As We Enter Into Advent This 5 minute Advent meditation focuses on the coming of Christ into our world- not just as a child in a stable but as the bringer of justice and freedom. Music for the meditation features Kyrie – I Call to You from the CD, Standing Still by Jeff Johnson (www.arkmusic.com). Used with permission. All Rights Reserved.
Solemnity Of Our Lord Christ The King Ask a group of boomers who pops into their minds when they hear the word “king.” Some candidates might be simply “The King” (Elvis) or the King of Pop or, more soberly, some might remember “The Boss” singing: “Poor man wanna be rich/ Rich man wanna be king/ And a king ain’t satisfied/ Till he rules everything.” “King” suggests someone at the top, exercising power and receiving adulation from all quarters. Even today, when kingship seems out of kilter with modern culture. The Gospel on this feast of the Messiah king, Jesus, calls forth those “blessed by the Father” to share in his eternal life. To be blessed is to share in God’s holiness, to be of God, to act toward each other as God acts toward us. All we need to do is reach out to those among us and treat them with dignity as the very presence of Christ. [Living Liturgy 2020] The time is now. We cannot afford to put off Christlike living to some future time. We hear the Son of Man’s call to eternal glory in the cry of those in need and we respond to that call by spending ourselves for the good of others; by our care and compassion; and we inherit glory here and now and forever. Adapted RENEW INTERNATIONAL Prayer Time Cycle A
Use Your Gifts It was common in the time of Jesus for a master to leave some servants in charge of his affairs when he went on a journey. This master knew his servants well. He entrusted the savvier ones with greater responsibility. But even a less qualified servant might be left with some responsibility – as in the case Jesus describes in one of his parables.After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had receive the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back (Matthew 25: 19-26).The master was risk taker. He didn’t just allow things to happen; he made them happen. Keeping his talent safe wasn’t good enough. Growth was the only option.“His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten’” (Matthew 25: 26-28).In their master’s absence, the successful servants acted just as the master would. For their accomplishments, the master rewarded them with more responsibility. The “wicked” servant did not follow his master’s example. He was punished by having his one talent taken away and then being thrown to the darkness outside.Once we discover the talents we have been entrusted with, we must show gratitude to God for these gifts by nurturing them and putting them to good use. As members of the Body of Christ, we must use our talents to promote the values of God. When we do, we find our greatest success.In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells this parable in the midst of other stories about the end times. As we wait for the second coming of the Son of Man, we must act as Jesus did. If we do so, we can be proud to present these accomplishments to God when we meet him face to face.What gifts and talents have you discovered in yourself? How might you use them in ways that will build up the Body of Christ? Adapted from, Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.
Live Wisely Often, we expect or presume that others will take care of something that is or should be our responsibility. The “foolish” virgins did not take care of their responsibilities—to be ready when the bridegroom arrived—nor did they realize the consequences of not being prepared. We, too, must be ready when the time comes or face the consequences. While others may be able to help us out at the last minute or save us from ourselves in many situations, in our faith, we are the only ones who are responsible for and able to develop that aspect of our lives. It may have seemed harsh when the “wise virgins” refused to share their oil, but it was actually a practical or “prudent” choice. Sharing the oil would have meant that all of the torches burned out faster, leaving everyone in the dark. Ten torches are better than five, but five are certainly better than nothing. When it comes to the end of the world, or even the end of your time in the world, there are some things other people will just not be able to do for you. In the midst of our very busy schedules with so many deadlines and commitments, it is easy to become overwhelmed and allow things to slide. This parable reminds us that there is no time like the present to check the condition of our lanterns—our relationship with God. Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A – In what part of my life is the oil running low and how can I keep the flame from burning out?
All Saints Mountains are majestic. They awe us. They inspire us. They draw us. Mountains are ever changing in our beholding—sunrise and sunset bathe them in different lights and colors; winter and summer clothe them in different array; storms and wind wrap them in tremor. No wonder in biblical imagery mountaintops are places of theophany—places where God reveals the divine Self to human beings. The sublime majesty of mountains draws us to the ineffable majesty of the God who creates, who blesses, who draws to Self those who are drawn to seek the One who is good beyond all measure, is holy beyond all reckoning, is caring beyond all imagining. It is no accident that the Gospel of Matthew has Jesus go “up the mountain,” traditionally a place associated with divine encounter, to teach the Beatitudes to his disciples. The Beatitudes reveal the very Being of God (“Blessed,” holy), God’s care for God’s beloved people (“poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” etc.), God’s intent for faithful ones (“theirs is the kingdom of heaven”). The Beatitudes reveal the mind and heart of God. Those who have encountered God and lived the Beatitudes have the same mind and heart. We call them “saints.” There is a countless multitude of saints in heaven, “wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands” (first reading), endlessly singing God’s praises. There is a countless multitude of saints here among us who “are God’s children now” (second reading) who have embraced the beatific, Godlike way of living. While this feast day primarily honors the saints who have gone before us, we cannot forget ourselves on this day. They have gone where we hope to go. There are many ways to be blessed. One of the attractions of honoring saints is that they offer a great deal of variety and richness of life for us to emulate. The saints we honor this day are not “up there,” but “in here”—in our minds and hearts. They model for us how to live the Gospel faithfully in concrete, everyday ways. They preached the Gospel in word and action: they cared for their families, they served the least among us, they forgave enemies, they sought justice and peace, they showed mercy, they suffered persecution all for the sake of Jesus. The saints witness for us heroic virtue,unwavering fidelity, simplicity of life, great humility, and outstanding charity. We must also witness to this saintly way of living for others. No matter what situation in life we find ourselves or what difficulty we face, some Saint offers us a model for perseverance in our blessedness and the assurance of care. This solemnity reminds us that our life of blessedness rests on an intimate relationship with God and each other expressed through enduring bonds of mutual care, mercy, humility, and self-giving. This festival is one of encouragement—God doesn’t judge us only on our weaknesses but on our persevering in a willingness to live as God’s blessed children. The simple, everyday things we do well wash us in the blood of the Lamb (see first reading). Our smile is a saintly one. Our gesture of kindness is an expression of blessedness. Our humility is Godlike. Others’ holy gestures toward us are reminders that there is glory awaiting us. To each of us who embraces our blessedness: ours “is the kingdom of heaven.”
Give To Caesar…. “The Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap him in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?’” (Matthew 22: 15 – 17). Jesus’ parables to chief priests and elders over the last few readings depicted them as the second son who did not fulfill his father’s wishes and as the tenants who killed the king’s messengers. These religious leaders tried, in the conversation recorded in this reading, to put Jesus in a no-win situation. If Jesus said that it was permissible to pay taxes to Caesar, the crowds would see him as siding with the Roman occupation. If he said it was not permissible, then the Herodians (who collaborated with the Romans) could denounce him to the authorities.[Living Liturgy 2014] “Knowing their malice, Jesus said, ‘Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax’” (Matthew 22:18). The Jewish custom was that the only valid currency in the Temple was official Temple money. Roman coins minted with the head of Caesar portrayed him as a demi-god, and this image of a false god was explicitly forbidden by the First Commandment. These Pharisees and Herodians, by having Roman coins in their possession, dared to breach the First Commandment within the Temple! Doing this showed their acceptance of the financial advantages to them of the Roman occupation of Palestine. “He said to them, ‘Whose image is on this and whose inscription?’ They replied, ‘Caesar’s.” At that he said to them, ‘Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22: 20-21). Those willing to use Caesar’s coin should repay him in kind, as they received their money from Caesar. Jesus raised the debate to a new level by bringing up repaying God. The Pharisees and the Herodians should be more concerned with repaying God with the good deeds that are due to Him. Jesus challenges us to look at where we get our money and how we spend it. This reveals our true priorities. Has our money, as it did with the Pharisees and Herodians, entered the space of the sacred? Do we find fulfillment in making money and buying things, instead of in our faith and in doing good deeds? How do you spend your money? What does it tell you about your values and priorities? Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International
With Trust Comes Responsibility There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way” (Matthew 21:33-36). The owner of this vineyard entrusted it to the tenants without any supervision. He did not dictate how they should cultivate the land or protect it. He trusted them to do what was best, just as God has created us, given us life, and trusted us to live our lives in the best way possible. He has entrusted us to care for one another. He has given us gifts of freedom, creativity, and compassion. It is up to us to use our gifts to bring about a better world. Jesus told this story during his final days on earth. This part of the narrative is the introduction to the fifth and last of Jesus’ sermons recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. The religious leaders whom Jesus was speaking to knew that the vineyard stood for Israel and that the owner represented God. In his parable, Jesus depicted the tenants (the religious leaders of Israel) as killing the messengers (the prophets) whom God had sent again and again. When Jesus added to the parable that the tenants killed the owner’s son, he asked the religious leaders what the owner would do to the tenants. They answered, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give them the produce at the proper times” (Matthew 21: 41). Jesus agreed with them, quoted a psalm, and said, “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21:43). The Gospel According to Matthew was written after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the audience was made up of converts from Judaism and paganism. They understood the reference to the son as referring to Jesus himself. So, in giving the kingdom of God to the people who produce fruit, he was putting his trust in them. With trust comes responsibility. We have the responsibility to do the best we can with the gifts God has given us. We are entrusted to care for one another and bring the message of God to those we encounter God is patient. The owner of the vineyard sent messenger after messenger and never punished the tenants. In the same way, God continually gives us opportunities to correct and learn from our mistakes. This parable gives us hope. How do you use your gifts? Do you act in a way that exhibits how you are entrusted with care for yourself and others? Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.
Doing The Will Of God In the parable of the Two Sons, another parable unique to Matthew’s Gospel, the father calls one son first to go work in the vineyard. He refuses, but later relents and goes to work. The second son placates the father with a quick agreement to go and work but he never actually goes. Then Jesus asks, “Which of the two did the will of his father?” He tells a story and then asks the listeners to answer a question. The answer seems straightforward on first glance. The first son did the father’s will. But with a second glance, we see that both sons brought dishonor to the father, the first by his words, the second by his deeds. Neither son was in the right. One had the words, and the other had the deeds. We remember from Matthew’s conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount that merely saying the right words does not ensure entry into the kingdom of heaven. Active obedience to Jesus’ teachings must be present. Matthew probably meant his community to hear this parable as a summons to the Jewish leaders of their day to imitate the first son and join them in believing in Jesus. He also meant it as a nudge to those Christians who had initially said ‘yes’ and then wavered. [Living Liturgy 2017] Some people struggle to ever make a commitment in the first place, but once they do, are able to muster the discipline and enthusiasm to honor it. Others seem to have less trouble coming to a decision, but then have trouble following through. Many of us fall somewhere in between. Learning God’s ways and changing may, indeed, be a slow and practiced way of life for all of us. Dying to self means our yes is yes and our no is no. To all of us imperfect disciples, Jesus addresses the question, “Which of you is doing the will of the Father?” Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A
It’s Not Fair! The following is a true story. A campus pastor was teaching a college course on the life and teachings of Jesus. As the date for the final exam approached, the class spent several hours reviewing the material. Some students requested extra individualized time with the pastor. Other students met in peer study groups, cramming for the test. One student, realizing she had to be gone the day of the exam, arranged for a make-up exam, only to be told that the make-up test would be much more difficult. The day of the exam arrived; students sleepily filed into the room, obviously tired from a night of little sleep and lots of study. The campus pastor walked in, looking very serious. “Before we begin, I would like to read a passage from the Gospel of Matthew.” The parable of the laborers in the vineyard was read. The pastor closed the Bible and said, “This reading says that it’s all a gift – it’s all grace. So you’ve all made an A on your exam, and you’re free to go.” The students sat, stunned, for a moment; and then something unexpected began to happen. A murmur arose from the class – a murmur of discontent. “You mean we studied all this time for nothing, and those who didn’t study or even show up today get an A too? You’ve got to be kidding! It’s just not fair!” [Living Liturgy 2012] Our whole working lives are based on an agreement that offers fair wage—we do something in order to get something. In the world of work there is no such thing as a free lunch. It’s no wonder we struggle with God’s grace. Without counting the cost, God continues to give unmerited love. There is something inherently unfair in the whole idea of grace. Is it fair that, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”? Is it fair that the gift is for all of us, active members, and also for those of us who may be inactive members or seekers? It’s just not fair, this grace upon grace. It’s just not fair, and thank God it’s not! Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A
Opening The Floodgates of Mercy Constantly, we are told in the Scriptures that God is merciful towards us and that we, in turn, should be merciful towards others. Given its centrality in our faith, it is important that we understand what mercy is. The Hebrew word for mercy – ruah – is based on the word for womb. It is not just a sense of common feeling with another or even of compassion. Rather is a deep relationship with a person, akin to the experience a mother has with her child, especially one in the womb. When we feel mercy towards another it is as though that person is carried under our heart, flesh of our flesh. We feel mercy like this towards others because God has been merciful to us. [Living Liturgy 2017] Lack of mercy in our lives doesn’t come about because we have closed our hearts to other people but rather because we don’t recognize and appreciate the mercy shown to us by God. Maybe some reading this have not committed serious sin and do not have the experience of being forgiven by God in that situation. That does not mean they have not experienced God’s mercy. In mercy, we have been created. Made in God’s image and likeness to be children of God, we are carried under God’s heart. God took on our human flesh in the person of Jesus that we may see how close and loving God wants to be to us. Simply by meditating on the wonder of our being we can realize the mercy in which we are immersed. This realization lets the floodgates open in our hearts and lives and allowing mercy to flow to others. It is not a feeling we ‘work up’ in our selves, judging the rights and wrongs in the situation, but rather a grace we allow to flow through us. As we allow it to flow, we become ‘like God’ giving salvation and hope to our broken world. Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A 2020
Power To Bind or Loose Church conflict is nothing new. Sometimes people think there should be no conflict in church, as though by virtue of being Christians we can and should cover over all disagreements with niceness. Jesus in his teaching in our gospel lesson today seems to proceed on the baseline assumption that conflict in Christian community is normal and natural, and should be dealt with honestly and with compassion. As we all know, honesty and compassion are all too rarely the watchwords of our church conflicts. Many times anger, hurt feelings and lack of clear communication drive us toward either sweeping everything under the rug to keep the peace, or openly hostile entrenched positions that lead to explosions and people leaving the church permanently. The result is either a Body of Christ pristine on the outside but riddled with the disease and rot of resentment on the inside, or an openly dismembered and bleeding Body of Christ hemorrhaging members and vitality. There must be another way. Jesus provides us another way in our gospel lesson today. First, he asks us to use direct and respectful communication. If we are struggling with something a church member has said or done, we are not to talk behind his or her back. Nor are we to stage a dramatic public confrontation at coffee hour. We are to take time aside, after the initial rush of emotion has subsided, and engage in dialogue with that person one-on-one. [Suzanne Gillen, 2011] Church conflict is nothing new. Sometimes people think there should be no conflict in church, as though by virtue of being Christians we can and should cover over all disagreements with niceness. Jesus in his teaching in our gospel lesson today seems to proceed on the baseline assumption that conflict in Christian community is normal and natural, and should be dealt with honestly and with compassion. As we all know, honesty and compassion are all too rarely the watchwords of our church conflicts. Many times anger, hurt feelings and lack of clear communication drive us toward either sweeping everything under the rug to keep the peace, or openly hostile entrenched positions that lead to explosions and people leaving the church permanently. The result is either a Body of Christ pristine on the outside but riddled with the disease and rot of resentment on the inside, or an openly dismembered and bleeding Body of Christ hemorrhaging members and vitality. There must be another way.[Living Liturgy, 2014] Jesus provides us another way in our gospel lesson today. First, he asks us to use direct and respectful communication. If we are struggling with something a church member has said or done, we are not to talk behind his or her back. Nor are we to stage a dramatic public confrontation at coffee hour. We are to take time aside, after the initial rush of emotion has subsided, and engage in dialogue with that person one-on-one. Adapted Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A
Take Up Your Cross I doubt that anyone reading this would plan ‘salvation’ in just the way that Jesus offers it to us. Our instinct is for a Saviour, great and glorious, that comes and takes from us our suffering, especially innocent, undeserved and useless suffering. We can accept, maybe grudgingly, pain we deserve because of our actions but the rest, especially of the weak and innocent, we find scandalous to watch, and incomprehensible to undergo. In the salvation Jesus offers, the truly Innocent One accepts a shameful and ignominious death, rejected and abused by the people he loved so much. Peter well expressed our revulsion with such a way of salvation: ‘God forbid!’ But Jesus told him to get behind him and follow like a disciple. Jesus turned, faced and accepted his cross, so, as his disciples, we too must face the cross in our life. As we cling to our cross and bleed, our strength and consolation is that God, in the weakness of our humanity has gone before us making this painful, difficult, incomprehensible suffering the path to the fullness of divine life. We do not understand this but as we accept and undergo this path, some intimations of God’s wisdom are given to us: that God’s love and presence are revealed here; that salvation is offered as a free, undeserved gift to all; that God’s grace will work powerfully through the experience of weakness. But that understanding comes later, after we have accepted our cross and walked with our Saviour God. In the beginning, in our pain and confusion, we remain faithful to our cross because Jesus remains faithful to us. Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Year A
Who Do You Say I Am? In this week’s Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that am?” I’m sure that it is a result of having to face hard questions last week about whether or not Jesus could be wrong, but this conjures up images for me of times in my life when I’ve felt insecure and unsure of myself. To my closest friends I might ask, “What do you think I’m like, really?” or, more likely, “You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?” There are moments in our lives when we just need some extra reassurance that we really are okay. Is that what was happening with Jesus? I don’t think there are any scholars who would go with me on this one. And, to be honest, I’m not real sure I can either. But, I do like the question. I do appreciate considering a time in the life of Jesus when he had to look at Peter and say, “You think I’m doing this right, don’t you?” Of course, he began with what all the others had to say about who the “Son of Man” is. But, just as quickly as they answer, he turns it on them, “But what about you?” [Living Liturgy 2014] Is this a test of their own faith or an identity crisis for which Jesus needs some comfort and reassurance? Whatever it is, Peter is quick to answer. Isn’t he always? “You are the Messiah, of course!” And, this seems to do the trick. For whatever it was that Jesus was looking, he got it and turns his attention away from himself and back to his followers – Peter, in particular, the rock. There is a word for us as well. “Whatever you bind on earth, bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth, loose in heaven. Here, take these. They are the keys to the kingdom.” And, so our own identity crisis begins. [su_quote]How can that be? How could God allow that kind of power to rest with humans? Who am I to bind or loose anything on earth, much less in heaven?[/su_quote] Jesus chose ordinary human beings who simply open themselves to the capacity to be great believers because they are first great hearers of the revelation. Revelation means that we open our eyes to see and our ears to hear and our hearts to experience Jesus’ Presence and power in the daily happenings around us. The infant who utters the first word and delights parents,, a person with Alzheimer’s who has a rare moment of recognition, the unexpected good deed that comes our way can all be revelations of Jesus’ identity and saving power. We only need to pay attention to our experience and recognize and receive the gift that is given to us. Adapted Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A
Have Pity! None of us enjoys walking into a situation and being made to feel unwelcome. Perhaps at a social event we join a group of people deep in conversation, only to have all talking stop. Or we present a new idea to the staff with whom we work and it is immediately cut down and we are ignored. Or a friend invites us along to dinner with mutual friends, and when we arrive there is obviously no place setting for us at the table and no move on the part of the hostess to set one. These situations hurt. If we can, we take leave of the situation as soon as possible. If we cannot remove ourselves from a difficult situation, we try to become as inconspicuous as possible. A corner becomes our friend! A first glance at this Sunday’s gospel might lead us to think that the Canaanite woman is a very unwelcome person! The disciples want Jesus to send her away. Jesus says some pretty harsh things. The Canaanite woman (a foreigner) approaches Jesus with a heartfelt request to heal her daughter. Jesus’ reply seems anything but welcoming! But rather than give up and remove herself from a seemingly unpleasant situation, she is determined to receive healing for her daughter. She does anything but give up! Her heart is steadfastly turned toward reaching one goal: healing for her daughter. She is willing to accept any rebuke, rebuttal, rebuff in order to get what she desires for one she loves. Love conquers any unwelcome. [Living Liturgy, 2014] The Canaanite woman demonstrates the kind of faith needed to be healed by Jesus and to receive God’s gift of salvation, the kind of faith that brings us into divine embrace. Her faith was visible in three habits of the heart: awareness that she needed Jesus’ healing intervention, persistence against all odds, and concern not only for herself but for her daughter. Her great faith moved Jesus to have “pity on” her. Anyone who approaches God with this kind of great faith will be given healing and salvation. We too must develop and grow in the habits of the heart that make visible the great faith necessary for our healing and salvation. Here is the twist of this gospel: a seemingly unwelcome situation gives way to one in which everyone is welcome. Jesus initially declares that his mission is only to “the house of Israel,” and, consequently, harshly rebuffs the Canaanite woman. Then a change occurs. The encounter between Jesus and the woman reveals the unrestricted welcome of Jesus, the power of great faith, and the universality of salvation for those who believe. The Canaanite woman’s cry to Jesus was that he “[h]ave pity on me” (not on her daughter, although that is surely implied in the request). Her love for her daughter and her great desire that she be healed could not be separated from herself—she and her daughter were one in the need for healing and life. Her daughter was welcomed into her heart in love, and this was the source of her great faith and persistence. This gives us an insight into our inclusivity and ministry: we must be so “at one” with others that their plight is our own plight. Ministry is more than doing for another; it implies an empathy with another that discloses the unity we share as members of the Body of Christ. One dimension of living the Gospel is that we work to increase our unity with one another, which in turn draws us to reach out to others in mercy and compassion, welcome and inclusivity. Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A
It Is You! Sometimes today’s Gospel is interpreted along the lines of the title of a book by John Ortberg, “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat.” The interpretation goes like this: Peter had the right idea when he got out of the boat, quite literally stepping out in faith. Peter, like all of us, is invited to step out into the storms of life where Jesus calls us to take courage, leave the safety of the boat, and come to him. If we have faith in Jesus and keep our focus firmly on him, we will not sink, despite the wind and the waves. If only Peter had not become distracted. When he kept his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on water. When he got anxious and sidetracked from keeping his focus on Jesus, Peter, whose name means “rock,” went down like a stone. Jesus wants us to be bold in our faith. Jesus wants us to walk on water, dream big, take risks in our lives. And if we can just be faithful enough, we will succeed. [Living Liturgy, 2014] Walking on water has come to be synonymous, even outside the church, with the idea of stepping out in boldness, taking a risk. If you do an Internet search on “walk on water,” you’ll get links to business consulting firms, fashion companies, science projects – all of them proponents of going the extra mile (another biblical phrase that’s gone mainstream). It has become another phrase along the lines of “thinking outside the box,” “The early bird catches the worm,” and “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” No doubt Jesus wants us to take risks for the sake of the gospel. No doubt Jesus wants us to keep our eyes focused on him and his mission. No doubt Jesus wants us to have the gift of faith. He’s the one who reminded his followers, in Matthew 19:26, “With God, all things are possible.” He’s the one who told some fishermen to leave everything to follow him. He’s the one who tells us to take up our cross, to lose our lives for his sake, that if we have faith even the size of a mustard seed, we could say to that mountain, get up and move, and it would. When the resurrected Jesus stepped out of the tomb that first Easter morning, he really outdid himself in thinking “outside of the box,” didn’t he? No doubt, Jesus wants us to take risks, be bold, do outrageous things for the gospel, step out in faith and follow. But is that really what Jesus really wants us to hear in this particular gospel lesson? One thing that’s true about Matthew’s gospel is it’s interested in community. It’s really interested in figuring out what it means to be the church, the body of Christ in the world, the gathering of people who are trying to follow Christ together. Matthew really isn’t interested in great heroes of the faith, singular individuals who go above and beyond. If, like Peter, they go swinging their legs out over the side of the boat, leaving the rest of the disciples behind trying to row and manage in the storm, we’re likely to see such an individual take a few steps and then plunge beneath the waves, surely to drown, if not for the grace and love and forgiveness of Jesus who always, always, reaches out to save, even when we get confused and fearful and full of doubt. So I wonder if when Jesus says to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” the meaning isn’t, “Oh, Peter, if only you had more faith,” but is, instead, “Oh, Peter, why did you get out of the boat?” The boat has, from very early days in the Christian community, been a symbol for the church. And no wonder. Think of a ship, a vessel large enough that it takes a number of people doing diverse things to get it to move. A ship is a great symbol for the church. Moving through the waters on a gorgeous day can be simply glorious. When wind and water and sailors cooperate, the journey is grand. Sometimes, though, life on the ship can get routine. The same chores need doing every day. The wind doesn’t always do what the sailors want. A large crew means a variety of people, which means a variety of ideas and personalities. The ship’s mission can be jeopardized by those who are tempted to set sail alone, or mutiny, or jump overboard. But any problems on the ship have more to do with the sailors than the Captain – with a capital C, as in “Christ” – because the Captain has provided for the ship. The Captain gives Word and Sacraments, the community of sailors, and even gave them their seaworthy ship to guide them into the ultimate safe harbor. Christians have long treasured this image of the church as a ship: beautiful, but vulnerable; seaworthy, but subject to storm and winds and waves. In today’s lesson, Jesus makes the disciples, those who would follow him, get into a boat, and head out across the sea. The gospel says, “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side.” Jesus would meet up with them again. First, he was going to take some time by himself to pray. But a storm blows up, as storms do in our lives, and Jesus doesn’t wait for them to get to the other side. He comes to them, walking across the water, the very picture of God that they knew from their scriptures. Psalm 77 says, “When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled. … Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.” In Job 9:8, God overcomes the powers of chaos, pictured as a stormy sea. It says, “God alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea.” Jesus would not leave his disciples alone in the boat to perish in the storm, but comes to them, and says, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” And then there’s Peter. And while we usually just skip right to impetuous, enthusiastic Peter, faithfully thinking outside the box, jumping overboard and pulling off an amazing stunt, if even just for a moment, what Peter actually does first is say something. He says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” “If it is you …” If. There are only a couple of other times in the whole gospel when someone addresses Jesus with “if,” and they’re not pretty. The devil does it three times to Jesus when he tempts him in the desert, “If you are the Son of God,” make stones into bread, call down special privileges from God, worship me. When Jesus is hanging on the cross, people mock him, calling out, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” And here, Peter, beautiful, real Peter, joins his voice, “If it is you, Jesus, command me to come to you on the water.” If. Jesus doesn’t chide Peter for being afraid. Of course you’re afraid in the midst of a storm. But why did you doubt? Did you really think I wouldn’t come? Did you really think I wouldn’t save you? Did you really think, when I told you to get into the boat and go on ahead, that I would ever, ever leave you alone? “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Jesus and Peter get into the boat. The wind ceases. “And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’” Matthew’s whole gospel ends with the resurrected Jesus appearing to the disciples. The resurrected Christ himself appears where he said he would meet them. And Matthew tells us, “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” Some doubted. Even then. Even with the risen Jesus standing right in front of them. They worshiped. But some doubted. That’s not where the story ends, though. Even still, in the midst of their worship, even to those who doubt, Jesus gives a command and a promise. The command is this: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” And then he gives them a promise – all of them: “And remember,” says Jesus, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Storms will blow up in all of our lives. But Jesus has not left us alone. The one who calms the storms and makes the winds to cease is still with us. He still has work for us to do. And yes, it will mean stepping out in faith, but not getting out of the boat, not going it alone, not leaving the community of disciples. The purpose of a ship is to set sail, not to stay at the dock. [Adapted from Renew International: Prayer Time Cycle A] There are plenty of adventures ahead, and Jesus will bid us follow. And he will say to us, in the midst of any storm, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
“I’ll Have Some of That” When my mother was ninety three her mind receded into the murkiness of dementia. There were days when she did not know us, could not dress herself nor carry on a conversation. Yet, when we opened up a box of her favorite chocolate candy, she opened her hand, palm up and said “I’ll have some.” This is one touch point with reality my mother had managed to maintain. I imagine that the hungry crowd in today’s Gospel probably held out their hands to the disciples as they distributed the blessed bread and fish and said, “I’ll have some of that.” The miracle in today’s Gospel is essentially a sign of God’s kingdom- where there is never scarcity nor lack of power to respond to others but always the superabundance of God’s nourishing and satisfying presence, Jesus’ response to the crowds needs was an in-breaking of God’s kingdom, embodied by the very person and presence of Jesus whom the crowd sought. If we are the presence of the risen Christ today, then we too are an in-breaking of God’s kingdom when we reach out in compassion to satisfy the needs of others. [Living Liturgy 2014] At the same time, we hold out our hands and say, “I will have some of that.” We must be willing to receive the life that divine presence brings so that being filled, we are the presence of Christ for others.
Pearl of Great Price Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.’[Matthew 13:44-46)] In this series of sayings, Jesus continues his teaching about the reign of God. What will it be like? What can we expect? His teaching is both clear as a bell and yet filled with mystery we cannot fully grasp. The treasure in the field he describes must have been very great, indeed. The fellow who found it, the text tells us, hid it so he could go and buy the entire field! He sold all he had to possess this great treasure. And the merchant who sold everything to buy that fine pearl must have nearly put himself out of business. Apparently it wasn’t the enterprise of selling pearls that attracted him but the beauty of the one fine pearl that superseded all others. Apparently half measures won’t do when it comes to fine pearls. In today’s world, it can be very difficult to sort out the good pearls from all the others. We are confused by a cacophony of noise coming from everywhere: media, Internet, neighbors, family, and our own inner voices. Which voice is of God? How can we sort it out? The key to all this is found in a simple word, easy to overlook, in the first line of the reading. Look again. Jesus teaches us that the mark of the right choice, the way we can know it, is that we will experience joy. In the old Baltimore Catechism, widely used in the Church until the Second Vatican Council, we were taught that God made us to know, love, and serve him but with the ultimate goal of being happy. When you pause to take the temperature of your conscience, finding deep joy tells you that you have made the right choices, even if the times are tough, even if the work is terribly hard. Still, if there is joy deep in your heart, it is a sign that God’s reign is present within you. Adapted from Renew International: Prayer Time Cycle A What are the times or decisions in your life that have clearly resulted in a deep inner sense of joy?
The Quality of Soil This wonderful and well known parable explores the mystery of the mixed responses to Jesus and his ministry. It was mixed then and it is still mixed. Although Jesus is found teaching from a boat at sea his teaching uses farming images, the sowing of the seed in differing types of soil. In the latter part of our reading the parable is explained by Jesus. Does that mean there is no room for our own interpretation? Not at all for there are still some thorny questions to answer! For instance, who qualifies as “good soil”? Since soil cannot change by itself, is there any hope for the hardened, rocky, and thorny soil? [Living Liturgy 2014] There are examples throughout Matthew’s Gospel of each kind of response to the Gospel. The religious leaders of the day “hear the word” but consistently fail to understand. Even the crowd who listen avidly to Jesus teachings and respond so well to his miracles will turn against him at the time of his crucifixion. Maybe they never really understood any of it! And the rich young man who finds that he cannot part with all his worldly goods is a great example of how we can be seduced by the things of the world so that our ability to bear fruit can be choked out! Even the disciples themselves are found wanting when trouble comes along. So what about the good soil? Who are the ones who will hear and understand and ultimately bear fruit? As people accustomed to judging success by quantity, this parable challenges us in an entirely different direction! Our journey is measured by the quality of seeing, hearing and understanding God’s Word and communicating that to others by the goodness of our lives. What about the main character in the story, who is the sower? It could be you or me. It could be God. It could be Jesus. The sower scatters his seed generously and seems to waste so much of it on ground that holds little promise of a rich harvest. Those who offer the Gospel to the world often seem to squander so much of their time and resources with little chance of a return but we can be assured that Jesus has invested in each one of us as his disciples. He too seemingly squandered his time with all sorts of people, outcasts of all hues and yet the harvest has already been a good one. Surely a great encouragement for us all! Adapted Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A
Come To Me and I Will Give You Rest When Jesus says that he offers us an easy yoke we may well object given that a yoke was used on animals and slaves to do hard and difficult work. The image appears, at first, demeaning. Be that as it may, let us leave aside this first emotional reaction to the image and ask just what a yoke does. A yoke was a device, usually put around the neck of an animal, or even a person, to enable them to perform a task that was usually beyond them. No animal is ever going to be able to plough a field using only their hooves or their brute strength. A man yoked to a plough is far more effective in preparing a paddock for planting than trying to do it with a spade. Essentially, a yoke was not only a labour saving device, it was something that enabled a far superior job to be done.[Living Liturgy 2014] Still that leaves the issue of its use being demeaning to a person. The yoke most often used in Jesus times was a double yoke – one in which two beasts or people dragged the plough or load. When Jesus calls on us to take up his yoke and says that it easy, his burden light, it is because he is there alongside of us. We journey in tandem with Jesus, when, we respond positively to think more openly, persevere through a difficult situation or letting go of our pretenses. In other words, when we seek God’s will in our lives. Jesus fully recognises how hard and difficult our lives may be at times. We may well feel like beasts or slaves caught in situations beyond our control. He, too, has not only lived our life and died our death, he desires to be yoked to us sharing our burden and strengthening us in bearing our load. Life is only bearable when we are in union with Christ. All we need to do is come to him and he will give us rest. This is surely a gracious God with a gracious will for us. Adapted from Renew Internqational, Prayer Time Cycle A
Lose Your Life For the Sake of Others Whenever there is a discussion about prayer, the question that most often arises is about distractions. We have every good intention to keep ourselves focused on God, but our mind tends to have a mind of its own! Our thoughts wander. We begin to think about what we forgot to buy at the grocery but need to make dinner, why the youngsters aren’t home yet, the harsh words we exchanged with someone, how exhausted we are, why we can’t figure out the new cell phone. Our behaviors and choices can wander, too. We are serious about following Jesus’ commandment of love, but find ourselves slipping when we choose to fritter away time on too much TV watching rather than spending it with someone who is lonely, or when we stretch a fifteen-minute break at work into a half hour, or when we needlessly tear into another over some small annoyance. It is so difficult for us to be consistently single-minded about prayer and Gospel living. In fact, it is pretty difficult for us to be single-minded about anything! In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus is calling his apostles (and us) to single-mindedness. Jesus clearly states that he is to be above everyone and everything in our lives—even family. This is a pretty radical singlemindedness! But this does not mean that we ignore others. Jesus also says that whoever receives his followers receives him. Jesus is reminding us that our relationship to him is expressed in our relationship with each other. In giving and receiving we make evident that Jesus is the center and focus of our lives. In giving and receiving we lose our lives for the sake of others. In giving and receiving we find fullness of Life—Jesus himself. [Living Liturgy 2017] We can’t receive unless someone gives. When we think about it, so much of our lives depends upon the generosity of others. And all life and everything we do depends upon the utter generosity of God. God gives everything. God created this world, God saves us from our wandering, God graces us with divine Presence and love. Jesus reminds us that we cannot always be takers. To “take up his cross” and lose our life for Jesus’ sake means that we must be givers as well as receivers. In giving to each other we learn to receive from God. In giving to each other we learn that we are Jesus’ Presence to others, even when we wander. We have his assurance that in giving we find life, in giving we find the reward of the righteous, in giving we find him. Every act of self-giving is really an act of receiving! The “reward” we receive is strengthened relationships, being drawn to Jesus so we wander less, the satisfaction of knowing we have lightened another’s burden, the abiding Presence of Jesus himself and the fullness of Life he offers to those who are faithful. Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Year A <br>
Fearless or Fearful? Concealed and secret things tend to scare children (and sometimes me, too!). Little ones are afraid of the dark because it conceals too much—they can’t see what might be trying to get them so they look under their beds for the boogeyman. I was always frightened when I observed my parents whispering together with knitted brows and worry written all over their faces. Our natural tendency is to avoid whatever frightens us, and this is true for both children and adults. Fear paralyzes us, keeps us from acting and growing. Fear robs us of our freedom and hinders our judgment. Fear, however, can also at times be positive. A healthy fear can bring caution to a hasty response, can prompt us to go to the doctor when we don’t feel quite right, can bring us to install best driveway alarm system in our homes to protect body and possessions. In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus talks about fear: whom and what we should fear and whom and what we need not fear. Jesus begins with the bold statement, “Fear no one.” Yet, in the next breath he tells us to “be afraid of the one who can destroy / both soul and body.” Does Jesus contradict himself? No, not really. He is helping us sort out fear. We need not fear when we choose to live and “speak in the light” and acknowledge Jesus as Lord. [Living Liturgy, 2014] Proclaiming the gospel can bring frightening results, for sure. People may misunderstand us, scorn us, turn on us. Certainly this happened to Jesus. We can overcome this fear, however. We know that when we alignb ourselves with Jesus and “proclaim on the housetops” what he has revealed to us, we are not alone. Our greatest source of audacity—of proclaiming Jesus’ Good News and acting boldly—is the assurance that God has every hair on our head counted. God counts us worthy to be disciples of the divine Son, and even if others try to “kill the body,” God will protect and bring to everlasting Life those who are faithful. We do need to fear when we choose infidelity and denial of Jesus in any form. This kills. This death we ought to fear. This death is not from some outside entity, but comes from inside ourselves. This death is our own doing; it is choosing our own selfish interests above acknowledging our identity in Christ and being consistent with his call to be faithful disciples. This death destroys our joy and balance in this life and threatens our eternal happiness. Yes, Jesus says to us, “Fear no one.” While others might bring harm, disappointment, or sadness, these threats from outside ourselves cannot destroy God’s protection and care. We only need to keep Jesus’ continued Presence before us and act accordingly. Fear of being unfaithful, self-centered, and totally self-reliant is actually healthy and life-giving. Most days most of us deal with both what we ought to fear and what we do not need to fear. Jesus challenges us to fear what is really death-dealing: denial of him. Adapted from Renew International PrayerTime Cycle A The choice before us is to choose him. Choosing him will free us from the one thing that can kill us. Choosing him will give us Life. Fearless or fearful? Which does our daily choosing reveal? We are fearless when we acknowledge God’s Presence and proclaim the Gospel by choosing integrity over dishonesty, by putting others’ good ahead of selfish whims, by uplifting others in our speech rather than tearing them down. We need to be fearful when we don’t think before we act, when we neglect thinking about God every day, when we estrange ourselves from what is right and good, when we turn our backs on Jesus.
Trinity Sunday What’s your favorite way of talking about the Trinity? Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer? Have you ever tried to explain the Trinity? Or even to understand it? God is one and yet we’ve got these three, what? So what is God? Maybe God is a shape-shifter, one minute holy parent, another holy child, another holy spirit. “God in three persons.” Talking about the Trinity is not easy! The greatest mystery of this feast is not how God can be Three-in-One, but why does this God choose to be intimately present to us. Perhaps the mystery is that the triune community of the Trinity wishes to dwell within the community of humanity! Living and dying the Paschal Mystery means that we are faithful witnesses to the God within. So what do we have to be for one another? The love of God poured out, the truth that guides. This is the glory of God revealed within and among us.
Pentecost Sunday We celebrate this Sunday a wondrous and unprecedented gift of God—“the Spirit of truth” given to us. This Spirit of truth God gives is relational. This Spirit of truth changes us—through the Spirit we share a common identity as the Body of Christ and take up a common mission to proclaim the Gospel by the sheer goodness of our lives. The Spirit enables us to live with one another in a new way: with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,” etc. The Spirit propels us to engage with the world in a new way: we “testify” to the “mighty acts of God” through the very way that we live. The truth God gives transforms us and, through us, transforms the world According to this gospel, both the Spirit and the disciples testify to Jesus. What is this testimony? It is the revelation that Jesus is of the Father, is the divine Son. Furthermore, this gospel says that the Spirit glorifies Jesus by testifying. So then do we. What is this glory? It is Jesus himself who is the visible Presence of the Father. Like the Spirit of truth, when we testify we also glorify. This Pentecost commemoration does not simply recall a past event, but celebrates what God is doing within us now. Our daily living is to “testify” to the Spirit of truth who dwells within us. We often think of “truth” in terms of “truths”—dogmas to believe. The gospel leads us to something far more dynamic, relational. The Spirit who dwells in each of us enfleshes within us the “mighty acts of God.” Truth is being faithful to the identity and mission offered us. Truth is what is of God. If we are to be living icons of the Spirit of truth dwelling within us, then the good choices we make daily testify to this divine indwelling. Simply put, Pente¬cost invites us to act like God! Although our testimony is not about ourselves—it is about the risen Jesus as the Son of God present among us and bringing us to salvation—in one respect it truly is about ourselves. Through the indwelling Spirit we are made members of the Body of Christ. We are living icons of the Spirit of truth, and living icons of the risen Jesus who dwells within and among us. If we are to exude the fruits of the Spirit, we must be willing to die to ourselves. We cannot love another if we do not give of ourselves to others. We cannot have joy if we are turned in on ourselves. We cannot have peace if we are distracted by getting and doing only what we want. We cannot have patience if we do not respect the dignity of others. We cannot have gentleness if we do not see the need in others. We cannot have self-control if we don’t put the good of others first. We cannot have any of these fruits if we do not live the wondrous mystery of the Spirit dwelling within us. Come, Holy Spirit! Adapted from Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A </p> <p></p> </div><!-- .entry-content --> <footer class="entry-footer"> <span class="cat-links">Posted in <a href="https://www.ursulinesistersmission.org/category/weekly-reflection/" rel="category tag">Weekly Reflection</a></span> | <span class="tags-links">Tagged <a href="https://www.ursulinesistersmission.org/tag/cost-of-discipleship/" rel="tag">cost of discipleship</a>, <a href="https://www.ursulinesistersmission.org/tag/pentecost/" rel="tag">Pentecost</a></span> </footer><!-- .entry-footer --> </article><!-- #post-## --> <article id="post-1868" class="post-1868 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-weekly-reflection tag-ascension tag-forgiveness tag-parted-from-them"> <header class="entry-header"><p><br /></p> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://www.ursulinesistersmission.org/the-ascension-of-the-lord/" rel="bookmark">The Ascension of the Lord</a></h2> </header><!-- .entry-header --> <div class="entry-content"> <p>We, who have lost a loved one, know that their “spirit” often lives on long after their death. Certain situations will trigger our memory of them. Recalling what they said or did, we are inspired to live up to the legacy they have left us. In this way their presence continues through our words and actions.</p> <p>We might well imagine the disciples overwhelming sense of grief and absence when Jesus ascended into heaven. As time will tell, Jesus’ absence will really mark the beginning of a new kind of presence. We, his followers, are commissioned to preach that suffering and death lead to new life and that forgiveness will be granted to all who seek forgiveness. His ascension is our commission because we are now His presence on earth.</p> <p>His very absence calls us to be and do as Jesus. To put another’s needs above our own desires; to seek amends when forgiving another or letting go of grudges. And we don’t do this on our own, we are gifted with the very power of the Holy Spirit. Having experienced God’s saving action, we can be that saving action for others.</p> <p class="has-text-color has-small-font-size has-very-dark-gray-color">Adapted from <strong>Renew International, Prayer Time Cycle A</strong></p> <figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe loading="lazy" title="I Send You Out" width="1170" height="878" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAVx9kvWsnM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen>
Remain In My Love: Sixth Sunday of Easter Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.’ ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you’. (John 15:9-14) One words sums up this whole reading—Love. Love is what we remain in and are faithful to. Love is what gives us comfort, challenges us, provides us strength, and love is what we must dare to share. Our friendship with Jesus demands that we remain in that love. We have to work at sustaining our friendship with him by following the commandments. In baptism, we enter a community that commits itself to remaining in God’s love and to sharing that love with all whom we encounter. What have been the moments when “remaining” has been difficult and challenging? Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International
Home? Father’s House? What is it in our human nature that persistently wants to turn grace into law, inclusion to exclusion, plenitude into penury? We are the great reductionists! The Gospel this week speaks of consolation for the disciples who are troubled that Jesus, is speaking about leaving them. They are not sure their hearts can bear it and that why he quiets their troubled spirits by speaking of a Father’s house where there is abundant accommodation. In contrast to the birth of Jesus, the Father’s inn will never be too full. This is also far more than a guesthouse we are speaking of. The Father’s house is home. It is the place the Prodigal son eventually headed for when he came to himself. It is the place you and I long to return to when we are homeless and heartsore. What is more, Jesus the shepherd, the gate from last week’s gospel, is going to make sure that everything is ready “back home” where the Father is, and when he has turned back the covers, and put the chocolate on the pillow, checked and refreshed the flowers on the nightstand and aired the room, he will come and take us to be there. “You also know where I am going”. Is it possible that Jesus was implying,… “Because you are already there. When we began this adventure I told you that the Divine Doman (Kingdom of the heavens) is at hand, close and even within you. I am not speaking about travel I am talking about transformation. This is not about destinations it is about discovering you are already at home with God.” John Kabat Zinn titles his book, “Wherever you go. there you are” Incredulous, over-thinking Thomas, can’t get beyond the concrete and so asks for a map. “Just give me the co-ordinates to that I can plug them into the old GPS and let the device take me there.” Jesus says to Thomas, “ I am the GPS, the map, the truth and the life. Nothing else is going to get you there if you don’t get me. (If you don’t understand me)” Surely if the resurrection appearances teach anything they demonstrate that in the Divine domain, geographic locations are irrelevant? Locked doors are of no consequence, Jesus appears and disappears at will. He is in Jerusalem, Emmaus, Galilee; seemingly all at once. Philip begins to understand that there is nowhere to go but still wants a sign. “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied” Once again, may I speculate some unrecorded sub-text? “No Philip you won’t be satisfied. If you are still looking for God in signs and wonders and can’t see the Divine in this moment of resurrection encounter, then nothing will reveal God to you and nothing will satisfy you. The divine domain, is here Phillip, in me. Can you not see the non-dual unity and union of everything in me. Philip there is no division in me. I am one with “I am”, and so you can be. Just look at what has happened the works of restoration and latterly of resurrection!” This has to be one of the most beautiful non-dual, inclusive passages of teaching by Jesus. All the divisions are healed in Jesus. There is unity and accommodation for all. There is no need to go anywhere, for Jesus has come to us. There is no need to search any further for it right here. Just lay down., you are home already.[Living Liturgy 2014] How tragic then, that this passage has become the war-cry of exclusivist and triumphalist Christian dogma that uses the very words of the all including Jesus as a sword of separatist isolation from others. As Jesus has pointed out in this passage if we don’t see the unity in all this, we really don’t get it. “How can you say, show us the Father?” Perhaps the best rejoinder to those who use the words of Jesus in this passage to be judgemental and exclusive, comes from that master of the one-liner and the succinct, snappy answer, Richard Rohr. When Richard has spoken inclusively, and people throw at him, “But Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life…NO ONE…” Richard replies in his lovely gentle manner, “When Jesus said ‘I am the way the truth and the life’, it means that you are NOT” A sobering reminder if you get it, that none of this is our business. This is mystery of the highest order and our best response is awe and wonder, rather than bigotry and belligerence. [Center For Contemplative Action] I wonder if this place has room service? Adapted Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A
I Am the Good Shepherd One problem with the many references to sheep in the Bible is that so few of us have any real contact with these animals. The metaphor is simply lost on us. What does it mean to be compared to sheep? The little we’ve heard or read about them—that they’re not particularly bright—does not endear us to the metaphor. But here’s the thing about Good Shepherd Sunday: it’s not about sheep at all. It is about a shepherd—the “Good Shepherd”—but even that designation is charged with meanings that can be lost on us. “I am the good shepherd,” says Jesus. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John 10:11 The life of a shepherd was anything but dreamy or picturesque. Taking care of sheep was dangerous, difficult, tedious work. Shepherds were, as one commentator has said, “rough around the edges, spending time in the fields rather than in polite society. For Jesus to say, ‘I am the good shepherd,’would have been an affront to the religious elite. The claim had an edge to it. A modern-day equivalent might be for Jesus to say, ‘I am the good migrant worker.” [Living Liturgy 2017] So John is doing in his gospel something that Luke does in his. Recall the Good Samaritan: Jesus tells a parable about a man mugged in the street and left for dead. Two members of Israel’s spiritual elite—a priest and a Levite—pass him by and hurry on their way. But a Samaritan—considered unclean and morally suspect—binds the man’s wounds, pays for his care, helps restore him to health. Jesus makes a Samaritan the hero of the story, something that would have scandalized his hearers. His basic message is not: be kind; help others (which is what we’ve reduced the parable to). His message is this: the Kingdom comes in surprising ways, through surprising people, through a God who turns our expectations and our prejudices upside down. The Good Samaritan. The Good Shepherd. Those who are lowly, dubious, suspicious, contemptuous; those discounted, counted out: pay attention to these—God is probably at work in their midst. The Good Samaritan gives of himself fully to save a stranger. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. How are we, disciples of the Good Shepherd, to lay down our lives? When we listen to another’s opinion instead of stubbornly clinging to our own; when we sow unity instead of seeds of discord; when we gently bring others to honesty about self and how they are living; and when we build others up rather than tear them down. In these and a myriad of ways we incarnate the Good Shepherd’s love. Adapted Renew International Prayer Time Cycle A