1st Sunday in Lent

Our readings for the 1st Sunday in Lent are:

1. Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7
2. Psalms 51: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
3. Romans 5: 12-19
4. Matthew 4: 1-11

• The origin of sin
• Think back to those sins that are most persistent in your life.  Do you see any pattern to them, anything that is common across those sins?
• If you could change one thing about your life in an effort to reduce the sin in your life, what might that be?
• Has it always been this way for you, or have the most annoying sins in your life changed over time?

• Victimless crimes
• The notion of a victimless crime has a lot of appeal.  If no one gets hurt, then where is the crime?
• When I commit a sin, is it always the case that someone gets hurt?
• Is that someone necessarily directly involved in that sin?
• What role do we have in repairing that damage to the cosmos?

• Amazing grace
• When I was young, we would occasionally have someone get up and "witness".  If you've never been to such a gathering, such sharing can be rather enlightening, particularly if you yourself have led a rather placid life.
• Even if you have led a relatively placid life, can you think of places where God's grace to you was "over the top" abundant?
• Was there anything that made it difficult for you to receive that blessing?
• What can we do to be better receivers?

• I don't have anything to prove
• In our culture, we're strongly motivated to succeed.
• Have you ever felt that you were, in one measure or another, failing?
• Did that experience draw you closer to Jesus and those around you, or did you feel isolated, alone?
• Do you think Jesus ever felt the weight of loneliness?
• Do you think that the two of you might have something to share with each other in that regard?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What are the occasions to sin in my life?
2. Where has God been merciful to me this past week?
3. How am I being the mercy of God to others?
4. What am I doing to prepare for the temptations that are awaiting me?

It wasn't the apple

Every once in a while, someone would start a sentence with "if only"

And wild speculation would ensue, on how much different life would be

If our first parents had not let sin into the world, and left us a better legacy.

If only Adam had been more diligent, none of this would have happened.

If only the two of them had backed each other up in the face of temptation,

If only they had not been so gullible, if only ...

If only I was more trusting, then I would be able to let go and let God.

If only I was more humble, things denied me would have no allure.

If only I was more indifferent to the outcome of things, I could hear God's voice better.

If only I had more time in a day, I could learn to relax more

Be more attentive to my family, pray more regularly

If only these pressures would relent for just a week, a day, an hour even ...

If only ...

If my image of success were to walk with Jesus day in, day out

Be there by His side to support Him with my weakness,

Sustain Him with my brokenness, share my failings, faults, and fears -

Then, maybe then, I would have the courage to pray honestly

Reach out to others deeply

And given generously.

If only ...

Shalom!

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18
2. Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
3. 1 Corinthians 3: 16-23
4. Matthew 5:38-48

• I'd love to forgive you, but I have to be honest
• Have you ever been wronged so deeply that you could not think how you were ever going to face that person again?
• What kept you from confronting that other person and letting them know how much grief they caused?
• How can we give ourselves, and each other, permission to be more honest?

• Healing of the heart
• When God restores us, is our new state just like it was before we were injured, or something better?
• How is "healing" different (better?) than "getting over" something that has happened to you?
• Do you think that there is a place in a good Christian's life for psychological therapy?

• Becoming wise without becoming a wise guy (or gal)
• What would you think are the differences between a wisdom that is of God versus a wisdom of humanity?
• How does one gain in the wisdom of God?
• Do you think that Godly wisdom is always easy to identify?
• Why or why not?

• Toxic giving
• A friend of mine used to say to those who wanted to pick a fight with him "If you have to be right about this, then fine, you're right."
• When we extend love to those who hate us, how can we do it in a disarming, winsome way?
• If that love doesn't help the other person, what does it do to/for us?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Whom do I need to forgive today?
2. How am I sharing God's mercy with others this week?
3. Am I willing to be humble enough to be a fool for Christ?
4. How is my love changing the world around me?

Shalom!

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Sirach 15: 15-20
2. Psalm 119: 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
3. 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10
4. Matthew 5:17-37

• You don't understand
• How often have you heard a teenager lament "you don't understand" to an authority of some sort as a defense for their actions?  What does "you don't understand" really mean most often?
• Have you ever longed for someone else to really understand you?
• What did you do to help impart that understanding to them?
• How did it make your life better once there was someone else who really "gets you"?
• To what extent do you think that God "gets you"?
• Why?

• Give me a discerning heart
• How would you define discernment?
• When would you see using that gift?
• Do you think that there is a community use of discernment as well as a personal one?
• What are you doing to become more discerning?

• Maturing is hard to do
• Thinking back on earlier times in your life, have you ever wondered whether maturity is really worth it?
• What would you say is the most painful thing about maturing?
• Do you think that we can accelerate that maturing process?
• What are the benefits of genuine maturity?
• Are they worth it?

• Ignorance is not bliss
• If someone injures you, and you never make that known to them, are you being the bigger person, or are you denying them the chance to make things right between the two of you?
• Is it better to forgive them and never let them know that they have injured you, or let them know, risking that they may never ask forgiveness?
• If you decide to not tell the person who injured you, but you do

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing to understand God's motives?
2. How intentional am I about my discernment?
3. Where do I want my maturing to take me?
4. What do I need to truly forgive?

The Lord loves a cheerful forgiver

To a truly bitter person, injury is sometimes the only thing they have.
Friendships have dried up through the years.
Abandonment scars their hearts.
Forgiveness seems foolish.

Real forgiveness starts with introspection.
Looking for my contribution to the whole mess.
Seeking out where I thought, acted, spoke to make it worse.
Sometimes the way to forgiveness begins with "I'm so very sorry."

It's a rare day indeed when a really first rate mess
Is a solo expedition.
Usually it requires careful cooperation between a large cast
All working together to cause true tragedy.

The conceit that you were the only innocent party
In the midst of that emotional battlefield
Should seem unlikely at best in the cold light of day.
Causing you to see opportunity in the cold gritty dust.

Maturity is at least partially about taking responsibility
For what is mine, and forgiving the rest.
Not laying everything on me, because that's easier
Than holding someone else accountable for what's theirs.

If I bear the burden, that makes me a martyr.
And everyone knows that martyrs are saints.
Or maybe you prefer to blame it all on someone else.
And cast yourself in the role of detective.

The only way to true healing is humility.
Tearing away the veil of conceit from life.
Being willing to bear the pain of confession,
And the uncertainty of forgiveness.

Humility needs to embrace trust
Before it can really shine forth
Two sides of a single coin are they
Each supporting the other.

I say pray for both at once,
And while you're at it add courage to your shopping list.
Because both humility and trust
Ask for courage pretty routinely.

No one said this life was easy.
Just that it was joyous.
Now it's up to you to find
What joy can really mean.

Shalom!

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 58: 7-10
2. Psalm 112: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
3. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
4. Matthew 5:13-16

• Darkness to light
• The California State University system has a prevailing agenda to eliminate the achievement gap between groups of students.  In spite of two generations of agressive social programs aimed at giving everyone the same opportunities, some continue to do better than others.
• How would you define oppression?
• Who do we see doing that oppression around us?
• How can we root out oppression in even a small way?

• A fool and his money are soon parted
• We're called to give and give lavishly to the poor, but just what are we to give them?
• Is it enough to delegate that giving to others, and support just causes with a weekly check?
• How could humility make such giving easier?

• How important is success?
• We are all encouraged to work hard all of our lives because that will lead to success.
• How would you define success?
• Do you think that God desires that we be successful?
• Do we need to know whether we've been a success while we are striving?
• Do we need to know whether we've been a success while we're in this life?

• There's just something about you ...
• If someone came to you and said "I give up, I've got to know why you are so peaceful, generous, loving, ..." what would you tell them?
• What would you show them?
• Would they likely be convinced that you knew the essence of your special nature?
• What does that tell you about your experience of community?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing to relieve suffering and anxiety for others?
2. How have I been generous this week?
3. Am I willing to give over to God my desire for success?
4. What about my life is at odds with the Gospel?

The Lord loves a cheerful giver

The world hangs in a balance
Weighed in milliseconds,
The time that it takes for a request to reach your ear,
And your first response to hit your face.

If your eyes dance with delight
At the prospect of giving,
That of itself is a gift sublime
The eagerness to give, the ardor to share.

No amount of words will ever
Take away the sting of that first look of irritation
When you hear your plans crumbling
In the face of one more demand on your resources.

Cheerful giving requires humility
The knowledge deep down inside
That plans are meant to be broken
And that life is short, sweet, and uncertain.

To embrace the chaos of giving
With no reservation or second thoughts
Is an art form reserved for the humble
Those who know that their time is God's.

Only the humble can simplify life
And leave behind the meaningless clutter
To make room for the really tough stuff
Even when you were sure you had just done that.

Shalom!

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Zephaniah 2: 3, 3:12-13
2. Psalm 146: 6-7, 8-9, 9-10
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31
4. Matthew 5: 1-12a

• Humble of heart is good to find
• Think of some folks in your life who have shown real humility.  What was that like?
• Why do you think that it's so hard to be truly humble these days?
• What other virtues do you think need to be there to help someone to be truly humble?
• How does it help to live humbly?

• God is our refuge
• Who are the strangers in our midst?
• We all hear of refugees in various parts of the world, but what of right here at home?  What are some ways that someone can be displaced from their "home"?
• Why/how are such people particularly vulnerable?
• What do you think God calls us to do about that?

• Knowing your place
• Do you think that it's possible for someone to be great and humble at the same time?
• Do you think that God calls all of us to some form of greatness as well as humility?
• How can we answer such a call?

• What do you mourn for?
• Do you feel that there is any positive aspects to mourning?
• What have you mourned for in your life?
• How did that period of mourning change you?
• How did you know that it was over?
• What do you think can happen if you try to "rush" that mourning process?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How far am I willing to trust God in my life?
2. Do I see the strangers all around me?
3. What am I doing to achieve greatness in God's kingdom?
4. What am I mourning for in my life now?

Shalom!

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 8: 23-9:3
2. Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17
4. Matthew 4:12-23

• Darkness to light
• Do you think that there always has to be a reason for tragedy and suffering in our lives?
• Do you think that it's at all important that we know what that purpose is?
• How can we transform/resurrect tragedy and suffering into something holy?

• God is our refuge
• If God is our refuge, our protect, what is He protecting us from?
• What does that protection have to do with paying the mortgage?
• What difference does your faith make when you make decisions?

• Brands of leadership?
• What sorts of leadership positions are there in the parish?
• Is there any way in which the deacon(s) lead the parish?
• How about he hospitality ministers?
• How do you tell when a leader has lost their humility?

• At the ready
• "Leaving" and "journeying" can take many forms.  Sometimes a physical movement from one geographic location to another is not called for to make a journey.
• What are some attitudes, responses, desires, dreams that you have had to leave behind when following Jesus?
• Was it worth it?
• How can we become more able to take such losses in Jesus' service?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing with the tragedy and pain in my life?
2. What and how much confidence do I have in God?
3. How am I leading those closest to me?
4. How indifferent am I to those things in my life at this point in time?

Repent from What, to What?

The strains of music and praise were faint,

But the message they conveyed was clear.

Jesus has a place in His heart for you,

Just open up your heart to let Him in,

And you'll never be the same.

What's so wrong with the status quo

I asked myself.

It has always worked for me up until now.

No need to disturb something 

That's been successful all these years.

And if this is evil, this success,

The respect of my peers,

The appreciation of my family,

Then what does this repentance

Turn me towards?

Is this kingdom something

That can only be entered empty-handed?

What of all of the good that I do

With all that I've been blessed with?

Is that all to cease now?

This living for Jesus sounds hard,

Does that mean that we are all alike?

Each journeying toward Eternity in lock step?

Or is the shape of holiness different

In each heart that it beats in?

Inviting others into this kingdom

When I scarcely know it myself,

Seems like a throw of the dice

Over whether anyone will find it.

And yet, the more I invite, the more I seem to understand.

Lord give me the humility

To see your way of denial

To hear the cries of your poor,

To walk in your generosity,

Toward those you would shepherd.

Shalom!

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6
2. Psalm 40: 2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3
4. John 1: 29-34

• Patron saint of lost causes
• Do you ever wonder why you were put here?
• My father-in-law is a 88 year old widower, and occasionally he wonders why he is still here.  What would you say to such a person?
• How important is that question?

• Finding God's will
• We probably all agree that part of what makes a saint great is that they followed God's will in their lives faithfully, despite pressures and obstacles.
• What differentiates any of us from a great saint?
• Do you think that we all harbor greatness but it rarely gets a chance to come out, or that we're exhibiting greatness in hard to see ways, or do you think that only some of God's children are called to greatness?

• The place of peace 
• Can you think of anyone in your life who is generally full of peace?
• What is their secret?
• What difference does that peace make in their lives?
• How can we be more people of peace?

• Getting out of the way
• John the Baptizer stands as a classic case of God's servants pointing the way to God for others, then getting out of the way.
• What makes that "getting out of the way" so difficult for us?
• How can we train ourselves to "let go" when the time comes?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I looking for purpose, or comfort in my life?
2. How eager am I to find holiness in my life?
3. What am I doing to reduce the "noise" in my life?
4. Am I ready to disappear for Christ?

Shalom!