18th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23
2. Psalms 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
3. Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11
4. Luke 12: 13-21

• Let it go

• We've all said to ourselves "if I knew then what I know now, ...".  When were some times that you would have done things differently, or done different things, had you known how it was all going to turn out in the end?
• How do you really know if/whether something that you put your time and energy into is a waste of time?
• Do you think that we are always going to know the full extent of the impact of our actions and words?

• Counting the days - Philip James Bailey perhaps says it best:

We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.
And he whose heart beats quickest lives the longest:
Lives in one hour more than in years do some
Whose fat blood sleeps as it slips along their veins.
Life’s but a means unto an end; that end,
Beginning, mean, and end to all things—God.
The dead have all the glory of the world.

• By what yardstick do you measure your accomplishments in this life, by what means do you judge yourself?
• What makes for a successful existence in your view of life?

• So what's so bad about passion

• What are some things that you are decidedly passionate about?
• Where do you think that those passions came from?
• Do you think that God can use those passions to guide us?

• One man's riches are another man's rags

• Do you consider yourself rich in one way or another?
• To what degree do you think that you can share those riches with others?
• Would those riches be diminished, or multiplied in the sharing?
• Do you think that, at some level, God calls each of us to be rich in the same way, or is it the case that we each have a different destiny, and different path that defines us?
• Does that have to be an either/or?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to let go of the outcomes of my life?
2. Even though I may have dedicated my life to God, am I still listening for that still small voice?
3. Have I listened to my passions lately?
4. Am I willing to simplify my life to get closer to God?

At Your Service

I'm told that Itzhak Perlman, the great violinist, lives a simple life.
Each day he gets up pretty much at the same time.
Has a light breakfast.
Gets some exercise.
Then settles in for a day of practice.

Everything is at the service of his art, his craft, his destiny.
When contemplating whether to go with the cheesecake or the cobbler,
His first question is "how will this make me a better violinist?"
He exercises because he knows that his craft is best served by a fit body.
And he knows that the world is a better place because he practices.

Call it what you will, your life lodestone, your muse, Dharma or destiny,
Each of us has a center, a genius, a calling.
It is better to fail colossally at our own calling
Than to succeed miserably at someone else's.
The cardinal virtue then becomes integrity to that calling.

As a practicing Catholic, just what is it that you practice?
Are any of us better at living today than we were twenty years ago?
Today, as we arise, do we meet life with twenty more years of experience?
Or one year of experience repeated twenty times?
Were we to meet ourselves from twenty years ago, would they be excited or disappointed?

Shalom!

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Genesis 18: 1-10a
2. Psalms 15: 2-3, 3-4, 5
3. Colossians 1: 24-28
4. Luke 10: 38-42

1. The art of being flexible
• How do you tell whether some unplanned for event/person/thing is God breaking into your life, or just another distraction?
• Do you think that you are getting better at telling the difference?
• How can we cultivate that sort of humility?
2. Disturbing trends
• As we grow older, the world around us changes, it seems that things make less and less sense, and it's easy to miss the good that is going on.
• Jesus offered His disciples peace.  How can we be at peace in light of all that is going on around us?
• Do you think that peace comes of writing this age off as hopelessly corrupt?
• Or maybe peace comes of disengaging from this life, this world and turning off the 6:00 news altogether?
• What then might peace be built on?
3. Sharing in the suffering
• It has been said that the last great gift that we can give the world is our own death.
• How can we transform that process into a means of grace?
• How can we prepare for that eventual process?
• When does it start?
4. The one thing
• The Gospel speaks of focus.  Do you think that your life is focused, that everything that you do is in service to that "one thing?"
• How do you find the "one thing" that God is calling you to in your life?
• Does that "one thing" shift over the decades?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Are my plans more important to me than God's grace coming into my life?
2. What have I done this week to be more peaceful?
3. Am I willing to let God be transformative in my life, to make good from the bad?
4. Am I willing to simplify my life to get closer to God?

The meaning of meaning

"So, how did that work out for you?" seems an innocent enough question.
Behind it lurks the attitude that good results betoken good efforts.
Which, in turn, implies that it is a waste of time to start on something
Something that is not likely to end well.

I wonder what people would say if the answer to that question came out:
"Wonderful.  The in the end, I learned humility,
I learned trust
I gained freedom."

At which point the follow up question might be:
"freedom from what?"
And our newly aware disciple might get a distant look in their eye and say:
"Freedom from the need for success."

Shalom!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Deuteronomy 30: 10-14
2. Psalms 69: 14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37
3. Colossians 1: 15-20
4. Luke 10: 25-37

1. You know what you are to do
• Have you ever had a point in life when you were desperately seeking guidance, feeling trapped by circumstances, and looking for a way out?
• At that time, what sort of help did you receive?
• Did someone tell you flat out what the solution was, or did you have to puzzle it out for yourself to one extent or another?
• Why do you think that is?
2. Yielding it to God
• When you pray to God about some trying situation, what immediately changes as far as how you are relating to that problem?
• Do you ever have trouble trusting God for a solution?
• How do you get back on track when there is a crisis of faith?
• How do you think that makes God feel?
3. Peace, perfect peace
• How would you define peace?
• Do you think that Jesus always had peace in His life?
• How about more recent folks like Mother Theresa, Dorothy Day, Archbishop Ramiro?
• How do you think that they achieved that peace?
• What's the hardest part about achieving peace in life?
• Is peace worth it?
• Why?
4. Owning the need
• Needy people come in all shapes and sizes.  It was something of a mental adjustment for me to realize that the Confirmation students at St. Cyprian came from good homes, were raised with all of the benefits of a middle-class lifestyle, yet were, often, desperately needing guidance, and assurance that there was more to life than what they could see and touch.
• What are some of the other urgent needs around you today?
• How are those going to get met?
• What is your responsibility here?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I listening to what God has already revealed to me?
2. How am I growing in trust of God?
3. How much am I willing to sacrifice for real peace?
4. Am I willing to be healing to someone that I've not even met yet?

Pay It Forward

They told me the roads weren't safe for a lone peddler at this time of day.
But I knew that if I didn't get moving, I would miss out in Jericho.

So I set out, making the best speed that I could, hoping the bandits would be gone
And I make my way safely without a hitch.

A rustle before me, cries behind me, steep hillsides to the right and the left
And I know that the trap has snapped shut, with me and my poor donkey in its jaws.

I cried as they stripped away all my goods, everything that I had saved for.
Killed my beloved Sophia and then, as if that were not enough, turned on me.

Soon the blows stopped hurting, I hoped that I had no unfinished business.
Then the darkness came over me and I lay there, all but dead.

I dimly saw the others go by, too week to cry for help, the sun blazing down on me.
Until a kind stranger saw me, gasped in surprise, and tended my wounds most carefully.

Somehow he got me to an inn, and the innkeeper himself tended me.
I tried to pay him, and all that he would say was that it was all covered.

Eventually, I was back on my feet.  I never met the one who saved my life.
The innkeeper told me that he had been a Samaritan, and I wondered what he saw in me.

He must have been able to tell me for a Jew, my clothes would have given me away.
Yet he touched me, not knowing how or why I had been beaten, not knowing what he was getting into.

I was desperate to thank him properly, resolve my debt, and then I realized.
There was no way to "settle" such a debt, but the best that I could do was to do the same.

I heard of a handful of saints living among the lepers, tending their wounds.
At first I was frightened at the prospect, but I met with them anyway.

They told me this work was not for everyone, that few thought it necessary.
But I felt such a peace in their presence, and felt so at home, that I knew.

I wanted to thank that Samaritan for saving my life from death.
Now I want to thank him for saving my life for giving.

The lepers that I serve have dignity knowing that someone cares for them, about them.
I have dignity in the humility of having found what I was born to do.

All it took was coming within a hair's breath of death,
And being pulled back by someone I never knew.
Shalom!

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 66: 10-14c
2. Psalms 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
3. Galatians 6: 14-18
4. Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20

1. Mourning creatively
• What are you mourning today?  Maybe it's the loss of a loved one, a job, or some treasured ability, like being able to put away a load of ice cream and not have it show.
• Do you think that Jesus is morning those same things with and through you?
• Where are you looking for comfort for what you mourn?
• When and how do you see that comfort coming to you?
2. Sharing the joy
• Who are some of the people in your life who have shared a truly joyous event with you?
• Why do you think that they wanted to share that with you?
• How can we be better at sharing with one another, with listening, with being present?
3. Transformation
• Do you think that God experiments, or is it the case that everything that happens has a ultimate goal, an ultimate meaning and it's all part of the plan?
• If there is a plan, why do you think we so often don't figure it out/find out about it until all of the shouting is done?
• What is the difference between faith and fatalism?
4. Owning the results
• Ignatian indifference is a theme that St. Ignatius writes on frequently.  One thing that we are particularly challenged to be indifferent to the outcome of our actions.
• If the disciples were surely going to meet abject failure in various towns and villages, why wouldn't the Holy Spirit just direct them elsewhere and save the trip?
• Have you had episodes in your life, your career, communities that you have belonged to where you look back and say "there's some time I wish I could have back"?
• How do you think God sees those episodes in your life?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who in my life needs comforting?
2. Who in my life needs someone to share their joy with?
3. Am I willing to fail for Jesus?
4. When was the last time that I thanked those who labor with me in God's vineyards at home, school, in the office, at Church?

Trust Walk

"Well Naomi, that's the twelfth city that we've visited that has thrown us out summarily."
"Jacob, you're not actually counting the number of times we're rejected, are you?"

"Bet your bottom dollar!  When we get back to the others, I'm going to compare notes."
"I can't believe you!  Men, you make a competition out of everything!"

"Uh, well, I just want to find out who used which techniques for evangelization, and how they worked."
"Somehow, I don't think that's the point.  We're just supposed to get the Word out there."

"What, and not care about the results?!?  Why bother then?"
"Life is a journey, not a destination.  We cannot gauge our actions by their outcomes."

"Fine, then I'll just start walking in circles, and see where that gets me!"
"You just do that.  I don't know why I put up with you.  You're so stubborn!"

"Well, if you walk away from me, you won't be following the Master's instructions to go in twos."
"But if I stay with you, I go nowhere!"

And that boys and girls, is why you never heard about Naomi and Jacob in the Gospels.
Shalom!

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21
2. Psalms 16: 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
3. Galatians 5: 1, 13-18
4. Luke 9: 51-62

1. Anointing
• Each of us has greatness within us, planted there by God.  What is your greatness, how would you name your anointing?
• What did you leave behind to pursue that destiny?
• What are some of the things that you've never been able to pursue, in order to be true to that destiny?
2. Life can be so over rated ...
• How would you define "the good life" in general?
• How would you define "the good life" for yourself?
• How does God contribute to achieving that "good life"?
3. Freedom from something, or freedom to something?
• What would you like to be free of?  Maybe it's worry about your future, freedom from the demands of a daily grind that threatens to obliterate your soul, maybe it's freedom from a relationship that has somehow gone toxic.
• What would you like to be free to, or for?  Maybe deep down in side you have always wanted to be a stage actor, but went into insurance because it paid better, or you secretly harbor a desire to teach philosophy at some small private university, but you can find no way out of the job that you now have because you put in so much to get there.  What sort of answer does freedom provide you?
• What makes you think that Jesus cares about those sorts of freedom?
4. Deciding once and for all
• Do you think that our decision to follow Jesus happens all at once or by degrees?
• When we make decisions to leave something behind, should we burn our bridges behind us?
• Do you think that it's possible to "stay right where you are" but transform it somehow, into a place where God can dwell where He could not previously?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I actively preparing the next generation to take up the ministries that I am performing today?
2. Do I know the next step in the path of life that God holds out before me?
3. Am I willing to pay the price for my freedom to be closer to God?
4. Am I willing to follow wherever Jesus goes?

Trust Walk

"Relax" he said, it's just a walk.
"But I cannot see anything." I said "all I have to go on is the sound of your voice."

"Trust me, trust the process, trust yourself."
"But where are we going?  Why are we going there?"

"Remember, the idea here is to practice trust.  That's really the destination."
"But you could just leave me here, and then what would I do?"

"Trust me, I'm not going to leave you until we're done."
"At least keep up a steady stream of chatter so that I know you're there."

"Not necessary.  If you don't hear from me, just keep going.  I'm here, always will be here for you."
"We've never done this before, not quite, how do I know I can trust you?"

"You just do.  Now, just be present to the moment and let the destination emerge in its own time."
"I don't feel comfortable with this at all.  And furthermore, I think you actually enjoy this."

"What if I do.  Does that make me a bad person?"
"Will I ever learn to let go of being comfortable?"

"I don't want to spoil the journey for you."

Shalom!

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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

1. Zechariah 12: 10-11: 13:1
2. Psalm 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
3. Galatians 3: 26-29
4. Luke 9: 18-24

1. Act of contrition
• You're on an elevator with someone whom you care about deeply.  Out of the blue, they ask you what "victory over sin" really means.  You have 10 floors before the two of you get off the eleveator and you part ways.  What do you say?
• How has Jesus given you victory over sin?
• Is that victory over sin (singular) or sins (plural)?
2. Glory isn't always obvious
• How would you define the glory of God?
• Where have you seen that glory?
• Do you think that God ever finds you glorious?
• Why or why not?
3. What is the most important fact about you?
• Pretend for a moment that you're speed dating.  A total stranger is sitting across the table from you and you have only minutes to acquaint them with you.  Where do you begin?
• There are no end to the labels that we can accumulate in life.  Gender, degrees, awards. jobs past and present, in what ways are those unimportant to Christ?
• In what ways are those same qualities about us important to Christ?
4. Who do you say that Jesus is?
• Based on your experiences with Jesus, what characteristics would you give Him?
• How has your appreciation of Jesus' character changed over the years?
• Why/how has that happened?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What have I done this week that will make a lasting improvement in my relationship with Jesus?
2. Where do I look for the glory of God in my life?
3. How have I reached out to someone beyond my comfort zone this week?
4. How is Christ revealing Himself in me this week?

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Sometimes, I imagine myself there in these Gospel passages.

Sometimes I'm one of the crowd, one of the disciples, 

And just lately, when I heard Jesus ask His followers who they say He is.

I imagine myself one of the disciples who is new to the group asking:

Master, who do you say that I am?  You didn't give me a new name.

I earnestly look into Jesus' rich deep brown eyes, and see kindness,

And warmth, and maybe a resonating chuckle as he looks at me.

And after a long while, He looks at me and says "you are he who follows."

But I press Him, and ask "but Lord, will I be a Presbyter, a deacon, 

Even the gardener.  I just want a role, something to hang on to.

Jesus said "I don't understand.  Tell me more."  My jaw dropped.
What's the point of omniscience if you have to ask questions I thought.
Instead I said "I saw a T-shirt once that said "I'm a teacher,
What's your super power?"  Get it?  That ability, that destiny it defines you."
Jesus nodded slowly, stroking his beard meditatively, and then He said

"I think I see where you are coming from.  You want to know ahead of time
What will be asked of you, how you will serve, how you will be called on.
I'm afraid that I can't say for sure just how or where you'll be sent.
But, I think I have a name for you if you would like that:
He who finds himself where he is needed, when he's needed there."

"But, " I stammered, "that's so generic.  Any of your disciples could be named thus."
To which Jesus smiled again and said "You speak truly.  Yet none of them,
None of them will find their way to where they are needed quite the way you will.
None of them will bring just what is needed when they get there the same as you.
You, and only you will be the answer to the need you find when you arrive."

"Lord, do you treat all of your disciples this way?" and Jesus replies "every one."
At least I am going to be in good company as I shuffle from one scene to the next.
Jesus seems to think that I'm going to somehow master this way of one day at a time.
And, in my imagination, Jesus stands, and takes off for Jerusalem, not even looking back.
And the rest of us follow, hardly daring to imagine what lies ahead.

I've given up the quest for any name beyond "disciple", knowing that's all I am,
Trusting that staying close to Jesus is all that I really need,
Trusting that all else will come my way along the way
When needed in the way needed.
Hoping that, at journey's end I'll be known as "he who followed well"

Rather than "he who got lost thoroughly and often".

Shalom!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. 2 Samuel 12: 7-10, 13
2. Psalm 32: 1-2, 5, 7, 11
3. Galatians 2: 16, 19-21
4. Luke 7:36-8:3

1. Act of contrition
• Unfortunately, Scripture doesn't often give us insight into the inner workings of people's minds.  I can only imagine King David struggling with a whole range of emotions when Nathan confronted him about his infidelity.  I can even imagine David struggling with thoughts such as "this is what kings do, we take what we want", or "how dare you try to tell me that I am wrong after all that I have done for this nation?".  All we get is the outcome from that struggle: "I have sinned against the Lord".
• In your past, how have you come to grips with the sin in your life?
• Who are some of those who have helped you with that process?
• Why do you think that is so hard?
• For those of us over 20, does it ever get easier?
2. Freedom is a funny thing
• Particularly in the US, we hallow freedom, but the problem is that the true nature of what freedom really is can become indistinct in our minds when we stop thinking critically about the purpose of that freedom.
• How has God made you more free in the past few years?  Think of freedom perhaps in terms of being set free from preconceived notions, free from habits of mind, approach, or activities, free from fears about certain outcomes, not because you were certain that things were going to go your way, but because you knew it was going to work out regardless.
• How has that freedom transformed you into a better person?
• How have others around you benefited from that transformation?
3. Mending fences is hard to do
• How do you think that our relationship with God impacts our relationships with others?
• How do you think that our relationships with others impacts our relationship with God?
• If you gave your best friend the same treatment that you gave God, how long do you think that friendship would last?
4. If only Jesus had Twitter
• You have to respect this woman's resourcefulness in tracking Jesus down.  She had to find Him in some public setting, yet not one that would be mobbed with people, she had to get the ointment together and get it to him, and most of all, she had to have the courage to approach Him.  All of that without Facebook or Twitter to tell her what His status was moment by moment.
• Have you always felt welcomed by the Church?
• How would you say that the mercy of God has been evident around you and to you in recent years?
• How can we show more mercy, more hospitality, be more godlike in our dealings with others?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Are there things in my life that I don't want to talk to God about?
2. Where do I need to seek more freedom?
3. Where are the relationships in my life that need tending?
4. How have I been the mercy of God to others?

Servant Leadership

History is full of sad accounts of great leaders with feet of clay.
Oddly, most of these are men.  I'll have to figure that out someday.

Made great contributions, inspired others, improved their communities,
And fell into sin somehow, and felt trapped in the jaws of a vice.

To let that failure come to light would devastate those innocent ones
Those who had drawn strength from our once mighty hero.

Disappointment, loss, sense of betrayal would wound them
If they found out about this secret sin, this hidden failing.

The merciful thing seems to spare them all of that, keep it secret.
When the reality is that Jesus is calling for a true healing, a release.

And what of those who have looked up to our fallen leader?
Maybe, just maybe, they'll be inspired by humility and honor

Inspired in ways that they never could have been by success and triumph.
Greatness doesn't lie so much in fruitful campaigns, but in courage and honesty.

Admitting who we are to one another is just so hard.
Admitting that we all have that in common isn't easy either.

It's said that Jesus came to comfort the afflicted
And to afflict the comfortable.

Lord grant me honesty with myself and others
And the courage to be free.
Shalom!