The End . . . and The Beginning

Happy New Year!  

I am not a month early, nor am I looking at a cultural calendar.  The First Sunday of Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year in the Catholic Church.  So today is a day of reflection on the last year and anticipation of the coming year.

As everyone knows, New Year celebrations often include New Year's resolutions.  Perhaps we can make some spiritual resolutions for this coming liturgical year.  

1st Sunday of Advent - Stay awake!

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/120113.cfm

Quick recap:
1st Reading - Isaiah - a rousing reminder to not give up; we are to journey closer to God
Psalm 122 - Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord
Epistle - Romans 13 - stay awake and remember our goal
Gospel - Matthew 24 - be prepared, do not ignore the message of salvation or you may be too late

Now I haven't watched Doomsday Preppers, but I imagine this is the sort of message they would support.  "Be ready!"  "Prepare!"  "Stay alert and vigilant!"  This is the message of today's readings, but I suggest that we keep them in the context of our salvation journey.

Thankful Thursday 11/28 - the ultimate day of thanks

What do you say on the day that is designated for giving thanks?  There are so many things for which I am grateful, and so many ways to express that gratitude.

First and foremost, I hope that my life reflects a message of love.  I know that I am not a loving example every moment of every day, but I'm working on that.  I am thankful for the amazing blessings in my life, and I wish to radiate that.  Some days are easier than others.  But I am striving to reflect my favorite verse:

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." ~Psalm 34:1

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of The Universe

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112413.cfm

Quick recap:
1st reading - 2 Samuel - David was anointed king of Israel
Psalm 122 - Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Epistle - Colossians - Ode to Christ
Gospel - Luke 23 - Jesus on the cross, jeered at by rules, soldiers, and one of the criminals, while the other criminal asks to be remembered.

St. Cecilia

Happy Feast Day to all musicians!  I am doubly blessed because Cecilia is my confirmation name as well.  So extra celebrations here :-)

Thankful Thursday 11/21

I am very thankful for the opportunity to read Scripture.  I am constantly amazed at how something I've heard previously (and maybe even frequently) can have a new meaning today.  I'm learning how Scripture is alive and relevant in all areas of my life.  I am slowly gaining an appreciation of preparing for liturgy by reading and reflecting on the Scripture.

This was not something that came easy for me.  I have a deep love of reading, but for many years the Bible did not fit my tastes.  It has only been in the last few years that I have been consistent and persistent in studying Scripture.  And it is in that time that I have grown in my love of it.  Which came first?  Well, I believe I was given the desire to know more, and because of that desire, I have sought to learn more.  Very chicken/egg, I know.  But that's God; the Alpha and Omega, with neither a beginning nor an end.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - the end is near . . . or is it?

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/111713.cfm

Quick recap:
1st Reading - Malachi - prophecy of destruction for evildoers and healing for the just
Psalm 98 - The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice
Epistle - 2 Thessalonians - mind your own business, and if you are able to work, you must do so
Gospel - Luke 21 - appears to be speaking of coming destruction and evil, but reminds us to persevere and we will be saved

We've been hearing lots about the Second Coming recently.  As the liturgical year wraps up (this is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time), we are called to plan for Jesus' return.  We must be prepared.  While this can all seem overwhelming, Jesus reminds us to, 'not be terrified.'  Frankly - it's a tall order.  When we hear the bad things that happen - typhoons, wars, terrorist acts, famines, etc, we fear the worst.  We believe it is the end of the world.  But the world's end goal is salvation, not destruction.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/111013.cfm

Quick recap:
1st reading - Maccabees - 7 brothers and their mother arrested and tortured for not renouncing God
Psalm 17 - Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be fill
Epistle - 2 Thessalonians - the Lord will strengthen and support us when we follow God's call
Gospel - Luke 20 - Sadducees question Jesus about life after death

What happens when we die?  Everyone struggles with this question at some point or many times during our lives.  We may ponder or mortality, or we may have lost a loved one suddenly.  With the loss of the tangible presence, we question the intangible life after.  Today's Gospel has Jesus fielding a question about the technicalities of a woman who was married 7 brothers consecutively.  Jesus reminds them of the much bigger picture.  They are only grasping the details of here and now; Jesus urges them to accept and embrace eternal life.  We hear that ". . . [God] is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."

Thankful Thursday 11/14

I am thankful for schedule changes.  While I may not be able to appreciate it at the time it happens, I am generally reminded later that there was a good reason for the delay.  Sometimes it is really frustrating to wait, but if I am aware, I will see how that change more perfectly fits God's plan.

For example, I had an important meeting, and it got delayed by 2 days.  I was not a happy camper.  I wanted to get the issues addressed and was not excited to wait.  But the day after the meeting was originally scheduled, I ended up attending a workshop that gave me some excellent tips to use in my (now) upcoming meeting.  When the speaker was being introduced, I realized the topic on which he was to present, and I just had to smile.  How like God to give me an 'extra' two days so that I could a) work on my patience and b) gain some very helpful skills for this meeting.

Prayer:  God, thank You for the little surprises and unexpected pieces in my day.  Help me to see them as gifts and opportunities rather than frustrations and challenges.  May I never fail to call on You for help in navigating life.

Never-ending

Never-ending.  When I look at my trees this time of year, it makes me tired.  Being a newer home owner, I have a different appreciation for fall.  I appreciate when all of the leaves in the neighborhood are picked up!
Don't get me wrong. I love fall. I love the change of season and the beautiful colors.  Every day, I see something in nature that takes my breath away.

But I've noticed that as my leaves (and those of my neighbors) continue to fall, I become less able to see past the work that those leaves represent.  I get caught up in logistics and details.  Saturday is the only day I can do yard work, will the weather cooperate?  My waste bin isn't big enough, what do I do with the extra leaves? Will my arms put up with the time it takes to rake everything, or will they (my arms) turn to mush before I'm done?  Yada yada yada.

Judgment is our illness

Wisdom 11:22-12:2

This was the 1st reading from one of our Sunday liturgies, and it really caught my intention.  There's something about the Book of Wisdom that is, well, wise.  I'm not sure how to better express the absolute love that comes from the words we just heard.

In this particular collection of verses, we hear about God's vast knowledge.  The entire universe is compared to a single grain or a drop of dew.  To God, it is nothing and yet everything.  One of the lines that really caught my attention, "But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people's sins that they may repent."  If our God didn't have mercy on us, how could we ever survive?  We can never be perfect, but we have been cleansed perfectly in the Blood of the Lamb.  I often ponder how different God is from us, yet we persist in giving God human tendencies and idiosyncrasies.  I might struggle with showing kindness to someone who has hurt me, or hurting someone else because I have been hurt.  It could follow that I assign God a similar disposition of 'punishing me' or letting me down, because my human experience expects that behavior on a human level.  But God is divine, all-knowing, and all-good.  God does not desire separation from us.  Rather, we, as humans, have taken it upon ourselves to move away from God for one reason or another.  Maybe we were hurt, so we want to 'hurt' God.  Or we did something that another person couldn't forgive, so we assume that God wouldn't forgive us either.

We have a major illness:  Judgment.

We judge our thoughts and actions.  We judge God's message of salvation.  We judge others.  The list could go on and on.  In Wisdom, God is called, 'lover of souls,' and we struggle to believe it.  We are called to release our narrow view of the world.  Only God can cure us of our judgment illness.  We must turn over our lives to God, keeping one thing in mind - God prefers reconciliation to condemnation (Living Liturgy, 2013).

Prayer - God, lover of my soul, help me to release my judgments.  Only You are able to judge justly.  Help me to show compassion to others.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110313.cfm

Recap:
1st reading - Wisdom - Our God is a merciful God
Psalm 145 - I will praise your name forever, my king and my God.
Epistle - 2 Thessalonians - Focus on God's Word and not false teachings.
Gospel - Luke 19 - Zacchaeus seeking Jesus and experiencing a deep encounter with Christ.

One thing I really like about the message from this weekend's Scriptures was the encounter with Christ.  Zacchaeus is changed when he seeks and finds Jesus.  Because Zacchaeus  as willing to change, Jesus had the opportunity to show Zacchaeus  another way.  This is pretty powerful stuff.  It's sometimes easy to put that story aside with one of two probably viewpoints.  1)  Nice story, makes for a good song for Sunday School, OR 2) Gosh, wouldn't it be neat to have that kind of personal encounter with Jesus?

Hmmm.  Well, it may make a fun song, but what's the deeper message of the song?  Zacchaeus was curious about Jesus, and wanted to learn more.  In expressing his desire (climbing a tree to see Jesus), Zacchaeus opened himself to an honest encounter with Christ.  And, we can and do encounter Jesus, if we are willing to look around (which may involved climbing out on a limb first).  We will have a hard time experiencing our God in the confines of our self-centered world.  Maybe it's time to get up, shake off our bad habits and old ways, and actively put ourselves in a place to encounter Christ.  Surprisingly, there are ways we already encounter Christ, but they may not be packaged the way we expect.  So, consider this an opportunity.  Take a bad habit and let it go.  Release yourself from that chain so you can move to reach Jesus.  Or open your eyes and your heart to a situation in your life that can be an encounter with Christ.  God is present in each person we meet, even the ones that challenge us.  So when we encounter another person, we encounter God.

Prayer - Lord, You know my challenges and struggles.  Help me to get out of my so I can fully seek You.  I want to know You, I want to see You, I want to reach You.  

Thankful Thursday 11-7

Today I'm thankful for the messiness of life.  I may not always be the frame of mind to appreciate it, but if everything were easy, where would the joy be?  By having challenges and struggles, we get to experience determination and faith.  Even when things are chaotic and I can hardly think straight, I know that life has an ebb and flow, and it will get better.  Sometimes I can remember that, and sometimes I have to be reminded.  But always, always, I have a faithful God.

Prayer - Lord, I am so far from perfect that I don't even know how to begin.  Thank you for meeting me where I am, in the midst of my crazy life.  Help me to reach out to You from where I am, knowing that You are always with me.

Change

You know the saying. nothing is certain except change. But why does it have to be so difficult?

Sometimes change is a good thing. It may be something that we have decided we want to achieve, a goal on which we have set our eyes.

Sometimes it is very painful, sad, or life-changing.  But it seems like the times when the change is out of our control, that we are the most impacted.