Summer 2024: Movements and Pauses

 

As we draw into the season of summer, where are you at? How is your heart? What are you leaning into or away from? Who is accompanying you?

 

Summer means different things to each one of us. For some it is a time extended rest, for others it is the busiest time of the year, for others it is a time for moving and new beginnings. Although we enjoy longer days and usually more pleasant weather, summer is a regular cycle of life, however I believe it offers a gift as well. The gift is to ask the questions and to then to dwell in them. To take a moment in the quiet of a summer morning or during a thunderstorm or while working in the garden to ask the questions and to listen for how God is weaving the answer into our life. When we listen, we should be drawn into hearing deeply and noticing the movements of our heart.

 

 

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.

It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green;

in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

- Jeremiah 17.7-8

Where are you at?

This is an invitation to not only look at where we are at physically, but to note where we are in our relationship with God. Over the course of the first half of this year where have we met God and where has God met us? We need to know where we are so we can appreciate this place and where we have come from or to seek where need to go next both in our living and in our spiritual life. No matter where we are at this summer, let us put some markers on the road map of life which truly matter.

Spend a bit more time reading and contemplating scripture.

Notice the message of creation wherever the roads lead this summer.

A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you;

and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

- Ezekiel 36.26

How is your heart?

Our heart takes a lot of hits. It deals with a lot each day and tries to adjust to heartache and deep joys. To ask how the heart is, is to purposefully pause and pay attention. To hear how our heart is speaking truth into our lives is a needed part of a good journey. Does our heart need to be revived this summer? Allow the sacred space for this nourishment to happen, even if it is only briefly.

Spend time visiting and praying at a pilgrimage site.

Pause with your hands over your heart and breathe in life around you.

  

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

- Hebrews 13.8

What are you leaning into or away from?

We all have habits and patterns which shape our living. Sometimes they lead us to life, at other times they need to be re-evaluated. Needing to lean into change is not always easy but leads to new life. Leaning into regular routines can allow us to appreciate the work which is ours to do. Leaning away from destructive patterns or empty relationships invites us to make space for what is truly important. What steps do you need to make in either direction?

Go for a drive down a road less traveled, take time to pause on the drive.

Create a gratitude list.

 

Jesus said, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

- Matthew 28.20

Who is accompanying you?

When we stop and consider our life, it is amazing how many people we encounter and share the journey with. Do those who support us and create space for us know we value them? Summer is a good opportunity to connect with these people and celebrate the bonds of life. We never journey alone; our God ensured this truth would be woven into our living with the gift of Jesus.

Gather loved ones around a campfire.

Send a text/card or make a phone call to someone you need to connect with.

 

No matter how our summer unfolds. It comes with invitations. Let us take the time to respond to these invitations among the ones for a barbeque, a pool visit, a road trip or an ice cream.

 

God,

You who journey with us

in all the seasons of our life,

we ask your blessings upon this summer,

wherever we go or wherever we stay

may we know you are with us.

 

You sent your Son,

the true light of the world,

may the gift of summer light

awaken in us the gift of his light in our life.

 

You gift us with your Holy Spirit,

may we respond to the Spirit’s promptings

as we ask questions, as we pause,

as come and go, as we do and be,

while we give thanks for this summer.

Amen.

 

 

Photo Credit:

David Trinks

Aaron Burden

Pentecost: The Breath of Jesus

Pentecost is not just a great festival which marks the birth of the Christian Church it also calls the followers of Christ to action. The most common image for Pentecost is the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and Mary as recorded in Acts (2.1-11). However, the Gospel of John (20.19-23) also has a beautiful Pentecost moment, which speaks to what we are to do as followers of the Risen Christ. 

Yes, the Acts version has people gathered and the gift of languages being shared as the message of Jesus is broadcast. It is powerful and speaks to the diversity of the church. The Johannine version is more intimate and speaks to the gift of the Holy Spirit at work in each one of us. In John’s account the movement of Pentecost begins with Jesus greeting his disciples on the day of Resurrection. He then offers them peace, they are reminded they are sent and finally Jesus breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit and the call to forgiveness.

I find the intimacy of John’s account a beautiful invitation for all of us who profess to be Christian. The intimacy of the moment capture is a reminder of how intimate our relationship with God is, for Christ dwelled among us and gifted us his very Spirit. This is the intimacy of “there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life” (John 15.13). In doing so Jesus released his Spirit to be infused into our living, moving and being (Acts 17.28). The closeness of our Risen Saviour is as a close as our breath. 

The gift of peace Jesus promised his disciples gathered on the evening of the Resurrection, is beyond the peace of our world. It is not even the peace our world tries to fight for each day. The gift of the peace of Christ is the gift of our hearts being attuned to him, of surrendering our demands and false selves knowing we are met with the depth of love poured out. “By his wounds we are healed” (1 Peter 2.24) and this healing comes with hearts which settle into peace when they are met with the wounds of the Risen Lord. Only the risen life which comes with these wounds can bring us true peace.

This peace meets us in what is ours to do, which is to be sent. Notice how Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples to sit around and wait for more instructions, he tells them to go. He reminds them they are sent in his name because he was sent by God. It is in this sending which leads to the great festival of Pentecost where the disciples proclaim the good news, worship God and are a holy place for the Spirit to fall. This too is the truth of our life. We each are a vessel of the Holy Spirit, and we too hold the intimacy of our God in our hearts for we are sent to give witness to how this has transformed our life.

In the upper room on Resurrection Day, Jesus breathes on those gathered, he continues to pour himself out to those whom he loved and empowers them to be forgivers. To forgive means we have made space for the other, it means we have been met with peace, it means we are open to the working of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts and homes are the places where we are filled with Holy Spirit and enkindled with the fire of the love of God, they are where forgiveness takes root. 

The Spirit of Jesus breathes through all of creation and each one of us, may we continue to trust we are met with this gift not only at Pentecost but also in each season of the journey ahead. Let us go forth as the “baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12.12-13) being signs of renewal in our world. Come Holy Spirit!

Photo Credit: Robert Collins

Easter: A Season of New Life

 

       St. Francis of Assisi in his “Praises of God” prayed, “You are our hope, You are our faith, You are our charity, You are all our sweetness, You are our eternal life.” These beautiful lines of prayer speak to the depths of this Easter Season. St. Francis trusted in new life and knew God was the source of this new life. It is why as his life was ending, he was able to prayer, “Praise to you my God for Sister Death.” He trusted in the promise of the Resurrection. He was able to surrender into “My God and My All” who was his hope, faith, charity, sweetness and eternal life. This is the anchor of Easter, our Savior Jesus died entrusting his all into God and God raised him from the dead so we may know the fullness of eternal life. St. Francis trusted in this promise. Do we? As we face the challenges of life, the setbacks, the little deaths, the brokenness and the letting go, do we trust our Risen Lord is with us as our hope, faith, love and life? 

    Mary Magdalene had to, so did Thomas, John, Peter and the Emmaus disciples. In the Easter weeks ahead, we will hear of the early church community which formed after the Resurrection. They too needed to trust the Risen Lord was present with them in the stories they shared and in the blessing and breaking of bread. The first believers are encouragement for us today. The chaos of their world is still the chaos we see in our world; we must be attentive to the Risen Lord in our midst in the simplest of ways. 

    As the Easter weeks unfold, we hear Jesus described as the Good Shepherd, and the True Vine. Images we can appreciate during this springtime. Images which remind us to pay attention to how the Risen Jesus is woven into the ordinary of our lives. The Risen Lord guides us as his flock. He desires nothing more than for us be a community gathered around the gift of his Risen Life. We are also to grow and produce fruit which shows the world we believe what we profess in our baptismal promises which we have just renewed.

Later in the Easter Season we will be reminded of how Jesus showed us God’s love and how he has asked us to show this love for one another. Christ chose us and if he chose us then the way we show who he is and his love in our lives matters. How in this Easter Season can we be concrete expressions of his love? How can we offer the hope of Easter to someone? In what ways can we encourage new life in our relationships and community? 

Weeks from now at the end of the Easter Season, we will hear the beautiful promise of Jesus being with us until the end of the ages and the gift of his Spirit to us. The gift of his Spirit activates in us praise and entrusts us as heralds of his hope, faith, charity, sweetness and new life. Let us be these heralds this Easter Season!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Easter Peace!

This will be the last post for a several weeks as I take time to work on some new projects and rest. 

Thank you for journeying with me through Lent and into Easter. God bless you. 

Photo credit: Suzanne D. Williams

Awe: The Gift of Easter

        Awe is described as a feeling of reverence and respect mixed with wonder. Does this not describe the Resurrection with the encounter of the empty tomb, meeting the Risen Lord and being sent on mission to tell the Good News? Awe fills us at many moments of our life. It need not be fleeting rather it can be a constant gift which reminds us we are people of Resurrection each day.

Being able to appreciate springtime sunrises often fills me with awe. Seeing a crocus spring up after the winter does as well. So does hearing my name called in a distinctive way. Creation and relationships have ways of gently calling us to be filled with awe. Do we allow ourselves to be touched by awe? Have we moved into “survival mode” or a dull routine where the celebration of Easter has become just another Sunday in the calendar year? This Easter Day is the launching of the 50-day season, an invitation to let awe be a gift to move past survival and routine. It may begin with something as simple as our name being called or in the way we call another’s name.

        We hear our name called thousands of times over our lifetime, when we hear it for the first time in a new way we are filled with awe. The first time I heard my name combined with Uncle or with Friar made me pay attention and take note. I was filled with awe. When Jesus called Mary Magdalene on Easter morn, she heard her name in new way and in hearing it she was awe-filled but also called and sent. She was by name sent as the Apostle to the apostles to announce to them, “Christ is Risen… I have seen him!” We too are called and sent, not only in this Easter Season but all the days of our life. How does our daily living reflect the Resurrection? How do we call others by their name? Do we leave them feeling regret or awe?

     Catholic journalist Philip Kosloski reflecting on the life of St. Francis of Assisi said, “A life lived authentically rooted in the Gospel has more power than any king or earthly ruler and will endure for all eternity.” This is at the core of our Easter awe and living. It is at the core of our name being called by the Risen Christ. This is not just for St. Francis and the countless saints we honor, it is for us, today, here, and now in 2024. We, the saints of today, the People of the Resurrection for our time and space are called and sent. May our lives be a witness of the gospel and lead others to know awe truly is a gift still accessible to us even today. We do this when we embrace how reverence, respect and wonder aren’t obscure gifts rather they are daily gifts because of the Resurrection of Jesus. We are claimed in baptism, we are called to live the gospel authentically (which means always learning and growing from it) for we are witnesses of the Resurrection. Let us be willing to be filled with awe and then fill our part of the world with awe, it will make a difference just like the Resurrection does each day.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Easter Blessings!

Photo Credits: Dominik Scythe and Ashlee Marie

High Stakes Humanity: Holy Week Perspectives

       

        As we journey into this Holy Week let us be attentive to the tensions and movements of the heart of not only those who lived with Jesus but also our own and those who live with us. Holy Week is time to consider the perspectives of high stakes humanity.

The shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” bring us into this week. We add our voices of praise for we know the rich blessings of Christ. Do we live from a place of blessing and gratitude?

In the gospels for each day of Holy Week we see and hear many different characters. We begin with Pilate and the tension he carries. He feels torn and, in the end, lets pride lead the way. When tensions arise in our life or community do we hold firm in our blinded ways or are we willing to listen to truths we have not considered?

We again encounter Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They offer a space for Jesus to gather with those dear to him. During this time Mary anoints the feet of Jesus. When we see actions for the good of others which challenge our norm do we get uncomfortable and defensive, or do we take note and let our heart be transformed?

Peter also plays a key role in the unfolding of the week, as does Judas. One denies and the other betrays. We too know the pain these actions cause in our lives. Denial cuts to the heart and betrayal leaves one feeling abandoned. How do we not let moments of denial and betrayal destroy our living in Christ? How do we rise above?

As we enter the Triduum we are invited to table with Jesus and his disciples. At this table not only are we gifted the life-giving bread and living cup, we are also shown what it means to be of true service and to lay down one’s life for another. Who do we need to be gathered at table with during the season ahead? Who do we need to thank for their acts of service? No matter where we are in the journey of life are we willing to lay down our life for another through sacrifices and service?

As we come to Good Friday, we again hear the cries of “Crucify him!” The angry jeers of the crowd. We cannot remain here; we must move to the foot of the cross. Here we see the deep care of Jesus as he gifts John to his mother and his mother to John. The early church will know it is anchored. We too must note the actions of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Their care for Jesus calls us to be care givers for the Body of Christ. How can we do this in these holy days and in the season ahead?

We then we enter the silence of Holy Saturday. A perspective which we often ignore. How can we incorporate even a moment of holy silence into our daily living?

Holy Week is indeed high stakes. Let us enter earnestly, paying attention to the movements of the week and the movements of our heart.

We glory in your cross, O Christ for it is the way to life.

Photo Credit: K. Mitch Hodge

Lent 5 - Renewal: The Essence of Lent

       Throughout the season of Lent we have heard scripture which speaks of renewal and being anchored in Christ. As we begin this Fifth Week of Lent the scriptures for Sunday are an invitation for our hearts to be made new as we journey towards the great Easter Feast. 

The prophet Jeremiah (31.31-34) ascribes to God, “I will be their God and they shall be my people… from the least of them to the greatest.” These beautiful words speak of the deep covenant bond God has with us. Each day this covenant is renewed and refreshed. This covenant is sealed with the love of Jesus Christ poured out for us and each day we must embrace it as a way of living out God’s law of love.

    The Fifth Sunday of Lent is also known as Solidarity Sunday. It is a reminder of the covenant we share with all of God’s people from the least to the greatest. To be in solidarity with each other is to see all as valued members of the covenant. As Christ came to serve, we too are called to follow him by serving him through service to the poorest of the poor and those who do not know they are valued members of the covenant. This speaks of renewal. When we encounter the poor, the sick, or the hurting are our hearts created anew or are they hardened? Do we embrace the essence of Lent as an opportunity not only for our renewal but also for the renewal of the church and all people? 

    This is not a lofty goal set aside for the Pope and theologians, it is the core of who we are as Christians. Each one of us gives witness to Christ and is a messenger of renewal. It is in this witnessing we can then understand the grain of wheat falling into the earth and dying to bear much fruit (John 12.24). If we consider the seed renewed in the way it gives its all to bear fruit, we are encouraged in the renewal of this season. If we fail to see the seed as renewed through it’s giving, we end up feeling cut off, caught up in our stuff and lacking the trust needed for covenant, growth, and renewal.

    In this Fifth Week of Lent let us note the moments of renewal and how we have lived in solidarity with each other this Lent. In prayer let us ask for awareness of where we need to be renewed in our living and in our efforts for solidarity. The days of Lent draw short, the Season of New Life is on the horizon, let us be drawn into the heart of Christ. Let us trust renewal is happening as our hearts are made new even in the smallest of ways. Let us trust our God is with us, for he sent his Son who is our “source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5.9).

Renew us O God, for we are your people.

Photo Credit: Kai Pilger

Lent 4 - Love: The Depth of God’s Heart

Love is an action word which is used loosely and also has a lot of power. When used loosely it does not carry strength in it’s meaning, for example: “I love chocolate chip cookies.” However, when love carries power, it sounds more like, “Until my dying breath I will love you” and these words are followed through with actions which show the power of this love.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Rejoicing Sunday because we are over the half point in our Lenten journey. We may be rejoicing because our Lenten practices are going well or we may be rejoicing because soon it will be Easter and our feeble attempts of Lenten disciplines can fade away until next year. Regardless of where we are this Rejoicing Fourth Sunday of Lent the depth of love is at the forefront of the scriptures.

In the story from Chronicles even in the unraveling of the people and their unfaithfulness, God meets them with compassion to stir their hearts. Even when they do not respond God remains faithful to the power of love. Where have we encountered the love of God in our life? When we feel like life is unraveling do we trust the love of God is meeting us, strengthen us, restoring us?

“For God so loved the world he gave his only Son” is one of the most quoted pieces of scripture. It’s nice to quote, but it must be more than a tag line in our Christian experience. Like Nicodemus we have a choice when we hear these powerful words. We can raise our eyes to see the promise of eternal life through the cross and resurrection or simply leave it as nice story told once a year. We can believe we are saved through the gift of Christ with us or not. We can trust his light is infused in us and enables us to serve others or we can ignore the light. It is good to ask ourselves: Why do I believe? Where has the light of Christ been made present to me? Where have I encountered the depth of God’s heart? What are my reasons (or the cause) for rejoicing this week of Lent?

We are “made alive, raised up with Christ and gifted with eternal life” (Ephesians 2.4-10), these alone are gifts to rejoice in. The challenge is to consider where in our living and in the lives of others do we see these gifts. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “where there is love (charity) and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” Let us lean into power of love for from it comes the wisdom to live well, to preach the gospel with our lives and to rejoice in the depth of the love of God which is always for us.

 

By your Love, O God, you have gifted us Eternal Life. 

 

Photo Credit: Anna Kolosyuk

Lent 3: The Cross: An Invitation To Begin Again

Have you ever had one of those Lents which felt like you were stuck in traffic in a construction zone? Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Move a bit forward. No movement. If so, you are not alone! I know for myself and a few others this Lent has felt this way. It’s not because of a lack of a plan or resources. Sometimes those plans get sidelined, other times they get railroaded. The Third Sunday of Lent is a good time to refocus. St. Francis of Assisi is known for saying, “Let us begin again for up to now we have done very little.” He made this statement near the end of his life. If he could say it then surely we can use it as an invitation to step into this Third Week of Lent.

The very familiar Exodus text of the Ten Commandments gives us some encouragement to begin again as it reminds us to look at our relationships. Who am I in relationship with? How is my relationship with God? Which relationships need healing and forgiveness? How is my relationship with creation and sabbath time? The Ten Commandments are not punishments to live by rather they are our guideposts which can lead us into the depth of relationship. They help us to hear the Lord’s words of everlasting life (Psalm 19) spoken into this season and into our living; inviting us to begin again.

The Season of Lent obviously draws our attention to the Cross, with its “message of the foolishness of the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1.18). St. Francis spent many of his days caught up with his attention on the foolishness of the Cross and Passion of Christ. We may not be able to spend our whole day caught up reflecting on the Cross like St. Francis, but we can begin again each day to contemplate its wisdom and strength. It may be as simple as signing ourselves with the cross as we get out of bed, or considering each street intersection we go through in a day as a reminder of the cross. It may be as we go for a walk and notice branches in a tree or strewn on the ground or take note of the streaks in the sky calling us to praise God for gift of the Cross.

The cross branded onto us in Baptism and Confirmation is not just a one-time moment. It is a being claimed in Christ which is to then live in the Paschal Mystery. The temple of our body is signed with Christ not to be destroyed by the ways of death and destruction of the world, rather to be transformed into the likeness of who we truly are as children of God. May we be consumed this week with courage, goodness and zeal for this Lenten journey whether it is already going well or as we begin again.

 

By your Cross and Resurrection, Lord Jesus, 

you have set us free.

 

 

Photo Credit: Eberhard Grossgasteiger

Lent 2: Beloved: God For Us

 

    St. Francis of Assisi composed a beautiful prayer entitled: The Praises of God. In this pray he prays: “You are love, charity; You are wisdom, You are humility… You are our hope… You are beauty, You are our eternal life.” These select lines from his prayer come from his heart as he heaps praises onto God. It is as if he can’t contain himself and must tell God all these great things God is for him.

    This Second Week of Lent begins with powerful scriptures which invite us to also heap our praises onto God. With Abraham we can heap praise for the gift of courage, strength and trust. Where in our life has God been offering these gifts? With the Psalmist we can give praise for faith and life-giving places. How has our faith been steadied or challenged during this Lent? With St. Paul we join in praise for the gift of the Incarnation and the Cross for they are reminders our God is for us. We can ask ourselves the same question St. Paul did to the Romans, “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” With Peter, James and John we can give praise for vision, transformation and hope. How are we being transformed by love and hope and given new vision this Lent? 

    The Transfiguration of Jesus has long been one of my favorite gospel stories. It isn’t about the dazzling clothes, it isn’t about Elijah and Moses appearing, it’s not even about this utopia of being on the mountain. It is always about the voice of God, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” These few words are not only praiseworthy, but they are also balm, encouragement and speak of the depth of “him (Christ) who loved us.” I can almost imagine St. Francis pouring out his praises to God as he considered the Transfiguration because his prayer speaks the words the disciples couldn’t find. I too give praise to God because this gospel reminds us the words of Jesus are truly what we need to listen too. In them we find answers to our questions, fears, and doubts. I also give praise to God because Jesus being beloved is then transferred to us as the children of God. Jesus is our sibling, so if he is beloved so are each of us. Each of us beloved because we are claimed by our God who is for us! As Lent Week Two unfolds spend time pondering the gift of being beloved and transformed by the love of God and give praise to our God being for us.

Lord God Living and True Guide our Lenten Steps This Week.

Photo Credit: Mayur Gala

Lent I: Covenant: Good News Bearers

 

    The beautiful story of the promise made to Noah launches us into the first full week of Lent. It is good to be reminded our God has made a promise to us and we are held in a covenant with God. During this first week of Lent we are invited to pay attention to the promises we make and who we are in covenant with in our daily living. To be in a covenant calls us to relationship, not just a transaction. As a Franciscan Friar I live my life in a covenant with my fellow Friars and with the church, those who are married are in a covenant with their spouse, and all of us are in a covenant with each other and creation. If we consider the covenants we are currently in during this first week of Lent by the time we arrive at the Easter Vigil the readings from the Old Testament and the Resurrection of Jesus make perfect sense. For God’s covenant with us is about relationship, continually calling us into God’s love and to ensure this love is made known in the world. In other words, to be Good News Bearers. This is at the core of the gospel for the First Sunday of Lent. 

    The gospel story about Jesus in the wilderness and being tempted often leads only to focusing on what tempts us. When we pay closer attention to the gospel (Mark 1.12-15 – read it again!) we see the temptation of Jesus is simply noted as a passing statement. What stands out is the length of time (40 days), who surrounded him (wild beasts and Angels) and what Jesus did following this time (proclaimed Good News). During this first week of Lent let us investigate our life and consider: How I am intentionally spending these 40 days? What wild beasts do I need to face this Lent? Who are the Angels who are guiding me? How will I journey during this Lenten pilgrimage as a Good News Bearer? 

    As our hearts are transformed, as we pray, fast and give alms, as we take note of the covenant we hold with each other and with God we come to see how our lives speak of the kingdom of God. Every covenant has times in which they need to be evaluated, in which forgiveness must be sought and repentance must be made. Lent is the perfect opportunity to renewal our promises to be covenant people and bearers of the Good News. Our baptismal promises demand this of us. 

Peace and Goodness in Week One of the Lenten Journey.

Photo Credit:  Jorge Fernandez-Salas

Ambassadors: Marked for Lent

    This year marks the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi being branded with the wounds of Christ. Several months after celebrating Christmas at Greccio in 1223 Francis received the stigmata (the five wounds of Christ) while praying at La Verna (a secluded place) in 1224. We may never receive the stigmata; however, each of us are branded with Christ in baptism. This coming season of Lent is a reminder of our baptism and how we live out our baptismal mission and duty as ambassadors of Christ. Saint Francis of Assisi was caught up in both the incarnation and passion of Christ. His attention to these frameworks of the life of Christ are an invitation for our Lenten mission. We must consider again how we birth Christ in our actions and how we meet Christ in the wounds of our lives and of the world. Our baptism is activated in the ways we carry out this mission and encounter the promise of the resurrected new life of Easter in our life, church and community.

    On Ash Wednesday we will be marked with the cross reminding us of the fragility of our life (another point St. Francis knew well). We will also be reminded through scripture we are ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2). What do ambassadors do? They give witness to their mission. We will also be reminded our Lenten mission is to pray, to fast and to give alms (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18) in purposeful ways. These are guideposts for the 40-day mission and each year we are reminded to refresh our mission.  How can we do this in a meaningful way this Lent? It will look different for each of us, but by the duty of our baptism there are no excuses to not act as ambassadors on our mission. Make a plan! Do one thing well! It will be worth it, and it will make a difference for the Lenten journey and beyond. Don't let the season slip by unnoticed. 

The time is now!

Peace for the Lenten Journey.

Photo Credit: Annika Gordon

Seek – Find – Go – Serve

“Everyone is searching for you.” – Mark 1.37

This plea from the apostles to Jesus stands out. It speaks to what is woven into our hearts, this longing for Christ to be present, known, found for, with and in our living. Security. 

And yet what is Jesus’ response? Not come and sit and be quiet with me. No, there is an assumption we are already making time for quiet in our living. The security of going to a deserted place to pray is an expectation of discipleship (and it need not be exotic or very far). The response of Jesus to the apostles is, “get ready we have places to go and people to see.” Jesus invites them into mission. Jesus empowers the apostles to be bearers of the good news in word and in service. 

This invitation is also for us. We move from our prayer and quiet into the encounters of life. We are made for mission. We must ask ourselves:

How and am I making time for quiet and prayer? 

How and am I sharing the gospel message of hope? 

Christ Jesus,

we meet you in the quiet 

and we meet you in our neighbors. 

You invite us to come and be 

and to also go and serve. 

May this double invite 

be woven into our hearts and daily living,

for they are strength for the journey

and draw us closer to you. 

Amen.

Photo Credit: Aron Visuals

The Power of Being Called

The gospels for the Second and Third Sunday of Ordinary Time are about call. The Second Sunday of Ordinary Time gospel is from John 1 and the Third Sunday is drawn from Mark 1, both speak of the first disciples called to follow Jesus. This sense of call is woven into us. We call and have been called. The invitation of Jesus must have come with a power in his tone or depth in his inflection for the first four to follow immediately. No questions, no guarantees, no policies to be explained and no forms to sign – immediate response on their part. This speaks to a deep trust, a willingness, an openness and a sense of awe.

The poet Mary Oliver is quoted as saying in life she learned three things.

1) Pay attention.

2) Be astonished.

3) Share your astonishment.

Is this not what the first disciples did?

They paid attention to Christ.

They were astonished in being called.

In their astonishment they trusted and learned and shared the good news. Which in turn caused others to pay attention, were astonished and the message of Jesus touched lives and continues to do so. I believe we are astonished because love is powerful. To be called in love calls us to pay attention. 

How are you being called? 

Who are you paying attention to? 

What astonishes you?

Blessings on your week.

Photo Credit: Annie Spratt

Where Are You Staying?

Based on the Gospel of John 1.35-42

Where are you staying? I have always found this an interesting question poised to Jesus. I find it interesting as well when it is poised to us over the course of our travels and journeys. It invites a conversation about place and being. It invites us to pay attention and maybe even to see again or see with new eyes. As I pondered this question and the simple response of Jesus, to “come and see” I had a sense of closeness.

 

I ask: Where are you staying?

 

Jesus responds: 

It is closer than you think,

sometimes it feels too familiar to you

and yet there are so many rooms.

 

I ask again: Where are you staying?

 

Jesus responds:

This place I am staying

is transformed again and again

with clarity and tenderness.

Come and See.

 

I respond by doing so.

It is a familiar and yet mysterious place,

there is warmth and depth to it.

 

I say:

I will remain here Jesus,

there is much here

and this familiar place feels new.

 

Jesus says:

Come and See

 

I respond:

Here, I find you, my Messiah,

I know I am taught here,

taught to see, speak, be and do things anew.

Here, you see me for who I am.

You call me to truth and to life.

You ask me to trust what you see.

 

Jesus responds:

I am staying here in your heart.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Nsey Benajah

Epiphany 2024: Light Revealed in the Journey

   

        The Feast of Epiphany is one of the most ancient feasts of the church year, it has long been celebrated to remember Christ being revealed to people from all walks of life. It is good to be reminded our story is part of a bigger story. Our living through the days of this liturgical and calendar year are woven into the Christ story and we are called to take note of where he is manifested in our lives along the journey. It also serves as a reminder of how our lives are changed or transformed because of an encounter with him. We hear in today’s gospel, how the magi after meeting the Christ Child, “left for their own country by another road.” 

        Epiphany is a not just a bleep on the church year calendar, it’s not just a nice way to wrap up the Christmas Season, it is an opportunity for us to look at how the Light of Christ is woven into our story as we look back on the first six weeks of this new church year and this Christmas Season and to ask ourselves some important questions as we consider the other roads we are called to travel. Where have I encountered Christ? How has wonder and awe filled moments of my living? Am I allowing the true Light to be my guiding way or am I being caught up in the same fears as Herod? Where and how do I readily share my gifts? 

Epiphany has long captured my imagination and my thoughts. Maybe because the questions I have just poised have filtered through my living. Or maybe because of the mysteriousness of the magi trusting a star – a star – to guide them to the “shepherd of Israel.” Or maybe because it is a moment to see Jesus – our Emmanuel – God with us – born for us – all of us; people from all walks of life, with our own interesting stories, moments marked throughout a year, with our baggage, our hopes, and our dreams. 

The prophet Isaiah (60.1-6) reminds us, “arise, shine, your light has come, the glory of the Lord has risen upon you, lift up your eyes and look around you.” As we journey into the days and months of this year; we too are like the magi. It’s not simply about getting on our “camels” and reaching the next destination or the next feast or the next moment to numb ourselves. It is about being attentive to wonder and awe. I was reminded of this gift just the other day as I spent a day building Lego and going for a walk with my two youngest nephews. Wonder and awe, delight, and light… called to look up seeing light filtering in. The glory of the Lord has risen upon us, but if we keep drudging along with our eyes downcast and mumbling about the long journey, we will never see the stars, we will never be caught off guard by how close the Child born for us truly is in our lives. Let us consider: How has wonder and awe filled moments of my living? Am I open to wonder and awe being a guiding star for the months ahead? 

       Pope Benedict called the magi “men with a restless heart… filled with expectation... seekers of God.”  All journeys come with restlessness. Like many of us, St. Francis of Assisi was a restless person. He was always seeking the Christ, and in this seeking his restless heart was met with deep encounters and realities. When he went to the caves to pray – it was with expectant hope of meeting Christ. When he went out about creation preaching to birds, or picking the earthworms from the roadways it was his restless heart seeking God. When he was unpredictable in his actions it was because he was trying to pay attention to his heart and how it was creating a space for Christ. Each of us have these moments in our unfolding stories. We must ask ourselves: Where have I encountered Christ?

      Pope Francis notes the “Magi personify all those who believe, those who long for God, who yearn for their home… they reflect the image of all those who in their lives have not let their hearts be anesthetized (numbed).” St. Paul in his letter to Ephesians (3.2-6) reminds us we are all “members of the same body and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” This hope-filled declaration speaks to us: a community of believers. As we long to know and see God, we each must continually invite our hearts to the truth and depth of the gospel for this is a beautiful, personal encounter and relationship with Christ. Unlike the magi who only had a brief encounter with him and then had to carry this as a guiding light for them on the rest of their life journey, we encounter Christ again and again: in each other, in serving others, in sharing our gifts, in praying together and in each Eucharist. In pondering this we ask ourselves: Am I allowing the true Light to be my guiding way or am I being caught up in the same fears as Herod? When do I readily share my gifts? 

As much as we would like it to be Christmas every day of the year, we like the magi must set out on our journey. This journey filled with uncertain roads and mystery where Christ will meet us in the Ash Wednesday moments, the Triduum pathways, the joy of Easter, the refreshment of Pentecost, the time spent in ordinary living and then again in the reminder of how God chose to become one of us, when we will again remind ourselves as we cry out next Advent: “Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Our lives will look different 365 days from now, what will matter is how we journeyed from the crib of Christ by another road because of how we let the wonder and awe of Christ revealing himself to us impact us and in turn how we shared our gifts. 

        I would love nothing more than to stay here by the stable for next few months, but the time has come, for me, for you, for all of us, like the magi, like Joseph and Mary to now carry forth the promise of Christmas – Christ born – Christ our center. We are bearers of his light and hope for we are nourished with this Eucharist. In being nourished by Christ who is our light and center we serve as heralds for the world to look up for our light has come.

Creator of the heavens,

who led the Magi by a star

to worship the Christ Child:

guide and sustain us,

that we may find our journey’s end in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer taken from The Daily Office SSF

Photo Credits: Benjamin Davies, Edward Paterson

Three Gifts for the New Year 2024

Based on the scripture: Numbers 6.22-27; Psalm 67; Galatians 4.4-7; Luke 2.16-21

    Today, January 1, as we mark the start of the new calendar year, as we pray for peace in our world and as we mark this Christmas Octave Feast of Mary Mother of God, the scriptures offer us three gifts. In this season of gift giving, today the scriptures speak of the gift of blessing, the gift of relationship, and then a triple gift of sharing-glorifying and pondering. I invite us to consider each.

    The gift of blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you.” This blessing God spoke to Moses to share with Aaron centuries later became a favorite for St. Francis of Assisi and is a favorite for many Christians. St. Francis wove these words of blessing into his own blessings and into the life of the Friars because he wanted all to know the gift of God’s face shining on them. The gift of blessing is a reminder of God at work in our life. To know the gift of blessing is a reminder each day of encountering the gracious mercy and love of God and knowing God looks upon us with tenderness and goodness. This gift of blessing is the promise of the Christmas Season – God with us – in the celebrations and in new beginnings, also in heartaches and trails, and in pondering, prayer and even in our seeking. Pope Francis reminds us, “what are we to do with this grace? Only one thing: accept the gift. Before we go out to seek God, let us allow ourselves to be sought by God. God always seeks us first” (Homily, Dec. 24, 2019). This is the gift of blessing today, this season and always.

    The second gift is the gift of relationship. The letter to the Galatians expresses the depth of relationship and how each of us are brought into the miracle of Christmas. A pastor whom I have the great joy of journeying with, reminded me this excerpt from Galatians is the “stunning vision of how much we really are of God as we are now viewed as God’s own child.” The very Spirit of Jesus lives in us and allows each of us in our situations to call out to God – Abba – the intimacy of being in relationship with God – it is personal, it is holy, it is life for each of us. “All which is true of Jesus is then true of us through the Spirit, we are the son, the daughter, the child of God” because God desires nothing more than to be in relationship with us. This is a powerful reminder as we begin a new calendar year journeying into the unknown. It speaks of hope, of our value in being made of God and of the work of Christmas which is ours to do in building relationships, repairing relationships, and being a church which values the gift of relationship.

    The third gift is the triple gift of sharing-glorifying and pondering. The gospel today picks up from where we left off on Christmas Eve. The poorest of the poor have received the good news; the outcasts have been reminded of their dignity and have been given the great message of telling others about the gift of God with us – here and now, in our life and reality. If we think of the lowly shepherds first gifted with sharing and glorifying at the beginning of the life of Jesus and also consider at the resurrection it was Mary Magdalene and the other women gifted with sharing the good news of his resurrection – we see God relies on those who society has not always valued, to be the first messengers of the depth of the love of God. This is important to take note of for it is an invitation for each of us during this Christmas time and as a new year begins. How do we share good news, support, presence and hope with others? 

    The mystic Maggie Ross reminds us: “Behold, Behold the God who is infinitely more humble than those who pray to him, more stripped, more emptied, more self-outpouring… the scandal of the Incarnation is not that we are naked before Emmanuel, God with us, but that God is named before us and, in utter silence, given over into our hands and hearts.” This is not a nostalgic moment of long ago for the shepherds hearing the name of Jesus and knowing they needed to tell others. It is not the moment for Mary and Joseph when they brought Jesus to the temple and officially named and circumcised him. It is not only even the moment of Mary pondering the miracle of which she has said yes. It is the miracle of Christmas each year; the beauty of God with us. It is the triple gift we each have the ability to share – we like Mary and Joseph, we like St. Francis 800 years ago this Christmas, have the Christ Child placed into our hands and hearts today. Each time we come to the banquet of the Eucharist and then carry forth the Eucharist in our daily living we live from and share this gift. Even in the chaos of the world there is still much goodness to share, to glorify God for and with Mary to ponder and treasure. As we look back on what was and as we look ahead to what may be, let us do so with deep trust – knowing there are treasures in the journey and let us make time to ponder with Mary how Christ is made known to us in the ordinary, the simple and in the Child we behold.

    As we receive Christ in the Eucharist we respond Amen, affirming our belief in the gift of blessing, the gift of relationship - God with us. In this Amen we affirm we carry Christ with us into 2024, we affirm God with us - will meet us in all the seasons of this year and we affirm we are a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. This is how peace in our world begins with each of us and our sharing of this blessing, this gift with others. 

May each of us know much peace, much goodness and much joy in 2024. Amen.