Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

Our readings for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God are:

1. Numbers 5: 22-27
2. Psalm 67: 2-3, 5, 6, 8
3. Galatians 4:4-7
4. Luke 2: 16-21

• Be a blessing
• One of the supreme ironies that you hear about more and more these days occurs when management hatches a scheme to save money, and it involves the present employees training their eventual replacements.  In such circumstances, it's easy, maybe even justifiable, to intentionally or unintentionally sabotage such efforts, often to the detriment of everyone involved.
• Has there ever been a situation where you were called to be a blessing in someone else's life at your expense?
• What sort of struggles did you go through in that situation?
• Did you eventually become the blessing to that other person?
• How did that change you?

• God's watching over us
• When you think of God's face as it's turned towards you, what sort of expression do you see God wearing?
• If you were to try to summarize God's feelings towards you in three words, what might those be?
• What would you rather those three words be?

• The family business
• If we are all heirs to the Kingdom, what does each of us feel the deepest need for in our lives that we may fulfill that destiny richly?
• For my part, humility and wisdom are at the top of my list.  The humility to truly see myself as God sees me, the wisdom to see the true meaning of the events and condition of the world around me.
•  In which ways are the virtues like athletic skills?
• How are the different?
• How can we make room in our lives for a greater practice of the virtues so that we steadily become better at them?

• Taking time to ponder
• Do you ever feel as though life is happening too fast, demanding too much of you?
• Do you think that we are able to live better if we ponder, mull over, our lives?
• What practices are there that can help that intentional savoring of life?
• How can we help each other get better at it?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I afraid to be a blessing to others in my life?
2. When was the last time that I took time to delight in the presence of God, and let Him delight in me?
3. What am I doing to become more ready for the Kingdom?
4. What can I do to slow my life down, even if it's just a little?

The Smell of the Nativity

The stable was pretty well kept, all in all.
The stalls had been mucked out recently.
The straw relatively clean.

At least that's what the innkeeper said.
To a carpenter's nose, the stench was searing.
And yet, whenever I smell that bouquet of odors

I'm carried back to that lonely inn
Where Mary & I had found shelter for the night
Against the bitter cold outside.

Just when I thought that I had coped
With all of the practical essentials there
This band of shepherds shows up, excited beyond measure.

My first thought was "Oh bother", but Mary stopped me
With a glance that I was already learning to respond to.
And we listened to their amazing story.

And I realized that this time, this place,
Was a gateway to God's heart,
And that heaven was closer than ever before.

And suddenly, the scratchy straw was nothing to worry about
I realized that the stench of the stable came from the same place
As the warmth in those cramped quarters.

I realized that we were not alone, but surrounded
By a great cloud of witnesses through all of time and space
Hanging on every move, every word.

And I knew that all of the chaos, the unpredictability
Were there to break me open
The the vastness of eternity come down to Earth.

And I knew that we were home.

Shalom!

Christmas

There are an abundance, nay a wealth of Masses that are celebrated at Christmas.  I like the Midnight Mass because it's so full of expectancy, of things just on the cusp of becoming, a hushed moment in our liturgical cycle, the journey of years, the ticks of the centuries, when anything is possible, and Love never disappoints.

That, and the Gospel from that Mass is from Luke this year, and the face of Jesus that I see in Luke always looks so very human.  So human that He reminds me that in becoming one of of, all of us have become one in Him, we just have to reach out beyond our comfort zone to accept that grace for the gift that it is.

Our readings for Christmas Mass at midnight are:

1. Isaiah 9: 1-6
2. Psalm 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13
3. Titus 2: 11-14
4. Luke 2: 1-14

• The path to peace
• We all crave peace at this time of year, hoping to get a little breathing room in our lives.  But what does that really mean?
• How would your life be different if you were totally at peace?
• What would you miss about your present life if you were to totally embrace peace?
• What can you be doing today to be ready for real peace?

• Today is born our savior
• Are you ready for Christmas?
• What does that really mean to you?
• What about this season gives you happiness?
• How is Christ coming to, coming in, coming through you this year?

• Training camp
• Do you think that we get better as Christians by practice?
• What are you practicing these days?
• Are you getting any better at it?
• How can you tell?

• No one seems to care
• Grief, worry, dislocation, all of these and more can make us feel isolated, cut off from the rest of humanity, even when they are within arm's reach.
• When was the last time that you found yourself in a strange situation, or a strange place and felt abandoned?
• How did you work through that?
• Have you ever thought to bring those feelings to the Jesus in prayer?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I paying enough attention to the lights that are in my life?
2. What can I do to be more ready to receive my Savior, no matter what form He takes?
3. At this start of the new liturgical year, what practice can I take on to bring me closer to God?
4. How can I be more present to those around me in need?

Taking off the Training Wheels

Do you ever wonder what Joseph talked about with his buddies on Friday nights?

Maybe over a fresh mug of fermented pomegranate juice, or goat's milk eggnog.

Trying to explain why he took Mary as his wife even though it seemed crazy.

Or explaining he they ended up with Jesus in a feeding trough.

Joseph probably told folks about the frantic search for a clean dry place that night.

How he and his little family was just another bit of human flotsam looking for rest

Without a friend in the world, no one to speak up for them or look after them.

And explaining how he felt a peace about the whole thing, like he was right where he belonged.

I'm sure that stolid, intentional, prayerful Mary was a help, or maybe not.

How would you like to be told that everything is going to work out just fine,

When you don't even know just what "just fine" would look like?

Even less how to get from here to "just fine" and be just in time about it too.

Maybe Joseph just gave up trying to explain,

And learned from Mary to ponder things, look them over from different vantage points

Until the bigger picture started to emerge.

I wonder how he found time for that much silence to seep into his soul.

I want to learn that sort of intentional living.

That savors the moments into full flower,

Getting the real texture and sweetness of the moments

Before they fly away, never to be revisited.

Maybe that's the source and summit of peace,

Making time to hear the silence, and learn

Just what is really important in life, 

And hear what it has to say to all of us.

Shalom!

4th Sunday of Advent

Our readings for 4th Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 7: 10-14
2. Psalm 24: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
3. Romans 1: 1-7
4. Matthew 1: 18-24

• Reading the signs of the times 
• Survivalists work to get "off the grid" and simplify their lives so that when Armageddon comes around, they will not have any reliance on flimsy technologies.  Such folks have significant stores of food, ... and ammo, laid by against the day when justice and order as we know it collapses.
• What future do you see ahead of us all?
• What are you doing to prepare for it?

• A captive audience
• If the earth is the Lord's, and he loves it, why do you think that He put it into our care?
• What of this present existence do you think will last into eternity?
• What does that say about how we care for what we have on this planet?

• Slavery making it simple
• A slave never has to stress over their position in life, who they server, what the limits are to the initiative which they can take.
• In what ways are we like slaves to God?
• In what ways are we like sons and daughters?
• Can we be both?

• A little more information please ...
• Notice that the angel just told Joseph that this whole thing was part of God's plan, but never really said why that should make Joseph feel better.
• Has God ever asked you to trust Him?
• Was there a process in growing in that trust over time?
• How can we be better able to trust God?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing and able to leave this life that I have here and now behind to serve God?
2. Am I letting God be present to those around me through His creation?
3. What of my parish, family, and my life would I want to share with someone in ndeed?
4. What am I doing to grow in trust in God?

Shalom!

3rd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for 3rd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 35: 1-6a, 10
2. Psalm 72: 146: 6-7, 8-9, 9-10
3. James 5: 7-10
4. Matthew 11: 2-11

• Return of the exile 
• Refugees of all sorts are like invisible amputees, they have been cut off from their roots, their homes, their loved ones, their livelihoods, and yet they look totally whole and complete.
• Our church tells us that we are exiles from God's heavenly kingdom.  How does that change the way that you look at all of the daily demands on your attention?
• When have you been displaced, cut off, exiled from friends, family, job, home, even if it was to move on to something better?
• What of heaven do you think will look/feel familiar when we are home again?
• How should that change the way that we live today?

• A captive audience
• Serious ongoing debate rages over how best to manage a seemingly endless supply of criminals in our prison system, yet you hardly ever hear discussion about how to rehabilitate them.
• When a convict who has served their time comes out of prison, it's easy to realize that they need a place to stay, a job, and so on, but what of giving them a reason to want those things?
• Fr. Al used to personally work with such folks to help them experience first hand what "life on the outside" could be like.  What sort of transition work should we, as God's faithful be doing for such individuals?

• If I don't complain about him, who will?
• Whining, griping, moaning, complaining is there any difference between those activities when it comes to how we treat one another?
• When one of us fails to be fully ourselves, fully who we are called to be, what are the rest of us to do?
• How can we tell when someone is really ready/able to take correction?
• Can such correction be prophetic?

• Congratulations, God has chosen you for ...
• We all want to feel commissioned, chosen, elected, but how does that election come to us?
• Do you think that your function/gifts/role within the Body changes over time?
• How can we become more sensitive to that change in direction? 

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How have I been hospitable to a displaced person lately?
2. How can I be more welcoming at our parish?  How can our parish be more welcoming?
3. When I speak, is truly in love?
4. What is the message of my life?

Good Intentions Can Leave You Lonely

Any paragraph that starts with "with all due respect" makes me cringe.
What follows is not outright mockery, but an object lesson in the limits of my authority.
A line drawn in the sand that says "I respect your office, your position, your role"
"But you, well, that's another story."

We cannot respect someone that we do not know,
And can hardly know someone we do not respect.
But once that deep knowledge of the other has been forged,
It becomes an occasion of mourning when they fail to be their true selves.

Sin in our lives obscures our view,
Cuts us off from the impact that we have on others,
Blinds us to the essential oneness of our existence,
To the point we feel our actions are victimless, truly secret.

Sin obscures my vision of how unlike myself I have grown
Grown into a caricature of myself,
A poor actor impersonating the real me
Upon a stage strewn with empty promises and quick fixes.

I need the occasional Nathan in my life
To remind me of who I am and what I am becoming
And help me see how much at odds that is with my thoughts, words, and deeds of late.
Any volunteers?

Shalom!

2nd Sunday in Advent

Our readings for 2nd Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 11: 1-10
2. Psalm 72: 1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
3. Romans 15: 4-9
4. Matthew 3: 1-12

• Strength through competition? 
• Competition is highly prized in our culture.  We see it as a way of weeding out the weak, the lazy, the unworthy.
• Do you think that competing with one another for honor, achievement, success, fame, might have a downside to it?
• Do you think that Jesus ever felt as though He was competing with anyone?
• When/where is competition a good thing and when might it be bad?

• A well endowed ruler
• Regardless of your party affiliation, I think that we all hope for those in power to be guided by wisdom.
• What can we do to help that to happen?
• What other values are we competing with?  What other qualities are often deemed more important in a leader?
• Do you think God wants us to pray for them, and if so, how?

• Running the race
• Life is not like a marathon.  In a marathon, you have finishers and, folks who just paid the entrance fees.  We have no choice, we have to finish this life at some point.
• What makes for a good finish in this life?
• How can we prepare for that, given that we don't know how or when it will come to us?
• How is a good death a gift to the survivors?

• Chicken and egg syndrome
• We have all heard of folks who want to change, but just feel trapped by their circumstances, often of their own making.
• Think of something that you really want to change about yourself.
• How can you make a commitment to make that change?
• Who would you make that commitment to?
• Would such a commitment be at all sacramental? 

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What have I done to shelter or aid the weak?
2. What do I hope for from our leadership?  Do I have the courage to aim higher?
3. What am I doing to increase my spiritual endurance?
4. What are some Liturgical New Year's resolutions that I need to make and start right now?

Keep me honest

Is something I often ask of my students.
It's meant as an invitation to tell me when I stray
From the published curriculum when I lecture off the cuff.
I would much rather use prepared material, believe me.

Who are the John the Baptists in your life?
Or the Nathans for that matter?
Ones so close to you,
That you would rather they call you out in your sin and weakness.

Such friends are a miracle
That require careful cultivation and care
For they risk much when speaking to you
Both in the relationship and personally.

Yet without such friends,
We have such a hard time staying true to our course.
Confusion over direction and duration can set in,
Unless an outside observer is ready with a reminder -

Of just who we really are
Someone to recall us to the rest of our life
Show us that all that has gone on before is source for what's next
And what's next is the spring for tomorrow's new horizons.

Shalom!

First Sunday of Advent

Our readings for 1st Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 2: 1-5
2. Psalm 122:1-2,3-4,4-5,6-7,8-9
3. Romans 13: 11-14
4. Matthew 24: 37-44

• I'd like to give you a piece of my peace of mind
• How do you see God bringing about peace in the world today?
• How can we as a Church, a parish, a family help bring that sort of peace about?
• How much peace can we really hold ourselves responsible for in this life?

• Praying for those who don't deserve it
• Have you ever felt that you were wasting your time praying about something or someone?
• Maybe you thought that your prayers for the impossible to happen would be better spent elsewhere.  Maybe you thought it silly to raise your hopes for the inconceivable, maybe you weren't even sure that was what God wanted.  But what if you're wrong on all of those counts?
• Where do we find hope?
• Where do we find the courage to hope?

• Making it Simple
• Many of us want to simplify our lives, shed that which is not doing us any good.  Perhaps cleaning out the garage is traumatic, but ridding ourselves of petty vices that seem almost endearing is sort of like cleaning the hull of a ship, one barnacle at a time.
• How can we become more sensitive to the impact that we have on others who are close to us?
• How can we become more honest with each other about things that hurt us?
• How can we become more authentic with each other?

• Making peace in odd places
• Where do you think that we most need peace in this world?
• What do you think it is to be a peace maker?
• What sort of credentials does such a person need?
• How can you be a peace maker, even if in small ways?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing to become a better peace maker?  Not just a peace keeper, but a peace maker?
2. Do I have the courage to ask for courage?
3. Is there anything in my life that I'm am not willing to give up in the face of God's call?
4. What can I do this week to bring peace to a specific situation around me?

Where to find Peace

Peace starts with trust.
Trust is build on humility.
For only humility is able to see clearly what I don't see,
Squarely face the limits of my understanding, my vision, my hope, and know there is much more.

Humility whispers to me that the cosmos is other centered,
And Humility clasps my hand and whispers that it's OK that I'm not the center.
A sprig of trust breaks through the snow and ice of my fear.
Gently spreads its leaves looking for the sunshine of indifference.

Indifference to whether my will be done,
Indifference that stills the screams of my apprehensions  and distress
Realizes that God's will not only is best,
But that it's best for me, no matter how much of a surprise that is.

And in the eye of the hurricane of my life,
With change swirling all around loudly and fiercely,
That indifference gives me space to hear the still small voice of God,
And I'm able to move in that eye of the storm, and find peace knowing I'm where I belong.

The trick is to ever be willing to leave a place
In favor of the next horizon that God is dwelling in
Following the Tabernacle wherever it might lead
Across uncharted deserts of newness and life amidst the burning sands of doubt and fear.

Shalom!

Christ the King

Our readings for Christ the King Sunday are:

1. 2 Samuel 5: 1-3
2. Psalms 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5
3. Colossians 1: 12-20
4. Luke 23: 35-43

• Servant king
• What do you look for most in a leader?  Is it maybe someone who is successful in getting resources and defending your turf, someone who is sympathetic to their people's issues, what then?
• What has to be in place before someone has the right to lead others?
• How is God's leadership of His people different from the types of leadership that we encounter in day to day life?
• Is it true that the "good guys finish last?"

• Remember
• The Jews looked upon the Temple as their tangible link to what we would call salvation history.  They went there to remember who they were, who their God is.
• At the same time, it's easy to cling to things.  Maybe that first Ford Mustang that you had as a kid, or you're reluctant to sell your house and move when a job opportunity offers itself, ...  How can we be ready and willing to change when it's needed?
• How do we tell what/who to hold on to versus what we can leave behind?

• Moving the deck chairs on the Titanic
• When all is said and done, the only things that we have today that will endure is God our immortal souls, and the relationships that we've built with God and each other.
• Do you ever wonder if Jesus had a favorite pair of sandals, or maybe a special tunic that His mother had made for him when He left home.  Maybe a favorite family that He stayed with whenever He was in town?
• If so, how did He manage to not get too attached to those things, not get side tracked from His core mission?

• Outreach is never easy
• Pain, suffering, despair, all of these can easily make us feel isolated, as though the rest of humanity must be somehow indifferent to what we are going through, and that we are all alone.
• The last time that you had a really hard chapter in your life, did you feel abandoned, as though no one cared?
• At some point or another, did someone convince you that someone, anyone, really did care?
• How did that change your outlook?
• How can we be that same change in someone else's outlook?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing to equip myself to lead God's people better, more faithfully?
2. Is there anything in my life that I'm am not willing to give up in the face of God's call?
3. Am I obsessed with success, the way that others regard me, comforts in my life ...?
4. Am I able to reach beyond pain and uncertainty to those in need, even when I am in need?  How can I begin to practice such reaching today?

Hangin' with the Homies

I've seen it before.
Usually when the crucifixion victims get here, they are pretty wrung out.
But this one, he was pretty much gone before we even got his cross in the ground.

His head hung down, exhaustion written large in his half-closed eyes.
His every word hoarse and gravely.
And yet he was so present, so there.

Most folks want to deaden the pain,
Die with as little awareness as possible.
It's so much easier that way.

And then, in the midst of the taunts and jeers from the curiosity seekers,
The reviling from my fellow guards,
He spoke to another criminal.

And his voice shed compassion, and mercy
Even in the midst of his suffering,
Right on the ragged edge of his life.

And I wondered what sort of man this was who could reach out
Even from the midst of that terrible sentence of death.
And not just to that other criminal, but, in some strange way, to all of us.

I try to tell that story to others.
As I try to explain why I left the Roman army.
I never quite do that scene justice.

But I think back to it often,
And try to savor that mercy again and again.
As I try to tell others who this man really was, and is.

Shalom!