26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Numbers 11: 25-29
   
2. Psalms 19: 8, 10, 12-13, 14
   
3. James 5: 1-6
   
4. Mark 9: 38-43
   

• Being sensitive to the Spirit
  
• Years ago, when I was still teaching Confirmation, Mary Rutz and Chris McGinnis led a prayer service for the Confirmation students that were ready to be Confirmed.  Mary put down a sheet in the sanctuary, laid out some sand, and rocks, and made a worship space there that was the stage for an amazing experience.  I never would have thought to do that.
• If someone were to tell you that you are sacramental: an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace." what would you say?
  
• If you think that notion is sacrilegious, why do you feel that way?
• If you feel that notion is appropriate, why do you feel that way?
• Can we have too many sacraments in our lives?
  

• Letting joy find me
  
• True joy depends upon just two things: who Jesus is to me and who I am to Jesus.  Once I get those two landmarks firmly in view, everything else falls into place.
• What do you think that Jesus wants more for you than anything else?
• How is He offering that to you today?
• How are you growing in acceptance of that gift?
• What is slowing you down in that acceptance?
  

• Giving it away
  
• The world we live in is full of competition.  We constantly feel the urge to prove ourselves worthy of recognition, attention, care.  We measure ourselves by what we're able to acquire, be it a lovely house, great job, fame, or fortune.
• What truly makes you happy?
• Is that which makes you happy about something that you give away, or something that you received?
• How are you caring for what makes you happy?  How are you cultivating that?
• How do you express thanks to God for that blessing?
  

• Angels in our midst
  
• Maybe the challenge before is not to crowd yet more good deeds into our lives, but that we do that good more deliberately.
• Think of the last time that you offered a kindness to someone.
• Why did you do that?
• What do you think would happen if the next time you expressed kindness, support, affirmation to another person, you said in your heart: "The spark of the Divine in me recognizes, celebrates, and salutes the spark of the Divine in you.  Accept this small token of the joy I find because you are here."
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me to greater trust?
• Where is the Joy of the Lord knocking at my door and I'm not hearing?
  
• What am I doing to be more generous?
  
• Where is God calling me to live my destiny more deeply?

Morning Prayer

As the sun paints the sky to celebrate a new day

A day like no other before or hence

A day full of opportunity -

I visualize all those that I will touch today.

Those encounters both planned and unplanned.

With folks that I rejoice in, and those that I don't.

I ask you Jesus to give me your eyes to see with -

To know that you walk in and among us all

As you walk within those that you bring to me today.

Help me to see your face Lord -

In those eyes.

Help me feel Your touch Lord in their hands.

 

Give me the grace to glory in your Presence.

No matter how it comes to me.

Grant me the grace to be Your presence to them.

 

Make my life a prayer to you.

That my voice, eyes, touch 

Be a sacrament of Your love to those around me.

 

That together, we might inspire each other

To truly live out our destiny in you.

To bring our flesh to your ongoing incarnation with, in, and through us.

Shalom!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20
   
2. Psalms 54: 3-4, 5, 6, 8
   
3. James 3: 16-4: 3
   
4. Mark 9: 30-37
   

• Victory through defeat
  
• God defends us, nurtures us, cares for us, all in ways that we often fail to see during the heat of the moment.  The fact that we are treasured may come as a surprise to those around us.
• What is your image of God?
• What is on His face/in His eyes when He looks at you?
• What do you think God protects us from?  Would it be poverty, ill health, a bad hair day, death, ...?
• How does that protection make you feel?
• Do you feel as though you are precious in His eyes?
  

• Quid pro quo
  
• We know that virtue is its own reward, that serving God and neighbor brings blessings all out of proportion to the work that we put in.  And yet, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we are somehow entitled to a break at least once in a while in recognition of our own faithfulness.
• If you're honest with yourself, what do you feel would be a legitimate expectation that you might put on God as recognition for all that you've done for Him thorough the years?
• Have you ever prayed about that?
• What was God's answer?
  

• Whatever
  
• I agree with Matthew Kelly that our deepest desires and longings come from God Himself, and that listening to those longings is part of discernment and hence part of prayer itself.
• If you are honest with yourself, what are one or two of your deepest longings?
• If you have done nothing to achieve those, why not?
• What are you afraid of?
• Do you ever pray about those?
  

• Earning points
  
• We all look for affirmation - that gentle confirmation that we have made the right decisions, put our energies into the right thing, become the right sort of person.  And perhaps most of all, done all of that at about the right pace.  Not rushing things unnecessarily, yet always moving forward in our love affair with God.
• What do you think that you are great at?
• Does that make you any greater than anyone else?
• Does that feature about you make you better than most people?
• Why or why not?
• Do you think that Jesus likes that about you?
• With all of that greatness going on, can you still be humble?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God calling me to greater trust?
• Do I feel entitled??
  
• What am I doing to achieve God's deepest desires for me?
  
• Where is God calling me to live my destiny more deeply?

Making Mom Proud

My mother Rachel never did understand this life of a wandering disciple.
"Simon," she says "where are you going to meet a nice girl on the road?

You'll bring your old mother to her grave with worry hanging around this preacher.
What's wrong with setting into the family weaving business with your brother Sidney?
At least that way you will know where your next meal comes from

And where you're going to sleep that night."

At one time I thought that Jesus would be crowned, 

My brother disciples and I would be ushered into greatness,

We would finally show all of them that this Jesus was the real thing,

And that all of us had made a sound choice in following Him,

No matter how unlikely that was,

Or how foolish we have sometimes felt.

Then, I slowly learned that Jesus was not destined for a crown.

At least not on this side of eternity.

Worse, the shame that He sees in his future will surely taint us.

Poisoning our relationships with family, friends, synagogues,

Everyone who ever cared for, or about us, who won't understand

The sad shameful end that Jesus tells use is in store for Him.

Fear nearly drove wild.

I had no where else to go.

Nowhere to turn.

I could not imagine turning my back on these my brothers,

On Jesus who somehow knows me better than I know myself.

On Jesus who always brings out the best in me in spite of my fear.

Fear has gradually given way to resignation.

And now resignation has made room for hope.

Not hope that Jesus will somehow dodge this shameful destiny.

Rather, hope that I will find joy in that shame.

Hope that I will have the strength to persevere.

Hope that I will never forget who Jesus has showed me that I am.

Shalom!

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 50: 4-9a
   
2. Psalms 116: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
   
3. James 2: 14-19
   
4. Mark 8: 27-35
   

• Caring about the important stuff
  
• I think that it's a natural consequence of maturation that things that once were so important dim in significance, life becomes simpler, and despite the fact that the prescription on our trifocals becomes ever stronger, our inner vision becomes clearer.
• What is something that used to be very urgent for you that no longer matters very much?
• How did that change in your attitude come about?
• Do you wish that you did not have to go through that transition?
• Maybe you wish that transition had come about much earlier?
  

• Brought low
  
• We want to triumph in life.  Losing is for losers.  If you cannot score at least the occasional triumph, maybe it's because you're not trying hard enough, you're not smart enough, or you're just trying the wrong things.
• When was a time in your life when you felt as though you could not hang on any longer, as though you were caught in the perfect storm with no way out?
• Obviously, you made it.  How?
• Where was God in all of that?
• How did you come to find Him in your perfect storm?
  

• Doing the next needed thing
  
• Ministry has ragged edges.  I remember Fr. Greg Boyle relating a story in Tattoos On the Heart about a homey who's refrigerator broke down.  The refrigerator was old, not worth repairing, and the homey in question was barely making ends meet.  When Fr. Boyle heard that, he dropped what he was doing, and went shopping with that young man to find a replacement refrigerator that he could afford.
• What is a touch that you have given someone, or that they have given you, that was totally outside of any "normal" ministry that either of you were involved in?
• Why do you think that happened?
• How did you respond?  Were you fearful, excited, honored, repelled, ...?
• Why do you think that you reacted that way?
• How could you be more open to such encounters?
  

• Asking the right questions
  
• The Bible is full of mighty heroes who got it mighty wrong.  It has to make you wonder what God was really looking for in that situation.  We think that we have God figured out, that we know His essence, and then He goes and does something totally unexpected.
• Has God ever shocked, even offended you?
• How did you respond?
• How did God respond to your response?
• What did you learn from that experience?
• Do you think that there might be yet more learning ahead for you from that experience?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is God inviting me into more freedom?
• Am I willing to hit rock bottom to serve God?
  
• Where is God waiting for me to touch or be touched outside my comfort zone?
  
• Where is God calling me to be bold in following Him?

Looking Out for Jesus

Jesus can do some pretty scandalous things.

Talking to a Samaritan woman

Touching a leper

Healing on the Sabbath

Eating with tax collectors.

Makes you wonder whether He goes out of his way

To go where no one else will go for fear.

Fear of what will be said of them

Fear of how their family will respond

Fear of the reactions of the local village.

You wonder what Jesus might say

If you asked Him to dial it back just a little.

Try to do something conventional

Just once.

Keep everyone else on their toes.

But no, He goes charging off into the unknown.

No looking back, no second-guessing.

Eyes flashing resolute

Pace quickening in anticipation

Hands open to receive whatever comes His way.

He's so vulnerable that way.

Rejection is often all that He receives.

Word makes its way back to his family.

And you wonder whether He makes them weep -

The same way that He makes you weep.

Jesus, free me from trying to protect you.

Free me from my fear that shackles me.

Give me your lion heart.

That I may follow you with boldness.

Wherever that may be.

Shalom!

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 23nd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 35: 4-7a
   
2. Psalms 146: 6-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
   
3. James 2: 1-5
   
4. Mark 7: 31-37
   

• Open my eyes Lord
  
• True meaning probably needs to be searched for.  A Far Side cartoon that I like shows two fishermen in a boat.  Mushroom clouds are rising in the background.  One of them says to the other "I'll tell you what it means Norm: no size limitations and screw the limit!"  The speaker was not wrong, but I would argue that he missed some more important meaning.
• Think of an event or occurrence in your life that had a profound impact on you.
• How did that occurrence come to make such a change in your life?  How did you process that occurrence?
• How did you decide how to respond to that occurrence?
  
• Do you think that you might get more out of life if you put that much time and thought into all of your responses?
• How would you create the space in your day for that sort of reflection?
  

• Who/what do you praise?
  
• Most of us find things to be grateful for.  Some of us even find individual people or things worthy of praise to the extent that we express that praise to ourselves or even others.
• What are the sorts of things that you praise?  Are they rather mundane, like the quality of your neighbor's lawn, or are they sublime, like the very gift of life that God grants us?
• Do you think that our choice of the things that we praise could change us?
• Do you think that the people whom we share that praise with could change us?
• What would you rather be praising?
• Whom would you rather share that praise with you?
  

• Getting past the obvious
  
• In his later years, my grandfather could not be bothered much with personal hygiene.  He felt such concerns were for people who didn't have more important things to do.  Yet Sunday after Sunday, Dad would go pick grandpa up, bring him to church, and by doing so, make everyone around them feel uncomfortable.  Dad definitely had the courage of his convictions.
• We all have people in our lives who make us uncomfortable.  Who are some of yours?
• Why is it that they make you uncomfortable?  Is it because they are different, needy, outspoken about unpopular views, have some physical disability, ...?
• What do you think that person needs most from you?  Certainly not indifference or pity.
• What prevents you from meeting that need?
• What can you, need you, do about that part of you?
  

• Speaking plainly
  
• Speaking can be transformative.  Sharing our heart with another is more than just helping them to understand where we are at the moment.  Sharing from our depths invites that other to companion us on our journey, to help us see our existence in a broader context, to help us see and celebrate our story as part of the great story of Jesus Himself.
• Have you ever had anything that impeded your sharing of yourself with others?  Perhaps it was fear of how you would be received, inability to put into words what you wanted to convey, an absence of anyone that you felt close to, grief over a loss, ...?
• How did you become aware of that impediment?
• How did you eventually resolve it?
• How do you think that you might invite others to resolve any speech impediments that they might have?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where do I make time for reflection in my life?
• Do I truly appreciate God's hand in my life?
  
• Where is God calling me beyond my fears?
  
• Where is God calling me to speak clearly and boldly?

Open my Ears Lord

 Lord, give me ears to listen, and the time for silence.
Teach me to ponder, rather than react, to what I hear.
Teach me to heed the still, small, voice of your Spirit.
That I might find peace in the midst of the rest of the voices.

That I might feel your gentle nudging at the edge of my attention -
When you call me to greater kindness, deeper empathy -
More intention toward my fellow journeyers on this path.
That I may truly walk your way in gentleness and healing.

Shalom!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8
   
2. Psalms 15: 2-3, 3-4, 4-5
   
3. James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27
   
4. Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
   

• Setting an example
  
• Each of us is called to be a living demonstration of what it is like to be close to God, what the results are of striving to live a meaningful life.
• Who are some folks in your life who have inspired you, in one way or another, to be a better child of God?
• How have you benefited from that inspiration?
• Have you ever thanked them for that?
• Do they continue to inspire you?
• How would you like to inspire others?
  

• Finding peace
  
• God promises peace to those who follow Him.  As I've gotten older, peace seems to be harder to find.  All of the demands on my attention seem to multiply (particularly right before the start of the semester), things to worry about crop up like dandelions in the front yard, and questions about whether I'm spending my time rightly abound.
• Do you think that you deserve to be at peace in your life?
• What disturbs that peace?
• If you had greater peace in your life, how would that improve your relationship with God, your family, yourself?
• Are those things that rob you of peace worth it, or is it maybe time to let them go?
  

• Conviction
  
• God speaks to us in many ways.  I suspect that He's speaking to us at all times through life experiences, the love of others, the time that we spend in prayer, the sacraments, and so many other means.
• Think of a time when you became convinced that some change was necessary in your life.  Maybe that was giving up a habit that was bad for you, cultivating a new (hopefully beneficial) habit, taking on a new ministry, leaving a toxic relationship ...  How did you come to see that as God's will or your life?
• Did you discuss that with anyone?
• How did you pray through that experience?
• If you had to go through that discernment again, what would you do differently?
• Are you still convinced that you did the right thing?
  

• Clinging
  
• It's easy to fixate on the means, and miss the ends.  It helps strengthen a community to ask ourselves "why" from time to time to make sure that we have not lost sight of the root meaning of what we do and say, make sure that we have not "fallen asleep" to the deeper purpose.
• Take a look at a habit that has been with you for awhile.
• How did you start doing that?
• Is that reason still applicable in your life?
• Are there other, newer reasons for you to continue that habit?
• Do you really even know why you are doing that today?
• What would happen if you stopped?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How could my life be more inspiring to others?
• What fears do I have that might be standing in the way of my life with God?
  
• What is God trying to say to me today, that I might not be comfortable with?
  
• What is God inviting me into today?

Force of Habit

The withered old man sat in his favorite chair by the window -
Looking out at the tidy lawn that had been there for years.
Remembering happier days filled with bar-b-que,  family gatherings, his beloved wife.

He wondered again what she would be saying if only she were still here.
He wondered how he would go about explaining to her how he felt, and why.
She was such a rock to him for so long, he still could not believe that she was gone.

Reaching for his book of prayers, he turned the well-worn pages to the rosary.
The words familiar, memorized long ago, still he sought the printed page -
Drawing comfort from the feel of the paper between his fingertips.

Slowly, the prayer formed on his lips, silently at first, then in a reverent whisper -
As memory of the many times that he and his wife had prayed thus through the decades
And found God in the peace of each other's voice, touch, beating heart.

After a brief silence, he closed the book, put it back where it belonged,
And wondered what he might say if God were there in the room with him.
Whether he would have the courage to cry out in loneliness, fear, and anger.

Such sentiments seemed at odds with the beauty of the rosary.
He still felt her presence in the room with him and did not want to disturb her
By his raw and aching feelings that stalked him day and night since her death.

So he painfully got up, moved outside of the house to the front porch and sat.
Feeling that in this new place, he could start a new conversation,
And not sully the brief peace and connectedness that he had enjoyed earlier.

"It's not fair" he began "that you would take her from me without warning.
We hardly had time to say good bye to each other before she was gone.
Everyone looks at me with my tragedy in their eyes, and little else.

I'm defined by my loss, not my life, and I don't like it one bit.
And to top it all off, you, YOU God seem so very distant these days.
I scarce know where to find you anymore."

Spent, the old many listened, waiting to see what might come of his outburst.
"My son, I am as close to you as your own skin, your own breath.
Reach out to me and touch me in your family, your community, your loved ones.

Above all else, I call for honesty and humility.  Hold nothing back from me.
I will never be offended by your feelings, however you express them.
I will never turn my back on you.

You do not have to come search for me.
I am always searching for you, seeking you, my beloved.
Just let me find you."

The old man bowed his head in worship.
The rosary coming once more to his lips.
New charged with his hopes, and regrets, dreams and fears.

And he realized that he was not alone.
Not now.
Not ever.

Shalom!

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Joshua 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21
   
3. Ephesians 5: 21-32
   
4. John 6: 60-69
   

• Uncharted territory
  
• Life is full of letting go and picking up.  Upon entering the Promised Land, the Jews had to let go of their nomadic lifestyle, their dependence upon God for the manna and quail to feed them, and learn to depend upon God in new ways.  Yet they were still God's children, and He still their God, in spite of any changes that might come their way.
• What are some big changes that have come in your life?
• What stayed the same in spite of those changes?
• What did you have to give up in order to step into that next season of your life?
• What gave you the courage to make that transition?
• Would you do it all over again?
  

• The lowly will hear me.
• Richard Rohr speaks of a downward mobility here.   I'm reminded of Fr. Greg Boyle, the father of Homeboy Industries.  Fr. Greg never does a speaking engagement without a handful of the homeboys and homegirls with him.  He doesn't bring them as exhibits.  Rather, they are as much a part of his ministry as he is, as much a part of the celebration of new life.
• Who are some of the people that you minister to?
• What do they offer to you in your ministry?
• How has that give and take helped you grow?
  

• Eternity in your eyes
  
• The great work of the Church is to be the ongoing incarnation of Jesus into our world.  One of the ways that He is made Present among, and through us is the sacraments.  Of those sacraments, perhaps the most intimate is marriage.  As the decades of a marriage flower, bear their fruit, and ripen, there grows a security in knowing that you are known, and that there is no end to the growing knowing that you will have with your spouse.
• When you look into the eyes of your spouse or a loved one, do you see God there?
• What do those eyes tell you about God?
• About yourself?
• What would you like for those eyes to be telling you in five years?
• What would you like for those eyes to be telling you on your deathbed?
  

• Do you also want to leave?
  
• This sixth chapter of John is poignant.  Jesus is risking everything in this dialog, knowing that the easy way for his disciples is to just give up.  Jesus could have tried so soften the message, make it a little easier to swallow, maybe delivered it in installments that would gradually lead to the climax that we see in this week's Gospel.  But no.
• What are some ways that life, other people, God Himself have challenged your faith?
• Were you able to meet that challenge immediately?
• If you turned away from God for a time, how did you come back to God?  What drew you?
• Have you ever offered that experience of yours to anyone else to help them in their life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Is God calling me into a time of transition in my life?
• Am I letting pride get in the way of my deepening life with God?
  
• Where can I be more tender?
  
• Am I being truly honest with God and myself about my relationship to Him?

Shalom!

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Proverbs 9: 1-6
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7
   
3. Ephesians 5: 15-20
   
4. John 6: 51-58
   

• Cultivating wisdom
  
• One of the biggest mistakes that couples can make is to put their relationship on autopilot while they go and attend to more urgent matters.  Truth is, there are no more urgent matters.  That sacramental relationship is a source of life to your family and community.  It deserves, nay demands steady attention and development.  So it is with the relationship that we need to have with Godly wisdom.
• In the past, how have you grown in wisdom?
• How are you growing lately?
• How does wisdom strengthen your relationship with God Himself?
• Would you identify wisdom with the Holy Spirit?
• How does that change the way that you look at the Holy Spirit?
  

• Why do you praise God?
  
• When I was young, I appreciated God for giving me what I wanted, when I wanted it.  Of course, God's will lining up with mine was both rare and random.  Later, I learned to praise God for gently giving me the chance to learn that His plan would work out in the end.  Later still, I learned that God alone really knows what "work out" really means.  Freeing and terrifying at the same time.
• When you take the time to praise God, what do you praise Him for?
• How personal is that list of praiseworthy things that God has done, praiseworthy traits that God has shown?
• As you have experienced those gifts of God, what have you learned about Him?
• What would you like to be able to praise God for?
  

• Bucket list
  
• One way to structure your life is to develop a list of things that you want to accomplish before you die, and then organize the rest of your life around getting all of those things done.  As an alternative, what would it be like to always be in the right place, at the right time, speaking into that situation exactly what is needed, doing just what the circumstances call for.  Wouldn't you want that instead?
• How hard do you think it might be to achieve that "right place, right time, right action, right words" lifestyle?
• Would that be something that you get to once, and then just let that sort of judgement and wisdom just coast?
• Would it be worth the effort?
  

• God of all hungers
• We are born with a deep hunger for meaning.  We don't want to live lives that don't matter.  But it's easy to get confused by the glitter that surrounds us, into believing that there are a thousand things that will satisfy that hunger.  Some of them are adulation of our peers, success of one sort or another, trophies of one sort or another.
• How do you find meaning in the Eucharist?
• How does your Sunday worship inform, illuminate, give meaning to the rest of your week?
• How can you better prepare for communal worship?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Am I devoted to the Holy Spirit in my life?
• Am I truly free to follow God's will in my life?
  
• Where is God leading me now?
  
• What do I truly get out of the Eucharist each week?

Shalom!