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Transfiguration 2019

Luke 9:28-36

Hebrew tradition holds that Elijah will appear before the coming of the Messiah and Scripture tells us he was one of only two people who did not die but was taken by God. On the other hand, Moses did die and was buried, as detailed in Deuteronomy, chapter 33. At the time of the Transfiguration, Jesus has not yet died, descended into ‘hell’ and brought those there up to Heaven with Him, therefore, Moses too would have been waiting for the Messiah. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 632-635). So, how does Moses journey from Sheol to the mountaintop; Jesus’ time to release these prisoners has not yet come.

When reading this gospel, we tend to regard Elijah as ‘The Prophet’ and Moses as ‘The Law-giver,’ each representing a vital aspect of Jewish tradition. I would certainly not argue against this, but Moses is also considered a prophet. If I consider his identity as such, I wonder, Why does Jesus appear with a prophet from the dead and a prophet who did not die?

According to Luke, in this mountain-top moment, Elijah, Moses and Jesus are discussing His exodus in Jerusalem. Moses’ presence implies the prisoners in Sheol will also experience an Exodus; Sheol is best understood not as hell or damnation, but rather, ‘an abode of the dead.’ Perhaps, metaphorically, we each have a Sheol within ourselves.

The Catechism also states, “Those who are there are deprived of the vision of God.” Moses’ presence on the mountain-top says to me, “The time of waiting is soon to be over, you will see Him ablaze with glory! His light will awaken whatever in you sleeps and breathe into you new life.”

Reflection Questions for Journaling

1. Recall three different experiences you had with regard to waiting and then obtaining that which you were ‘waiting for.’
2. After rereading these three experiences, explore the threads and repetitions between them.

1st Sunday Lent 2019

On the anniversary of Dad’s departure, the family texts bombarded the satellites: all day, everyone gushing about what a great guy he was. And it is wise to remember and cling to the good, happy moments. But I draw more solace, peace and joy from remembering his irritating, nudgey ways. When he was annoying and impossible … then, he was perfect.

But let me explain. Old English borrowed the word perfect from Old French who borrowed it from Latin; per meaning through and fect meaning to do. So, the old definition of the adjective perfect means, to do through, complete. Reflecting on this gospel scene, helps me wonder if the devil’s main strategy is to make us think we are not complete. He tempts us into thinking we have needs, and those needs must be filled for us to be who we are intended to be: without these needs met we are somehow less than.

The devil tries this strategy with Jesus in the desert. He first tells Jesus to turn the stones into bread. After all, Jesus has fasted for forty days, and just has to be hungry. The devil is suggesting that Jesus is lacking; He is not whole, His belly is empty. But Jesus says, “Hungry, shmungry, I’m full of what I need to be who I am.”

The devil tries again, “I can give you all the Kingdoms on earth.” The devil is implying, if Jesus is a king, if that is who he thinks he is, he’s got it wrong because he lacks a kingdom. The devil is playing with Jesus’ identity by dismissing spiritual and divine reality and elevating reality defined by human perception. But Jesus knows who is it; He doesn’t need earthly kingdoms to be the King that He is already.

Then the devil tries to goad and provoke Jesus into proving He is who He says He is, suggesting proof of identify is a need not yet met. But Jesus says, “I know who I am; you are not going to bully me into bullying my Father and the angels to prove it. I do not need others to believe I who I am to be who I Am.”

The Fortress Commentary refers to these early chapters and verses in Luke’s narrative as the ‘unfolding’ of Jesus’ identity, and points out that the devil advances Jesus’ identity by questioning it. The devil has three times tried to convince Jesus that not only does he has unmet needs, but that until those needs are met, He is not completely Himself. He is without integrity, without wholeness, lacking and less than. But Jesus knows who He is intended to be and is completely Him.

Can say the same thing about myself?

Reflection Questions for Journaling

- Am I completely who the Lord invites and intends me to be?
- Who does the Lord intend me to be? What percent of the time, am I she?
- What unmet needs do I think I have which prevent me from being who I am intended to be more consistently?
- In what ways have the devil’s attempts to convince me I need x, y, z to be who I’m intended to be, actually advance the integrity of my identity?
- And finally, I ask myself again, am I wholly who the Lord invites and intends me to be?

Ash Wednesday 2019

In Ash Wednesday’s gospel reading, Jesus offers instruction on prayer.

There are times when I pray because I’m in desperate need of some major help! I’m ill-equipped to handle the tasks before me, missing vital information, or am simply overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of thoughts and ideas, to-dos and demands.

Occasionally, however, the Lord throws me into a situation I perceive to be beyond human help; He asks me to do something akin to leveling mountains and straightening curvy pathways. “Lord,” I so often ask, “Why ever did You plunk me down into the middle of this mess? What are You thinking?”

Because Lent is a call to prayer, it is also a invitation to evaluate and understand these difficult circumstances. Only in solitude can I develop the interior disposition of single-minded and single-hearted attention to the Lord. This internal default is essential if I am to notice His Intervention in these impossible situations, and perhaps this witnessing of the Lord’s Presence is why He’s asked me to be there too.

The Holy Spirit is waiting to open my eyes, to feed me with insight and intuition, to dazzle me with the Light of His Presence, but if I am to truly see, I must first discover Him in the dark … I must go to my room.

Reflection Questions for Journaling:

1. 1. Do I need to develop or change the space in which I sit alone with the Lord every day? Have I set aside specific time and developed a prayer routine?
  2. What circumstances in my life do I pray for out of need for personal help?
  3. What situations do I pray for because I perceive it requires essential transformation at bedrock? (In other words, the situation needs help beyond a human fix.) Do I notice the Divine Intervention in Motion? How might I become a better witness?

A note about Lent 2018

The intention of this website is to encourage and inspire the practice of writing as prayer. For many years, the weekly postings have offered prosaic reflections on the Sunday readings with journal questions posed at the end. While I will continue to use commentaries and resources for facts and scholarship in Lent 2018, I will express these ideas in poetry.

The readings are listed at the top of each reflection post; the list itself is also a link to the USCCB website, where the NAB translations are presented in full. My intention is not to force poetry upon an unsuspecting audience, only to suggest, by way of example, a different approach to writing as prayer.

We are currently in the Liturgical Calendar cycle involving the Gospel of Mark, who often emphasized Jesus’ identity as the Secret or Hidden Messiah. Something or someone may elude us for various reasons, but when we crack open the Word, we are inviting the Lord to reveal Himself to us. He’s ready and waiting! Whether in prose or poetry, I hope my efforts to discover all His hiding places in my everyday life, encourages you to do the same.

Finally, the poetic form of a triolet makes use of a pattern of repeated lines. Lent is repeated every year, biblical poetry plays with repetitions and, for my part, the Lord tends to need to repeat His messages to me many times over before I catch on. For these reasons, the Hidden Messiah poems may appear in the poetic form of a triolet.

1st Sunday, Lent 2018

Genesis 9:8-18; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15

Hidden Messiah #2

Wind-whipped, burnt sand, drying, cutting,
distant pool shimmers, glimmering;
image of man or Shepherd-King?
Wind-whipped, burnt sand, drying, cutting,
Which the mirage, of which to sing?
Cling to human or Shepherd-King?
Wind-whipped, burnt sand, drying, cutting,
distant pool shimmers, glimmering.

Law of Motion

Flood Warning!
Desert- Danger!

Outside forces acting upon a people at rest
who will remain at rest,
unless otherwise acted upon.

Flood! Desert!

Too much water, too little water, respectively:
too little sun, too much sun, respectively.

Warning! Lent!

I may reconsider and discern and evaluate
The Too-Muchs,
The Too-Littles.

Danger! Lent!

An outside force acting upon a people at rest
who will remain at rest,
unless otherwise acted upon.

Desert- Danger!
Flood Warning!

Journal Questions:

What images come to mind when I think of the desert? What might be the biggest threat to survival?
In reference to my faith, what does the term, desert experience mean? What experience might I now identify as a desert experience. When have I been caught in a flood, as it were?
What are the mirages in my life or in society?
Lent is a call to discern and evaluate our lives. Reviewing my current life with a wide lens, what might I characterize as too little and what as too much?