The Bold And The Beautiful | October 25, 2015

October 25, 2015

What descriptive word would go in front of your name forever? It struck me today that poor Bartimaeus would be referred to as Blind Bartimaeus for all of time and yet there are many other adjectives that could be used for him.

BOLD Bartimaeus.

The gospel says that he merely heard that Jesus was near and started crying out, not just his name, but the title indicating that he was indeed the Messiah, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” How bold for this blind beggar to risk his life with one courageous sentence. What did he have to lose? I must ask myself the same question, what do I have to lose by crying out to God with the boldness of Bartimaeus? He kept shouting knowing that eventually The Christ would hear, not his name, but the proclamation that he is Messiah. In fact, that is exactly what prompted the apostles to try and shut him up. They were not ready for the scandal yet. I know what it’s like to be in a huge crowd and how loud you need to yell for whatever famous person you are there to see to hear you…..click here for a 19 second real life example (sorry for the upside down display) https://youtu.be/y26cHAOpeBw

BRAVE Bartimaeus

Bartimaeus kept yelling even when people were actively trying to silence him. I know I am not this brave, one shush from a stranger and my lips are sealed. Bartimaus’ next move took some guts as well. He ditched his cloak, his only earthly possession, knowing that he would literally never see it again, “sprang up”, and did a blind sprint toward Jesus. This sounds like some sort of youth group game to me when I blindfold them and tell them to sprint across the room. It’s almost comical, however, Brave Bartimaeus knew that he needed to get to the Messiah and he was willing to do anything to make that happen.  I know I need to get to the Messiah, but am I willing to do anything? I’m not sure I’m that brave yet.

BEAUTIFUL Bartimaeus

Bartimaeus knew what Jesus was capable of and so he asked for it. How often to we think we don’t deserve something or are unworthy to receive the gifts that Jesus wants to give us and we feel ashamed to ask him? Beautiful Bartimaeus shows us that we ARE worthy and that Jesus wants us to come to him, immediately, boldly, and just as we are. Beautiful Bartimaeus gives us a perfect prayer that I know I need to plead for daily, “I want to see.” Now, of course, Blind Bartimaeus was asking for physical sight, but we all know that spiritual sight is exactly what Jesus restored and he wants desperately to restore that same kind of sight in each one of us. When we see with the eyes of our heart, then we will see just how beautiful we are because we were made in pure love.

BELOVED Bartimaeus

He asked to see and Jesus delivered because he was in love with Bartimaeus. He’s in love with you and he’s in love with me. He’s in love because he is love and love begets love. Therefore, we are his Beloved. It’s a concept that stumps me every day, but Bold, Brave, Beautiful Bartimaeus gets that he is Beloved. He gets it and because he truly believes it, Jesus proclaims, “Go your way; your faith has saved you." Bartimaeus could have gone in another direction because Jesus gives him the option to “Go YOUR way.” Once Blind Bartimaeus can see, he chose “his way” immediately and “followed him on the way.” I want to have this kind of faith so that I too will immediately follow him on the way and know that his way is my way. Understanding my belovedness gives me the faith to see exactly where he is leading me and the courage to follow.

I wonder what adjective(s) would go in front of my name for eternity in regards to my faith life? Joyful Jen? Jealous Jen? Jumping Jen? Jaded Jen? Joking Jen? Judgmental Jen? It’s something for us all to think about today. Let’s try to be bold, brave, beautiful, and beloved and pray the 2 perfect prayers that Blind Bartimaeus gives us, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” and “I want to see.”

Reading 1 JER 31:7-9

Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them back
from the land of the north;
I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
they shall return as an immense throng.
They departed in tears,
but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
Ephraim is my first-born.

Responsorial Psalm PS 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Reading 2 HEB 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.

Alleluia CF. 2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
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.

Burrito or Pizza? | October 24, 2015

October 24, 2015

I have this great ministry tool at work called the question ball. It is a regular beach ball with dozens of icebreaker questions sharpied all over it. Whenever I interview kids or just hang out in the youth center, I pull out the question ball and we throw it back and forth answering whatever question our right thumb lands on. The questions range from “Burrito or Pizza?” to “How would you describe heaven?” It’s an effective tool that is non-threatening and makes it easy for teens to talk. Anyway, there is one question on the ball that says, “What if everyone looked identical?” It’s one of those questions that make you think just a little harder and then your brain starts to ache at the thought of everyone actually looking the same as one another. We talk about how we would differentiate ourselves and that personality would be even more paramount than it is today. We would rely on our different strengths and talents to shine through and perhaps the sound of our voice would be a defining characteristic. Clothing could be a form of differentiation as well and the discussion can go on and on. I think today’s gospel gives us another insight as to what defines us as unique individuals with a soul and that is the fruit produced through our life.

The gospel begins with Jesus pulling an object lesson out of a current event. Apparently Pilate had 18 Galileans killed (reason is unknown) and irreverently he mixed their blood with that of the Sabbath sacrifices. Jesus uses this as a talking point for sin and our human idea that there are various degrees of sin. The ancient culture associated death, sickness, and suffering with an individual’s sin and the more severe the death, sickness, or suffering the greater the person’s sin must be. So Jesus started asking some rhetorical questions, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?” Jesus answers his own question with an emphatic, “By no means!” (knowing that each one of them probably already answered yes in their head), “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” Jesus is leading up to the point that we are not defined by our sin unless we allow it to define us and repentance is the only way to fight against that possibility. We are responsible for our own actions and while we might look identical to one another because of our sin, in that we ALL do sin, and the consequence of ALL sin is in fact death, we have an opportunity to define ourselves another way. Repentance is the first step in differentiating ourselves from one another and the first step in the process of our spiritual growth.

Jesus tells a parable for the next part of the story. A fig tree is used as a metaphor to demonstrate whether sin or faith define our lives. Jesus had been preaching for about three years all throughout the region correlating himself to the landowner in the story that had been watching a particular fig tree for three years as well. The tree was receiving the proper care by a full-time gardener and still had not produced any fruit. The master instructed him to cut it down so that it no longer exhausted the soil in which it was planted. This message was obviously meant for those that Jesus had been with for three years including the apostles, disciples, and yes, the religious leaders, but it most definitely applies to us as well. We are all under the care of a full-time master gardener and we have been given many tools, gifts, and talents to receive that care in the most effective way possible. The thing that sucks the life out of our fruitful harvest is sin, but repentance for our sins is the thing that advances our spiritual growth in ways that we can never fully grasp. The gardener serves as an example that prayer and intercession can and do move the mind and heart of God, for he pleads with the master to give him just one more year to cultivate and fertilize the tree. We are the gardeners to each other’s souls and we know that a life lived in Christian community is very fertile ground. When one of us is not producing fruit, we serve as advocates on behalf of one another, and we step in to cultivate and fertilize. I rely on my soul friends to make sure that the soil around me is rich, to pray for me when I am barren, and to cultivate my faith when it is weak.

Jesus wants us to be fruitful because he wants our faith in him to define us. We get so caught up in our own sin and the sin of others that we forget to pick the fruit and soon it falls to the ground and rots, and our limbs are left empty with nothing to show of our faith in Christ. Let us take some time today to turn our hearts back toward God in repentance for the things that have turned us away from him. Let’s not worry about the sins of others, but rather take care of their soil, pray for the lost, and harvest the fruit that comes from our faith in Christ. When asked the question, “What if everyone looked identical?” hopefully, we would be able to say that we can distinguish ourselves by our fruits and that identity will give each one of us a unique and irreplaceable presence that says, “Faith defines me, not my sin!”

(And that answer is always burrito over pizza! Duh!)

Reading 1 ROM 8:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has freed you from the law of sin and death. 
For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do,
this God has done:
by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh
are concerned with the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the spirit
with the things of the spirit. 
The concern of the flesh is death,
but the concern of the spirit is life and peace.
For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God;
it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it;
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1B-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Alleluia EZ 33:11

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
but rather in his conversion that he may live.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply, 
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way 
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed 
when the tower at Siloam fell on them—
do you think they were more guilty 
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: 
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, 
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree 
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also, 
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”

Toilet Paper Shortage | October 21, 2015

October 21, 2015

I wouldn’t say I’m the world’s worst procrastinator (or I guess I should say the world’s best procrastinator), but I have been known to completely run out of toilet paper in my house at the most unfortunate times because I was not on top of it. I am famous for showing up to my friend’s houses and walking out the door with a roll of toilet paper in my purse. I am jealous of those people that have their cupboards stocked with things like extra you know food, toiletries, batteries, flashlights, and all those good things that would help you survive a nuclear holocaust. Let’s face it, the ¾ of a bottle of wine on my counter, package of hot dogs and vanilla ice cream in the freezer, and assortment of hot sauces in the fridge are not going to keep me alive for very long. When it comes to preparing for natural disasters, I am undeniably inept. I went to the store last night in desperate need of toilet paper and walked out with coffee and vanilla ice cream. I procrastinate and don’t really plan ahead with silly domestic matters like extra batteries and TP, but the real question is, do I procrastinate in matters of the heart?

If I’m being honest, I definitely do on some level for example confession has been on my list of things to do for months now and I still have not managed to get there. Confession and toilet paper are both extremely necessary for obvious reasons and yet, I somehow manage to put them on the bottom of my priority list (hee hee, the pun!!). While I get up at the crack of dawn to pray daily, and ingest a healthy dose of scripture regularly, and I praise God in my work and in my free time, I still can always manage to do better. I know better and so I must do better. Today’s gospel is specifically meant for those of us considered leaders in our faith and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you are reading this blog, yep, YOU are a leader in faith.

Jesus sets up the parable like this, “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Peter, assuming the leadership role, asks, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” It’s not really a loaded question, but Jesus definitely uses the opportunity to give a personalized lesson to the men that would eventually establish the universal church. He says that leaders are responsible for providing food for their followers at the proper time and blessed are they when the Master finds them doing so, and boo when they are found NOT doing so.  I think a lot of times I think, well I still have time to get it right and all that really matters is that I have it together when I actually meet God face to face, however, I need to remember that the way I live my life will be the way that I also come before God. I better start best practices now, which means serving others, in the proper time, and the proper time always means NOW.

Jesus is setting the Apostle’s up for the practicum of this lesson, which is when he washes their feet at the Last Supper, just four days away. He tells them what makes a good leader and then he shows them. Once we have been told what the Father’s will is and once we have been shown how to live out the Father’s will, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” This sentence tends to make people choose ignorance over knowledge or following over leading. It seems daunting and just a failure waiting to happen, however, if we look at the sentence, Jesus clearly tells us that leaders are chosen and trusted by God. The mere exercise of being chosen automatically empowers us to shine and add being trusted on top of that, well that is the icing on the cake. We will behave according to our level of preparation and the only way to prepare is to plan, practice, and proclaim. Planning requires thought and knowledge of the possibilities and comes from listening and observing. Practice comes from actually living the call that we have been given and practice always implies that it is not yet perfected, so keep trying. Proclaiming stands on a solid foundation of well practiced plans. We can only preach what we truly know and believe, and that comes from planning and practice.

Strong leaders are hard to catch off guard. They are well practiced and ready for almost any situation. They understand the value in maintaining integrity, even when the boss is not looking. Jesus is instructing the Apostles and us to be well planned, and practiced. If you have ever run out of toilet paper, you know the feeling of dread, embarrassment, and complete foolishness, not to mention your pants are usually around your ankles making the situation all the more humiliating. I don’t know about you, but I would rather meet Jesus while he is sitting on his heavenly throne and not while I am sitting on the porcelain throne without any toilet paper. Prepare | Practice | Proclaim and you’ll be ready for the Master to come.

Reading 1 ROM 6:12-18

Brothers and sisters:
Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies
so that you obey their desires.
And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin
as weapons for wickedness,
but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life
and the parts of your bodies to God
as weapons for righteousness. 
For sin is not to have any power over you,
since you are not under the law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law
but under grace? 
Of course not!
Do you not know that if you present yourselves
to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey,
either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart
to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

Responsorial Psalm PS 124:1B-3, 4-6, 7-8

R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us, 
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive;
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us 
a prey to their teeth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers’ snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Alleluia MT 24:42A, 44

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 12:39-48

Jesus said to his disciples: 
“Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly. 
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”