trust.  To choose to drink of God's cup is to choose not to drink of so many other cups.
  
• What is a cup that you have have to set aside?  It might be the cup of revenge, bitterness, anger, greed, envy.
• How did you come to know that you had to set that cup aside?
• Was that "setting aside" a one-time event, a process, or is it still ongoing?
  

• Standing unblemished before the Unblemished Lamb
  
• Jesus came in the flesh to redeem us, not from the flesh, but in the flesh.
• What are some of the ways that you have found God in your flesh?  Maybe it's the the cool feel of holy water on your forehead when you bless yourself entering Church.  Maybe it's the freshness of the morning on your skin when you first leave your house to greet the dawn.  Maybe it's the touch of a loved one, calling you in the gift that you are.
• Do you think that your flesh helps, hinders, or some of each in your walk with God?
• Why do you think that God gave us these bodies?
• Do you think that we'll have them in the resurrection?
• How should we treat them now, if that's the case?
  

• Worship in the preparation
  
• Between Lazarus' sisters Mary & Martha, I tend to be more like Martha.  I like preparation.  It helps me feel invested in the experience to come, to feel a part.  Once a celebration begins, I try to switch gears into Mary mode and be more for the moment, but it's hard.  The disciples had to get everything ready for that first Mass.  I wonder if they knew how many precedents there were starting that evening?
• Have you ever let the preparations for a liturgy, prayer service, presentation, ... run away with you so that you cannot enjoy the event itself?
• How do you know when you have prepared enough?
• How do you know what needs to go into the preparation?
• Have you ever been surprised at the Spirit for stepping in and making a miracle happen when you least expected it?
• Why do those happen?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to deeper respect for His Presence in others?
   
2. Where might God be inviting me to set aside a distraction in my life?
   
3. How can I be more sensitive to God's Presence in my body?
   
4. Where might I be missing God of the moment?

Every Night is Holy

The sun hovers over the horizon.
Giving us precious minutes more before the start of Passover.

Hours have flown by as we readied this room for the meal.
Transforming it from a rude loft into a sanctuary of remembrance.

A place where we, Jesus' friends, can tell the sacred stories.
And remind each other of who we are, the roads we have trodden, where we are going.

Stories that have, of late, all come together and found their culmination in Jesus.
Stories that all lead here, right now, tonight.

Once again we will remind each other that we are delivered,
Free of Pharoh, free of our own sins, free to worship in spirit and in truth.

Once again we will step into Eternity and walk with Father Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Take the hand of our ancestors and again let them lead us to the Promised Land as God's People.

This night is special above all nights for we celebrate deliverance.
This Passover is special above all Passovers that we have celebrated with Jesus.

The rest of the disciples are arriving, and this moment breathes wonder like no other.
So much so that every evening for the rest of our lives is made sacred.

Every night can be a Passover if we let it.
Every touch a sacrament if we allow it.

Come Lord Jesus and recline with us.
Let us share ourselves with you, and you with us.

Let us find our way to radical generosity and reckless love by the light of Your Presence.
Let us light the way for others as well.

Help us to step into deliverance in our giving away of ourselves.

Shalom!

Holy Trinity Sunday

Our readings for Holy Trinity Sunday are:

1. Deuteronomy 4: 32-34, 39-40
   
2. Psalms 33: 4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
   
3. Romans 8: 14-17
   
4. Matthew 28: 16-20
   

• Why am I here?
  
• My in-laws were married for more than 60 years when Jean, my mother-in-law died of cancer.  Bob, her husband, was not the sort to complain much, but I got to spend a fair amount of time around him in the years after Jean's death.  Every once in awhile, Bob would ask "with Jean gone, why am I still here?"
• Jesuit theology tells us that each of us is here to participate in the ongoing unfolding of God's creation.  That creation is a process, not an event, not a big bang.  And we're a part of that process.
• What are some things that you have done that were particularly creative?  It might be a proposal for a new organization structure, raising children, building a house, writing poetry, you name it.
• Where was God in that?
• Would the world be a poorer place if you had refused to do that bit of creating?
• How do you see God preparing you for that creation experience?
  

• Finding trust
  
• Usually, we learn to trust another by observing their behavior over a period of time.  We begin to develop a sense of what that other person's principles are, what they value, how they live, and from that we learn to trust them.
• How well do you trust God?
• What is that trust based on?
• Has God always given you what you asked for, when you asked for it?
• Did God always/ever explain God's self to you so that you could tell why He behaved the way that He did?
• If someone were to tell you "I cannot believe in a loving God who allows such misery and pain in the world, what would you tell them?
  

• Suffering with Jesus
  
• Brad DuFault once told me of a story that has stuck with me for years.  Brad used to work at the Long Beach Rescue mission three times a week.  He would show up in his work grubbies, and just start in with whatever needed to be done that day.  A prospective donor came by to check the place out, and seeing Brad, he immediately presumed that Brad was one of the homeless, and he treated Brad with that assumption.  Upon reflection, Brad saw that as a gift, to get just a glimpse of what Jesus' ministry was, and is like.
• What are some ways that you have gotten close to the people that you minister to?
• How did that change you?
• Did you come away from that experience feeling more grounded, authentic?
  

• Comfort in the Journey
  
• We are a pilgrim people.  If you define a shrine as a place that has become holy, a place where God frequently visits, then, in some ways, we are always en route from one shrine to another.  Sometimes we are called to rebuild a shrine that has been forgotten and desecrated, other times it is to form a new shrine by celebrating God's ongoing action and tabernacling in our lives.
• Where are some sacred places in your life?
• What makes them sacred for you?
• What about sacred times, seasons, people?
• Is it also true that God is everywhere, at all time?
• What does that tell you about the here and now and these people around you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to deeper trust?
   
2. Where might God be showing you love that you are not ready to recognize as such?
   
3. How can I be more sensitive to God's direction in my life?
   
4. Where might God be inviting me into my next pilgrimage?

Shalom!

Pentecost

Our readings for Pentecost Sunday of Easter 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
   

• Revelation among us
  
• Pentecost was a transformation.  The Spirit transformed a band of confused and fearful followers of Jesus into focused, and courageous apostles who set out to transform the world around them.  Sometimes, it's hard to believe that that call is still there, or that it applies to all of us.
• How are you making the world a better place?
• Are you more effective at that than someone in your position who doesn't know Jesus?
• Where is God transforming you lately?
• Where would you like for God to transform you?
  

• Finding renewal
  
• Renewal should be an ongoing process, rather than a tectonic upheaval that ambushes us at seemingly unpredictable times.  Renewal draws us into reevaluation of our faith practices to make sure that they are still relevant to the challenges facing us in the moment, and still a reflection of our core principles.
• Where do you see renewal in our Church?
• Where do you see renewal in our parish?
• Where do you see renewal in your family?
• Your own life?
  

• Job description
  
• I once recommended to a directee that he build a spiritual resume.  List his experience as a Catholic, where he felt that God had met him in particularly palpable ways, ministries that he had participated in, places in his life where he felt that he had made a difference, and finish it off with a summary of the position in God's kingdom that he was looking to fill.
• What would you put into such a resume?
• What do you think that God has prepared you for?
• Does any of that sound exciting?
• Do you think that you'll be surprised by what God leads you into in the years ahead?
• How does that make you feel?
  

• Peace be with you
  
• Peace can be an elusive quality in life, particularly when there are multiple forces all clamoring for our attention, all urgent, none of them willing to take a back burner.
• Why do you value peace?
• What happens to you/in you when you are not at peace?
• How do you achieve piece?
• Do you think that you can make a habit of peace?
• If peace can be defined as "harmony between God's will in your life and your actions", do you think that it's possible to achieve such peace more and more in your life?
• Is stress the opposite of peace?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to face a rewrite of my world view?
   
2. Where might God be renewing you today?
   
3. How can I be more sensitive to God's direction in my life?
   
4. Where might God be inviting me into greater peace?

Planting the trees

The special auger truck pulled up in front of my house one day.

Carefully positioned the giant bit, and dug a perfect hole in just the right spot.

A few hours later, another crew came and filled in each hole, and left.

I caught up to one of the crews filling in the holes, and asked the obvious question.

They told me that the guy who puts the trees into the holes had called out sick that day.

I never seemed to fit in anywhere when I was a youngster.

I envied superheroes that had unique and valued powers.

Not so much because I wanted to be a hero, 

But because I wanted to be useful.

I wanted to always know my cue to march onto the stage, fulfill my destiny, and exit.

I figured that if I was particularly gifted at filling in holes, 

Then every time I saw a hole, my calling would be evident.

I would fulfill my destiny by filling that baby to the brim, tamp it down, 

And know that I had done what I was born for, come what may,

Without having to agonize over what I brought to the table that day.

I'm slowly getting better at this superhero thing.

Some days, my job is to go grab some trees and plant them before the holes gets filled.

Some days, my job is to get the crews making and filling the holes doing something else.

Some days, my job is to find someone else to plant the trees.

Some days, my job is to improve the scheduling system.

I don't have to be the best at anything anymore.

I think its more important that I show up on time, see the need in front of me, and meet it.

By whatever means the Spirit calls me to in the moment.

I don't have to be wildly successful anymore.

Just recklessly available, courageous in the face of uncertainty, humble before all else.

After all, no one likes a holier than thou attitude.

Shalom!

Ascension Sunday

Our readings for Ascension Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 1: 1-11
   
2. Psalm 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Ephesians 1: 17-23
   
4. Mark 16: 15-20
   

• Jesus has left the building
  
• I often wonder what it was like for that first couple of generations of Christians after Jesus left them.  If I had been there, I would have wondered why He had to leave at all.  If I had been one of the apostles, I might have felt abandoned, and inadequate for the work that Jesus had so suddenly bequeathed to His us, His followers.
• If you were asked to find someone to replace you in one or more of your ministries, what would you look for in that new person?
• Doubtless, you would want to train them in their expected new role.  How would you train them?
• How would you know when they are ready to take over?
• How would you pass your roles and responsibilities over to them?
• How would you gracefully step aside when the time came?
  

• God mounts His throne
  
• As Americans, we tend to reserve judgment regarding our leaders.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.  So an unrivaled monarch strikes us as nothing less than disaster waiting for an opportunity to strike.  But our God is incorruptible, because He is ever true to His true nature, His principals are unfailing, His integrity eternal.
• Just because God is incorruptible doesn't mean that His servants are incorruptible.  Is it even possible for us to aspire to being true, and faithful to the destiny that God has planted in each of our hearts?
• Can you think of anyone who has encouraged to live up to your destiny in one way or another?
• How did you react to that call at the time?
• Who are the ones that you are calling to step into the fullness of their potential in God?
• How could you get better at that encouragement and affirmation of others?
  

• Welcome home
  
• You only die once.  It might not hurt to do a dry run or two at your own death.
• Imagine yourself outside of the heavenly city.  A vast throng is coming towards you, rejoicing that you have made it.
• Who are some of the folks you hope to see in that welcome delegation?
• What do you hope that they will say to you when they draw near?
• What are you doing today to make sure that reunion is joyful and joy filled?
  

• Finding freedom
  
• The disciples' following Jesus' retreating form as He ascended reminds me of those folks who stay in the theater after the movie is over, hoping for some good out takes, or an Easter egg of some sort to indicate what the next sequel will bring.  I suspect that deep down, they were wondering to themselves "now what?"  They had to move on.
• What is something that you have had to move on from before you could be truly free, truly able to step into the next chapter of your life?  It could be saying goodbye to the child to make room for the adult, finding it in your heart to forgive another, moving into a new way of celebrating your faith ...
• How did you know that you needed to leave that behind?
• How did you mourn that loss?
• Would it have made any sense to try to speed up that mourning process?
• How did your community help in that process?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to face a rewrite of my world view?
   
2. Where might God be revealing Himself through me to another?
   
3. Where is God calling me to take a longer view of my life?
   
4. Where might God be inviting me into greater joy?

Proclaiming the Gospel

The elderly apostle shuffled to the front of the meeting room, lovingly supported on either side.
They gently lowered him into the chair reserved for him and quietly took their seats.

"Children", he began, "I learned something the other day that I want to pass on to you."
"I was telling another church about the time that Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus.

Suddenly, I was back there with them so many years gone by.  I could smell the perfume.
And I could feel the tension in the room when Judas objected to such reckless love.

I remember thinking to myself that I, too, wondered at such an expense.
Wondering at such extravagance.  Wondering whether it was a waste.

And for the first time, I realized that was the whole point.
Our God pours out His graces and blessings on us day after day.

He never runs out, not now, not tomorrow, not ever.
And if we follow Him faithfully, neither will we.

In the telling of the tale, in the reliving of that blessed experience, in the giving that away,
In the giving it away was when I finally realized what it meant.

And I realized that there was doubtless more for me to learn from that encounter with Jesus.
And it is only in sharing that, experiencing it again and again with others -

That I'll ever really get to know the ongoing revelation of Jesus in my life and yours.
Don't just sit there waiting for me to speak from cherished memories.

Instead, let us renew each other, strengthen each other, be the Presence of Jesus for each other
Be the Gospel for, with, and through each other, that in the sharing of our stories -

In the sharing of our stories, we may deepen the revelation of Jesus to us
All of us, through each of us.

Shalom!

6th Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 10: 25-26, 34-34, 44-48
   
2. Psalm 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4
   
3. 1 John 4: 7-10
   
4. John 15: 9-17
   

• Being nimble
  
• I'm sure that Peter had a lovely speech ready for the occasion when he entered Cornelius' house.  But the Holy Spirit unexpectedly fell upon the gathered assembly and rewrote the agenda for that encounter.  I'm impressed by how quickly Peter got on board.
  
• Has God ever surprised you by His generosity to someone else?
• How did that generosity make you feel at the time?
• How gracious were you about accepting that God would be that generous?
  

• Revelation in our time
  
• In one sense, we Catholics claim that the deposit of faith closed with the death of the last apostle. At that point, there was no longer anyone alive who had observed Jesus first hand, seen His works, heard His voice.  But in a very real sense God continues to reveal Himself to us in new ways every day.
• Who are some of the folks who have revealed God to you?
• How did that happen in your life?
• How did that revelation change/deepen your relationship to that other person?
• How did that revelation change/deepen your relationship to God?
• Do you think that you might be that light of the Gospel to anyone else?
  

• Incarnational emptying
  
• True love for another seeks the good of the other above all else.  And the greatest good that we can wish for in another is that they draw closer to God, step more fully into their ultimate destiny as a child of God.  To do that, we first have to set aside our own expectations of the other, our own narrative and seek to help the other to hear God's voice in their lives.  Sort of like Ignatian spiritual direction.
• Have you ever had a hard time listening empathically, really listening to another?
• What was holding you back?  Was it your own desires, expectations, lack of time, lack of patience, ...?
• How did you eventually get past that?
  

• Finding joy
  
• I think that joy might be defined as "finding yourself in just the right place, at the right time, doing that which you were born for, finding the culmination of your life up to that point, and stepping boldly into all that the future holds."  As such, joy is not an event, it does not depend really on what is happening around us.  All that a life of joy asks of us is to follow Jesus with all our hearts.
• What are some times when you have found true joy?
• How did you get there?
• Why do you think that came to an end (if it ever did)?
• Do you feel that we can be full of joy at all times?
• Why?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to face a rewrite of my world view?
   
2. Where might God be revealing Himself to me that I am not sensitive to?
   
3. Where is God calling me to set aside my own agenda?
   
4. Where might God be inviting me into greater joy?

Shalom!

5th Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the fifth Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 9: 26-31
   
2. Psalm 22: 26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
   
3. 1 John 3: 18-24
   
4. John 15: 1-8
   

• Transforming grace
  
• Saul had planned to go to Damascus, round up some Christians, and bring them to Jerusalem for trial.  Instead, he went to Damascus, got converted, and came back to Jerusalem, but on a totally different mission.  No one sent Paul to "apostle boot camp".  Instead, his past study, his devotion to God, his years of prayer were all put to use, just from a totally different vantage point.
• When is a time when your point of view on someone or something changed drastically?
• Why did that happen at that point in your life?
• How did you feel going into that shift in your perspective?
• How did that change you?
• Is that experience still changing you today?
  

• Known by their descendants
  
• All of us want to see our children and grandchildren grow up with the same values that we have.  After all, we worked hard to develop the values that we have, we know that our values have led to a meaningful and rewarding life.  We want that for our descendants.
• How are your children and grandchildren different from you as far as how they approach life?
• How do you explain those differences?
• How do you pray for those next generations?
• What do you see in their future?

• Ever emerging
  
• What does it mean to be full of the Spirit?
• For the person full of the Spirit, how do you think that they make their decisions in life?
• Do you wish that you could live that way?
• How do you think that we become more and more full of God's spirit?
• What's stopping you?
  

• Finding freedom
  
• Pruning is all about sacrificing in order to be more focused, more tightly purposed.  It's often painful.  Sometimes needlessly so.
• How do you know when to allow a new demand into your life?  It might be a new relationship, a new set of season tickets, a new volunteer organization that you've always wanted to support ...
• How do you make room for new things in your life?
• How do you know when it's time to prune something that may have been very meaningful once, but now is no longer needed.
• Is it sinful to be burned out?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to face a rewrite of my world view?
   
2. Where might God be calling me to trust His faithfulness in my descendant's lives?
   
3. Where is God calling me to the next right thing?
   
4. Where might God be inviting me into greater freedom by shedding something in my life?

Nothing gets wasted

All of our days are numbered.
Most of us mercifully don't happen to know what that number is.

We want so much to be meaningful, accomplished, worthy of this life.
So that, in the end, when the final curtain falls on our life, we know that we did well.

And if there's only so many days left in my calendar,
How should I spend them, where should that precious time be invested, what goals define me?

For years I worked for a community that, in the end, decided that I had outlived my usefulness.
I'm still trying to figure out whether it bothers me more that they thought that of me -

Or that they just might be right.
Either way, it's a frightening commentary on all of those years, the late nights, the lost weekends.

I got into teaching, and now I wonder -
Why didn't I make this switch a long time ago, and not waste all of that time?

I tell myself that I have much to pass along to my students
That I would never have learned myself without those "wasted" years.

Just lately, I'm coming to a place that finds peace, not in finding hidden treasures in my past.
But rather, learning to trust that God is able to to redeem anything, if only we let Him.

That the miracle of these few short days that I have, that we all have together -
Is that God can take whatever we give Him, and fashion a miracle out of it.

That God can use my life to bring new life to others.
I just need to be humble enough to get out of God's way.

Shalom!

4th Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the fourth Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 4: 8-12
   
2. Psalm 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29
   
3. 1 John 3: 1-2
   
4. John 10: 11-18
   

• The unforgivable sin
  
• Falling into sin is rarely very dramatic.  Instead, we get more and more invested in a lie of one sort or another, until we lose the ability to see any other alternative but to support and shore up that lie.  Jesus continues to be crucified today by those who cannot bear to be confronted with the truth.  There, but for the grace of God, go I.
• Think of a time where you have lived a lie.  Maybe you did something that bothered you at the time, but you took the easy way out and tried to cover it up.
• What did you have to do to protect that cover up?
• How did you eventually break free of that vicious cycle?
• How was God present to you in all of that?
  

• Sleeping soundly
  
• It's usually hard to do when someone tells you "trust me".  They tell you that they have something "covered", that it has been or will be handled, and that you need to "let it go".  Usually, when that sort of conversation goes on, red flags go up because we fear that we are being kept in the dark for some unknown reason.
• Why do you think that God asks for trust from us?
• When was a time that you profoundly trusted God to come through in your life?
• What were you expecting God to do/be for you in that circumstance?
• Did God come through?
• Did God totally surprise you?
• How can we intentionally build greater trust?
  

• Ever emerging
  
• One thread of Ignatian spirituality is that all of creation is still unfolding, and that God calls us to be part of that process.  Our stepping into our destiny occurs in and through the same awakening of creation itself.  We and the rest of creation are all one in this redemptive process.
• How would you define redemption and salvation?
• Are those two processes/goals an end to be achieved, a process to walk in, both, neither, both and more?
• How are other people, communities impacting/responsible for your own redemption and salvation?
• Given that, how ought you to be supporting those other parts of the gradually unfolding creation story?
  

• Giving it all away
  
• Another thread in Ignatian spirituality is that we need to be on the alert for disordered attachments.  An attachment becomes disordered when it comes between us and God.  That attachment could be anything.  A favorite place, a person that we dearly love being around, an activity, even a devotion.
• What is some thing in your life that you are very devoted to?
• Does that bring you closer to Jesus, or farther away?
• How would you recognize it if that thing in your life became an end in itself, rather than a means to God?
• What would you do then?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to face the truth in some part of my life?
   
2. Where might God be calling me to greater trust?
   
3. Where is God giving me the strength to walk in His way?
   
4. Where might God be inviting me into greater freedom by shedding something in my life?

Funny sheep

The Jesus people were always a little "out there".
They felt that a day without bringing at least one person to Jesus was a day wasted.
They were all about the abundant graces of God,
How God had saved them from countless forms of destruction.

I remember listening to their testimonies.
And wondered to myself what I had in common with such folk.
My God was much more calm, genteel, mannerly.
My life was placid, dependable, orderly.

But I've learned that my God can work with and through the messy.
I've learned that being open to Him breaking into the moment is key.
I've learned that I need His grace more than I could ever know.
I've learned to take nothing for granted in this life.

I have more in common with those Jesus people than I knew.
I need my God just as much as they ever did.
I just need to learn to celebrate that need, and God's abundance.
And embrace that I'm just another of those "funny sheep" in His fold.

Shalom!