18th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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

1. Exodus 16: 2-4, 12-15
2. Psalms 78: 3-4, 23-24, 25, 54
3. Ephesians 4: 17, 20-24
4. John 6: 24-35

• Food anxiety is never easy
• Poor Moses didn't have a good lawyer on his staff at the time, or else he would have had the children of Israel all sign a waiver to the effect that they forfeit all rights to anything that they were familiar and comfortable with, in exchange for their freedom.
• Do you think that God categorically has an issue with us being comfortable in life?
• If not, when do you think that God does take issue with comfort?
• How do you tell when your comforts are holding you back from God?

• There's a time and a place for everything
• We like to know how everything will work out before we venture into anything new, but that does not seem to be the way of things in God's service.
• When was the last time that you took a new beginning, without knowing how all of your needs would be met.
• Why did you take that risk?
• How did it turn out?
• Did you end up needing everything that you thought that you would need?
• How did that experience of uncertainty change you?

• Discerning desires
• Are all of our desires necessarily bad?
• Where do those desires come from?
• Do you think that God is interested in meeting any of them?
• How/where can our desires lead us astray?
• How/where can they lead us toward God?

• God is everywhere
• Jesus fed those folks for any number of reasons, but one reason certainly was to show them the Father's compassion and generosity, another to show them that God stood ready to meet all of their needs, physical and not.
• Do you think that ministry to the needy has to address all of their needs, no matter how diverse those needs are?
• Typically in a homeless shelter, the homeless get treated to a sermon first, then food.  Many of the homeless take the opportunity to grab a quick nap before eating.
• Is there anything wrong with that picture?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to turn my back on what is comfortable and familiar in favor of a fuller life?
2. How do I see God providing for me in the context of my service to Him?
3. What desires of my heart do I need to bring to God in prayer?
4. What generosity does God look for from me this week?

Shalom!

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 76th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. 2 Kings 4: 42-44
2. Psalms 145: 10-11, 15-16, 17-18
3. Ephesians 4: 1-6
4. John 6: 1-15

• All are welcome, all are fed
• In my wife's family, the longstanding tradition is that the host/hostess never goes it along, everyone brings something to share, even if they are told not to.
• Of course, nothing compares to what God offers us at Eucharist, but each of us brings something to share at the feast.  What are some of the things that you share at Mass?
• What would you like to share differently/more/better?
• Be honest, what do you wish was shared differently/more/better by others at Mass?

• Needs versus wants
• Do you think that God has any interest in meeting your wants?
• Where do you think your wants come from?
• How do you tell the difference between wants and needs?

• Finding peace
• How would you define peace?
• Where do you go to find that peace?
• Does anyone else in your life help to bring you peace?
• Why/how or why not?
• Do you think that it's escapism to go "somewhere else" for peace?

• Loafing through it all
• Sometimes, it can be instructive to ask what would have happened in a Gospel story if things had been just a bit different.  In this case, if the boy had decided that he wasn't going to share his lunch, how do you think that might have gone?
• Have you ever tried to meet a need that was hopelessly too big for your resources?
• What did you bring to the table?
• Was it enough?
• Did it matter?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I willing to welcome even those that I have no idea how to serve?
2. Do I trust God with my wants as well as my needs?
3. How can I be peace for others?
4. Do I let fear of inadequacy paralyze me?

Shalom!

16th Sunday in Ordinary TIme

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

1. Jeremiah 23: 1-6
2. Psalms 23: 1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
3. Ephesians 2: 13-18
4. Mark 6: 30-34

• Defense from error
• Once upon a time, there was a parish where the Confirmation sacramental preparation was done by volunteers, mostly parents.  The teens were divided up into groups that met in homes, much like the early church.  Then along came a teacher who felt that these parents were often uninformed, mistaken, or just sloppy about their teaching, so he took all of those teenagers, had them meet in one large room each week, and he taught them himself to make sure that there was no error in the teaching.
• We often speak of the distinction between faith formation, and information.  What would you say is the difference between the two?
• Is one or the other more important?
• At what point and in which way(s) do we become adults, and have to start taking responsibility for our own formation?
• Do you think that someone could be influencing/forming/teaching another without knowing it?
• How do we keep each other honest?

• Who wants to be a sheep?
• As Westerners, and certainly as males, we are conditioned to appreciate and praise those who push the boundaries, who succeed in spite of the odds, who have the courage to go beyond their comfort zone.  Hardly an ethic that you associate with sheep.
• Do you think that there are things in this life that are just out and out impossible for you?
• Would it make your life any better to try those things?
• If you don't think that anything is impossible to you, then think about flapping your arms and flying, or being able to compose a truly great sonata, or finding the cure to cancer.
• If not these things, then what are your strengths?
• Do you think that you might have strengths that you've not stumbled into?
• How have you found your strengths, your genius, your calling in life?
• Do you think that was just luck, or something else?
• How can you be more open to that "something else"?

• Chasing the Prodigal
• In the parable of the prodigal son, what I like to call the prodigal father, the father waits patiently, longingly, for the son to come back.  He's the first to see that weary, beaten son come over the horizon from distant lands, and he runs toward that young man as though his very life depended on that reunion.
• Who are some of those in your life who have "gone prodigal" and left, be it a violent rending of relationships, or an inexorable corrosion?
• Is anyone looking for them?
• What do they have to do before anyone is willing/able to receive them back?
• What will they have to do if they ever came back, before anyone would trust them again?
• Who decided that anyway?

• Life is what happens along the way
• Sanctuary is a place, time, space where we go to recuperate.  For the introvert, such sanctuary can be very tangible.  They prefer quiet, a spell where they can center themselves, recover from the demands of people all around them, and rediscover their inner compass.  Other folks crave time with nature, time in their gardens, time on the phone with their best friend, an hour spent in front of the reserved Eucharist, you name it.
• Where is your sanctuary?
• Do you go there regularly?
• Do you bring an agenda with you when you go there?
• How much of your sanctuary do you bring back with you when you rejoin humanity?
• What is the difference between sanctuary and trying to escape?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where/what am I teaching God's people?
2. Where might God be calling me outside my comfort zone?
3. Who am I waiting for to come home?  Do they know that?
4. What am I doing to strengthen my prayer-life?

Shalom!

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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

1. Wisdom 1: 13-15, 2:23-24
2. Psalms 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
3. 2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13-15
4. Mark 5: 21-43

• Where would we be without death?
• Do you think that there will come a time when you will welcome your own death?
• What has to happen between now and then?
• Is all of that going to be a good thing?
• Do you think that God has anything to say about when we die?
• What does that say about God?
• What does that say about our death?

• Praise God, for ...
• When I was growing up, there was a slogan: "praise God anyhow!" that was offered as the answer to any tragedy that occurred.  I gradually grew to hate that phrase, and all of the sanctimonious dodging of genuine pain that it represented.
• What do you think is praiseworthy of God?
• Is that about things that God has done to/for you?
• What do those experiences tell you about God?
• What do they tell you about you?

• Is God a Commie?
• Is it intrinsically evil that one person has more while another has less?
• Just what responsibilities do we, in the richest nation on earth, have for others less fortunate?
• Jesus never healed a stock market portfolio, never preached against a politician because of their immigration policies or their attendance to justice.  Does that mean that Jesus didn't care about those things, just had more important things to do, or that He somehow expected His followers to address such things in due time?
• Is there anything that God actually owes us?

• Life is what happens along the way
• Oftentimes, it feels as though life would be so much better if our interruptions stopped getting interrupted.  How do you think that Jesus dealt with all of the competing demands on His time and energy?
• Do you think that His prayer life had anything to do with that?
• How do you think Jesus knew when it was time to fold up His prayer shawl and get on with life day in, and day out?
• How do you tell?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I blaming God for lately?
2. What am I praising God for today?
3. How can I show mercy without being patronizing?
4. How can I be more patient with/about the unexpected in my life?

Shalom!

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Our readings for the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist are:

1. Isaiah 49: 1-6
2. Psalms 139: 1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
3. Acts 13 22-26
4. Luke 1: 57-66

• Success isn't all that it's cracked up to be
• We all want to succeed at what we invest ourselves in, it's only natural.  But sometimes, success becomes a hindrance.
• Think of something that you really poured yourself into.  Maybe it's parenting, maybe it's a career, or caring for an ill spouse or parent.
• Did that turn out the way that you had originally wanted/expected for it to?
• Were you disappointed that it didn't go the way that you wanted?
• Did that discourage you from trying again?
• Do you feel that God owes you to succeed at everything that He calls you to do?
• Just how do you define success anyway?

• You just don't understand ...
• Think of someone who really understands you, who "gets" you.
• How did they get that much insight into you?
• How have you built that sort of relationship through the years?
• Why is it that we feel less alone when there are those who really really understand us?
• Do you truly believe that God understands you, that He accepts every part of you, that you are loved right now, every last atom of your being?
• How then should you pray?

• I Am has this covered ...
• God has been at this almighty thing for a long time.  He apparently has the ability to get a huge number of moving parts to all work together over years, nay millennia.
• So, what exactly do we have to worry about?
• Have you ever lamented to God that so much that you have worked on seems to be crumbling, falling down around you for no good reason?
• How did God answer that?  Did you get much sympathy?
• Does it make sense for us to ask for the bigger picture, or are we always going to see just a small part of the big picture?

• What's in a name?
• We have gotten out of the habit of trying to name our children meaningfully.  In so doing, we lose the opportunity to lay claim to that part of the grand arc of history that they will build in their lives, we subtly deny them their destiny because we fear that we're going to get it wrong, or because we fear that we're going to get it right, and that destiny looks too daunting.
• If you wanted to give yourself a name that somehow spoke to who you see when you look in the mirror, what would that name be?
• What name do you think that God has for you?
• Do you think that name ever changes?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What in my life, success, appreciation, affection ... am I willing to give up as I follow Jesus?
2. Where am I helping God to understand me better?  What am I doing to better understand God?
3. What worries can I give up to God today?
4. What can I do today to claim my name before God?

Nativity Carol

Loved into being

Awaited with longing and trepidation

Each of us arrived on this planet amidst doubts and fears, expectations and anticipation

Dwelling in the past is an escape

But to learn from it, we must first learn our own origins,

The clay from which we were formed.

Perhaps it's time to sit down with our children.

Share with them our fondest dreams, hopes, and ambitions for them.

Not to contrast with where they are today, but shine light on the roots from which they spring

Perhaps in the telling we can learn to be more accepting.

Perhaps in the hearing they can learn to be courageous,

Both become brave enough to hope, brave enough to cast aside cynicism.

Shalom!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Ezekiel 17:22-24
2. Psalms 92: 2-3, 13-14, 15-16
3. 2 Corinthians 5: 6-10
4. Mark 4: 26-34

• Continuity in the strangest places
• We all like to think that everything that we do lays a foundation for that which is to come.  Schooling leads to that great job offer, the salary leads to that house, and so on.
• But sometimes, the continuity seems fragile at best.  Out of all of humanity, God preserved just Noah and his family.  Just a tiny shoot of the Cedar (representing the nation Israel) would be replanted back in their homeland.
• Thinking back over your life, think of something that has changed radically.  Maybe you lost a job, or had to move to a new one, last a loved one, some relationship died.
• What were you able to carry forward from that experience?
• Were the results worth it?
• Do they have to be worth it?

• The fruit of your labors
• When you think about it, perhaps the single biggest desire that we all share is that we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors.
• How long do you think you will be able to continue to bear fruit in your life?
• Do you think that the nature of that fruit will change as you grow older?
• What of this chapter of your life do you think that you will miss the most?

• At home in this body
• I've finally resigned myself to one tragic reality: I'm a 60-year old white guy trapped in a 60-year old white guy's body.  Oddly, I don't get much sympathy for that.  Maybe I had this coming.
• Do you feel that we are obliged to improve on previous generation's outlook on life, on religion, on holiness?
• If so, how have you improved on that stock that you came from?
• Do you think that you left the next generation a good starting place?
• Where would you hope that they grow into before they pass the baton in their turn?

• It's all gift
• We know that there is nothing that we can do apart from God, yet the practical implications of that simple fact are often hard to pin down, even harder to live.
• If it is ultimately up to God to bring about the Kingdom here on earth, just what is our role?
• How can we best "get out of God's way" as He brings about His kingdom on earth?
• Why do you think that God wants us involved in the ongoing creation at all?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What in my life, success, appreciation, affection ... am I willing to give up as I follow Jesus?
2. What fruit am I bearing today?
3. What legacy is God building in me?
4. How can I give God more freedom in my life?

Shalom!

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Genesis 3: 9-15
2. Psalms 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
3. 2 Corinthians 4: 13-5: 1
4. Mark 3: 20-35

• Who told you that you were naked?
• Nightmares where we are speaking before a large crowd and suddenly realize that we are naked seem to be pretty common.  Maybe the fear is that, in the rush to get out of the door you forgot that one item of your preparation checklist, maybe it's that you don't think that you are prepared at all, maybe it's that you don't feel worthy to be there at all.
• Where do you feel most accepted for who/what you are?
• Where do you feel most at home?
• Does that say more about who you are, what you've accomplished, or about those who are so accepting?

• Mercy me
• God's mercy for each of us is a great mystery, and yet we are called to show some measure of that same grace to others.
• When was the last time that you were merciful to someone else?
• What prompted you to do that?
• Do you think that mercy always means giving the other person what they want?

• Do these wings make me look fat?
• When I was young, I must have asked whether we would meet the family dog Charlie in heaven.  My dad was pretty certain that, despite the mischief that Charlie had committed in this life, that upon entering heaven we will each hear a familiar barking, soon to be followed by one very special cocker beagle leaping into our arms.
• These dwellings that we will have in heaven, will they look the way that we did in our 20s?
• Will we have senses of any sort in heaven?
• Will it matter?

• Being in the moment
• We talk about work/life balance in our lives as a goal for better health.
• How do you suppose that Jesus kept from burning out?
• Do you think that He could pour Himself into his ministry because He know it would not have to last forever?
• How do you make room in your life for the unexpected, the out of the box, the Spirit flying low?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Who in my life needs to hear that they are accepted just as they are?
2. Who in my life today needs mercy from me?
3. What is the most important thing about me that I want to identified by in eternity?
4. How can I be more open to changes in my plans?

It is Enough

Years ago, before my son towered over me the way he does now,

We were walking together, and he put his hand in mine.

My heart sang, and shed a tear at the same time.

Time does not come in a bottle.  Experiences can not be clung to.

And yet, all of eternity can be found in a single moment.

Sudden, breath-taking union with all that is, ever was, ever will be.

Looking back, I know that I was totally present to that moment.

I have no regrets from that day, because I was totally there just then.

But it leaves me wondering how many breath-taking moments I miss

For lack of attention, for being in a hurry, for not giving them enough space.

At the end of life's journey, I want to be full of gratitude.

Maybe the way to get there is to practice gratitude for each moment now.

Learn to let each moment blossom of its own,

Not looking for what's next, where are we going with this, what's in it for me.

Shalom!