Conversion

A tree and it's shadow, among many trees

What is Cast, Cascades…

September 21 is the feast day of St. Matthew, the tax collector turned disciple. It is Matthew’s home at which Jesus and his disciples are having dinner, among, “many tax collectors and sinners” (Mt 9:10), when the following exchange occurs:

The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” – Matthew 9:11-13

If you were Matthew or a dinner guest at his house and witnessed this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees, how would you feel, and what would you make of Jesus’s words? How about if you were a Pharisee? A disciple? Envision yourself in the shoes of the different people present or groups represented.

While there can be a wide range of perspectives and experiences in earthly regards, looking beyond that, what do you see or sense as a common bond or thread between them all?

Next, take some time to remember and pray with some of your experiences of compassion, forgiveness, and kindness. What’s it like to reflect on instances in which you received mercy, as well as the ones where you exhibited mercy toward another, as originating from the heart of God, for whom nothing is impossible? Not only that, but also to consider that these instances involved your cooperation with God, through whom anything is possible?

Share with the Lord what’s on your mind and in your heart as you contemplate his words.

In the Gospel for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Luke writes:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.” – Luke 16:10-13

Continuing to pray with your experiences of mercy, reflect on God’s grace and the extent to which honesty, trust, and trustworthiness, have helped or aided you toward receiving and extending compassion, kindness, and the benefit of the doubt to yourself and others. Ask the Lord to help you to see clearly your areas of growth, and to gently acknowledge, and commit to cooperation with Grace in, areas in need of conversion.

What wisdom is waiting on you today?

A tree and it's shadow, among many trees

Closing prayer:
Hallelujah!
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
both now and forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
let the name of the Lord be praised.
High above all nations is the Lord;
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord our God,
enthroned on high,
looking down on heaven and earth?
He raises the needy from the dust,
lifts the poor from the ash heap,
Seats them with princes,
the princes of the people,
Gives the childless wife a home,
the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah! – Psalm 113:1-9

Conversion…

Covered with snow, the landscape so quiet, so still, so beautiful. The branches and shrubs become as if carefully wrapped, insulated from the elements, as well as by the elements. Becoming part of what’s on the outside pushing inward? Or, perhaps, it’s the outside becoming part of what’s inside and underneath, pushing outward? How will they lean, where will they fall, maybe, just maybe, they will stand upright, if anything at all.

A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. – Ps 51:12

The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent (Mt 4:1-11), is an account of the temptation of Jesus. We all experience variations of temptation throughout our lives. We all have weaknesses or tendencies that can lead us astray or take us away from being at or near our best, most genuine selves.

Looking to the example of Jesus, we can see his response to temptation, is first and foremost, to be aware and recognize it. Then second, to respond by remembering, and not only naming, but also reclaiming God as the source of all wellbeing. Jesus keeps God at the center throughout, and God’s grace enables him to overcome each temptation.

How can one apply this to real life experience in today’s world?

We can start by being aware and recognizing that temptation works in different ways. Sometimes it tries to move us toward “absolute” or limited views and the choices that flow from them, while at other times, temptation seeks to blur the lines between choices so that the best choice is left behind for the choice that seems good enough. Temptation tries, and keeps trying to find whatever hook will sink, to snag and pull one toward a more self-centered space and making a choice from there, instead of making it from a God-centered space where the choice is generative and beneficial beyond what one can surmise.

In the Gospel passage of the temptation of Jesus, Jesus shows us how to lean on the grace of God, and how to patiently endure to overcome temptation by living with God at the center—always in our hearts and minds. He reminds us that what has been written, holds true now, as well as forever.

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God. – Dt 8:3

He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone. – Ps 91:11-12

You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test. – Dt 6:16

The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve. – Dt 6:13

Reflecting on each of Jesus’s responses above, what comes to mind in terms of your own experience of God’s grace in the face of a struggle or challenge you faced? Recall how God was present to you, and how you were, or became present to God? Share with God what that experience was like, and what it means to you today. What inspiration or insight might God want that experience to reveal to you today?

Peace Dwells Within…

That which was spoken long ago,

Holds true still, even in this day and age.

Peace, it dwells within,

And cannot come from that which is external.

Listen to Paul, who once was murderous Saul,

Filled with conviction,

Really hate, disguised as a passion he thought was right.

The Lord opened his heart,

Corrected his vision,

And led him to turn from his ways.

His conviction remained.

His passion transformed,

From one that was steal.

Redeemed one might say,

By the Way that is true,

By the One who is always waiting,

For the other to come around.

Peace is about embracing possibilities,

Seeking Grace and gratitude,

Being open to ways that differ,

And accepting differences,

Without surrendering to them.

Peace comes in discovery

As well as in re-discovery,

In going out into the world,

Remembering in whose image all are created,

Holding true to oneself,

And allowing others to do the same.

Peace, it dwells within,

But its effects go well beyond.

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. – Col 3:15

In Any Case…

In Greek mythology, keeping the gods and goddesses happy was central to life. So, temples were built, activities were held, sacrifices were made, all to please the gods and goddesses so that the people in turn might be helped along or rewarded rather than punished. Having recently seen a show that involved Greek mythology and the challenge of relationships, reading “…be reconciled to God,” in chapter 5, verse 20 of the Second Letter to the Corinthians, strikes a chord. And then there is the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent which includes the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), which really leads one to think about relationships. Combining the two, it can be intriguing to look more closely at the differences and similarities between one’s relationship with God and one’s relationships with others (family, friends, acquaintances, etc.). And perhaps consider further, the impact of both the things we can see and those we think we can see but cannot.

Looking to St. Paul and to the Prodigal Son, it’s all about stripping away the extraneous, drawing closer to what lies within, and trusting one’s experience. However, not one’s experience of self or others, but looking for, remembering and trusting one’s experience of God within the interactions and dealings we have with one another.

Imagine riding along from start to finish with Saul of Tarsus, soldier… warrior, active persecutor of early Christians who was literally knocked off his horse, called to conversion, and way down the road, became St. Paul.

Envision travelling with the Prodigal Son. The son who took his inheritance while his father was still living and turned his back on everyone and everything that he had previously known. He had to take his own path and have his own way; it was just something he needed to do. However, on that path, he lost everything, but then gained so much more than he could have ever dreamed of, by owning the truth and returning home, where he was immediately welcomed and embraced.

For St. Paul and the Prodigal Son, it turned out that the things that drove them… the things that sucked them in as being so important or so necessary, weren’t. And while it may have seemed to them as though they lost everything in the process of their falling, they did not. Both experienced the kindness and love of God both directly and through others—the grace that led them to pivot—and it is through that, that they came to know their true worth as God’s beloved, and that what really matters can never be taken away, only shared and magnified.