18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 55: 1-3
2. Psalms 145: 8-9, 15-16, 17-18
3. Romans 8: 35, 37-39
4. Matthew 14: 13-21

• What are your deepest needs?
• Last week, we read of Solomon's prayer to God for wisdom.  In deciding what to ask God for, Solomon first had to assess what God had called him to in life, and what it would take to step into that calling fully.
• What is it that God has called you into in life lately?
• What traits, abilities, resources would make it possible for you to succeed in that calling?
• Do you think that God wants those things for you?
• How are you praying for them?

• Needs versus wants
• Happiness relies to a great extent in discerning the difference between needs and wants, and putting each into its proper perspective.
• What are your deepest needs?  Don't stop with the first thing that comes to mind, try to find the need behind that need.  For instance, during COVID-19 I find that I need human contact.  I think that I need that contact to remind me that there's more to life than just my thoughts, issues, and concerns, that I'm part of something much bigger.  The wider my human contact, the more open I am to new possibilities, new connections, and ultimately to God Himself.
• Where did those needs come from?
• Have they changed through the years?
• Where do your wants come from?
• Have those changed through the years?

• The isolation of need
• Folks in real need can be hard to relate to.  It's easy for them and the rest of us to let that need in their life define them.  Once that happens, they become more and more distant from the rest of us who do not share that need.
• Think back to some point in your life that was a real challenge for you.  Perhaps a health crisis, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, ...  Did that passage in your life draw you closer to anyone else?
• How did that closeness happen?
• Did that challenge in your life draw you closer to God?
• Why or why not?

• Veronica's veil
• Catholic tradition has it that one of Jesus' followers, Veronica, stepped forward to wipe Jesus' face as He was making his way to the Cross.  I find that particular station of the cross compelling because it required a great deal of courage and faith on her part.  Jesus was a condemned man, the object of ridicule and shame.  To do anything but jeer and mock Him in that crowd was to risk falling victim to the same shame that He was bearing.  Veronica probably struggled, trying to think of something that she could do to help, and feeling so helpless.  Yet she did what she could despite all of that, turning her love and concern for Jesus into action.
• What are some needs in your community that you are aware of?
• What are some things that you could do to support, sustain, comfort folks with those needs?
• How could you be the bread of life in those situations?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. What needs am I really trusting to God?
2. Have I been faithful to God with my prayer for my needs?
3. Am I letting my need draw me closer to God?
4. What are some small ways that I can meet needs within my communities?

I can't figure Him out

I could tell that the news of His cousin John's death hurt Him.

Memories of growing up together, rough housing through the village,

Trips to Jerusalem together, family gatherings through the years,

All of that gone now, a horrible execution for no good reason.

Jesus needed time alone, to process, to grieve, maybe strategize

And see what the future might bring for him, with John now gone.

We took Him to an isolated place, far from any village,

To give Him time and space to be by Himself, without the crowds.

But they got there ahead of us by some means, shattering our plans.

Vast numbers of them from every corner of Palestine, 

All so needy, all looking for Jesus, frightening in their intensity.

If I had been Jesus, I would have gotten back in the boat and taken off.

But Jesus waded into that sea of humanity, touched their lives,

Spoke lovingly to them of His Father and theirs, healed their hurts,

Blessed them with hope, all the while bearing his own pain inside.

As if He found comfort of some sort in serving those who came to Him.

We could barely keep up, and we wondered when the tide of humanity,

Would ever ebb, give Jesus a rest, grant Him some peace at last.

Finally, a few of us decided to take matters into our own Hands.

Remind Him the hour, the place, even His own needs, for His own good.

When He told us to feed them, my first thought was that they might riot.

If there was not food enough to fill all of them, there would be anger.

But He merely took what we had to offer, no matter how poor and small,

And blessed it, and gave it to us to distribute, scared as we were.

I never know when Jesus is going to call on me to journey beyond my limits

Serve longer, harder, more than I know how to muster the energy.

I'm never sure when enough is enough, and it's time to quit giving.

But I know that at least sometimes, there's more to give than I realize.

Shalom!

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12
2. 119: 57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130
3. Romans 8: 28-30
4. Matthew 13: 44-52

• The wisdom of trust
• As we mature in prayer, we gradually learn that God is far more than a vending machine, and prayer far more than merely putting coins into that vending machine and choosing what we want from it.
• How do you decide what to pray for?
• Think of a time when you desperately needed something from God, and prayed for that devoutly, for a long time.
• Did your prayer change any along the way?
• How?
• Why?

• Finding inspiration
• Creative folk fear "writer's block", that horrible moment when they realize that they have nothing left to say, that no amount of discipline is going to rescue them, that they just need to ride it out.
• What about God do you find inspiring?
• What has God inspired you to do lately?
• What do you think God might do to make that inspiration easier?

• Finding your glory
• Hebrews 1: 1-3 describes Jesus as the refulgence of God's glory. When do you feel most in touch with that glory?  Is it maybe in prayer, at the end of the day as the sun sets and you think back over how God was present with, in, and through you, when you gather around the table with family ...?
• These epiphanies in your life, what do they have in common?
• What makes you more open, more sensitive to those divine revelations?
• How can you become more sensitive to God in the day to day?

• The joy of the Lord
• Possibly the most corrosive thing that can happen to us is to lose our sense of purpose.  Our days begin to melt one into the next with no accomplishments worth noting to punctuate the time, we feel worthless and useless.
• Why do you get up in the morning most days?
• What does that have to do with your faith?
• How did you find your purpose in this life?
• Do you think that purpose ever changes?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. How has my prayer changed me lately?
2. What about my life could/should inspire others?
3. Where is God revealing Himself through me?
4. What am I doing to give the better parts of me a better chance to grown and develop?

Shalom!

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Wisdom 12: 13, 16-19
2. Psalms 86: 5-6, 9-10, 15-16
3. Romans 8: 26-27
4. Matthew 13: 1-23

• God's might
• It's a pretty rare person who would openly say "might makes right", but we act as though we believe that.  We're always attracted to the successful, the beautiful, the famous.  God for His part seeks out the lost and the marginalized, those with the least to offer.
• Have you ever been moved to perform a random act of kindness for someone?
• What prompted that?
• How did that action change you?
• What do you think we need to do to bring more kindness into the world?

• Loving and forgiving
• Think of a time when someone really wronged you.
• Have you find it possible to forgive them yet?
• Is there a process to forgiveness, or is it strictly an event?
• What is the hardest part of forgiving someone?

• At a loss for words
• One subtle bit of sarcasm that you'll occasionally hear is "words cannot express how that makes me feel ..." often meaning that the speaker feels outrage, anger, betrayal in response to what has just been done/said, but they don't want to be too obvious about their reaction.
• Have you ever been at a loss for words in prayer?
• Have you ever prayed to be shown how to pray in a given circumstance?
• How did God respond?

• It's the yeast that I could do ...
• Situations of creative tension are often termed "yeasty", meaning that they are generative, creative, unpredictable, perhaps even mildly explosive.  Bringing folks together of many different cultures, ethnic groups, religions ... all tend to yeasty mixes.
• Have you ever gone out of your way to cultivate a different perspective than you already have, to get out of your comfort zone?  Maybe it was picking up a brand new skill, meeting new people, taking on a new job ...
• What prompted you to do that?
• How did it turn out?
• Do you think that was the will of God in your life?
• Why?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. How can I grow in humility?
2. How am I becoming more forgiving?
3. What am I doing to improve my prayer life?
4. Where am I being yeast to the communities that I serve?

Shalom!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Isaiah 55: 10-11
2. Psalms 65: 10, 11, 12-13, 14
3. Romans 8: 18-23
4. Matthew 13: 1-23

• It's all gift
• Please take a look at: https://www.aish.com/j/j/132691198.html.  Sometimes, it helps to put things into a larger perspective.
• What do you think it takes to be a good preacher?
• If it's God who created the universe, sent Jesus into the world to save us, and moment by moment gives you the breath that fills your lungs, what responsibilities do we have as His children in spreading His word?
• How would you define a successful person?
• Are you a success?

• Everything is ready
• Please listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgQf5tx1hi4 and see what you think.
• Walking onto a stage in a theater production must be heady stuff.  All of the preparation on the part of the set designers, the costumers, the makeup artists, the musicians who have trained, the countless hours in rehearsal, it all comes down to this moment, this very second when the first line is uttered as the dialog between the audience and cast begins anew.
• Do you ever embark on anything new and feel totally prepared?
• How prepared do you think God is for those big moments in your life?
• Is there really any such thing as a "small moment" in life?

• We owe it to creation
• Part of the attraction of the Harry Potter myth is that all of us seek to step into our destiny, find who we really are, and achieve greatness by owning our true identity.
• Are you proud of who you are today?
• How has your vision of your place in the universe changed since you were 10 years old?
• Would that 10 year old boy or girl recognize you today?
• Do you feel that your true self has been revealed in your life?

• Seizing the opportunity
• Carpe diem was Robin William's advice to his students in Dead Poet Society.
• What are some of the opportunities that have come along in your life that you passed up?
• Why didn't you give that a try?
• How important is timing in life?
• Do you think that God puts opportunities in front of us that only last for a time?
• Why is that?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. How can I grow in humility?
2. What is God calling me to today?
3. What is God revealing in my lately?
4. Where are God's opportunities for me?

Shalom!

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Zachariah 9: 9-10
2. Psalms 145: 1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
3. Romans 8: 9, 11-13
4. Matthew 11: 25-30

• The challenges of humility
• In corporate America, it's often the case that advancement very much depends upon who notices you, what projects you get to take lead on, who your sponsors/mentors are.  It can seem that getting "the right press" can eclipse doing good work for its own sake.
• Do you feel appreciated for all that you do/all that you are?
• What do you think would be fair appreciation for what you've accomplished in life?  A promotion, a raise, recognition at the next department meeting, a word of thanks from your spouse?
• If you are not getting appreciated, for what you do, why do you do it?
• Some think that humility is about never speaking up for yourself.  Do you agree?
• Is there an up side to being humble?

• Care for the lowly
• Can you think of anyone in your life who is marginalized in some way?  Maybe they are old and it's hard for them to get out.  Or they have health issues of other sorts.  Maybe they don't have much money and no one hears much of them for that reason.
• How does God care for such as these?
• How did they get to be in that "all but invisible" state?
• Do you think that they deserve help?
• Do they deserve your help?

• Life in the Spirit
• How would you define "holiness"?
• Are there any people in your life that you would describe in that way?
• How did they get that way?
• What has that holiness really gained them?
• Is it enough to make you want to be like them?

• The joy of work
• Do you think that it's possible to find work for yourself that you are perfectly suited to, were born for?
• Should such work pay enough to provide for you & your family?
• If a particular function, say neurosurgery, pays vastly more than working as a florist, what does that tell you about the surgeon and the florist?
• What's more important about your life's work: that it brought you & those you served joy, or that it earned a lot of money?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. How can I grow in humility?
2. Who do I care for, take care of, care about?
3. Do I genuinely want to be holy?
4. Am I doing God's work in my life?

Shalom!

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 12th Sunday in 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

• The cost of discipleship
• The life of a prophet is seldom easy, they often have harsh truths that they need to convey.  Increasingly, our mere existence, our way of life, our priorities as Christians will cause others discomfort, confusion, eventually hatred.
• Think of a time when you felt led to speak up about something that no one seemed to want to talk about, something that had to be talked about.
• What gave you the courage to be that voice?
• How did it turn out?  Were you able to bring about change for the better?
• Would it have been better had you never said anything?
• Why?

• Humility and ambition
• St. Ignatius identifies three levels of humility that can be summarized: obedience, indifference, identification.  Obedience to God's will in my life over my own wants and desires.  Indifference regarding the outcomes of my actions so long as they lead me closer to Christ.  Becoming so close to Christ in my life that I partake of His shame and rejection, and rejoice in it.
• God hears hears the cries of the poor.  All of us can be poor in the sense that we can be humble, regardless of how God has blessed us in our lives.
• Where do you find yourself on the humility journey as Ignatius describes it?
• Is that good enough?
• How do you think greater humility would benefit you and those around you.

• The sin of the world
• I have a hard time deciding whether to repent of my sin, or my sins.  The first suggests a holistic look at my life in general, and ask whether I bring life and healing to those around me.  The second perspective is more immanent, seeking to find individual thoughts, words, and deeds of mine that need to be forgiven, atoned for, healed.
• How do you go about finding healing from your sin?
• How do you become aware of your sin?
• Is that awareness getting any better with age?
• Why?

• It will all work out in the end
• Calamity is isolating.  Everyone else has all of the normal concerns and demands on them, they don't understand what it's like to suffer.  Perhaps our greatest fear is being alone when we most need company.  Jesus assures His disciples that He is the ultimate companion, that everyone else in our life who brings us compassion, comfort, love, is an expression of Him.
• Think of someone who has "been there" for you for a long long time.  How did that relationship develop?
• We don't have to earn Jesus' friendship, but we do need to nurture that relationship.  How do you nurture your relationship with Jesus?
• If Jesus never leaves us, what does that say about the suffering that we all share?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. How can I grow in humility?
2. What is it in my life that consumes me?
3. How can I bring more life into the world?
4. How am I drawing closer to Jesus today?

Hero

"My hero" breathlessly exclaims the damsel as she rushes into his arms.

Scenes like that are in short supply these days,

The damsels are quite capable of saving themselves, thank you very much.

The knights all seem to have feet of clay and skeletons in their closets.

And yet, and yet the need for men and women of bravery, and nobility continues

Now more than ever.

To the point that we can no longer afford to outsource heroism

To an elite round table of knights.

The heroes have to be all of us.

The brave must be there gazing back at each of us in the mirror.

And bravery finds its true mettle

In far-seeing humility.

Lord grant me your ears that I might hear the cries of your poor

Give me your eyes that I might see how I can make a difference

Give me your voice to summon the best from myself and others

Give me your hands to touch and heal the afflicted.

Let me be your hero.

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

• The life of a nomad
• Jewish history is studded with God's efforts to remind His People that they ultimately draw their sustenance from Him and Him alone.  Every time that we bless our food we remind ourselves of the same thing.
• I suddenly realized the other day that our financial planner stopped talking about how Mary & I would spend our money in retirement and started talking about what legacy we were going to leave our kids.  I'm not sure what to conclude from that.
• What plans do you have for the next 10 years, or if your young enough, for the next 20?
• How much of that planning is rooted in counting on God to provide your needs?
• "God helps those who help themselves" is not found verbatim in the Bible.  Why is that?

• God in the land
• Once humanity settled down to raise crops and tend herds, life got a lot more complex, and things could go very very wrong.  All it took was a couple of years of drought, and the entire village would go hungry.
• Does it really make sense for humans to settle in desert areas, or regions subject to violent storms, and then beg God to preserve us from drought or hurricane?
• Climatologists are predicting dire consequences to the human race if we do not reverse the accelerating carbon footprint that we leave on the environment.  Does it make more sense to pray to God for better weather, or pray that we, as a people, will finally take better care of our planet?
• Are we willing to pay the price for living sustainably?

• What purpose the body
• Paul likens us to organs in the Body.  Personally, I'd rather be a guitar.  But that aside, the purpose of the various parts of the body is not just to sustain each other.  The Body has a higher purpose, an over arching calling that we each contribute to.
• Does your church have a mission statement?
• Does anyone refer to that statement regularly?
• How do the various ministries in the church support that mission?
• How often do you as a Body review that mission to keep it fresh?

• Bread of Life
• In times past, the Church had to guard against folks taking the consecrated host and trying to use it as some sort of talisman, manipulating God's presence for their purposes.  Such misuse of the Presence is essentially a desecration.
• If we not only have the Presence within us, but we are the Presence is it possible for us to desecrate ourselves?
• If I am called by God to be a plumber, but I insist on living my life as a carpenter, is that a desecration of the Presence within me?
• How then can we show honor to that Presence within us?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. How does my trust in God transform my life?
2. How am I stewarding God's gifts to me?
3. How am I living out God's mission for my life?
4. How am I God's Presence in the world?

Shalom!