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Ash Wednesday 2016

Social justice is often reduced to a list of actions and to-dos: a menu of choices and duties to perform to help the less fortunate. The readings for Ash Wednesday encourage almsgiving, while Catholic social teachings exhort us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable above our own.

But don’t all social situations call for ‘just’ behavior and words? Aren’t many interpersonal interactions a call to action? They invite us to recognize and shift perceptions and behaviors in response to others’ needs, regardless of the character of their poverty or vulnerability.

Repentance, advocated in each of the Ash Wednesday readings, may require a radical change of heart, but often entails a subtle, gentle refinement instead. When we don’t answer the call to help the poor and vulnerable, we fall into a sin of omission.

The sacrament of reconciliation invites us to receive the grace which flows from recognition of our sins of omission and comission. It reminds us of our responsibility to empty ourselves and address the needs of others. This rearranging allows us to enter Lent appropriately poor in spirit.

Christmas 2014

Is 52:7-10; Heb 1:1-6; John 1:1-18
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122514-day-mass.cfm

A few weeks back on this blog I suggested we each reflect upon how we are different at present in comparison to past Advents. Now is the time to reflect upon how my thoughts, perceptions, activities and experiences of this Advent affect my relationship with the Lord.

I did several things differently this Advent, but I will only tell you about ‘the door.’

I was invited to decorate a door for one of the much-loved sisters at a nursing home I sometimes work at; I put my little heart into it because I regarded it as a visual prayer of thanksgiving and petition. I wrote “Prince of Peace Incarnate” on ribbon, the names of each sister on little embossed doves and petitions for peace and help for those in need on green and blue circles. Many of the sisters were upset by the conflict, war, violence, disease, hatred, poverty, etc particularly rampant in the world today. I wanted them to visually see that because their response to these troubles is prayer they too are answering the call to be the Prince of Peace Incarnate who dwells within each of us in the world. The connection between those praying and the petitions for the needs of others was tightly forged to the Prince of Peace Incarnate through their community. I hoped the door communicated some of those perceptions.

The Gospel of John is very clear; Jesus is the Word incarnate. Thereby, whatever words I have for Him, He is incarnated into that specific role. To use my example from above, I characterized Jesus as “Prince of Peace”, so Jesus brought peace to anyone who prayed my door. Maybe he brought them a bit of hope and love, too, as these feelings also over-flowed in my heart as I carried on with the taping.

In what other characterizations has the Word become Incarnate? The Bread of Life, Light of the World, the Vine, Gatekeeper, Good Shepherd, Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth, the Life; Friend, Brother, Spouse, Son?

Rereading the opening to John’s gospel reminded me, when John talks about the Word as reigning with the Lord God from the beginning of time, he talks simultaneously about that Word bringing life. Indeed all life only has life by His will. The cause-and-effect might be a bit of a puzzle; we are alive only because of His will, but we will never truly know how our alive-ness effects His alive-ness. But, it bears repeating, we only have life if He desires so. This is true of all beings, whether or not they are aware of this dependence.

In addition to an awareness of our need upon Him for life, we may experience a new layer of gratitude, joy and hope in our relationship with Him. The idea that my soul and spirit are so valuable to Him as to be willed into existence by Him should also inspire a deeper sense of self-value and self-worth within each of us.

Reflection Questions: Which of the above terms from Jesus’ I Am statements might be most applicable in the past year for you, which might you explore in the upcoming year? Which expression provokes the most emotion, whether comfortable or not?

Writing Exercise: What changes might you make as you remember that it is Christ’s will that you are alive? Do you feel alive, or only as if you are going through the motions of life? What would need to change to be “more” alive, assuming we can consciously become “more alive.”

Art Exercise: Decorate a large space such as a door or wall using as your theme one of Jesus’ I AM statements or descriptions of Him.

Advent 4th Sunday 2014

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122114.cfm

2 Sm 7:1-16; Rom 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

David wants to build a dwelling place for the Lord. This is thoughtful; he lives in a palace, and the Lord a tent. But the Lord seems to ignore this noble gesture of David’s; instead He focuses on His own affairs. He is little concerned about David’s grand gesture of love, gratitude and friendship, and much more interested in His own plans for gifting David with so much more. Perhaps He heard David and His own magnanimity was His response to David’s generous desire for praise, but He did not acknowledge it. The Lord God had moved on.

In the case of Mary, the Lord, speaking through Gabriel is also quite absorbed with the gift He is giving. He mentions the gift almost at once and continues with detailed description. The gift, of course, is His own Son.

We tell the Lord what we want and need, we listen to hear what He is inviting us to; we also express gratitude to Him when He has done for us what is helpful or needed, or has handled things better than we could have hoped for or imagined. I hope I express to Him the gratitude that spills out of my heart at all the wonderful things He gives and does for me; I try to be conscience to do right by these gifts, to use them wisely and for good. For an example, I love working as a LNA (Licensed Nursing Assistant) in a nursing home, often on a rehab unit. It is a gift from God and I try to perform my duties in a loving, compassionate way.
But the Lord, apparently, seems to think that David missed the point. I bet you, He thinks I have missed the point too! Jesus tells us the right and good, loving and compassionate thing to do, but scripture is not simply a moral handbook.

I once read Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating. Falling into gender roles, the author proposes it is the man’s role to please, and the woman’s role to be pleased. If we tolerate the blatant sexism, such an attitude in a relationship is applicable to many circumstances. It is not as easy or common as it sound to recognize when another is trying to please us and to be so passive as to simply allow ourselves to be pleased. This applies to our relationship with the Lord.

The manner in which the Lord God speaks to David and Mary demonstrates His desire to give beyond measure. He is an “Over-the-top” God, generous to a fault, I tell Him. While I feel gratitude, of course, He doesn’t give me gifts so I can express gratitude. If I can be so bold as to say, He gives me gifts as do human friends and parents, because he loves me and delights in delighting me.

I am competent, to some degree, at recognizing the gifts He bestows on me, but I think in my haste to express gratitude, I sort of skip the step of pleasure. I am meant to surrender to the joy of being delighted and knowing that it delights the Lord that I am delighted.

Reflection Questions: What could God be giving you that He is focused on and you are missing?

Writing Exercise: When have I allowed myself the pleasure of enjoying God’s gifts to me? When did I skip experiencing the pleasure and move right to expressing gratitude?

Art Exercise: Create using your preferred medium a piece that represents a gift of God’s that you enjoy.

Advent Third Sunday 2014

Is 61:1-2A, 10-11; 1 Thes 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121414.cfm

John and the Pharisee’s engage in a verbal exchange, I call the “me – not – me game.” Several years ago I taught SAT preparation at Sylvan Learning Center; in approaching the multiple choice questions, I taught the students to find the wrong answers and eliminate them. Following that, they would choose the best from what remained. Likewise John and Pharisees are ruling out, through the process of elimination all of who and what John is not.

John’s “I am not” statements foreshadow Jesus’ I Am statements. John is not the Messiah, Elijah or the Prophet. He is no one deserving a proper noun. He is “a voice,” not even “the voice.” I like to remember that John and Jesus were cousins. Given the closeness we already know between Elizabeth, John’s mother and Jesus’ aunt and Mary, Jesus’ mother and John’s aunt, they would have long known each other, I think. Perhaps they even played together as boys, or built things together out of wood in Joseph’s workshop.

Some resources call Jesus the “hidden Messiah” at this point in scripture, implying He was present but not recognized. John, however, would have recognized him from a lifetime of knowing Him. I think of John more as the “first Christian,” than as a “forerunner to Christ.” Because he is the first Christian, he is perhaps the first truly free person (aside from Christ Himself.) John is free from ego and self because he’s uninterested in his own identity; he’s focused only on the identity of Christ.

A long time ago I heard a presentation and read the book from the “Harvard Negotiation Project” entitled Difficult Conversations. They proposed three different conversations were embedded in what seemed like one; the first was the informational conversation, followed by the “feelings” conversation. They suggested the third conversation was the “identity” conversation and they suggested embedded in all conversations and interactions. “Given all the details, what does this exchange or situation about me?

Many of my own “I am” statements are roles; sister, friend, daughter, dog mom, nursing assistant, lector, etc. These are also factors in my identity. These roles relate either to what I do and say or they are descriptions of my personality and characteristic attitudes, values and motivations. For a long time, being of the world, I thought this perspective of the identity conversation was totally on the money, however, now, as a follower of Christ’s, it might be a bit off the mark.

If the world were all about me the question and perspective would make sense. But John shows me, the third conversation instead should be the “what does this say about the Lord and me” conversation. This conversation occurs between my heart and the Lord. Perhaps, as John points out, Jesus frees me from being a “proper noun,” from having an “identity” per se. Consequently, the paradigm shifts from questions about my identity to my relationship with and understanding of the Lord.

Jesus’ I Am statements are symbolic, metaphoric phrases communicating from His heart to our hearts the state of each soul in relation to the other. Any “i am” statements I settle upon will have to state the relationship between my soul and the Lord. I’m still working on the perfect metaphor. I’ll let you know!

Reflection Questions:
Write one paragraph to describe your identity. Explore how it breaks down into descriptions of roles and characteristics. What other elements are involved in your own identity? How do you feel about your identity? What is your identity to the Lord, do you think?

Writing Exercise:
Write about the “me-not-me game” that you have played throughout your life.

Art Exercise:
If you are a drawer or painter, depict a scene of John and Jesus together as boys. If you use fabrics or other materials, create a piece in which its identity is somehow connected to the Lord. For example, you may play with circle shapes as they symbolize unity, perfection and commitment.

Advent 2nd Sunday 2014

Is 40:1-5, 9-11; 2Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8 http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120714.cfm

I was feeling guilty one day because I was late in picking up my eighty-five year old father and I hadn’t wanted him to wait. My sister said, “What are talking about? He waits all day; it is his occupation. He waits for someone to bring him pills, or take him to lunch, or call him on the phone. Most of the time he forgets what he is waiting for, he just knows he’s waiting.”

Barclay writes, “(John the Baptist’s) message was effective because he told people what in their heart of hearts they knew and brought them what in the depths of their souls they were waiting for.” In the context of our daily lives, we too forget what we are waiting for, namely Christ.

In this passage, Isaiah is telling the people to prepare for a return from exile. The Oxford Bible Commentary characterizes John’s message as an exhortation to prepare for a new Exodus and a renewed covenant between the people and their Lord. John’s clothes and behavior reminds us of Elijah, who spoke of new beginnings.

Because the Israelites crossed the Jordan to inherit Promised Land and John is baptizing in the same river, a rebirth is suggested yet again. In other words, these Old Testament passages, both in the first reading and those referred to in the gospel, point to a new fulfillment of an old notion or promise. So, I wait during Advent for a new beginning to fulfill an old promise from or dream of the Lord.

I am a different person than I was even last year with new experiences, thoughts and perceptions. My understanding of “I know not what I wait for,” is different than last year, or ever before. But waiting is not a stagnant whittling away of time, the growth and activities of preparation foreshadow what is to come. I just read an article on ‘Third World” Theology, and the author used three key words together; basileia, the new order; metanoia, interior conversion to it, and martyrion, overt commitment to it.

John calls people to a metanoia; however, he expects them to convert to the new order and make an overt commitment to it (baptism), before that new order has been established. They understand a change of heart is required for this “know not what,” and are open about committing to it, despite the unknowns.

I too, make a commitment through presence at mass to be more loving, forgiving, understanding, i.e. I experience both metanoia and martyion to the order of Christ, without fully grasping the extent of the Lord’s unconditional love or hope for me. My experience of this order on Earth is a foreshadowing of this new order to be fulfilled in Heaven and/or at the Second Coming.

Reflection Questions: In what ways are you different than you were last year at this time? What has happened in the past year to change your attitudes, motivations or understandings about the Lord, yourself or the world?

Writing Exercise: Retell and explore an experience or situation in which you completed the full cycle of basileia, metanoia, and martyrion.

Art Exercise: Playing with the colors or textures within your preferred medium, represent waiting, and/or the fulfillment of waiting.