Marshmallows And Scavenger Hunts | May 21, 2016

May 21, 2016

Today’s gospel is close to my heart for obvious reasons, but indulge me for a bit as I list some of those reasons. “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Let the little children come and roast their very first marshmallow at a campfire overlooking a twilighted valley that echoes every squeal, every giggle, every song, and every snap crackle of the fire. As they blow the flaming torches with their gooey sweetness toasty and perfect, they delight in this moment of pure freedom: staying up way too late and imbibing on sugar, lots and lots of sugar. Children celebrate freedom with echoes and wonder and sweetness.

Let the little children come and stand on the sidewalk of a tiny gold mining town with mustard stains on their cheeks from their field trip snack lunches, waving and cheering at each car that drives by, praying, wishing, and hoping that the drivers will honk at them acknowledging their pleadings, affirming their existence, and simply playing their super fun game. With every honk these little ones jump for joy, revel in their success, and rejoice in the special mark they have just made on the world. Children delight in those that notice their specialness, in those that encourage their creativity, and in those that play along with them.

Let the little children come and snuggle in their beds, wired on freedom, hopped up on the sweetness of their souls, and Son-kissed by grace. They ask for a song and a story and as the melody fills the room, they settle into the arms of safety and comfort. Children rest when they feel loved.

Let the little children come and ask strangers on the street to help them in their amazing race scavenger hunt through the town of Julian. Putting on all their manners and trying their best to harness their intense energy so as to not frighten the poor strangers, they kindly ask a bald man if they can take his picture, only they tell just a little white lie and say that they need a picture of a man in whatever colored shirt he was wearing so he doesn’t feel self conscious about being bald. They wait patiently as the store clerk lets them look through every single nickel in her cash register until they find one from 1984. They become a little shy when they have to perform a limerick, crafted by them inside the Historical Julian Jail, but they are bold and audacious when they storm into the candy store for their very own shopping spree. And last but not least when they end their scavenger hunt in the small town church and list the 10,000 reasons they found God. Children love to search for hidden treasure and in the finding of the treasure they see God.

Let the little children come as they say their goodbyes through tears and thanksgiving for the experience of the best week of their lives. They ask me to go around the room and give words of affirmation to each one of them and as I tell them what I love about them, how they have changed my life, and something that is special about each one of them, they look me in the eye, no cell phones or screens or texts, and they hear Jesus loving them. Tears stream down their faces as they realize that they are loved just the way they are. Children want to belong, to know that they have purpose, worth, and specialness.

Today’s gospel tell us, “whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it,” so celebrate, delight, rest, search, and remember that you are loved unconditionally. Embrace the child of God within you and eat lots of candy, have a glow stick dance party, roll down a grassy hill, and run free in the meadow. The Kingdom of God awaits your childlike wonder. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 JAS 5:13-20

Beloved:
Is anyone among you suffering?
He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits?
He should sing a song of praise. 
Is anyone among you sick?
He should summon the presbyters of the Church,
and they should pray over him
and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick person,
and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
Elijah was a man like us;
yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,
and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.
Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain
and the earth produced its fruit.

My brothers and sisters,
if anyone among you should stray from the truth
and someone bring him back,
he should know that whoever brings back a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death 
and will cover a multitude of sins.

Responsorial Psalm PS 141:1-2, 3 AND 8

R. (2a) Let my prayer come like incense before you.
O LORD, to you I call; hasten to me;
hearken to my voice when I call upon you.
Let my prayer come like incense before you;
the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.
O LORD, set a watch before my mouth,
a guard at the door of my lips.
For toward you, O God, my LORD, my eyes are turned;
in you I take refuge; strip me not of life.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.

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 10:13-16

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.

Winning | May 17, 2016

May 17, 2016

The 6^th Grade Camp that I facilitate for a small Catholic School in San Diego is very loosely modeled after the TV show Survivor. This week we have two tribes competing all week for the grand prize of perpetual bragging rights for the rest of their lives. The Green Tribe, originally named Noah’s Ark, scrambled the letters and turned into SHAARK ON, and the Orange Tribe, originally named Holy Spirit, now known as HII SPORTLY. We have Tribal Challenges every day and the competitions range from bubble gum blowing contests to intense team building challenges that have emerged budding leaders, invoked tears, laughter, and even puking. Today we are nursing grass burns and sick stomachs from barrel rolling down the meadow (more than once), the tree swing spit out a tough little cookie named Andrea with which Letty and I had a little too much fun wrapping her wounds like a mummy and adorning her with multiple Band-Aids all over her face, and a make-shift sling out of her orange bandana. Each tribe has their own spirit, their own personality, their own strengths, and weaknesses. Right now the Green and Orange tribes are tied, neck and neck, and I have been asked the question, “Buttercup, which tribe is your favorite?” approximately 413 times!

Today’s gospel feels like 6^th grade camp and Jesus comes upon the apostles in a debate of some sort. Sure enough…they were scrapping over which one of them was the greatest. Grown men fighting over their pecking order with Jesus. I told you it’s just like 6^th grade camp! So Jesus took the opportunity to teach one of the most memorable lessons in the gospels. Raise your hand if you have ever been in a “careful what you ask for” predicament. Jesus even sat down for this lesson, which is the official posture for any Rabbi/Teacher, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Bam! Servant of ALL. Next move…Yes, I really do mean ALL, come here small child…come here squirrely little 6^th grader. I bet whatever child he called over was delighted to be picked by Jesus for the kickball team, blushed at being chosen by the coolest camp counselor around, and probably bragged all about it to their friends afterward. Grown men at the top of the food chain being slaves to unruly little humans?? Absurd!

Apostolic action is absurd according to the standards of the world, but Jesus teaches us in today’s gospel that we need to rise above the standards of the world by bending down to those considered less than. The kids up here at camp right now are city kids and have never even seen a night sky filled with stars, or eaten a s’more, or gone on a hike, or seen a deer, or had grass burns, or yelled from the top of a mountain. They are weird, and wild, and wonderful, and wonder-filled, and homesick, and growing up, and soon they will be teenagers with lots of drama and lots of hormones and lots of challenges, but right here, right now, they are eating popcorn in their pajamas and sniffling at the movie Lilo And Stitch (yes, the song “Aloha Oe” made them cry) and I am their servant and it is well with my soul. I will gladly allow them to spar over who is Buttercup’s favorite, because of course; each one of them is my favorite. Jesus calls us to receive these little ones in his name today and how lovely that I get to literally do that. As I receive these little ones, I receive him, and I receive the one who sent him. Winning!

Reading 1 JAS 4:1-10

Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world 
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy? 
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.

Responsorial Psalm PS 55:7-8, 9-10A, 10B-11A, 23

R. (23a) Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
Far away I would flee;
I would lodge in the wilderness.”
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
“I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels. 
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls. 
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed. 
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

Alleluia GAL 6:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it. 
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men 
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” 
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?” 
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest. 
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first, 
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” 
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, 
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Help My Unbelief | May 16, 2016

May 16, 2016

Mondays after a retreat weekend might be some of the hardest days and at the same time, some of the richest days. The “retreat high” is a real condition that affects the way one sees things and it can either make your glasses rosier in color or it can invoke a certain disappointment in the world that remained down in the valley. I, myself, am having my very own Monday after retreat kind of day and my eyes are pink with optimism, my heart is still “pentecosting” with joy, my hair remains tousled by the rushing wind of the Spirit, and I feel the glow of Transfiguration on my face. I did music for the Women’s Auxiliary retreat up at Whispering Winds and the theme was “Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious.” In essence, the speaker, Pat Gohn, opened our hearts and eyes to the genius of feminine spirituality and the wonders that God specifically imbedded into the souls of every woman: receptivity, generosity, sensitivity, and maternity. Each one of these gifts is an expression and manifestation of the Holy Spirit within us and they give women a special set of eyes and ears, a supple heart, room inside for life to gestate and grace to be born. It’s a powerful image to ponder and I highly recommend the book, Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious by Pat Gohn.

Today’s gospel is the proverbial Monday after for Jesus, Peter, James, and John as they came down the mountain from their Transfiguration retreat. Life in the valley was business as usual with an argument among the people in full swing. Raise your hand if you’ve ever had your retreat high killed by “real life.” When Jesus inquires as to what they are bickering about he learns that his disciples were unable to heal a son possessed by a demon while he and the others were away on retreat. His disappointment was evident when he said, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” This moment of frustration resonates with me as I have had many a frustrating reality check coming home from retreat. The world has remained the same even in the midst of my transformed heart and the drastic juxtaposition of the two can be off putting for sure. Jesus then gives significant instruction on the power of faith. When the father of the possessed son uses the word “if”, Jesus emphasizes it in his rebuke…”IF you can??? Anything is possible with faith!” The man replies with a prayer that I use often and that I find extremely practical, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” At this, Jesus healed the man. When we get real with Jesus, he gets real with us. Faith is one of those gifts that never stops growing and has no limit to its capacity. “Help my unbelief” is one of those prayers that acknowledges our own limits and gives God permission to fertilize the seeds of faith deeply rooted in each of us.

Jesus was at the height of his own earthly ministry having just heard his Father’s voice from the cloud tell his closest apostles, “This is my son, whom I love, listen to him.” Their faith must have been amplified times a million by that experience. Raise your hand if your faith has ever been amplified because of an intimate encounter with God. It is these experiences that take our faith up another notch and empower us to be receptive to the power of the Holy Spirit, give ourselves generously to one another, see the heart of things, and to essentially connect with eternity. The gospel ends with the answer to a question that might come up often in our own lives, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” or Why do bad things happen? Why didn’t my faith save my dad from death? Why? Jesus answers, “This kind can only come out through prayer.” Faith needs to be cultivated with strong piety and a consistent prayer life. When our faith is big, deeply rooted, and gently nurtured those things that are not of the Holy Spirit will be driven out of our lives and hopefully the lives of our loved ones. It’s a process and it requires transfigurations, transformations, transubstantiations, and the transparency to pray, “help my unbelief.”

I’m with twenty-four 6^th graders this week for camp at Whispering Winds and I know that there will be many instances where I find myself saying, “Everything is possible to the one who has faith!” Amen.

Reading 1 JAS 3:13-18

Beloved:
Who among you is wise and understanding?
Let him show his works by a good life 
in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts,
do not boast and be false to the truth.
Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.

Responsorial Psalm PS 19:8, 9, 10, 15

R. (9a) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple. 
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye. 
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just. 
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

Alleluia SEE 2 TM 1:10

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

Gospel MK 9:14-29

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him. 
He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
Someone from the crowd answered him,
“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”
He said to them in reply,
“O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” 
They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around 
and foam at the mouth. 
Then he questioned his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?” 
He replied, “Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus said to him,
“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!”
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!”
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
“Why could we not drive the spirit out?”
He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”