Take Courage | May 26, 2016

May 26, 2016

Raise your hand if you have ever been blind to something and found yourself calling out to God in the darkness; or if you have ever been rebuked for being “too needy”; or if you have ever been told to get over it; or if you have ever ignored people’s judgment and ran to Jesus anyway. If so…then today’s gospel is about you and me. Bartimaeus was physically blind and made his living begging outside the city walls. His blindness was his livelihood. Raise your hand if you have ever had a job that you hated. Bart wanted something different. He wanted to be changed. His physical blindness opened the eyes of his soul to see the heart of the matter.

While the crowd and the apostles thought that Bartimaeus was harassing Jesus for money, Jesus heard his heart and he knew what Bart was really after. So he encouraged him saying, “Take courage, get up; Jesus is calling you.” One word of encouragement from Christ and the feeble blind beggar jumps to his feet and feels his way through the crowd to Jesus. Raise your hand if you have ever had to feel your way through the dark. Now imagine doing that at a sprint. Jesus engages in Bart’s prayer by asking him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Here comes the best play on words, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus knew Bart’s faith already made him see and when that critical element is lived out authentically, then the things that keep us physically blind will be washed away (immediately, according to Jesus): a bad relationship, poor time management, anger issues, unforgiveness, materialism, status, secularism, etc.

When we are blind, we need to listen more and when we do, even through all the distractions and the noise, we will hear the voice of Jesus, calling us to him, asking, “What do you want me to do for you?” Let’s take Bart’s lead and follow it up with a resounding, “I want to see!” Then sit back and look at all the wonders God puts before you. Have a blessed day.

Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest
Lectionary: 350

Reading 1 1 PT 2:2-5, 9-12

Beloved:
Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk
so that through it you may grow into salvation,
for you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, 
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Once you were no people
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy
but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners
to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.
Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles,
so that if they speak of you as evildoers,
they may observe your good works
and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Responsorial Psalm PS 100:2, 3, 4, 5

R. (2c) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him;
bless his name.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Alleluia JN 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” 
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”
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.

Don’t Be A Loser | May 24, 2016

May 24, 2016

Today’s gospel gives me comfort. Every now and then I find myself wondering if the sacrifices I have made in the name of Jesus and for the ministry are worth it and Jesus’ words today tell me, yes. “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.” When guilt and regret creep in at not giving grandchildren to my parents, or when I realize that I am not anyone’s true love, or when I think that all I really own is a car payment, and when all these silly voices of the world bend my ear to get me to falter in my convictions, I have this gospel to remind me that we are not meant for this world, we are meant for the next and more over, “giving up” these things is really not a loss, but the only way for me to actually live.

Dad’s death has really helped put this all into perspective because at the end, he kept saying “don’t sweat the small stuff, there are much more important things with which to concern ourselves.” He’s right. The trick is to make sure that I am indeed following Jesus, because if I lose sight of that, then I am just a loser. Jesus doesn’t want a bunch of losers following him around like lost puppies. He wants convicted winners that know what is important and are strong enough to give up. Let’s be thankful for the blessings that have come with all the sacrifices we have willingly made in the name of love, and don’t be a loser.

Reading 1 1 PT 1:10-16

Beloved:
Concerning the salvation of your souls
the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
searched and investigated it
investigating the time and circumstances
that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated
when it testified in advance
to the sufferings destined for Christ
and the glories to follow them.
It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you
with regard to the things that have now been announced to you
by those who preached the Good News to you
through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
things into which angels longed to look.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly,
and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Like obedient children,
do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
but, as he who called you is holy,
be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
for it is written, Be holy because I am holy.

Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4

R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him, 
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.

Alleluia SEE MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus,
“We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.

But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.” 

Buttercup Moments | May 22, 2016

May 22, 2016

If you really knew me you would know that I love trinities. The Celtic symbol for the trinity is one of my favorite images because three circles, three units of wholeness intersect into one, each remaining their own circle, but at the core where the circles connect is a beautiful collection of a common essence, a shared spirit, and a fortified vortex. This is the place where sacredness happens. This is the heart of the matter. This is where belovedness is born. I love trinities because that is where our deepest self becomes its deepest self.

Every twosome becomes a trinity when we invite the Holy Spirit into the center, the proverbial mush pot of each of our relationships. As the Spirit enters in, our circles connect, first individually, and then with one another creating that fortified epicenter where God dwells.

Today is the feast of the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity and we reflect on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The twosome of the Father and the Son become a Trinity because of their perfect love for one another. God’s very essence is relationship. God’s fullness happens when persons fall in love, live in love, and are in love. God is love and love must flow between two in order to create that third and complete person.

As I sit here in prayer, on my 10^th straight day up here at Whispering Winds, having served as a music minister for two separate women’s retreats and of course as Buttercup, the 6^th grade camp wonder counselor, I take inventory of the Trinitarian nature of each of these experiences. The love between hearts in prayer, the exchange of self sacrifice between speakers and audiences, the flow of joy as laughter and giggles paint the walls with blessings, the melody of praise and thanksgiving, the conversations where God’s grace is discovered, the pulse of communion coursing through our veins, the hugs, the hugs, the hugs. Each one of these relationships were transformed into holy trinities because there was room for God at the center. How wonderful to end these 10 days of rich and abundant transfigurations with the feast of the Holy Trinity!

God is the master conductor and the symphony played up here on this Holy Ground has been wild, lovely, and unpredictable. My dad has been here the whole time whispering to me in the wind and watching the wonders that God does up here. I know he is proud and I know he loves me so.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Lectionary: 166

Reading 1 PRV 8:22-31

Thus says the wisdom of God:
"The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.

"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."

Responsorial Psalm PS 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2a) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Reading 2 ROM 5:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Alleluia CF. RV 1:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."