Trinity Sunday

Our readings for Trinity Sunday are:

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

• Majestic mercy
  
• Mountaintop experiences can be transformative, giving us a totally new perspective on what is going on in our lives, giving us hope of a path forward where before there was only darkness and obstacles.
• How has God revealed Himself to you?
• In one of those revelations, what did you learn of God's character?
• How did that revelation change you?
• Has God revealed those same character traits in other revelations to you?
• How might you share that with others?
  

• It's cool in the furnace
  
• Shadrach, Meshack, and Abedego were Jewish officials in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar.  They refused to worship an image that he had constructed, and were about to be thrown into the furnace for their insubordination.  Their response was that they would not bow down, regardless whether God spared them in the fiery furnace.  Their devotion was not conditional on God preserving their lives.
  
• Have you ever tried to bargain with God?
• What were you willing to trade God for what you were seeking?
• How did that turn out?
• How did that change you?
  

• Steadfast, formidable, stalwart
  
• One thing that I routinely marvel at is the support that my wife Mary has been for me through the 43 years that we have been married.  No matter what the decision is before us, she never responds out of fear, but of trust, never from self-interest but always in courageous love.  She truly brings out the best in me at every turn.  All of us are called to be that sort of presence to each other in some measure.
• Who is someone who has been a support for you?
• How do they typically show that support?
• When they speak to you, is that voice what you need to hear, or what you want to hear?
• How have you thanked them?
• How have they changed you?
  

• The benefits of belief
  
• It's hard to watch a life without God play out.  You look on, seemingly helpless to change the course of their life, because it is their life.  You want to tell them how much better off they'll be if they give their lives back to God.
• What do you do to try to coax that unbeliever in your life into a relationship with Jesus?
• And if that strategy does not work, then what?
• If they asked you "what exactly is the difference that God will make" what would you say?
• What exactly is happiness?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be more open about my faith?
2. Do I follow God just because I expect something in return?
   
3. Who is it in my life who needs a word of encouragement/?
   
4. Where is God in my happiness?

Two Left Feet In the Divine Dance

Some describe the Trinity as three in a Divine Dance
Each holding the others, each in the others, each supporting the others.

That sort of inter-relationship is hard for our minds to comprehend.
But what seriously challenges our imagination is that we invited into that Divine Dance.

It is not enough that God in all His/Their majesty commune with each other this way.
He/they want all of us to join in as partners.

Which raises some serious challenges to our notion of inclusion.
For all of us are one with all of us to the extent that we are one with, in, and through God.

And our fellowship with God depends on, is sustained by, is illuminated by -
Our fellowship with each other.

Yes, I believe that we will all get better at this in Eternity.
Once divine judgement reveals us to each other for all that we are and might have been.

But something tells me that it will be a great deal easier in Eternity -
If I have the courage to venture into that Divine Dance now, before I get there.

Tell me about yourself, who you are, how you got here, where you feel led.
Teach me how to listen intently, and creatively to your stories and life.

Maybe you'll be the one to teach me how to dance,
And not step on anyone else's feet.

Shalom!

Pentecost Sunday

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
   

• Reaching out
  
• The early disciples must have looked at each other and asked "what's next?"  First the messiah is murdered after the mockery of a trial.  Then He comes back from the dead.  Just when the thought that they were getting the hang of His resurrection Presence, He leaves them, and now He's back, in the form of the Holy Spirit, and they end up ministering to people that they never would have thought that God would reach out to.
• How can we be more welcoming to others of different languages, cultures, backgrounds?
• What would it take for us to really understand and empathize with folks that we know next to nothing about?
• How can we avoid tokenism?
• How do we do all of that and keep the original Gospel message strong and clear?
  

• The Holy Spirit is creative
  
• All of us were probably raised to value honest work, to strive to find our place in life, our ultimate purpose, and fulfill that purpose in and through the creative energies expressed in our two hands.
• Why do you work?
• Does it have to earn a salary to be worthy?
• Is there work that is uniquely Christian?
• Is one type of work intrinsically better than another?
• How does the work that you do fit in with the ongoing work of Creation?
  

• Finding your place
  
• There are an abundance of ministries within the Church.  Each has its place and qualifications, each a blessing in its own way.  Years ago, we would have guest speakers come to RCIA meetings to tell the Elect and Candidates about ministry opportunities within the parish.
• Could we do a better job of recruiting people?
• How does one, how do we, discern where a person's gifts lie?
• How do we tell when it's time for someone to move on in their ministry?
• Does the discernment process ever end in our lives?
  

• Peace be with you
  
• Jesus told His disciples "peace be with you" before He sent them out.  I take that to mean that we need to be at peace to be truly effective ministers.
  
• What brings you peace?
• Is peace always possible?
• Is peace always necessary?
• Is there a way to live more at peace in life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be more inclusive?
2. Where might God be calling me to be more creative?
   
3. Am I serving right where I need to be?
   
4. Where am I looking for peace?

You Have to Just Feel It

I'm really good at fractions.

To the point that I can tell you exactly how many beats a triple-dotted quarter note represents.

I remember John Flaherty, our choir director in days gone by,

Telling me that sometimes, the music on the page stops being a guide,

And instead becomes shackles that keep me from letting the music inside,

And playing it, praying it, from the heart.

 

I think that, for some of us, following God gets that way.

We want to "get it right", know that everything is just perfect,

As though the intrinsic messiness of life,

Somehow has no place in ministry,

As though Jesus can be a refuge from the unexpected and the uncomfortable.

Somehow, it doesn't seem to work that way.

 

What I can tell you,

Is that your definition of "success" is bound to change as you mature.

Often in ways that you would never have believed when you were younger.

And that success becomes not so much a matter of settling for less,

As it becomes a matter of letting go, and letting God,

And realizing that any illusion of control that I might have is just that - illusion.

 

I gave up praying that the Spirit would speak louder.

Instead, I've starting praying that I can become quieter.

Taking time each day to turn off the noise, no matter how helpful it might be,

Tune into the silence all around me,

Let God take my hand in His,

And see where He has been guiding me of late, and the path directly in front of me.

 

I pray that I can learn to set aside "getting it right",

In favor of being nimble, sensitive to God's leading, His Spirit's voice.

Open to the unexpected, unplanned, even the undesired.

So that I don't miss that still small voice quite as often as I used to.

And along the way, learn to be more generous with myself,

And let the messy process of maturation wend it's mysterious course -

 

However long that might take.

Shalom!

Ascension Sunday

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
   

• Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus has left the planet.  Or has he?
  
• The ushers at Elvis concerts would often have to tell the audience that the star performer has left the building so that they would stop looking for another encore and go home.  I have to wonder if the first disciples were looking for Jesus to do just one more really amazing thing.  Maybe play an out take reel or something.
• Where do you feel Jesus' continued presence the most?
• Why do you think that He comes to you there more than other places/times/activities?
• How does your prayer life leaven the rest of your life?
  

• The rightful king is in charge
  
• In Western history, the rightful king, the one ordained of God, brings order, peace, prosperity to the kingdom when they are on the throne.  The usurper brings only ruin and despair.
• What tells you that Jesus is in charge?
• How do you celebrate your membership in that Kingdom?
• What is your function in His kingdom?
  

• Seeking wisdom
  
• We seek the wisdom that is from above, but the concept of wisdom itself seems elusive at best.
• Who are some wise folks in your life?
• How do you think that they got that way?
• Should we all be wise?
• Is it enough to merely imitate wisdom?
• How do you seek greater wisdom?
  

• The Great Commission
  
• Ours is a culture of self-help.  Gurus by the dozens speak to anyone who will listen from the shelves of every bookstore and TV set.  It's easy to see Jesus and religion in the same way.  But Jesus comes to us with the startling message: "I came because you are beyond help.  I came, not to give you a tuneup or a tweak, but a transformation."
• Why are you a Christian?
• Have your reasons for your faith changed at all through the years?
• If someone told you that they don't need all of the rules and regulations of the Church in their lives, they have the beauty of the the sunrise, the smell of baby's breath, the feel of sand between their toes at the beach to tell them of God.  What would you say to them?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. How can my prayer practice make a bigger difference in my daily life?
2. How can I acknowledge God's kingship in my life?
   
3. Where might Christ be inviting me to greater wisdom?
   
4. How is my life making a difference?

Ghosts

My wife keeps a portrait of me taken as a young man in my 20s on her dresser.
I cannot tell you what I was thinking about when they took that picture.
But I can tell you that a lot has changed since that time in my life.  To the point -

To the point that I can scarcely remember what it was like to be in my 20s,
To the point that I hardly know that young man staring back at me from the picture.
To the point that I wonder whether he would recognize me if we were to ever meet.

I wonder whether that younger version would be disappointed in me,
If he would think that I had let him down in some material way,
Or if he would think that I have navigated middle age well, and gained wisdom.

Either way, that young, optimistic, man in the picture is gone.  A ghost in my memory.
Along with my children's younger selves, the cherished job that I no longer have,
And friendships that have somehow petered out over the years.

Some of those ghosts are best left alone, their memories just cherished mementos.
Others of them serve as lessons in life, signposts to guide me even today.
Other ghosts still call me, remind me of where I have come from, my terra firma.

Those last ghosts challenge me to to find them in new forms, new guises.
Welcome their latest manifestation as old friends.
And stitch the old and new together in the tapestry of memory and story.

Those last ghosts keep me authentic, and true.  The tough part -
The tough part is to recognize what to let go of, and what to hang on to.
And not to cling to something just because it is comfortable or easy.

Nor fail to embrace the latest incarnation of God in my life
Just because it's new, uncomfortable, maybe unrecognizable.
Sometimes our resurrected selves are hard to recognize.

Shalom!

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the 6th 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
   

• Signs of Presence
  
• When Jesus called people, He didn't tell them to subscribe to an orthodox theology, He simply said "follow me".  In last Sunday's Gospel (John 14: 1-12) Jesus tells His disciples "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father."
• What are some of those works that the Church is doing today?
• Do you think that those works are what is bringing in new people?
• The Mormons are amazingly organized about their service to the community.  Are we any better, different?
• Do we have to be?
  

• Singing a new psalm
  
• In Protestant circles, they witness to each other, to unbelievers, anyone who will listen basically (sometimes even folks who won't listen) about the greatness of God.  On the whole, Catholics tend to be a bit more reserved in that regard.
• Telling the Good News from a street corner isn't really our style.  What might be a better way to witness of the goodness and greatness of God within our communities?
• How about our own family?
  

• What do you worship?
  
• Matthew Kelly once wrote to the effect that we can tell what we worship in our lives.  That will often be the first thing that we think of when we get up in the morning, the last thing that we think about when we go to bed at night, what we speak of first when we introduce ourselves to a stranger, what we spend the most time on during the day, what we spend the most money on.
• Given those indicators, what is it that you worship?
• Why is that?
• What could you do to change that (assuming that you want to change)?
  

• The Spirit of Truth
  
• In the wake of the death of Floyd George, my son Justin called me.  He was trying to discern whether to join in a protest march on Lakewood city hall, and he asked me a question that still haunts me: How are we to know the truth?  There are so many voices today, some saying this, some saying that, some saying we ought to respond one way, some calling for another response.  I'd like to say that I had a insightful answer for him.
• How is God revealing His truth today?
• Does that revelation shed light on every aspect of our lives?
• How much of this are we supposed to figure out for ourselves?
• How much do we figure out together as a community?
• Have you ever seen the sensus fidelium at work?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Is my life a beacon of hope to others?
2. Where might I thank God more?
   
3. Whom do I really worship and why?
   
4. Am I honestly listening to God's call in my life?

Shalom!

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the 5th Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 6: 1-7
   
2. Psalms 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19
   
3. 1 Peter 2: 4-9
   
4. John 14: 1-12
   

• What would Jesus do?
  
• The early apostles must have looked at each other and said "Jesus made this look so easy".  Guided by the Holy Spirit, they had to improvise, hope for the best, and always pray that they were setting the right precedent.  Probably never realizing how long a legacy they were leaving behind them.
• Who are some really effective leaders in your Church experience?  Think outside of the box a little.  Not all leadership is brokered via official offices or titles.
  
• How do they manage to do their leading?
• What about them as persons makes them fit leaders?
• Do you see yourself in any sort of leadership?
• What graces do you desire to make you a better leader?
  

• Trust unlocks God's mercy
  
• We come to trust another person by hearing about them, watching them in action.  We gain an appreciation for their fundamental character, and from that, we gain confidence in them, usually in a positive way.
• What about God are you confident in?
• What events, stories, history gives you that confidence?
• What does your trust in God allow you to do and be that you could not without that trust?
  

• Embracing our chosenness
• Because of their rich history, the chosen people of Israel had a distinct sense that they were unique in God's plan for the world, that there were things that they were called to that no one else could do.  Yet we too are called a chosen of God as well.
• What in your past makes you feel chosen, that God has a particular purpose for you?
• What do you think that purpose might be?
• How has your sense and appreciation of that purpose changed over time?
  

• Seeing Jesus
  
• Jesus is among us in many ways, one of them is His followers.
• Who is someone who shows you some aspect of Jesus?
• Does that person inspire you?
• How has that inspiration changed you?
• How would you like to inspire others?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to lead His people?
2. What might God be hoping that I'll hope for?
   
3. What is God choosing me for today?
   
4. How might I let Jesus shine through me better?

Dyker is a person who builds dykes.  A dyke is a stone wall constructed with nothing but the skill of the dyker and the stones themselves.  This form of construction is common in regions of western Ireland and parts of Briton where the soil is poor, and stones are plentiful.

Dry Stone Walls

The old dyker stood up from his work to better savor the soft breeze.
Admiring his gradually growing wall as it coursed over the countryside.

His materials plucked from the surrounding hills and valleys.
Every stone from this place, every stone a son of this landscape.

Folks from other places think that he just piles the stones
Without any concern for their shape or size.  Be he knows better.

Glancing over the pile of stones, he spies the perfect one to be placed next,
Turns it over in his hands until he finds just the right orientation,

And sets it gently into exactly the right spot in the wall.
Knowing that this latest stone will nestle in among the ones beneath it -

Nestle into its fellow stones, and help provide a nesting place
For the next layer of stones to be gently added to the wall.

Walls just like this one have stood for centuries.
Heaving gracefully as the ground freezes and swells, thaws and shrinks.

Letting water seep through rather than build up on one side of the wall or the other
Gracefully letting the winds from the shore whisper through them.

No mortar chokes the pores of these walls
Their strength lies in the gaps between the stones.

It is in the irregularities of the stones that the wall finds is durability.
It is in the eye of the dyker that each stone finds is perfect place.

The wall protecting the herds that depend upon this land.
Sheltering the precious soil so that it can give of its strength.

In our lives as living stones, we often fail to see what we are building.
But trust that Jesus the dyker knows what is needed better than we.

Shalom!

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the 4tg Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 2: 14a, 36-41
   
2. Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
   
3. 1 Peter 2: 20b-25
   
4. John 10: 1-10
   

• Courage of your convictions
• Renewal happens when God calls His faithful to find new, and more authentic ways, to celebrate their core identity.
• Do you think that your family could use some renewal?
• How about your parish?
• The whole Church?
• What role do individuals play in such renewal?
• Does renewal ever end?
  

• Transformation all around us
  
• Most of us would wish that our enemies, any obstacles to making forward progress, limitations on what we want to accomplish ... would all just go away.  But God doesn't seem inclined to work that way.
• Think of something/someone/some situation in your life that you thought was unbearable that you now see as gift.
• How did that transformation occur?
• Do you think that could happen to anyone?
• Do you think that such a transformation could happen to anything that comes into our lives?
  

• Drawing closer to Jesus, the hard way
  
• I think that the reasonable among us would wonder why we have to suffer since Jesus did such a thorough job of it in His life.  But it doesn't seem to work that way.
• Where have you found meaning in suffering?
• Is all suffering meaningful?
• Should we seek out suffering?
  

• Living abundantly
  
• If the abundance of God is not to be found in riches, fame, power, where is it to be found?
• What would you think distinguishes a person living an abundant life from someone who is barely surviving?
• How would you like to live more abundantly?
• What's holding you back?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to renewal?
2. Where might God be hidden in my life in plain sight?
   
3. Where is there suffering in my life waiting to be transformed into a grace?
   
4. Where might God be calling me to shed somethings to make room for abundance?
   

Smelling Like Sheep

Lord, grant me the piercing sight of humility,
That I may see myself the way that You do.

Here on this earth to be Your touch, your warmth,
Your mercy to those that you call me to serve.

Moment by moment, no matter how we meet,
No matter how we part.  The touch is all.

All that I have to offer another.
What Jesus offered those who came to Him.

Teach me to close the distance between myself,
And those that I am here to love.

So that I learn to share everything with them,
Especially your throbbing heart within mine.

That I may know and accept them in the way that You do,
And learn to forget they/them and become we/us.

Shalom!

Third Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 2: 14: 22-33
   
2. Psalms 16: 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
   
3. 1 Peter 1: 17-21
   
4. Luke 24: 13-35
   

• Finding the Courage
  
• The person of courage is not someone without fear.  We have another word for those people: fool.  A person of courage faces their fears and acts to achieve what needs to be done in spite of their fears.
• When was a time in your Christian walk that was fearful for you?
• How did you move past that fear?
• Did it work out in the end?
• What did you learn from that?
  

• Showing us the path of life
  
• Most of us are where we are today in life for a number of reasons, a number of people who have influenced us along the way.  It's hard to remember to thank all of them properly.
• Who is someone that you credit with showing the way to God in one way or another?
• How and what did they show you about God?
• If someone were to closely examine your life, what would then conclude about God from that examination?
• Do you ever examine your life to see what you can learn from it?
  

• Conducting ourselves with reverence
  
• In the Jimmy Stewart movie It's a Wonderful Life the character George Bailey discovers through Divine Intervention that his life has meant something, that he has made a difference, and ultimately that he can still make a difference.
• What about your life do you think has made the most difference?
• Is there anything that you thought was really important that later on turned out to not be all that important?
• With so many things clamoring for our attention, it's hard to stay focused.  How do you tell what to put your time and energy into?
  

• In the breaking
  
• When Mary & I were dating I went to my first family party at her parent's home and I remember Mary's mother, Jean, offering me sparkling apple cider.  For nearly forty years after that, every time I went over there, Jean had a bottle of sparkling cider and for me, it became a symbol all of the love and acceptance that I have received from that family.
• What are some of the people/events/gestures/songs/... that remind you of God in your life?
• Do you ever get a chance to share those with others?
• How has that deepened for you over the years?
• How would you like for it to deepen for you in the years to come?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me forward into greater courage?
2. Where is the path of life taking me lately?
   
3. Where might God be calling me/us to pay better attention to my day to day living?
   
4. Where in my life is God calling me to deeper intimacy?
   

The Road Back

We could not wait to get out of Jerusalem.
From the nightmare of His death -
Death by fear, hatred, and worse, indifference.

All but forgotten on Calvary's grim hill.
Almost all of His friends scattered like leaves
Before the shame of such a death.

Hope flickered while He was among us.
And died with Him.
Died while the guards gambled for His last belongings.

News of His empty tomb was just too much.
Someone had done the final indignity -
Not even allowing us a shrine to remember Him by.

But then He showed Himself to us.
Not in a blinding flash of glory,
But slowly, gradually, showing us what we already knew -

Showing us what we had known, in a whole new light.
And we were able to see His life, His touch, His death -
As never before.

Victory over, and victory through death.
He had come to become our defeat at the hands of our sin
That He might show us the road back to God.

And then we knew, we could not keep this to ourselves.
The empty tomb was not a pit of despair
But a font of hope.

We needed to share that simmering joy
With our closest friends, our brothers and sisters
And in the sharing, experience His rising even more deeply.

The late afternoon glowed with new life.
The setting sun glorious as it wove through the clouds.
Jerusalem refulgent in the glory of God.

Our friends beaming with the joy
That His life, our lives, were joined.
That resurrection was ours here, now, today, forever.

Shalom!