1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the 1st Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b, 64: 2-7
   
2. Psalm 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19
   
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9
   
4. Mark 13: 33-37
   

• Unfolding creation
  
• Lately, I can really relate to the image of me being the clay and God the potter.  That helps to explain the glazed look I get so often.  All of us and each of us are part of God's ongoing creation story.
• Where do you see God gently forming you into a better person lately?
• Is that process painful?
• Would you have it any other way?
• Why do you think that God is working with/on/through you that way?
  

• Too busy to pray
  
• "Barely keeping our head above water" is an apt metaphor for life for many of us.  New demands on our time, emotional resources, physical stamina sometimes seem to come at us with little or no warning, and we can feel overwhelmed.  At such times, it is hard to justify taking the time to pray.  Prayer can seem like an impractical luxury that is just going to have to wait.
• When is a time that you found it hard to pray?
• How did you respond?
• If you were able to pray anyway, do you think that it helped?
• What came out of your prayer?
• What went into your prayer?
• How were you changed by that experience?
  

• Gifted
  
• Gift-giving can be hard.  We wonder whether the person that we are giving the gift to really needs what we want to give them.  We wonder whether they will appreciate the thought behind the gift.  We wonder whether they will find the time to really enjoy the gift.  I suspect that God feels the same way when He gives us spiritual gifts.
• Do you feel as though you have all of the spiritual gifts that you need?
• If you could choose one gift that would help you the most, what would that be?
• Why don't you think that you have that gift already?
  

• Living prophetically
  
• Prophets and poets have a lot in common.  Both look at the world around them, and search out the meaning of their circumstances, culture, events, and share those reflections with their listeners.  I think that the poets and prophets among us are most often the ones who call us to be awake to the bigger picture.
• What are some things in your life that make it hard for you to see the bigger picture - where God is leading you in your life overall, where God is taking your family, your community?
• How do you think that you can make those things less distracting?
• Has there ever been a time when you suddenly saw your life in a new light, essentially had an "awakening"?
• How could you have been more ready for that awakening?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to newness and freedom?
   
2. Where is my prayer life weak?
   
3. Where has God already gifted me?
   
4. How can I be more sensitive to God's leading?

Examen

Thank you God for your great love. 
Thank you for the sun that bathes each of us in its generous radiance.
Thank you for the hours and minutes that you have given me today.
That I might labor at your side -
Bringing all of creation closer to your ultimate fulfillment.

Shine your light into my heart now, as I ponder my day.
Remind me of your gentle Presence,
Your loving hand upon me at each turn of the day.
That I might see better the gifts that you have given me today,
That I might see better where you were leading and inviting me into your freedom.

Remember with me the paths that I have trod.
Remind me of your Presence.
Give me gratitude for the times that I accepted your invitation.
Show me when I have have turned away from you.
Let me learn from today how to draw closer to you tomorrow.

Forgive me when I would not accept your graces.
Forgive me when I clung to what was, just because it made me comfortable.
Forgive me when I failed in generosity out of fear.
Forgive me when I became too busy to remember why I am here at all.
Forgive me when my day was anything less than prayer.

Help me to decide to be more open to life
More open to freedom
More open to love given and received
More open to a prophet's sight in this world
More open to the moments of courage that come my way.

Goodnight Jesus.

Shalom!

Christ the King

Our readings for Christ the King Sunday are:

1. Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17
   
2. Psalm 23: 1-2, 2-3, 5-6
   
3. 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28
   
4. Matthew 25: 31-46
   

• Taking responsibility
  
• God chooses to lead and care for His people through other people, even though His leaders can sometimes disappoint Him by deceiving His children, taking advantage of them, or not following God's ways.
• Who are some of God's leaders (alive or dead) that you look up to?
• What was it about them that told you that they were godly leaders?
• How do you think God goes about raising up such leaders?
• Could you be one of those leaders?
  

• Right place, right time
  
• Not knowing the first thing about herding, I feel a little sheepish commenting on this Psalm.  But I would think that the well being of the sheep depends on being in the right place at the right time. The pasturage in any location is likely to be seasonal, not to mention the fact that the sheep need to move on after awhile because they consume all of the available pasturage.  So they have to be on the move just about all of the time.
• How has God changed things in your life?  Maybe that was a change in location, change in relationships, change in job, moving to a new home, getting a degree, ...
• If you had hung onto your present reality, clung to what you had, not dared to step forward into what was in front of you, what might have happened?
• Did you know that was the call of God at the time?
• How might you become more sensitive to that call of God in your life?
  

• Subject to whom?
  
• Our world seems full of tyrants large and small who try to wield power of their own without being subject to their right and proper authority.
• Where is an area where you have, or have had a measure of authority over others?
• Who did you work for in that capacity?
• How did their values determine what you did in that role?
• How did your discipleship to Jesus determine what you did in that role?
• Did you ever have to reconcile your "official boss's" desires and directives with those of God Himself?
  

• Getting it done
  
• Mother Theresa is famous for seeing the face of Jesus in the outcast, the marginalized, the oppressed.  But maybe God calls us to even more than that.  Maybe He's looking to us to serve those in need simply because they are in need.
• There are no end of folks in need.  How do you avoid despairing of ever making a real difference in our world?
• How do you protect yourself from burnout?
• How do you find where it is that God is calling you?
• How do you tell if you have stumbled into service that you are not called for?  Or even that you are still trying to serve in some capacity that you are no longer called to?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to be a shepherd?
   
2. Is God leading me from something, to something?
   
3. Am I faithful to God as my ultimate authority?
   
4. Is there ministry in my life that is not working, that I should let go of?

Shalom!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31
   
2. Psalm 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5
   
3. 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6
   
4. Matthew 25: 14-30
   

• God's work
  
• When I was a young man, I asked a respected preacher whether the work that I was considering for my career could be Godly.  His answer was "could a non-Christian do that work just as well?"  The implication was that if a non-Christian could do something as well as a Christian, then save the Christian for work that only a servant of God could do.
• Is it possible for our work to be holy?
• Even if we are paid for it?
• What makes any given work holy?
• Is it the case that a given work is necessarily going to be holy for everyone?
• How did you find the holy work that God called you to?
  

• Enjoying the fruit of your labors
  
• All of us work for many reasons.  What are some of yours?
• How have your reasons for the work that you do changed through the years?
• What do you think the most important reason is for the work that we do?
• How do you know what the fruit (or compensation) should be for the work that you do?

• Being awake
  
• Wakefulness calls for us to be prophetic in this life, to be alert to the deeper meaning of what goes on around us, to be discerning of the will and intent of God, to go beyond mere survival in this life.
• Who are some of the prophetic voices in our world today?
• How did those prophets get to be that way?
• How have their words and lives touched you, made you a better person?
• Do you think that your life could ever be prophetic?
  

• Building the kingdom
  
• When considering what final judgement will be like, I anticipate watching a newsreel of my life, and Jesus sitting there with me.  As the painful points come across the screen, those points where I acted in fear, cowardice, selfishness, Jesus will tell me that He was there, right there at that darkest point in my life.  And I'll get the chance to receive that Presence, or refuse it.
• How do you know when you are investing yourself into God's kingdom?
• Does the normal day to day that we all go through have anything to do with that setting the stage for Eternity in your life?
• Can every waking minute be holy?
• Would that be practical?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me a greater sense of holiness in my work?
   
2. How can I find/make more holiness in my work?
   
3. Where is God calling me to be healing on this side of Eternity?
   
4. Where is God calling me to be His Presence in unexpected places?

Shalom!

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 6: 12-16
   
2. Psalm 62: 2, 3-4, 5-6,7-8
3. Thessalonians 4: 13-18
   
4. Matthew 25: 1-13
   

• Free from care
  
• Jesus tells His disciples to fear not.  I'd have a lot easier time taking Him at his word if I knew that he has ever had to pay a mortgage, or worry about outliving his money in retirement.
• Do you think that a person who is wise worries more, or less, then a person who is not wise?
• Do you think that the wise person does not worry because:
• They trust God to meet all of their needs
• That they know that, no matter how bad it gets, God will always be with them
• They know that none of this really matters in the long run
• Some of the above?
• All of the above?
• If you knew that you could cast all of your cares aside if only you had sufficient wisdom, would you seek out wisdom?
• What's stopping you?
  

• Spiritual dehydration
  
• As a Boy Scout I heard about the dangers of dehydration.  Once your body gets past a certain point, you no longer feel thirsty, a pervasive fatigue sets in as your brain starts shutting down for lack of water.  To give in to sleep at this point often leads to death.  I believe that your spirits can become parched to the point that we no longer feel it anymore.
• What do you do on a regular basis to replenish your soul's reserves?
• How did you come to that practice in your spiritual life?
• How is that working for you?
• How do you respond when times are especially stressful for you?  Do you spiritual practices grow stronger or weaker?
  

• Dead in Christ
  
• When I was in aerospace, one thing that I prayed for was accountability.  I longed to see the consequences of decisions made in haste, decisions made out of convenience or cowardice would come home to roost so that those who made those decisions would finally know the true consequences of their actions.  Of course, because I was always above reproach, I would have nothing to fear from accountability.  I wish.
• When we all meet each other as one vast assembly, do you think there will be awkward moments?
• What of injuries that we've dealt to others, and never asked pardon for?
• What of damaged legacies that we've left to those who came after us?
• What would be the best way to prepare for that great gathering today?
  

• Survivalist
  
• These are the folks who know that armageddon is immanent, and the only ones who are going to come out the other side of that are those who are prepared.  The spiritual life is somewhat like that, just a little less whacked out.  We're not engaged in a sprint, but a marathon.  Perseverance, patience, endurance, none of these are splashy virtues.  But they are what the coming days, months, and years call for.
• What are you enduring lately in your life?
• Do you know when that challenge is going to end?
• How are meeting that challenge in your daily life?
• Are you sure that you are prepared for that challenge to endure a good while longer?
• How are you praying about that challenge?
• How can you flourish now, today, because of, not in spite of, that challenge?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to greater wisdom and less care?
   
2. How can I be better at caring for the Spirit within me?
   
3. Where is God calling me to be healing on this side of Eternity?
   
4. Where is God calling me to flourish that surprises me?

It all Turns to Dust In Time

Sooner or later, that flat screen TV that you always wanted
Will first become obsolete, then needing repair, and finally -
Just one more piece of junk to safely dispose of and recycle.
Even the beloved sports teams that you watched will get sold to another franchise.

That coveted honor bestowed on you by your boss last year -
Will soon be forgotten by the colleagues who watched you receive it.
Later yet, the organization that you were in at the time will be disbanded.
Later yet, the company that you were with will outsource to India.

The profound insights that came to you, unbidden, along your life -
That showed you to be a person of intellect, judgement, and intelligence -
Are very likely going to seep out of your conscious memory.
Leaving you with nothing but a memory of a memory to haunt you.

Yet we all hope that somehow, we will be immortal.
That there is some essence of our lives that will endure,
Be a benefit to those coming after us, our legacy.
So that there will, in the end, be some meaning to all of this.

All of the heartache over those close to us,
All of the long lonely nights agonizing over life decisions -
Trying to discern where, how, when to give yourself away -
And in so doing be a living sacrament, a sacred vessel.

Wisdom is not knowing how to advise someone in a jam.
It is the patience to listen for that still small voice -
Gently showing you the way that God has set before you.
Wisdom is simple, and it is simply this: 

What we receive, no matter how wonderful, joyous, and blessed -
None of that endures.
What we give away, freely, without measure or accounting -
That, that brightens the skies of Eternity.

Shalom!

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Exodus 22: 20-26
   
2. Psalm 18: 2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
   
3. I Thessalonians 1: 5c-10
   
4. Matthew 22: 34-40
   

• One father
  
• No matter who that other person is in your life, no matter what their background, point of origin, life work, or the size of their bank account, you do know one thing about them: they are God's child to the same extent that you are.  Yet there are many people that we meet in life who are very different from us.  And that can be a real challenge.
• Who is one person who you have a hard time relating to?
• What is it about them that makes them so difficult to understand, to even approach them?
• Prayerfully imagine that you come upon that person in an hour of need for them.  It can be anything: flat tire, loss of a loved one, disappointment at the way the lotto turned out last night ...
• Imagine that Jesus is in the room and you are the only one who can see Him.
• What would you do/say to/for this challenging person?
• What if Jesus promised to be with you if you can touch this other person the way that Jesus would?
  

• Haughty eyes
  
• "Looking out for number one" isn't a bad sentiment, as long as you don't get confused over who "number one" really is.  A hint: it's not you, and it's not me.  A really nice set of humility prayers can be found here.  I like the last two the best.
• Who are some of the humble people in your life?
• How do you think that they got that way?
• How does their humility help them in their ministry?
• What could you learn from them?
  

• Sharing your life
  
• Back in the day, evangelically fired Christians would greet each other with "how many souls have you saved today?"  In all honesty, the intent was celebration of the ongoing work of God in the world, saving sinners one at a time.  Turns out, getting someone to respond to the altar call was one thing, helping them to find a true home among the believing community was quite another.
• Who is someone who has had a profound effect on your faith, helped you go deeper, more profoundly into your relationship with God?
• Did they have that effect on you because of things that they said or wrote, the way that they lived, a combination of both, ...?
• How do you think that your life is inspiring others?
• What would you like to hear at your eulogy?
  

• Looking up to others
  
• At first I found it hard to work for managers who were younger than I was.  After all, I thought, how is this kid who's too young to remember punch cards going to tell me what's important?  That, it turns out, has been the start of a long journey in humility for me that will probably never really end.  At least on this side of eternity.
• What do you do when you find yourself looking down on someone?
• Do you think that they have anything that they could teach you?
• Do you think that Jesus might be trying to touch you through those disdain-worthy folks?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to be His Presence?
   
2. How can I think more of others than myself?
   
3. Where is God calling me to share more deeply?
   
4. Where is God calling me to see him in places I've never seen Him before?

Shalom!

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Exodus 22: 20-26
   
2. Psalm 18: 2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
   
3. I Thessalonians 1: 5c-10
   
4. Matthew 22: 34-40
   

• Learning compassion
  
• Marginalized, disenfranchised, silenced all describe those who have no voice, no champion, and often no hope.  God looks for those among His people who can champion those who would otherwise have none.
• Have you ever stood up for someone, even though you were unsure or had reason to be afraid of what would happen?
• What made you take that stance?
• How did the person receive your support?
• Would you do it again?
  

• Our God is an awesome God
  
• In our culture, strength comes in many forms.  There's the body-builder sort of strength, which, while impressive seldom inspires.  There strength of purpose that gives one the ability to persevere in spite of overwhelming odds and opposition.  From that strength can spring leadership.
  
• Have you ever had to pray for perseverance?
• How did you come to that point that you needed to make that prayer?
• What made you think that God would answer you?
• What might the difference be between perseverance and triumph?
  

• Finding joy
  
• Joy in life is something that God calls all of us to.  Joy is not so much something that happens to us, but our response to life.
• What brings you joy?
• Would you say that is a gift, something that you earned, something that you achieved?
• How has that joy changed your life?
• Would it weaken your relationship with God if that joy were to suddenly vanish, for whatever reason?
  

• Finding context
  
• Our image of God is often the sum total of everything that we have come to attribute to God, good and bad alike.  Sometimes, that image of God needs to be challenged.
• Do you see God as someone watching you, taking notes of your responses to life, in some sort of clinically detached way?
• Or is God more like a companion on the way who is with you in all things, no matter what?
• Have you ever felt abandoned by God?
• What made you doubt that He was there for you?
• Do you think that there can be healing, even in the midst of that hurt, even now?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to be more like Him in compassion?
   
2. Where is God calling me to celebrate the perseverance that He has gifted me with?
   
3. Where is God revealing Himself to me in joy?
   
4. Where is God calling me to healing and a deeper love?

What I don't know yet

Would fill a vast library floor to ceiling, wall to wall.
I doubt that things will be much different by the time that I die.

I don't know why innocent children are born with defects,
Or why it seems as though new diseases are always emerging.

I don't know why there is never enough time in the day
To get to all of the things that I want to get done.

I don't know why the golden years of life don't seem so golden.
And I don't know why I didn't learn more when I was younger.

I don't know why I seem to have more or less the same sins
That I've been struggling with for years on end.

I don't know why I have so little to say in the face of grief.
But at least I've learned not to try to come up with a pat answer.

I don't know why wisdom seems so elusive to me at my age
But at least I know enough to seek wisdom, knowing its quiet value.

I don't know why we cannot get the occasional vacation from life - just relax, enjoy, indulge.

But I've learned to find comfort in life's steady, and yet chaotic rhythms.

But I do know that God, somehow, is present in all these things.
His love never failing in its intimate presence.

His arm around my waist supporting me.

His heart beating next to mine.

And I know that the best that He has to offer me -

Is for me to learn to do the same to those He brings into my life.

Shalom!

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6
   
2. Psalm 96: 1, 4-5, 7-8, 9, 10
   
3. I Thessalonians 1: 1-5b
   
4. Matthew 22: 15-21
   

• Finding meaning
  
• Life can be hard to understand at times.  Events can be cruel, even twisted.  Tragedy strikes for no apparent reason, leaving us feeling vulnerable, and shaken.  Things like a terminal disease in a young child, the death of a person before their time, war in the Middle East all strain our ability to cope, strain our faith.
• Think of something that's happened to you that really challenged your faith.
• Do you have any idea why God allowed that to happen to you?
• Do you feel that God was with you through that tragedy?
• What was your prayer through that trial?
• What was God's answer?
• Does God always owe us an answer in such times of trouble?
  

• Our God is an awesome God
  
• A Michael Smith rendition of Awesome God can be found here.  It is quite stirring for a number of reasons, among them the talent and raw power of the performance.
• What are some events/seasons in your life that showed God to be awesome?
• What character traits of God shone through in those events?
• How did that experience change your image of God?
• How did that experience change your image of yourself?
• For those of us who attended Greg's funeral, did any of you find any awesomeness there?
  

• Labor of love
  
• Paul speaks of "work produced by faith, labor prompted by love".  I wanted to know why he distinguished between work and labor.  According to some, labor seems to me to be an expression of the Spirit.  Something that we can prepare for, be open to, but never really control.
• What is an event, passage in your life, decision that you made, that was an inspiration?
• What had gone on in your life that prepared you for that?
• How was it that you were open to that inspiration?
• Did you think at the time that you really could answer such a call?
  

• Coin of the realm
  
• St. Ignatius published the First Principle and Foundation as part of his Spiritual Exercises.  In those few paragraphs, St. Ignatius rather starkly sets the context for our lives on this earth, and the purpose of everything around us: to serve and glorify God.
• What are things in your life that make it hard to stay focused on God?
• Why are they important to you?
• What might life be like without them?
• How do you decide whether let something now into your life?
• How do you decide when to let something go?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to appreciate His blessings?
   
2. How am I celebrating the community of believers that I find myself in?
3. Where is God calling me to find His contentment in my life?
   
4. Where is God calling me to enjoy His abundance?

Full Time Poet

My editor sent me to a little village to interview a local poet.
Upon entering the quaint hamlet, I asked where he might be.
"Hard to say for sure" said a grizzled villager.
"He frequents several spots.  They are all by the river.
He likes to sit, ponder the passing water,
And God only knows what else."

So I made my way to the river, looking for likely places to sit.
Finally coming upon a lone figure at ease on a fallen log.
Back straight, head up, his hair flowing gently in the morning breeze.
So very still, as though he were a statue, so profound was his rest.
I felt a sympathetic hush from the forest that he and I were in.
As though creation was meditating with him, each finding themselves in the other.

I broke the silence without intent, a twig breaking beneath me.
Without looking, he said "welcome stranger, come sit awhile."

"How do you know that I'm a stranger?" I asked timidly.

"No one from these parts comes looking for me anymore.

The passing animals are more stealthy than any human.

So I knew you to be neither beast, nor local man."

"What do you do here, in this solitude of yours?" I asked.

"Write poetry.  Seek meaning.  Talk to God in all things."

I looked around.  There was no pen, no papers, no Samsung tablet.

In fact, the poet had nothing but the clothes on his back a floppy hat, and a canteen.

"Do you memorize your poems as you think of them?"

I asked, subconsciously trying to find his methods.

"What I do here is labor.  It comes unbidden, like a deer or fox.

I do not control the timing, the content, or the depth of inspiration.

I just know that I need to be open to it a good part of each day.

Then, at the end of the day, when the sky folds in on itself,

The stars come out of hiding, and the forest night shift commences,

I go back to my cabin and see what of today craves recording on paper.

Sometimes, I go for weeks at a time without ever putting anything down.

Sometimes, the words come in a torrent from some bottomless well.

I only know that I need to be ready to pass along what I have first received.

Be faithful to who I am as a writer.

Be generous to myself and those whom I serve with, in, and through my writing.

And this brings me contentment and peace."

Trying to to decide whether he was compensated fairly for his work, I asked:

"And how much do you think you bring in in a year?"

"Don't try to measure the unfathomable."  He said.

"But you work hard at this, I've seen your work, you deserve notoriety, security, ..."

He slowly answered as if from a great distance: "Work is what I do to sustain this body.

What I do here, and at my desk at home are labor.  Freely received, freely given.

I have just one question for you.

What is your labor?"

Shalom!