13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. 2 Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16a
2. Psalms 89: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19
3. Romans 6: 3-4, 8-11
4. Matthew 10: 37-42

• Exchange of Gifts
• The central action of Eucharist has been described as a "holy exchange of gifts."
• What has God first given us?
• What do we offer back to God in Eucharist?
• What does God offer us back?
• What are some specific things that you offered God this past Sunday?
• What did/have you received in turn in that encounter?

• Faithfulness over success
• Mother Theresa has been quoted saying "God doesn't look for success, only faithfulness."
• Why do you think that could be challenging in daily life?
• If you cannot be ineffably successful at something, why do you think that God would put you there in the first place?
• What do you think has to happen for us to utterly fail in our ministry before God?

• You are so dead to me ...
• Can you think of a person, place, thing, habit that you've had to leave behind in order to get closer to God?
• What was the hardest part of that separation?
• How has giving that up benefited you?
• What was the hardest part of that giving up?
• How/when did God help you through that transition?

• Staying focused
• Do you live to eat or do you eat to live?
• Do you work to live, or do you live to work?
• Do you live to follow Jesus, or do you follow Jesus to live?
• Which of the above three questions is fundamentally different from the other two?
• Why?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. When I come to celebrate Mass, what is it that I bring with me to offer to Jesus?
2. What am I faithful in these days?
3. What things in my life get between me and Jesus?
4. How is my following of Jesus bringing me new/more abundant life?

Shalom!

12 Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 12 Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Jeremiah 20: 10-13
2. Psalms 69: 8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
3. Romans 5: 12-15
4. Matthew 10: 26-33

• Fear of failure
• Have you ever been misunderstood, misrepresented, or even just disliked for no earthly reason?
• How did that make you feel?
• How did you bring that to God in your prayer?  Were you outraged, grief-stricken, vengeful, ...?
• How did God answer you then?
• How is God answering you now?

• Mercy all around us
• Have you ever been in a position to extend mercy to someone else?  Perhaps you were in a position of authority over them as parent, teacher, manager, ...
• How can you tell when someone else deserves mercy from you?
• Does it matter whether or not they appreciate that mercy?
• How does extending mercy to someone else change that other person?
• How does it change us? 

• Sin in our lives
• When you think about sin in your life, do you think of individual events, patterns of sin in your life that recur over and over, attitudes or thought patterns that you have that lead to sin, ...?
• Which of those do you think that Jesus forgives?
• Which of those facets of sin are we trying to mend with penance?
• Who benefits from us removing sin from our lives?
• Or - What are you really afraid of?
• Thinking of the usual catalog of sins: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, "and such like" (Galatians 5: 19-21) which of those would you say were based in fear of some thing or another?
• In what way would faith help to counter such fears?
• What have you done lately to bolster your faith in some specific area?

• Standing out in a crowd
• Peter's denial of Jesus during the passion narrative is rather comforting for all its bleakness.  We hear that and think to ourselves, "I would never do that" and go on our way.
• But besides denying even knowing this Jesus, what are some other ways that we might deny Him in front of others?
• How important is it that we individually speak out against things that are wrong, unjust, evil?
• Is it important whether or not our words are effective?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to bear unjust rejection for God?
2. Where have I shown God's mercy to another this week?
3. How is God healing me of my fears?
4. How can I be more of a sign of Christ's presence to those around me?

Shalom!

Corpus Christi Sunday

Our readings for Corpus Christi Sunday are:

1. Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a
2. Psalms 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20
3. 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17
4. John 6: 51-58

• Testimony time
• In Protestant circles, it's common to invite participants to offer testimony, story telling if you will, of how God has worked in their lives.  This sharing of stories helps build the faith of the gathered assembly, and helps them see how God works in His people's lives.
• In the Catholic community, we don't do much of that, maybe we should.  If someone asked you what evidence you have for God in your life, what would you tell them?
• What sort of a setting would be ideal for that sort of sharing?
• What might happen to us as a community if we did that sort of faith sharing with each other more often?

• Manna in the desert
• What do you really need in life to be happy?
• Of those things that you just listed, which of them are purely material, and which are spiritual in nature?
• Of those things that you just listed, which do you think God ultimately provides you with, versus what do you think that you got for yourself?
• Which are you the most grateful for?
• Why? 

• One bread, one body
• When you think of being in solidarity with someone, what does that mean?
• Who are you in solidarity with?
• What obligations do you feel that brings with it?
• Who do you think Jesus feels a solidarity towards?
• How does Eucharist draw us into solidarity with those that Jesus is in solidarity with?
• Or - Ecumenism can be frightening
• Jim O'Neill once said that, when he went up to Communion, he would listen to the Eucharistic minster hold up the consecrated host and say "the body of Christ" to which Jim would respond "yes we are".
• Just what, then, are we consuming at Eucharist?
• How far does that "body of Christ" extend in time, how far around the globe?
• How should that change us, our hearts, towards the rest of humanity sharing in that same feast?
• How can we make that reality more profound, more immanent, more real in our lives?

• Sacrament of initiation
• Thoughtful sacramental theologians worry that we have surrounded first Holy Communion with so much pomp and circumstance that we obscure the unnerving fact that every celebration of Eucharist is a sacrament of initiation, a stepping into something new and creative.
• What has Eucharist initiated you into lately?
• Is Eucharist a string of events, a way of life, or a journey?
• How can we become more of a Eucharistic people?
• Or - Table prayer, revealed for what it is
• John Flaherty has a vision that I've grown to appreciate more and more over the years: the family table and the Eucharistic table reveal and illuminate each other.
• What are some of the stories that have been shared around your table recently?
• How have those stories transformed the lives of the teller, the listeners?
• How has your table talk at home prepared you for Eucharist?
• How has Eucharist prepared you for being a better family?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I truly grateful to God for?
2. Do I truly believe that God will provide abundance in my life?
3. How is Eucharist drawing me closer to the Body of Christ?
4. How can I make my home life more sacramental?

Ang Katawan

When we gather in our homes
through our prayers and our meals,
we are fed and nourished together,
our families, broken and blessed.

Dear Jesus, thank you for this food
Especially the apple pie that I smell ...
Oh, and everything else as well,
I'm sure that it's all good too.  Amen

"Robbie, that's the last time you say grace"
"But, it's about what we're thankful for, right?"
"Well, yeah, but you can't get by just on desert."
"I'm willing to take that risk, if anyone would let me."

"Before you two get going on that discussion,
Please pass the mac 'n cheese.  I hear it calling me."
"I'd love to, but my bursitis is kicking my butt"
"No problem, here, I'll pass it around behind you."

"Are you still in therapy for that?"
"Yeah, but they tell me that my insurance
Is only going to pay for another four weeks.
I sure hope this is over and done by then."

In the household of the Lord,
where we come to share the meal,
we are fed the words of our Savior,
one family, strengthened and healed.

"George, I heard from Sara today after Mass
That Marge Johnson is in the hospital,
And Fred is home alone.  What should we do?"
"Well, let me drop by tomorrow and see what Fred needs."

"Let me send some of that leftover mac 'n cheese with you.
If Fred doesn't need it right away, he can freeze it.
I'll check in on Sara and see how she's doing."
"Maybe Robbie will come along with me."

Behold the Body of Christ,
Jesus our Savior and Life!
Rejoice O people of God!
We are the Body of Christ!

Verses liberally borrowed from Ang Katawan ni Kristo - Manalo, CSP, Ricky; de Leon, Pia

Shalom!

Trinity Sunday

Our readings for Trinity Sunday are:

1. Exodus 34: 4b-6, 8-9
2. Daniel 3: 52, 53, 54, 55
3. 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13
4. John 3: 16-18

• God of patience
• Our first reading comes from the second time that God gave His people Israel His covenant.
• Can you think of a time when God was persistent with you?
• What made you slow to hear God's voice in that situation?
• What changed about you in that experience?

• Indifference can be hard
• This week's Psalm is from the book of Daniel, specifically the first few verses of a hymn of praise that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego sang while in the fiery furnace for refusing to bow to the king's idol.  They didn't care whether God preserved them or not, they were not going to bow to an idol.
• When you have really tough decisions to make, how do you start?
• What do you do to achieve peace during and after that process?
• What role does the Holy Spirit have in that process? 

• Words of encouragement
• Think of a time/place/person where you received encouragement when you most needed it.
• How did that encouragement affect you?
• Have you ever been an encouragement to others?
• What motivated you to offer that encouragement?
• How did you know that you were doing the right thing?

• Or - I'll live in peace with reasonable people
• What are you willing to sacrifice to live in peace within your world, your parish, your family?
• What does it mean "to keep the peace"?
• Are there certain individuals who are called to keep the peace, or is that a ministry that all of us are called to?
• What do we do about individuals who are unable/unwilling to live in peace with those around them?

• The eternal dance 
• Life is generally defined in terms of function: reaction to stimuli, growth, and reproduction.
• How would you characterize the life that we will have in eternity?
• How will we relate to the Trinity in eternity?
• How can we start now? 

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I trying God's patience lately?
2. How willing am I to let God direct my life?
3. Would anyone ever come to me for encouragement in their journey?
4. Is there anything about this past week that has brought me closer to the Trinity?

What if?

The sensible person predicts what might happen in response to their actions.
The hard part is that it's often the case that multiple outcomes are possible,
Not just at the end of a sequence, but at every point along the way.

So we try to weed out the less likely outcomes, concentrate on the most likely.
Decide which of those likely outcomes are needed, wanted, desired, versus
Outcomes that we want so desperately to avoid.  And so we choose.

But what if you were asked to make a decision,
Between all good alternatives,
Not knowing where any of them would lead.

The only distinction is that only one of them is what God wants.
What if your desires, your wishes in the matter were strong and deep,
And you were hard pressed to hear God's voice above the din of your own drives?

How would you choose?
How long would it take?
What if you choose wrong?

Could you trust God to know the right way?
Could you be humble enough to choose that over anything else?
Could you be indifferent to where that choice led?

What sort of life would that be?
Would you think to find peace there?
What would Jesus do?

Shalom!

Pentecost

Our readings for Pentecost Sunday 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

• One in the Spirit
• Many of you remember Andy Anderson.  He was educated in the Franciscan tradition, and he used to say that "when we spoke of ecumenism, we were thinking of the Jesuits."
• What does unity really mean within Christianity?
• What would be the benefits of achieving such unity?
• How would the Holy Spirit's influence help make that happen?
• What can/should we do to help bring such unity to pass?

• The joy of abundance
• Where do you see God sending out His Spirit in your family, our parish, our Church today?
• Who are some folks that you see actively supporting that work?
• What is their secret, how are they able to do that?
• How can we be more like them?

• Gifts
• Matthew Kelly writes that each of us has a genius.  Genius can be defined as a "great creative or mental ability."
• What's your genius?
• What are you doing to put that genius at the service of others?
• How are you growing your genius?
• How does your genius manifest itself in your life work?

• Or - Is there a genius in the house?
• How successful are we at finding and nurturing the gifts, the genius that we have as a community?
• How can we be better at that?
• Is the fostering of the genius in others, itself a genius?
• Why do you think that so many don't feel challenged in their faith?

• Finding peace
• What are some things that rob us of peace?
• Are any of those mortal, or are they just annoying?
• How important to our walk in faith is inner peace?
• How can we minister peace to one another?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing to bring about better understanding within my community?
2. Where is the Spirit of God leading me this week?
3. Where am I stretching my faith?
4. What am I willing to do to find peace?

Sent

For some, the universality of the Latin Mass spoke volumes.
God is present to His faithful in every Church, every Mass.
God has been faithful to His people through every age.
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Then changes swept through, the sacred words are spoken
In dozens of languages in Los Angeles alone
And some, some feel abandoned, cut adrift from what was sure
And left to somehow pick up what pieces they could find and move on.

The sense of abandonment that comes with change
Can bring confusion, mourning, desperate attempts at preservation
Of what was solid, enduring, comfortable.
But Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

There is a unity that binds us together, far stronger than language.
No matter where you go in this world, or when you look
There are broken hearts, shattered lives, hopelessness stalking the streets
And Jesus is there, beckoning anyone who will follow His lead.

Follow Him to the darkest corners, to the hopeless ones
And be His healing hands, be His body broken for the little ones
That call will always be there, no matter where we go
That call unites us to one another, past, present and future.

That cry for mercy is truly universal.

Shalom!

The Ascension of the Lord

Our readings for Ascension Sunday are:

1. Acts 1: 1-11
2. Psalms 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9
3. Ephesians 1: 17-23
4. Matthew 28: 16-20

• Moving on
• Have you ever had a time in which you had to give up one thing for something else?
• How did you discern that the time had come for that transition?
• Did you mourn what you lost in the process?
• What helped you through that process?

• The joy of the Lord
• How would you define true joy?
• Where does it come from?
• Does joy endure, or is it merely the product of present circumstances?
• What brings you joy in your life?

• Revelation
• Is God revealing Himself to us continuously, or is all that done now?
• If God is still engaged in ongoing revelation, who is He revealing Himself to these days?
• How is that revelation coming to us, His people?
• Is God revealing Himself to/through our hearts or our heads?
• Or - Spirit of Wisdom
• Enlightenment can be defined as seeing things in a new way, a truer way.
• Who are some voices of enlightenment in our day?
• Is this enlightenment a matter of returning to a truer view of God, the world, and our place in it, correction to erroneous beliefs that have crept in, or an ongoing unfolding of God's revelation?
• If we are truly following Jesus with all our hearts, are we guaranteed to be free from error in our beliefs?

• Without a doubt
• What causes doubts of our faith?
• Is that necessarily a bad thing?
• Can doubt ultimately improve our relationship to Jesus?
• Are questions necessarily a bad thing?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I clinging to that I need to let go of?
2. Am I willing to take joy in the same things that bring God joy?
3. When was the last time that I sat with Jesus, looking for His take on my day?
4. Am I patient with the questions in my life?

Sent

My doubts are some of the best parts of me.

When I doubt that I really understand God's will in my life,
That's when His presence is most felt,
Encouraging, coaxing, showing mercy
As I take one tentative step after another.

When I doubt my own strength and courage,
He assures me that He stands ready to be the courage I need
That strength is more than the raw ability to move mountains,
But the ability to put feebleness to work when and where it's needed.

When I doubt my own intentions and purity of heart,
He helps me see myself for what I truly am,
My weaknesses, my insights, my failings, my occasional boldness,
And shows me how to offer it all up in His service, whole or not.

When I doubt that I can live the questions any longer,
He shows me that sometimes, a well asked question
Has more power than any full throated answer,
And that sometimes the greatest offering is utter honesty.

I doubt that I'll ever understand this God,
But He assures me that's not really necessary for discipleship.

Shalom!

6th Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17
2. Psalms 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
3. 1 Peter 3: 15-18
4. John 14: 15-21

• What is and is not a sacrament
• It has been said that a sacrament is "an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace."
• If that is true, when might Christ have instituted the sacrament of Confirmation?
• Is that the only occasion in which God anoints with His Spirit?
• What is the best way to continue to celebrate our Confirmation in our day to day lives?

• Be careful what you ask for
• Think of a time when a person came into your life, and you thought of them as an answer to prayer.
• In the most general sense, what are we really looking for from God when we pray?
• How does God answer those prayers?
• How can you be an answer to someone's prayer?
• How can we be preparing to be that answer to someone's prayers?

• Suffering redeemed
• Just what does it mean to "give your suffering up to Christ".
• How can our suffering possibly benefit Christ?
• How is it that the Mass can be described as an eternal unbloody sacrifice?
• In what sense is that sacrifice still being offered?
• How can we participate in that offering?
• Or - Following Jesus
• What are some things in your life that have had to be put to death/lost as you drew closer to God?
• When you faced that loss, was it abrupt and harsh, or gentle and merciful?
• How do you know that it is God who is asking you to give these things up, and not just cruel fate, bad luck, or rotten karma?
• Why do you think that God asked you to give that up?

• Without seeing You, we love You
• Moses gave the children of Israel ten commandments, how many did Jesus give us?
• How does our love for Jesus strengthen us in obedience to His commandments?
• How does our obedience strengthen our love for Jesus?
• How are you growing in your love for Jesus?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. A sacramental is some object in this world that points to God.  Has my life been at all sacramental this week?
2. What drives my prayer life, and why?
3. How am I better for having been to Mass this week?
4. How am I getting to know Jesus better?

Belonging

In Death of the Hired Man Robert Frost tells us
"Home is where, when you go there, they have to take you in"

To the one with no home, no kith, no kin who cares enough to take them in
Homelessness slinks along the road ahead of them

Like the stench of leprosy
Cutting them off from the rest of us with an invisible curtain.

Such abandoned and forgotten find a friend in Jesus
So often shunned, ignored, abandoned in His life.

Jesus walks among the orphaned, clothed in mercy, kindness, love
Unafraid of the rejection clinging to them, for He too knows rejection.

Jesus tells us that He will never leave us abandoned, orphaned, alone
If only we follow Him.

Touch the leper, pierce the curtain of hopelessness
Tell the marginalized that they are important, have dignity, are loved.

How very odd that the best way to find ourselves
Is to seek those who are lost, who have lost all hope, lost their true identity.

Shalom!