March 27, 2011: Gospel Reflection II

The Woman at the Well

John 4:5-42

Gospel Reflection/Discussion Questions:

-What are the walls that we put up between ourselves and other? Who are people we refuse to see as our brothers and sisters?

-Do we believe in eternal life? Do our daily actions reflect this belief?

-What secrets do we try to keep hidden even from God? How can we be more open to healing and let God be intimately connected to us?

-Who do I feel called to pass on God’s loving presence to this week?

March 27, 2011: Gospel Reflection I

The Woman at the Well

John 4:5-42

This Sunday's Gospel is a long one! Here are 4 thoughts:

1. Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman. By talking alone to a woman, especially one who is not a Jew, Jesus is breaking the social norms of his day. 

   Jesus is not interested in continuing divisions but is concerned with uniting people together. Jesus wants us to set aside the walls that we build that separate us from others that trick us into thinking that we are not connected.

2. The Samaritan woman is at the well because she is physically thirsty and wants water. When Jesus offers her a "living water" she can’t see past her own physical needs. She thinks Jesus has some magic water that will keep her hydrated forever. The same thing happens to the disciples when they tell Jesus to eat something and he says that he "has food to eat which you do not know". They simply thought Jesus was hiding some snacks. In both circumstances Jesus is trying to help the woman and his disciples see past the needs and concerns of this world. He is trying to help them see eternity in their vision, to see their relationship with God and to draw strength from it. 

   We too live our lives mostly concerned with our physical wants and needs. Sometimes we even use our prayer as a way to try to manipulate our world to give us more of what we want. We are called to spend time daily remembering that we are made in the eternal image and likeness of God and that our actions on earth have eternal consequences; this can be an empowering and sometimes sobering realization!

3. Jesus reveals to the Samaritan woman that he knows the secret of her having five husbands. This shows the woman that Jesus knows her intimately, and that God must be present in Jesus. 

   God knows us intimately. This truth opens us up to the ability for God to work even in the deepest and darkest parts of our lives, to bring love, peace and healing even there, the places that we don’t want to be seen. The more we are open to his presence the more healing and love He can bring.

4. Jesus’ Jewish tradition believed that God was to be worshiped at the Temple in Jerusalem while the Samaritan woman believed that God was present in a special way in the mountain she lived by. Jesus overturns both ideas by saying that the true worshipers will worship the father in Spirit and in truth. 

   God’s presence is not confined to a particular place but is within each of us. We are called to carry God’s Spirit within us to others in the world. God’s presence in our lives was not given to us to make us feel special but that we may pass it on. “God has no body now but yours” -Theresa of Avila

Thursday Inspiration - think of these things

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8

This one scripture verse seems to be the reverse of our popular culture’s focus. Charlie Sheen’s antics get more press than the parent whose sacrifices go untold, a child’s innocence, or a toddler’s wonder at the world. We should think of things that are true, honorable, and just, not of the singer who trashed a studio room or the football player who was thrown out of a mall. By starting to think of these things that are pure, lovely, and gracious, we are invited to go one step further and think about the Giver of all that is worthy of praise – God. And what we think about changes who we are and how we act. Maybe it’s just me, but when I consciously fix my mind on God, I love better, even though I love imperfectly and not always.

What is honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent and worthy to be praised in your life?  Think about these things and praise God for them.

The Most Creative List for Lenten Fasting!

Want a new or creative idea for Lent?

A Perfect Lenten (and always) Prayer...

The Ignaitan Examen (by St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit Order).


Take 5 minutes at some point today. Slow down. and be led through this prayer. This interactive site is valuable to learn the steps of the process and can be easily memorized/repeated on your own.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude (including blessing and faults).
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.

5. Look toward tomorrow (and what God has in store for you).

Interest piqued? Check out the motherload of info on the Examen.

The Transfiguration

Transfiguration

Sufjan Stevens 

When he took the three disciples
to the mountainside to pray,
his countenance was modified, his clothing was aflame.
Two men appeared: Moses and Elijah came;
they were at his side.
The prophecy, the legislation spoke of whenever he would die.

Then there came a word
of what he should accomplish on the day.
Then Peter spoke, to make of them a tabernacle place.
A cloud appeared in glory as an accolade.
They fell on the ground.
A voice arrived, the voice of God,
the face of God, covered in a cloud.

What he said to them,
the voice of God: the most beloved son.
Consider what he says to you, consider what's to come.
The prophecy was put to death,
was put to death, and so will the Son.
And keep your word, disguise the vision till the time has come.

Lost in the cloud, a voice: Have no fear! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Turn your ear!
Lost in the cloud, a voice: Lamb of God! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Son of God!

Friday Inspiration - March Madness

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.

Psalm 34:19

It’s March Madness. Basketball is (always) on TV and you can even watch all the early round action online. Fans love the last second shots and wild swings during games. But take a look at the losing players. They’ve poured their blood, sweat, and tears into the sport over the course of their life. God-given abilities coupled with hard work and dedication netted them a free education, yet the moment after a buzzer beater, their spirits are crushed and their hearts are broken.

We all feel like crushed at times: when our reality doesn’t match up to what we had hoped for; when our hard work and dedication goes unnoticed or is unrewarded; when our closely held dreams and desires are dashed; when we hear of the tremendous suffering in Japan. But the Lord is close to us when are our hearts need mending. Jesus has a special love for those who approach humbly and in pain. Jesus saves; but Jesus also heals and raises from the dead. Our life, our families, our world is never past the point no return to the Lord.

March 20, 2011: Gospel Reflection I

“His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light...then Peter said to Jesus in reply, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here’”.

 

This Sunday’s Gospel tells the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Transfiguration literally means a change (trans) in appearance (figure). The transfiguration of Jesus did not change who Jesus was but revealed His true nature that he is true God and true man. The change in Jesus’s appearance gave Peter, James and John a peek of the divinity of Jesus and is a reminder of the divinity that dwells within us and is eternally promised to us.

Unfortunately we do not often recognize God’s presence within ourselves or others. A monk by the name of Thomas Merton said that “there is no way of telling people that they are walking around shining like the sun”. If only we could see (ourselves and) each other as transfigured, as shining! If only we could see in the neighbor we would rather ignore, belittle or judge the place where God has kissed and blessed them as His son or daughter we would not be as tempted to turn away from God’s presence and harm ourselves or others.

Each of us is created and loved by God. Each of us has the presence of God within us. This is made physical when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, when the minister holds up the host, looks us in the eyes and proclaims not only what is true of the host but is true of us, “(you are) the Body of Christ”. Jesus reminds us of this telling his followers that “whatsoever you do to the least of my people you did for me”. 

The Transfiguration of Jesus took place so that Peter, James, John, and each of us who reflects on the story may be reminded of God’s divinity within us and promised to us. God said at the Transfiguration to Jesus and says to each of us, “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. God loves each of us and is pleased with us. How to we respond to that divinity within us? How do we respond to re-membering God’s presence in the Eucharist? St. Peter wanted to build a tent on the mountain and stay in that transfigured moment but Jesus knew that they were not called to stay but to walk down the mountain and set out to transform the world, so that “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. 

Our call as Christians is go out into the world to bring His healing and love to every part of the world by reminding those who have grown blind to that presence in themselves and others that they are shining!

World Youth Day Trailer

Watching the video below inspires me to go to a world youth day! It's from the same folks who have produced The Human Experience and a popular vocation video, Fishers of Men.

Friday Prayer

This is a prayer I set before me and pray throughout Lent every year. It helps me focus on what's important during Lent.

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling within them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

(Found online at SLU prayerbook.)

March 13, 2011: Gospel Reflection I

Matthew 4:1-11

Last week many in our Mill Valley, CA community were rocked by the news that a Kindergarten boy in our town passed away reportedly from the flu. Anyone who has experienced such tragedy or suffering asks the question: Why? Why did this happen? Where was God? How we choose to respond to these questions that arise within us leads us toward a path of greater faith or distrust in God. There is no rational way to ‘explain away’ tragedy and the truth is that no one knows why natural evil (sickness/natural disasters/etc.) happens. Our faith as Christians calls us to have faith that God does not cause these things, that ours is a God who loves us and who in moments of pain and tragedy suffers with us. But then why does God not make sure these things don’t happen? 

Today’s 1^st Reading from Genesis tells the story of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. The take-a-way from this story is that God created us in his image and likeness which includes our free will. God did not make us to be robots but gave us the ability to choose freely; that is the only way we can love God. By giving us free will God also knew that we might choose sin, to turn away from Him. Adam and Eve lived perfectly in the Garden; God created a perfect world for man to live in, but their (and our own human) inclination to turn from God means that not only our hearts but the world itself is a little broken. By allowing evil to exist in the world God is not withholding his love but, like a parent who allows their child to begin to walk knowing that they may fall, is right there with us ready to pick us up and embrace us. Moments of joy and tragedy provide us the opportunity to turn back to God and trust in him. Part of our brokenness is that we can become distrustful. When we fall we blame God or believe Him not to be there. When a child falls he/she will always return to their parent, maybe this is what it means to have faith like a child.

Why do bad things happen? I don’t know. But I do know that God loves us with a reckless abandon and will never leave us. I also believe that God has no other hands to bring healing than our own hands. Our world is broken, but we as Christians are called to bring healing to the world, to transform the world around us until “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. May we bring God’s healing love and transformation to our world this Lent and, like Jesus in today’s Gospel, avoid the temptations in the desert to turn away from God.

Time for a Road Trip

Note: I live in Virginia, right outside of Washington DC

Last Christmas I returned to my hometown, Austin, Texas. Instead of flying, my wife and I road tripped with my best friend from high school (a youth minister in Harrisonburg) and his wife. Six months into our marriages and new ministry positions, there was much to discuss: the transition to life in Virginia; our different but beautiful communities; and life with a spouse. Beyond the conversations, we shared many “meals” that usually consisted of food purchased at a small-town edition of a fast-food restaurant. But we both brought food along for the journey to share with each other. I had Star Wars gingerbread cookies and he had the most delicious homemade peanut brittle. With friendships refreshed, the end of our trip found us physically tired and hungry for substantial food, which Mom happily provided with homemade lasagna and fresh bread.

During Lent, we all take a different sort of road trip. Though our life situations are vastly different, the destination is the same: Easter. All the extra “stuff” we do during Lent (both communally and individually) is meant to prepare us for that glorious moment when the bells are rung, the Gloria is sung, and we celebrate the Resurrection!

But what about that road trip? How will we spend our time in the car? Thankfully, the Church has been on quite a few of these road trips and has some suggestions to help change us into people ready to celebrate Easter. She recommends three practices during Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

In prayer, our search for God finds a tongue and ears. On my Texas road trip, we four shared in many different conversations, listening and speaking to each other. We talked about everything under the sun, asked each other for gum, and said “I’m sorry” for wrong turns and incorrect fast food orders. Our Lenten prayer takes a similar shape: speaking to God about anything and everything; listening to God in silence and with Scripture; asking God for guidance and help; and saying sorry. When we relate to God in this way, our friendship is refreshed and we (s l o w l y) become better guests for the Easter feast that God is throwing.

Fasting forces us out of our M.O., our normal way of doing things. During the day long drive, we fasted from comforts normally sought when sleeping, namely a stable, vertical bed with a variety of coverings and a familiar pillow. We spoke the words “I’m going to sleep well tonight!” seconds after the motor stopped humming. During Lent, when we deny ourselves cheeseburgers, Netflix, and/or judging, we become more aware of the physicality of our body, the depth of our mind, and our quick emotional reactions. By denying ourselves the comforts of life, we relearn to enjoy them all the more and our “thanks be to God” becomes more sincere. Fasting during Lent is as much about giving up good things as it is about conversion from bad habits. When we fast from judging AND from listening to music in the car, we enter into better relationship with other Easter party guests and will enjoy the music so much more.

Sharing is difficult, but so much more so when you only have a finite amount of resources. And homemade peanut brittle proved to be very finite on the long trip. Yet, my friends kept giving, not from their excess but from their very limited supply. Lenten almsgiving should affect those closest to us in addition to those most in need, the poor places in our friends’ lives and the material poor in the world. Giving tangible gifts to the poor is a great way to give alms, but what if instead of giving our ugliest, never-worn sweater we gave our favorite pair of jeans? Or if we sat down as a family and decided not to eat out after mass on Sundays and instead gave that exact amount to the poor each week? These gifts affect us more because there is a cost. Giving to the poor then becomes giving ourselves—our time, our post-mass meal, our favorite article of clothing, our skills—and the gift, in a certain way, becomes more genuine. When we give these gifts of self to the poor and to God, we prepare ourselves to receive the ultimate authentic gift of self at the Easter banquet, the Eucharist.

Lent gives us the wonderful opportunity to reorient ourselves to God by committing to practices meant to make us more fully alive, giving new life to parts of life in need of a change. Our three practices are not ends in themselves, but a means to participate in the workings of the Spirit and in the Body of Christ as a whole during this season. We do not practice them to win the favor of God, but to become more aware of the love that God has for us by preparing the way.

May our road trip together be fruitful and our practices help us love God, each other, and ourselves. Happy traveling!

What is Ash Wednesday all about?

Glad you asked!


If you're interested in the Lent Calendar shown in the video, you can find it on the Lent section of the Busted Halo website.

A Little (Pre)Ash Wednesday Humor

      

"But ladies, Ash Wednesday is the day to go out and look for the Catholic men...it's like wildlife being tagged with one of those big pink earrings."

...shout out to www.millennialcatholic.com co-author Gen for the link!

A Fat Tuesday Prayer

Did you know the word Carnival means "farewell to meat"?...neither did I!

A great site for Lenten resources from Creighton University offers this Prayer for Fat Tuesday:

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for it is from your goodness that we have this day
to celebrate on the threshold of the Season of Lent.

Tomorrow we will fast and abstain from meat.
Today we feast.
We thank you for the abundance of gifts you shower upon us.
We thank you especially for one another.
As we give you thanks,
we are mindful of those who have so much less than we do.
As we share these wonderful gifts together,
we commit ourselves to greater generosity toward those
who need our support.

Prepare us for tomorrow.
Tasting the fullness of what we have today,
let us experience some hunger tomorrow.
May our fasting make us more alert
and may it heighten our consciousness
so that we might be ready to hear your Word
and respond to your call.

As our feasting fills us with gratitude
so may our fasting and abstinence hollow out in us
a place for deeper desires
and an attentiveness to hear the cry of the poor.
May our self-denial turn our hearts to you
and give us a new freedom for 
generous service to others.

We ask you these graces
with our hearts full of delight
and stirring with readiness for the journey ahead.
We ask them with confidence
in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Lent: Bothering To Love

Fr. James Martin S.J. makes a modest proposal about re-thinking how we 'do' Lent in his Huff Post article Bothering to Love: One Priest's Modest Proposal for Lent. 

The classic Giving Up vs. Doing Something argument is made here with the idea of "bothering to love" winning out. A great Lenten primer or for anyone who just has the case of the Mondays...

Thursday Inspiration: Remember the marvels of the Lord

“Remember the marvels the Lord has done” – Psalm 105:5

Psalm 105 was written in response to the story of Joseph from Genesis (the one with the coat). It talks, in wonder and awe, of the majesty of God’s plan, how God sustained the peoples of the world through this one man; how even out of the most terrible time in the life of Joseph, God was there directing him.

Sometimes things line up perfectly. You lose interest in a job only to hear about a job better suited for your gifts; you visit a college campus on whim only to fall in love with it and enroll; you happen to bump into that perfect person by taking a wrong turn.

Our faith calls us to reflect on our past and notice the hand of God at work. Through this thoughtful reflection, we can see how God works in our life and perhaps notice a pattern. As we grow in faith we start to notice this pattern in real-time, and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, begin to see the action of God at any given moment. Let us always remember and thank God for what the Lord has done!

March 6, 2011: Gospel Reflection II

Matthew 7:21-27

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

-What are we building our lives on? If someone was to observe your daily life for a week what would that person say are the pillars of your life? Family? Sports? Busyness? Media? God?

-As we enter into Lent what do you feel called to do or give up helping you return more closely to God? 

Respond:

-Decide on a Lenten commitment and share it with your friends and/or family.

March 6, 2011: Gospel Reflection I

Matthew 7:21-27 

In the 1990s there was a popular Christian rock band called DC Talk. I remember that their song What if I Stumble begin with a male voice reading this quote:  

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds His followers that it isn’t enough to say the right things, “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one that does the will of my Father in heaven”; actions speak louder than words. We are not called to talk about holiness and Jesus, we are called to be holy in Jesus (we don’t just imitate Him but make Him present through our lives).

But, what if I stumble? What about when I don’t live up to doing God’s will? God’s message is radically consistent; He will always forgive us, nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-38). But when we stumble, when we turn away from God, we can only be forgiven if we re-turn to God who is our Rock. The single greatest cause of atheism is not Christians who stumble, but Christians who don’t bother re-turning. When we stumble we show we are human, when we return to God we express our belief that God is grounding us.

As we look toward entering into the season of Lent this Wednesday, Jesus calls us to return to Him (Hosea 6:1). The parable of the foolish man who built his house on sand reminds us that we place huge importance in many things: wealth, education, popularity, sports, etc. but none of these things can support us when wind and rain buffet the house.

Returning to God means following the wise man who built his house on rock. When the rains and wind came they could not destroy the house. There will always be winds and rain in our lives but if we build and re-build the foundation of our lives on a relationship with God, returning daily to Him, then we will always be grounded in His love.