Christ Be Our Light

Advent is upon us, and we have less than one week before Christmas!  While I'm spiritually preparing for Christmas, my social obligations and gifts are a different story.  I don't feel prepared.  I don't have cards written; my decorations are missing - you might wonder why I've embraced the minimalist approach to Christmas decor and not my desk!  On one hand, I'm not interested in skipping over Advent just because it's socially acceptable to do.  This really awesome video does an excellent summary of Advent.

My favorite part?

Pentecost 2016

Happy Birthday, Church!

Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost.  We wear red to signify the tongues of fire that descended upon the apostles.  We also get to sing a sequence.  The sequence is only required on certain feasts, Pentecost being one of them.  The sequence is used to increase the solemnity of the feast, while allowing us to further explore the celebration.  Think of it as extra frosting of our already delicious Mass!  

As I was anticipating the Mass today, I read my book study commentary.  This sentence really stood out, "The strength of our love for Jesus is the measure of how well we keep his commandments and word, how well we care for each other."  Read it again.  "The strength of our love for Jesus is the measure of how well we keep his commandments and word, how well we care for each other."  I don't know why it struck me this particular time, as it's not a new message by any means.

"He said to them, 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment.  The second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  ~Matthew 22:36-46

And so it goes . . .

Church of the Transfiguration - Israel

Life has been rather surprising the past 6 weeks.  When I started writing my Christmas letter for 2015, my focus was on my pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as most everything else in my life was the same . . . At least at that moment in time.

Advent 2015 began much the same as previous years - focus on preparation, worrying about getting things done, and trying to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  There were Christmas parties to plan, and reconciliation service to attend.  It was especially memorable to think that I was preparing for my pilgrimage to the Holy Land just one short year ago.  I felt a new connection to Mary and Joseph and their journey to Bethlehem.  

The week of Christmas was when life took an unexpected turn.  A casual inquiry about a job quickly became an interesting dilemma.  I wasn't looking, and it showed up.  Lots of prayer and thinking happened over the next days.  It quickly became obvious that this could be a huge opportunity for me, which was both scary and exciting.  Despite the fear of change, I felt called to this move.  This was the opportunity to focus on my passion and dream - a full-time job with a basis in my Catholic faith.

2nd Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday 2015

What a glorious day!  The signs of spring are out, the earth is waking up, and life is beautiful.  Yet, there is something even more perfect than these lovely gifts of nature.  God's mercy.  Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, which highlights this amazing gift.  What a fitting complement to Easter and this octave of Easter.




What is mercy?  Dictionary.com gives the following definitions:

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Hope & Healing

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020815.cfm 

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Job - ultimate suffering and hopelessness

Psalm - 147 - Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted

Epistle - 1 Corinthians - stewardship and giving of oneself

Gospel - Mark 1 - healing Simon's mother-in-law

What great Scriptures! These have been more comfort to me as I long for complete health. I have been limited in my actions, and I struggle with accepting God's Will concerning my current state of health.  (See my earlier post on the struggle here).

I find Job to be such an interesting figure. To be stricken with so much desolation and pain, and yet be able to praise God; I am in awe. I come down with a sinus infection and I assume God messed up somewhere in the grand scheme of things. It is not so. This was the first full weekend I've been back to Newman. It's been pretty tiring, and slightly frustrating since I don't have my voice back 100%, but it has been even more fulfilling to be present, celebrating with a community of believers.

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

First reading - Isaiah - celebrating the glory of the Lord
Psalm 72 - Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Epistle - Ephesians - we are all graced people
Gospel - Matthew 2 - visit from the magi

I heard an excellent story, which I will share here.  I have not discovered the source, but it is certainly worth hearing.  On the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, we hear about King Herod's jealousy when the magi arrive in search of the newborn King.  The first reading and psalm highlight the goodness of the King, which stands in contrast to Herod's behavior.  Rather than behave in a kingly fashion, which would, as a representative of God, mean serving the people and acting justly for all, Herod is consumed with his own importance.  This behavior is the backdrop for the story.

3 men of different religions were discussing which religion was the one, true faith.  The discussion became heated and they almost came to blows.  They decided to seek the counsel of a wise man in the area.  The spiritual guru told the men that the answer would lie with a flour mill on the other side of the great mountain.  The guru said they could climb the mountain and go over the peak to reach the mill.  It would be a very difficult journey, but it could be done.  Then the guru said there was a path around the left side of the mountain which would take them to the mill.  He said the path was rocky and full of obstacles, and would not be an easy journey, but it could be done.  Finally, the guru said that there was a road around the right side of the mountain to the mill.  The road was smooth and clear, and the journey would be easy.  "But," said the guru, "when you get to the mill, the man there will not inquire as to how you reached the mill.  Instead, he will ask about the quality of your wheat."

There are many paths to God.  Some will be significantly easier than others.  Ponder your path.  Are you attempting to climb over the mountain, through rocks and brambles, or along a smooth road?  Do not spend all of your energy struggling on the path.  Ultimately, we are all called to God, and will be judged by "our wheat".

Second Sunday of Advent - 2014

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/120714.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Isaiah - announce the coming of our God

Psalm 85 - Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Epistle - 2 Peter - God's time, prepare for the Lord

Gospel - Mark - Introduction of John the Baptist

Our God is coming! Yet, our God is here, and our God was born into our world over 2000 years ago. We must remember that we celebrate Jesus' coming in history, mystery, and majesty.

In the season of Advent, it is easy to focus on the history of Jesus' birth. However, we must go beyond the history to realize the breadth and depth of the presence of God. The mystery of Jesus' coming is something we experience every day of our life, through the Holy Spirit, and especially when we celebrate the Mass. Many others, much wiser than myself, can delve into these thoughts more clearly, but I consider the mystery piece to be both comforting and confusing! Comforting that our Lord is continually present; in our daily life, in the people we meet, and in our prayers and actions (hopefully!). Confusing because we cannot comprehend God's complete love for each of us, nor are we able to fathom the Paschal Mystery. Jesus Christ's passion, death, and Resurrection gave us the gift of salvation. Wow! Finally, the majesty speaks to Jesus' coming at the end of time, when He will sit in judgment of the world.

Whew! That gives me a lot more to consider during Advent. Maybe this year I can include a new focus in my Advent preparations: to prayerfully ponder Christ's coming in mystery each and every day. Especially during the final days of Advent when life becomes even more hectic.

Prayer - Lord, As I continue to learn, I am amazed at all of the ways You reach out to me. Grant me the grace to grow in knowledge of Your love for me. May I remember that You love me as I am, right now.

First Sunday of Advent - 2014

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/113014.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Isaiah - recognition of God's wrath with the sinful people

Psalm 80 - Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

Epistle - 1 Corinthians - God's grace and faithfulness

Gospel - "Be watchful! Be alert!" We do not know when the master will return.

Let the chaos ensue! Now that Advent has begun, it's like there is a giant stopwatch ticking down the days until Christmas. Unfortunately, instead of helping us prepare our spirits for the season, it tends to remind us of how many shopping days we have, and our limited time to do everything we think we must do perfectly before we can celebrate. I'm not saying that we don't have legitimate things to accomplish, but Christmas is about more than giving a certain quota of gifts. In my experience, if I take my eyes off of the purpose of Advent, I can become stressed, distracted, and worn out.  

In today's Gospel, we are commanded to pay attention, "Be watchful! Be alert! Watch!" This is a great time to re-focus, stop and take some quiet time to reconnect with our Lord. Trust me - this is a good thing to do!  

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112314.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Ezekiel

Psalm 23 - the Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Epistle - 1 Corinthians - Christ is the firstfruits

Gospel - Matthew 25 - "Whatever you did for the least brothers of mine, you did for me."

What a great day to be Catholic! Today is the last Sunday of the liturgical year (yikes!) which means we celebrate Jesus as King of the Universe. There is so much that can be said of today's liturgy and Scripture, but I want to focus on the connection I made with a book I'm reading: Jesus: A Pilgrimage by Fr. James Martin. I have this as both an e-book and an audio book, so I can read or listen whenever I had time. Today I started on Chapter 21 - Golgotha. It was interesting to read about Jesus' Passion and Death (resurrection was in the next chapter) on the day we celebrate Jesus as King of the Universe. I felt that the timing of this was not coincidental. Hearing the details of the Crucifixion seemed especially striking, considering the Feast for today.

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Bascilica in Rome

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110914.cfm 

Sunday was a great day for memories.  As we celebrated the Feast of the Bascilica in Rome - St. John in Lateran, I was reminded of my first pilgrimage.  It's hard to believe it's been 7 years since we went to Rome.  St. John's was incredible; huge and glorious.  What an experience!

There is so much more to this church, but I am not the best teacher.  Time has dimmed some of my details.  What I do know is that our Catholic faith has a beautiful history, as well as a wonderful same-ness no matter where you are.  It is that connection that unites us, both near and far.  Ultimately, with the celebration of such a glorious place, my heart is happy.  I'm happy to have had the opportunity to go there.  I'm happy that we have such a rich heritage in our faith.  I'm happy that we have a universal church that is diverse and similar, near and far, many and one.  I'm proud to claim a connection to this place via my Catholic faith.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - reconciliation

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100514.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - More vineyard stories :)

Psalm 80 - The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel

Epistle - Phil 4 - motivational letter from Paul

Gospel -Matthew 21 - A landowner leased out his vineyard before leaving on a journey, and the tenants killed his servants and then his son when they came to collect the produce.

In the first reading, we hear God's frustration. His chosen people have turned away, repeatedly. In the Gospel, Jesus highlights the continued behavior of the Jews, who ultimately kill the Son of God. This sets the backdrop for the psalm. In the psalm, we hear God's response to the Old Testament, and we add our plea that God protect this vineyard - us! This is nothing new to God - how many times had Israel sinned and repented? Not to mention us and our current society. Over and over, we beg God for mercy. We must have contrite hearts before God, and belief that our prayers will be heard. 

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - mercy

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092814.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Ezekial - turn from wickedness to what is right and just

Psalm 25 - Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Epistle - Philippians 2 - regard others as more important than yourself (humility)

Gospel - Matthew 21 - Will you change your mind and embrace God's mercy, or will you be stubborn?

Today's Gospel outlines the story of a man and his 2 sons. He asks them both to go work in the vineyard. The fist son says no, but then changes his mind and goes out. The second son says yes, but did not go. Thus, on the surface, the second son appears to be more obedient, while in reality, the first son is the one who actually obeyed his father.  

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Generosity

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092114.cfm 

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Isaish - God's ways are not our ways.

Psalm 145 - The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Epistle - Philippians - life is Christ and death is gain.

Gospel - parable of the landowner who hires laborers for his vineyard and pays them all the same wage, regardless of how long they worked.

This Sunday's parable challenges me. I am called to apply this in all areas of my life, and I generally fall short. It's a great story of the landowner who goes out several times during the day to find workers for his vineyard. Each time he goes out, he hires more laborers. At the end of the day, he pays them all the same wage. Those who worked all day grumbled. The landowner asks if they are envious of his generosity. He reminds them that they agreed to work for the wage they received, and that he can do what he wants with his money.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/091414.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - The people of Israel were saved when the looked at the bronze serpent mounted on a pole.

Psalm 78 - Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Epistle - Phil 2 - Jesus emptied himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross

Gospel - John 3 - Salvation through Jesus because of God's love for us.

This is an exciting day - this feast day falls on a Sunday! Great! So, what's the big deal? Well, there's a lot of interesting things to keep in mind. I'm not a scholar, but here's what I've picked up:

1 - Historically, September 14, 320 is the date when the empress Helena (Constantine's mother) reportedly found the true cross (Living Liturgy 2014). That's exciting stuff.

2 - While Good Friday is the more well-known feast of the cross, both days can and should remind us of the life-giving qualities of the cross.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - integrity

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090714.cfm 

Quick recap:
1st Reading - Ezekiel - we must avoid sin and lead others away from sin
Psalm 95 - If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Epistle - Romans 13 - "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Gospel - Matthew 18 - our responsibility is to love others and to help them

With everything that has been going on this past week, I didn't get my usual preparation time, so today I'm going to borrow from the homilies I heard.  Two words stuck out in our teaching - integrity and authenticity.  We are called to be true to ourselves at all times, no matter where we are or with whom.

in·teg·ri·ty   inˈtegritē/   noun

1.the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. "he is known to be a man of integrity"
synonyms: honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principle(s), ethics,morals, righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness,scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness
"I never doubted his integrity"
2.the state of being whole and undivided. "upholding territorial integrity and national sovereignty"
synonyms: unity, unification, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity
"the integrity of the federation"

1. 
   

au·then·tic     ôˈTHentik/    adjective

1.of undisputed origin; genuine.  "the letter is now accepted as an authentic document"
synonyms: genuine, real, bona fide, true, veritable; More

Psalm 63

Today's psalm was taken from Psalm 63, and I had the opportunity to witness this psalm in action:

Responsorial Psalm PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R/ (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R/ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R/ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. 
R/ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R/ My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

This psalm is lovely, but I think sometimes we don't take it literally enough. For example, we've all been thirsty, but probably not to the extent where it was physically uncomfortable or it made us single-minded in our focus. Water, juice, pop, sports drinks, and more are quite readily available. Do we know what thirst really is? When I was practicing, I thought about the words more intently. A parched, lifeless earth - has my soul longed for God with such intensity?

Who do you say that I am?

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082414.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Isaiah - Trust in the Lord, lest you incur God's displeasure

Psalm 138 - Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

Epistle - Romans 11 - Marvel at God's Wisdom

Gospel - Matthew 16 - Who do you say that I am? You are Christ, the Son of the living God.

Lots of great Scriptures today, but the part that resonated the most with me was from the Gospel. When Jesus questions the disciples, He first asks who others say that Jesus is. Then Jesus gets right to the point and asks His disciples, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter replies, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." It is not enough for us to repeat what someone else claims; we have to speak for ourselves.

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - persistence

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081714.cfm

Quick recap:
1st Reading - Isaiah 56 - importance of prayer
Psalm 67 - O God, let all the nations praise you!
Epistle - Romans 11 - mercy of God
Gospel - Matthew 15 - Canaanite woman persisted in her request for healing of her daughter, and it was granted.

If I repeat myself, I apologize.  Sometimes I think that I've already addressed a t
opic, but I can't find any posts on it.  Other times I will have an idea that I think is new, and then I realize I've already touched on it several times.  So I will either fail to post on something due to the former, or I will repeat myself due to the latter.  You've been warned.

Today's Gospel is interesting to me with the model of the Canaanite woman.  I am not nearly as persistent as I should be in prayer.  Even when the disciples urged Jesus to send her away and Jesus rebuked her, she continued to persist.

per·sist·ence

pərˈsistəns/

noun

1. firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

   "companies must have patience and persistence, but the rewards are there"

   • the continued or prolonged existence of something.

     "the persistence of huge environmental problems"

Come on in, the water's fine!

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081014.cfm

I knew it was coming - reflections on the Sunday readings and Peter's excursion out of the boat.  I just wasn't counting on the circumstances which prompted this post.  Somewhere between 11:15 and 11:30 PM, the Heavens opened and wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and even a little hail came crashing down.  Not being a particular fan of storms, I wasn't sure of the best response.  Sleep was out of the question, and my plan consisted of Holy Water :)  Then, it was wait and see.  Not much to be done about a storm.  It will blow where it will and do what it wants, and I ain't gonna stop it.  I wandered from door to window, looking out front, looking out back.  All of the lights were off, but there was so much lightning I could still see.

It's a bit helpless, to have no mode of action.  My brain started reviewing my options and I remembered the Gospel from our Bible Study last night - Jesus calls Peter out of the boat, and calms the storm.  During our discussion, I had remarked that I wouldn't want to get out of the boat - hello drowning!  I had also recently used boats as a metaphor for faith in a previous post, so my line of thought was not tracking with Jesus' call to Peter.  As the storm raged all around me, I wondered how I would have responded.  I was scared inside a house, let a lone in a boat on a raging sea!  Would I have courage to step out at Jesus' call?

6th Sunday of Easter - bittersweet

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/052514.cfm 

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Acts 8 - early Church, adding believers

Psalm - Psalm 66 - Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

Epistle - 1 Peter - be ready to give an explanation of your hope

Gospel - John 14 - I am with you always.

Today is bittersweet. I participated in an excellent liturgy with Fr. Matt and our community at the Newman Center. Sadly, it is his last Mass at Newman before he begins his new assignment. I anticipated this and knew today would be difficult, but the reality was so much more. My liturgical time begins with music practice, and we started reviewing songs and Mass parts. We had great participation at Mass, with beautiful voices through the chapel. It was a joy to sing together. The psalm was very personal for me, as I was leading it. I got to proclaim the joy of the earth! I especially appreciated the last stanza, 

"Here now, all you who fear God, while I declare what he has done for me. Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or his kindness!"