Journey

Fulfillment…

On the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also known as Corpus Christi, the Collect (opening prayer) is: “O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption.”

Spend some time reflecting on this prayer and on the Sacrament of the Eucharist. What does it mean to you and how has it impacted you? Remember how you have experienced the fruits of the Lord’s redemption. What wonders has the Lord worked in your life? Take a few moments to express gratitude for these experiences and the awareness of them.

In the hymn One Bread, One Body, the lyrics direct us to mindfulness of our call, one and all, to unity as God’s people (the church):

One bread, one body, one Lord of all
One cup of blessing which we bless
And we, though many, throughout the Earth
We are one body in this one Lord – John Foley, SJ (excerpt from One Bread, One Body)

Recall a time(s) when you have experienced unity and the fruits of the Lord’s redemption with others? In what ways have you witnessed the hand of the Lord? Give thanks for these times of common ground and the remembrance of them.

What hopes and desires do you have at this moment for awareness and unity in your life? your community? your country? and the world? Share these with the Lord. Ask the Lord for the grace to further appreciate and be inspired by experiences of the outpouring of His love.

Pray for one and all to have an open heart and mind to the well-being of all creation, and above all, to draw closer to God so as to embody (to speak and act in accord with) God’s desires as expressed through the example of Jesus.

Rhododendron Flowers

How shall I make a return to the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the Lord. – Psalm 116:12-13

Alpha to Omega Design on a Communion Pix

United from Beginning to End…

In the First Reading for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity (Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40), Moses reminds the people of how God has been present to them in Egypt and the magnitude of what God has done for them. He then implores them to use these experiences to remain focused on God as well as God’s ways thru adherence to God’s statutes and commandments. There can be a tendency to think of statutes and commandments as confining, but when taken into consideration along with the bigger picture of God’s dedication and love for all of creation, they can be seen as providing concrete ways to create unity and exercise respect and dignity with a goal of freedom and protection for one and all.

With God there is always more than one side. The relationship is mutual and considers all parties. There are statutes and commandments, but there are also God’s actions, not just telling humanity how to be, but also leading the way and showing us by example. The verses in the Psalm (Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22) describe the Lord’s words, actions, and persona as: upright, trustworthy, just, right, kind, effective, protective, and helpful. These attributes are also infused in the statutes and commandments. They are extended to us by God and in turn we are to extend them to each other.

In the Second Reading (Romans 8:14-17), St. Paul reminds us of our part in the Trinity. As “children of God” and “Joint heirs with Christ” we are not to be enslaved by fear, but rather to live in and be led by the Spirit of God. The passage begins with a salutation of “Brothers and Sisters.” This is not an uncommon greeting. Readings from the letters of St. Paul often begin with a salutation of “Brothers and Sisters,” perhaps to continually express the overall desire and focus on the goal of unity with the Lord and one and another. Imagine starting all your communications with “Brothers and Sisters” or adding “Brothers and Sisters” to communications you receive. How might that shape what you write/say and how you receive what is written/said to you?

Moving on to the Gospel passage known as the Commissioning of the Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20), the disciples, who have gone to Galilee as instructed by Jesus, encounter the risen Jesus. It is written, “they worshipped, but they doubted.” (verse 17). What’s it like to think that despite the existence of doubt, they were still seen as worthy, encountered Jesus, and were given the opportunity to serve as Jesus’ disciples? When situations arise, it can be tempting to give rise to doubt or to fall into a one thing or another, or all or nothing mindset. However, with the Lord, all are worthy, there are often many ways and different degrees to serve, and faith always triumphs over doubt.      

Overall, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity presents an opportunity to acknowledge, contemplate, and celebrate how one experiences the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. When you consider each aspect of the Trinity, what characteristics or attributes come to mind? How have you experienced these in your life and how has your prayer been influenced by them? In what ways are you inspired by the Holy Trinity individually and in your relationships? How might the Trinity influence you to overcome uncertainty or division and work toward unity, to better communicate or deepen relationships, or in any related discernment?

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.” – Revelation 1:8

Pentecost

Amazing…

The goodness of your breath O God,
filled me up, heart and soul and body,
and got me started.
The faithfulness of your presence
Carries me along, and your spirit,
Moves me to what is best.

How much? How many? What rank?
It does not matter; not a single bit.
Besides, who am I to measure?

You lead me through both highs and lows.
You teach me how to be, and what to cherish.
I am lifted up and over by your love and care.
Amazing how you do it. Amazing!
The glory is forever yours, and yours alone,
Yet, you always share it.

Pentecost

When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. – Psalm 104:30

Heart shape made out of a pearl necklace

Marjorie’s Pearls…

A long time ago, in a place that’s near, but that seems so far away, an experience that left a lasting impression occurred. I was preparing to leave for college orientation and one of my aunts was at my family’s home visiting. She came into mine and my sister’s room as I was packing some clothes and we had a conversation. I don’t recall how long it lasted or even what we were talking about, but I do recall how it felt to have here there. She was so caring and genuinely interested in being present to me in those moments. I often think of that day with fondness and remember feeling so loved by her, both then, and every time it’s come to mind since then. There were pearls of wisdom, simply in her presence.

I’m not sure that I ever told her how much that time together meant to me, but I will always remember it, along with her hugs, as if embracing one with all her heart and soul—the very definition of Love.

In the second reading for the 7th Sunday of Easter (1 John 4:11-16), it is written:

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.”

Consider taking some time to reflect on the verses above and how they come into play in daily life including interactions with those who are known by you and those who are yet to be known by you (strangers). In what ways might you better cooperate with God in working to bring love to perfection in you as well as through you?

Heart shape made out of a pearl necklace

Deference to Love…

Circumstances come and go,
Like trains arriving and departing.
Slowing down to a standstill,
Then picking up, increasing speed.
Paying homage on one hand,
Indifference on the other.
Sometimes creeping in,
Showing up unannounced,
All at once, or not at all,
And everywhere in between.
They slip in, they slip out,
They disappear, or they don’t.

Circumstances show themselves,
Morning, noon, and night,
But so do signs, big and small,
They come and go as well.
Some noticed, some not, but…
Always on time, in time,
If not a step ahead.
They are all around us.
Then, there is Love,
Binding all together
In this coming and this going.
Love serves us well…
If we allow it.

White flower with dirt to one side and vegetation to the other side.

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.” – John 15:16-17


Being Productive…

What does it mean to be productive? And how does that definition differ based upon the task or subject matter involved?

Oftentimes, productivity is judged based on things that can be measured or compared. However, the most impactful or most productive things in life are not necessarily widely valued by society, nor can they always be measured or necessarily seen.   

In the Gospel for the fifth Sunday of Easter (John 15:1-8), Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (verse 5). Jesus is providing an image that can be used to reflect on both the tangible and the non-tangible.

Think about personal interactions you have had over time and how they have impacted you. We all have experiences where what someone says or does, or doesn’t say or do, has affected us in one way or another. Where or what is the fruit of these experiences? What was in your heart at the time, and what’s happening now as you recall them?

Jesus says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (John 15:7-8).

Consider Jesus’s words in this Gospel as an invitation to contemplate how we, as human beings, treat, engage, and communicate with each other, and what comes of it. What fruit is being nurtured and growing out of the way we are with each other? How is love reflected? And what tweaks or changes might be appropriate so that the Way does not get lost along our way?

Moving forward, how might Jesus’s words better inform your thoughts, actions, and decisions? What is it that you desire? Spend some time praying with this and whatever insights are revealed.

The human heart is always drawn by love. – St. Catherine of Siena

One Flock, One Shepherd…

In striving, there is stretching,
In learning, there is growth.
How high, how low,
How hot, how cold,
And with what power,
Shows, and says, so much.
The direction of travel?
Mattering so far less,
Than the Way,
And impact of approach.

“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd. – John 10:14-16

Every Day…

Holy days and holidays
ushered in between the rush,
bring a slowing down,
or temporary halt at best.
Then, it’s back to the pace
of pressure; quick and fast,
As if the Lord did not make every day.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. – Psalm 118:24

This is the Day the Lord Has Made…

Neither grave, nor the gravity,
Could hold Him down.
That cross, though heavy,
Not heavy enough,
Nor could it ever be.
A temporary thing,
A passage, passing with time,
The Begotten not gone.

That stone, though big,
Not big enough,
Nor could it ever be.
A temporary thing,
A passage, passing with time.
The Begotten hidden,
Not seen, not heard,
But certainly not gone.

Then, Easter.
Arriving between the quiet,
Entering amid the stillness,
And everything changes.
Everything becomes new again,
In the remembering of what is.
Nothing ever stronger than What was,
What is, and What shall ever be.

Just as Light cannot be kept from shining,
And Truth, refusing to remain hidden,
There is no greater shield or power than that created by Creator.
We are more than passengers on borrowed time.
More than temporary things or passages, passing with time.
And in Him, with Him, and thru Him,
Neither grave, nor the gravity,
Can hold us down.

Your Grace…

Breaking, broke, broken,
Rescued, healed, awoken,
Ever taken with your Way.
For the sake of all,
It’s all the same.
No one more than the other,
Each onto its own,
But gathered in Your name.

Your grace O Lord,
The longing of our hearts.
Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani.
At times, perhaps,
We think we know,
Yet thinking doesn’t make it so.

Your grace O Lord,
The longing of our hearts.
We feel one way or another,
Sometimes many ways at once,
Yet feeling doesn’t make it so.

Your grace O Lord,
The longing of our hearts.
With us, within us,
Always within reach.

Your grace O Lord,
Makes known your Way,
The desire in our hearts,
Yours and ours together,
Rising up, makes it so.