Living faith

Fall time - Tree with red leaves

From Trust to Joy…

In The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen wrote, “Both trust and gratitude require the courage to take risks because distrust and resentment, in their need to keep their claim on me, keep warning me how dangerous it is to let go of my careful calculations and guarded predictions. At many points I have to make a leap of faith to let trust and gratitude have a chance. The leap of faith always means loving without expecting to be loved in return, giving without wanting to receive, inviting without hoping to be invited, holding without asking to be held. And every time I make a little leap, I catch a glimpse of the One who runs out to me and invites me into his joy, the joy in which I can find not only myself, but also my brothers and sisters.”

Take a moment now to reflect on where you’ve experienced the Lord this past week and to what degree trust was involved. How did or does your experience help you to trust or to have faith, placing hope in the Lord with regards to a situation(s)? What happens when you bring areas in which your trust has possibly shifted away, back into prayer and back to the Lord?

Continuing to contemplate your experience, what qualities or characteristics that you associate with the Lord, are most noticeable? And how do these same qualities inform, influence, and inspire you and your choices?

The Gospel for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mark 10:46-52) begins in a sea of people, from within which, Bartimaeus, the blind man, is calling out to the Lord. And despite others around him telling him to stop and to keep quiet, he keeps calling out, “Son of David, have pity on me!” (v. 48).

Imagine what Bartimaeus might be holding in his heart as he’s trying to get Jesus’ attention? How about Jesus? What might be in his heart as he navigates through the crowd? What qualities do they each seem to have that might be informing, influencing, and inspiring them? What do each of them seem to be focused on?

Next, notice how Jesus receives and responds to Bartimaeus, the blind man who has let his guard down and opened himself up to both chance and Grace.

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way. – Mk 10:49-52

Jesus is essentially saying: I’m here and I’m listening… I see you… I hear you… Come closer… Tell me more. And Bartimaeus, by coming closer and sharing more with Jesus, is able to receive peace, healing, and greater faith.

Take whatever you are focused on, to Jesus, the One who is, who was, and who will ever be—here for you, listening to you, seeing and hearing you, and always saying, come closer, tell me more.

Then, after a period of sharing and listening, envision Jesus saying the same to you as he did to Bartimaeus, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. – Psalm 126:3

With God, It’s All For Good…

It is written in the Book of Wisdom, “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.” (Wisdom 1:13). As ones created in the image of God, we are to live and behave as such. And while an eye for an eye or “getting even” may be tempting at times, it can lead to the destruction of another of God’s creation and can create a false sense of satisfaction, neither of which are in line with the image of God, or life giving.

In the second reading for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that there is much more to discipleship than what one believes, what one knows, says, and does, and one’s conviction. It is the spirit in which one lives, and that guides one.

St. Paul writes, “For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality.” (2 Corinthians 8:9, 13-14).

It is only fitting that those created in God’s image be mindful of disparity and strive to recognize and honor the image of God in others, and therefore work toward, encourage, and support equality. The mindset that St. Paul is encouraging is not new. In fact, he writes, “As it is written: ‘Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.'” (2 Corinthians 8:15). He is referring to the Book of Exodus (Ex 16:18) and how the Manna (the nourishment that God provided for Moses and Israelites) was allotted. It did not matter how much or how little one person gathered, there was enough for everyone to have what they needed. Not only that, but also there was great awareness that it was all provided through the goodness—love and mercy—of God.

One could not think of what they collected as belonging to oneself, but rather as being provided by God, and as one created in the image of God, it was to be shared and for everyone to partake of. There was to be equality, or equity, in terms of everyone having what they needed to not only survive, but to keep moving along the journey.

Turning to the Gospel passage (Mark 5:21-43), again we can see that it’s all about equity. A synagogue official’s daughter is on her death bed, and he begs Jesus to heal her, “Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” Jesus begins to follow Jairus. They are moving through the heavy crowd when a woman who also needs Jesus’s help touches his cloak saying, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”

One can imagine, especially given that period of time in history, that as a man and a synagogue official, Jairus would be able to gain Jesus’s attention and position himself to have access to Jesus more easily than the woman. Both Jairus (or his daughter) and the woman need healing, but each needs to approach the situation differently because of their circumstances. To Jesus, it doesn’t matter who got to him first or last, or who has more or less (power, possessions, status, etc.). As with God’s grace, Jesus’s healing is equitable and those who approach in faith get what they need—the woman’s hemorrhaging comes to an end and Jairus’s daughter is raised by Jesus. How do you relate to Jairus and/or the woman with a hemorrhage in terms of approach and asking in prayer?

Oftentimes, when thinking about faith and asking for something, it can be can easy to only think in terms asking God or Jesus for what one needs or wants. However, being created in the image of God, we are called to also look at the other side of this. Take some time to pray and reflect on the spirit in which you respond when it comes the needs and wants of others. In what ways does Jesus’s sense of equality and equity increase your faith and inspire you?

Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful;
give thanks to his holy memory.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
his favor a lifetime.
At dusk weeping comes for the night;
but at dawn there is rejoicing. – Psalm 30:5-6

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.

Handiwork…

On this 4th Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday, the readings invite us to consider the depth of God’s steadfastness and love. Focusing on the second reading, take some time to reflect on the qualities of God (rich in mercy, great love, etc.).

Brothers and sisters:
God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —,
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them. – Ephesians 2:4-10

How do you experience these qualities in your life? In your relationship with God and others, where do you give? and where do you withhold? Take some time to ponder being God’s handiwork.

“You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.”
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.” – Kahlil Gibran

Saturday after Ash Wednesday…

Sometimes due to the weather or one’s location, for example in the snow, on the sand at a beach, or stepping out of a pool, the impact of where one has traveled can be clearly seen. Most often though, we tread without leaving any physical indications at all.

The response for today’s Psalm is derived from Psalm 86, verse 11ab: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.

The text for the complete verse is as follows:

Teach me, Lord, your way
that I may walk in your truth,
single-hearted and revering your name. – Psalm 86:11

Reflect on the places to which you have traveled and/or spent time over the past few days, or the past week. As you remember where you have been, what comes to mind?

In what ways would you say that you experienced walking in God’s truth, single-hearted and revering God’s name? Were there places or situations where you were more grounded and fully present to the moment?

As you allow yourself to imagine revisiting these places, take time to notice or re-notice things.

Next, have a conversation with the Lord and share whatever thoughts and feelings arise within you. Ask to be shown what the Lord sees in these experiences and wants you to see as you continue striving in discipleship.

When your conversation is completed, pray:

Teach me, Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name. – Ps 86:11  

Growth mindset

Thursday after Ash Wednesday…

In the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 30, verses 15-20, after having presented God’s commandments to the people, Moses exhorts them to choose life over death by embracing and living by God’s “commandments, statutes and decrees”. This brings up an interesting question. Outside of obvious situations where the distinction is clear between a choice that is life giving and one that is not, how does one determine what they are really choosing, and perhaps more importantly, why?

There are few things in life that are clear cut and without the possibility for change. Yet, the human tendency leans toward wanting things to be one way or the other, to fit comfortably into categories or boxes, and to be “known for all time”. However, this leaves little to no room for new information or consideration of different circumstances.

Sometimes it can be helpful to flip things around, contemplating them from another angle or two and considering different points of view. Oftentimes, what is thought to be wrong, so different, or out of line, underneath the surface or layers upon first look, can be not so wrong, different, or out of line, at all.

During Lent, we try to renew or refresh our spirit and growth mindset. We open our hearts and minds to seeing and being anew and strengthening our faith and discipleship ways. We are reminded of what it is we profess to believe and why, as well as the desire to choose what is life giving so that even in death, we experience Life.

Take some time to contemplate Moses’ words about choosing life or death alongside the following poem from the Persian poet Rumi.

“I died as mineral and became a plant,
I died as plant and rose to animal,
I died as animal and I was human,
Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?
Yet once more I shall die human,
To soar with angels blessed above.
And when I sacrifice my angel soul
I shall become what no mind ever conceived.
As a human, I will die once more,
Reborn, I will with the angels soar.
And when I let my angel body go,
I shall be more than mortal mind can know.” – Rumi

What influences your choices? How do you draw inspiration from the example of Jesus in making them? What grace(s) do you desire in this area? Invite Jesus into this conversation, taking time to listen and asking to be open to and to notice whatever insights might be revealed.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust. – Jeremiah 17:7

From One, Many…

A star found residing
where it was placed.
Holding still and quiet.

Its edges beveled,
dimensions on display,
highlighting different shades,
color throughout
the various times of day.

Sometimes crystal clear,
what’s behind showing through.
And other times,
transforming as a show
of what’s reflected on it.

A voice of one crying out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” – Mark 1:3

In what situations do you sense facets of your faith more strongly? In what areas do you desire to deepen or to be more in touch with your faith? In what ways is your faith multidimensional?  

Measuring Attitude…

There’s the saying that attitude is everything, and there is no denying the importance and impact of attitude on behavior. The Gospel for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mt 25:14-30 shown below), provides an example of how attitude can affect choices. In this passage, referred to as the Parable of the Talents, Jesus tells the story of three servants and how they handled the possessions their master entrusted to them while he was away.

To start, we learn that the master gave each servant a different amount based upon their ability. This suggests that he had a sense of what they were capable of and perhaps a desire not to give them more than what they might be able to handle. But also, more importantly, the master gave something of value to each of them, allowing them room for growth. He would not have done that if he did not see potential in each of them.

Looking at how each servant responded, we can see that the ones who were entrusted with more (five and two talents respectively) produced more and the one entrusted with the least (one talent), produced the least. It can be tempting to look at this situation, and the master’s response upon his return, as a simple matter and to judge the servant who buried the talent instead of growing it as weak for allowing his actions to be driven by fear. However, there is more to this story than what is on the surface.

Think about the characteristics of Jesus and the way that he responds to people. He listens, he notices, he allows people to be who they are, and where they are in their journey, while at the same time loving or valuing them, and encouraging them toward growth and living in the light. There is always a path toward shedding whatever it is that is holding someone back from becoming more and more authentic as one created in the image of God.

When considering this passage in the light of attitudes, we can easily jump to a conclusion that two of the servants had what might be thought of as a healthier attitude and did something productive with what was entrusted to them. While on the other hand, the third servant focused on the unjust ways of his master, resulting in a poor attitude and therefore a lackluster performance. What about the master though?

What was the master’s attitude in this parable? At the beginning, it is implied that he saw less potential or expected less from the third servant. Also, upon his return, how did he receive the third servant’s choice and the reasons behind it?

The third servant says, “Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.” All the master seems to take in is the fact that the servant did not multiply what was entrusted to him. And his reaction to that is to assign the servant even less value (“You wicked, lazy servant!”) and to condemn him to darkness. How might his response have been different if he was able to consider the impact of his ways, and the fear it created in the servant?

Although the servant didn’t, at the time, possess the wherewithal to multiply what was given to him, he at least recognized its importance and preserved it. His fear held him back, but he did do something. It seems the master couldn’t appreciate that. If you think about Jesus and his interactions with people, in what ways does the master’s words and actions reflect the attitude and behavior of Jesus?

While the Parable of the Talents might be considered in terms of “what one does with what is given to them is important,” it can also serve as an invitation to consider roles and the attitudes that can accompany them. As you consider your own life, in what situations might you be one of the servants who multiplied the talents? the servant who was given one talent? the master? Reflect upon your demeanor in these roles. How, if at all, does your attitude shift in these different situations? Where is the light of God and in what ways is Jesus present to, and in, you?

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master’s money.

“After a long time
the master of those servants came back
and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents came forward
bringing the additional five.
He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
‘Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.’
His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'” – Matthew 25:14-30

The Strength to Get Along…

Taken by the contrasting colors of the leaves against the soothing blue backdrop of the sky, it’s interesting how well they get along.

In the Gospel passage for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the heart of Jesus’ response can be seen as an invitation to consider love, and how it is revealed through, and in, relationships. Jesus reminds us that being faithful to God is more than striving to love and serve God. It also involves striving to love or to take care of oneself as well as one’s neighbor.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“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.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” – Mt 22:34-40

Reflecting upon the past week, in what ways did you strive to love and serve God? What thoughts and feelings surface as you recall the situations where the love of God was most present to you? Allow yourself to envision God’s response to a heart, your heart, operating in love and service.

Continuing to stay with the moments of the past week, are there ways you took care of yourself through them? Take some time to consider more fully how each experience came about. What might God want you to know about them? How might you pray in response?  

What moments come to mind as ones where the love you have received extended beyond yourself whether in thought or deed?

Still reviewing the past week, who or what would you include as your neighbors (family, community members, any fellow human being, animals, nature, etc.)? What did you appreciate in them? For each way that you might have struggled to appreciate them or that you felt more than a little challenged by them, try to return to naming something you appreciated.

How do you feel inspired by the things that you have contemplated during this time? And what do you desire to carry forward?

I love you, Lord, my strength. – Psalm 18:2

What Is Your Opinion…

“The proof is in the pudding” is a familiar phrase when looking at or trying to assess a situation. Originally, this proverb was “The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” but over time words were dropped and it morphed into “The proof is in the pudding.” Either way, the intended meaning is that judgment is best based on one’s experience. This is not to say that the experiences of others should not matter, but rather that one’s own experience is a necessary component.

In the Gospel for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 21:28-32), Jesus tells the story of two sons and their response to their father’s request, “go out and work in the vineyard today.” There is the son who says yes, but then does not follow through and the son who says no, but then changes his mind and does as his father requests. One of the ways we can look at this parable is to see it as a reminder that it’s never too late to change one’s mind or attitude and for one’s actions to follow suit. Going a little deeper, there is always an invitation to pay closer attention to our words and actions, and what goes into them. Oftentimes, we can miss or ignore God’s will, but with openness to something different than our initial response, we can overcome missteps.

Thinking about the two sons, in addition to sharing a father who made the same request of each of them, they are in the same place, at the same time. They share history and their words and actions, their choices, are adding or detracting in the present. Part of what they have in common is that they share space and, whether knowingly or not, they are helping to shape the direction of the future.

What is influencing their choices? And how does time affect them and their ability to be in tune with their internal influences?

In times where opinions are more widely and loudly expressed than ever and thrown out into the universe by all kinds of media, it can be easy to defer taking time to consider all things and to form fully informed personal opinions. However, fully informed personal opinions that include some sort of firsthand experience are perhaps more important than ever. And while impatience seems to rule the world and jam-packed schedules can make it more and more tempting to move through daily life on sound bites and to rush to judgment on fragmented information, that often opens the doors for outside influences to hold more weight than they deserve, and for one to be distracted and swayed in a direction that is less than.

To fully taste or experience the pudding requires taking time to ingest, and digest, it. It’s interesting that Jesus starts the parable of the two sons with the question, “What is your opinion?” What’s it like to consider Jesus as wanting to know your opinion? Not just in a surface kind of way, but deep down and in the nitty-gritty details.

How are you inspired by the thought that Jesus values both you and your fellow human beings in terms of thoughts, feelings, and experiences? In what ways do you ask Jesus for his opinion?

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.” – Matthew 21:28-32