"I-Popping" or "Ear, I am"2/28/2021 2nd Sunday of Lent
And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. The Gospel of the Transfiguration is one of my “all time” favorites. It invites us into a moment of God’s glory shining in and through the humanity of Jesus. It’s an invitation to recognize the divine presence within us that comes to us through Jesus, the Beloved. Most times when I pray with this Gospel, I am enrapt by the image of Jesus transfigured, the conversation with Moses and Elijah, the cloud, the voice and the words “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” Today, however, the rapture is overshadowed by worries, fears and anxieties. Who isn’t, these days? Worries about the health of a loved one, or one’s own health, the fears and anxieties about the Covid 19 Virus, and the state of the world and our country are casting a shadow that are blocking out the light radiating from the face of the Beloved. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. The question for me and for all of us is “When life’s cares and concerns are overshadowing the beauty and the blessings, can we still here the voice of the Beloved, saying, “Rise and do not be afraid.” And can we see Jesus with us, not transfigured in light but in the shadows of our day-to-day struggles to trust and believe in him? Will we let our fears overshadow the love and compassion Jesus has for us? This was my journal entry on March 8th last year. As I reread it, I could hardly believe how prescient it was. Who would have imagined the shroud of death and darkness that would cover the earth over the past year? Who would have imagined how clouded our vision would become as we lived in a world transfigured not by light and hope but confusion and anxiety. And yet, there have been transfiguring moments, glimmers of hope and light. How have you seen the face of Christ transfigured in the past year? How have you heard the voice of God affirm that you are beloved? I am fortunate to be transfigured most mornings by the skies here that are eye-popping! Not every day is but so many are. I am transfixed and transfigured by Beauty. I share with you a homily I wrote in 2018 that is more about “sound” than “light.” Perhaps the title of today’s entry should be “Ear, I am!” 2nd_sunday_of_lent_2018.docx
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A Wick's Work2/26/2021 Friday of the First Week of Lent
I couldn’t find a photo that would capture the essence of “Wicked Good,” a poem I wrote last year on this Friday of the First Week of Lent, inspired by the Ezekiel reading on “wicked.” Since I use the image of the “wick” in the poem, I decided to use the photo of the Paschal Candle. You could think of this as Christ’s wick which draws the fuel up in us so that we may shine brightly. Wicked Good! Wicked Good! Wicked which? Wicked evil, yes Wicked good, no One cannot be both/and Or can one be two at once? Wicked comes from wicca, Witch or wizard. Wicca which? One who casts spells And instills fears? Or one who casts cares To the west wind Knowing nature heals, Herbs powers Nature’s wizardry Drying herbs releasing Healing remedies. Ezekiel assays, Good as gold or Wicked as a western witch? Which is which? Do not be so wick to judge, Ezekiel essays to say, “One’s wick can absorb both Good and evil What makes the difference Is what one does Not ‘who one is.” Will your wick work For good and not for evil, Burning brightly, God’s glow, sheen And shine, waxing And not waning. Jesus, the wizard of us Cast out demons and nets Freeing some, catching others Jesus, the wizard of us Knew how to cast spells Knowing nature’s healing A single word enough to hear And be healed, God was this wizard’s Source, sirree, He sees the good as gold In each and every, which way, he knows us for what we are, a patchwork of guilt and grace a wick’s work of guile and good The wizard of Us knows we are Wicked Good! "Shall" Oh!2/25/2021 Thursday of the First Week of Lent
“Ask and you shall receive.” Who uses “shall” anymore? “Will” seems to have replaced, “shall,” except in formal legal language. Earlier translations in English of this passage from Matthew’s Gospel, used “shall.” More contemporary ones use “will.” Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. As I prayed with this passage this morning, I became fixated on the difference between “shall” and “will.” “Shall” sounds more fixed and forceful, almost “immediate.” “Will” sounds more vague; somewhere in the future. Perhaps the reason I prefer “shall” is that I want prayers answered asap. I want to trust that God can and will do what I’ve begged for “haste post haste.” Does this mean my faith is “shallow?” Do I really trust that Jesus’ words have power and are trustworthy? I hear the words “Ask and you shall receive,” and I think, “shall” Oh! God will answer me but no answer comes. I haven’t received what I have asked for. Sounds pretty “shallow” to me! Suggestions for Prayer: As you read today’s scripture with Jesus’ promise that you will receive if you ask, find if you seek and find an open door if you know, what feelings arise in you? Do you trust these words of Jesus? Has this been your lived experience that when you have asked, you have received etc.? Speak to Jesus as one friend speaks to another. What does he have to say to you about your own disappointments when you feel that you have not received, found or felt the door closed on you? Does he have any encouraging words for you? The photo above of the "shallows" and the "stones" seems appropriate for today's reflection "Shall-oh!" as well as the Gospel passage: "For which one of you would give a child a stone, when they asked for a loaf of bread?" During this pandemic year, the door of the Eucharistic Chapel that is ordinarily closed, has been open to provide more air flow between the rooms. There is something very beautiful about the doors remaining open during this time since so many doors have been closed to us. And we have been very fortunate to have been able to keep the doors of the retreat house open to retreatants since last June. Resent Relent Repent2/24/2021 Resent, Repent, Relent. They could be the three “Rs” of the Lenten Season. Will you hold on to hurts, grudges, resentments or will you let go of them? To resent or repent and relent is at the heart of the Jonah story that is the first reading today.
Today’s text gives only the bare outline of the story and doesn’t let us see Jonah as the “unforgiving, cranky, sulky” guy he really is. The issue for Jonah is that he’s running away from God because he doesn’t like the fact that God is SO merciful. He knows that if he preaches repentance to the Ninevites, they will repent, and God will relent. After they do repent and God relents, Jonah resents God for his gracious mercy. “He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 4:2) The photos I have chosen to accompany today’s reflection show snow melting. Resentment is as hard as the rock that you see. Relenting comes from the word to be flexible or to melt. It also means to “bend back.” (I think of God’s “bending over backwards” to show us love, compassion and forgiveness.) I’m sure that during the past year with quarantines, lockdown, isolation, distancing you have had many “cranky, sulky, even angry moments.” I know I have! Suggestion for Prayer Is there anything of Jonah that you recognize in yourself? What’s God’s invitation to you as you begin this Lenten journey? Speak to God as one friend speaks to another: How flexible are you? How flexible is God with you? Babble On or Bubble Up?2/23/2021 Tuesday of the First week of Lent This is the same title I used on this day last year. I really like it! The reflection below is what I part of the “Arc of the Covenant” Lenten/Easter journey. Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. Jesus says to his disciples, “Don’t babble on”. Keep your prayer simple. There’s no need for an excess of words. Speak from the heart and notice if the gifts of the spirit are “bubbling up” in you. We usually don’t associate “joy” with the Lenten season. Joy always feels “light” where Lent has a heaviness to it. Whether it be the weight of the Cross, the weight of our sinfulness, the weight of the world, during Lent we are more weighed down than buoyed up. Easter is the time for bubbling and even babbling with sheer joy. Even in Lent, however, we can be surprised by joy. If we listen closely to the babbling and bubbling of today’s scripture, the Spirit may not “brook” any opposition to the joyful sounds within and without. Isaiah begins with the beautiful image of the earth watered and made fruitful by the snow and the rain. God’s word is living, active and effective if we let it take root in us. God’s Word is Jesus, himself and if we listen to him, and let him work through us, we may be delighted with what happens and the difference we can make as instruments of his peace and his joy. There is as well a beautiful image in the psalm today “Look to God and be radiant with joy and your faces may not blush with shame.” Even in this Lenten season with all the worries of our world today, can we radiate joy that comes from seeing the face of God in creation and the face of Jesus in our brothers and sisters? As you know, joy cannot be programmed. It’s spontaneous and surprising. It’s really not up to us to decide to be joyful in the midst of the troubles of the world. Joy is gift and it comes when and where we least expect it and may be an important reminder that the Spirit of God is still bubbling up, even when we “babble on.” Suggestion for Prayer KIS! Keep it simple, as Jesus says. What’s bubbling up in you as you pray with these scriptures. What is a source of joy for you during these times that bring such sadness? Last year on this Tuesday of the First week of Lent, the morning’s dawn and sun rise was a source of great joy for me. Here’s a video link and a poem that hopefully capture the breath and beauty of the morning. https://vimeo.com/395176744 The Band Played on It began with a band. A strip of light elastic Stretching horizon’s length A string of light fantastic Separating sky from sea And at the sight, My heart beating Drum-like Rat-a-tat. Rat-a-tat The band played on. Measure for measure More and more Color’s crescendo Splaying across sky Playing “on the sea” Rubato reds Obligato oranges Jazzy blues and stretto yellows. And at the sight My heart thumping Tuba-like Oom-pah, Oom-pah The band played on Brash and brassy A celestial organ sounding, No muted trumpets or tones. Bands of angels, All coloraturas cry, Pull out all the stops! Let heaven display Its power and its glory! Holy, Holy, Holy, Seraphim seen not heard And at the sight, my heart thrumming strung like a band of light across horizon’s length God’s vibrato Playing on my heartstrings. And I can’t resist sharing the photo from this morning’s predawn. Pretty stunning! Once Upon a Rock2/22/2021 Once Upon a Rock….
Monday of the 1st Week in Lent/ Chair of St Peter Beautiful pre-dawn this morning, illuminating Brace Rock. On Monday of the First Week of Lent in an “ordinary” Lent, the Gospel we hear is Matthew 25, “the sheep and the goats.” Since this is no “ordinary” Lent, it should come as no surprise that this year is different! The feast of the “Chair of Peter” falls on February 22nd and these readings replace those for Monday of the First Week of Lent. And so, I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. The photo above will be recognizable to you as our “Brace Rock” with everyone’s favorite “pine” in the foreground. Shall we call her “Petra” or “Petronella!” That would connect her with Peter, “Petros.” Suggestion for Prayer: Can you imagine in prayer a conversation between Brace Rock and Petronella the Pine Tree? Each in its own way is buffeted by storms, winds, and high tides. What would each say to the other? What kind of comfort and strength would they receive from each other? Does this conversation speak to your own relationship with God as Rock, Fortress, Shelter? As I prayed this morning imagining this conversation, this is what came to me. I’m just beginning to write and we’ll see where it goes during the week. “Good Morning, Miss Petronella. Did you sleep well last night?” “At least forty winks!, Mr. Brace. It’s Lent you know! Actually, I did sleep through the night. Without any winds to wake me, and the sea serene, I was able to sleep. You know what it’s like in a storm! Impossible! And though, it was chilly, I still have some sap within me that keeps me warm, although at my age! “Well, my dear Petronella, let’s not talk about age! I am so much older than you! I’ve lost count of the years!” “I have to say, Mr Bruce, that you looked absolutely stunning in the dawn’s early light. The Red color in the horizon brings out the best in you.! “Oh, miss Petronella, you’re making me blush! I can take no credit for that. It’s all the sun’s doing. I just find myself in the right place at the right time. And, of course, it’s not as if I can move! I’ve been in this very same place for millennia now.” “For me, a century, that’s the life span of a pine tree.” “Ah yes, I remember when you were just a sprout! I loved watching you grow into the beautiful pine you became with so many branches and cones. I loved the way you were all “spruced up.” Tempted or Tempered?2/21/2021 First Sunday of Lent
I’m sharing with you most of the materials that I’m sending out to EP retreatants as part of the “Arc of the Covenant: From Ashes to Tongues of Fire.” In addition, I’m including a poem I wrote this morning, Tempted or Tempered? If it feels like you have been on a year-long Lenten journey, you are not alone. We, as a human community have been “fasting” from the ordinary pleasures of sharing meals, companionship, simple embraces. Everyone that we know has been “praying” constantly for an end to the pandemic and a return to some semblance of normal life. Our “alms” have been the sacrifices we have been making all year long, wearing masks and keeping social distance so that others are kept safe from the virus. It gives a whole new meaning to the word, “Relentless!” And yet, here we are entering the Lenten season again. We are asked to “re-lent.” For our communities who have been engaged in a year-long fast, praying intensely and making all sorts of sacrifices, are we really ready to begin again, when it feels like we have never ended last year’s penitential time? Is there a way of looking at this Lent through a different lens? Can we take the cue from the rainbow which is the sign of the Covenant that God made with Noah, as we hear in the first reading today? There is something about a “rainbow” that always delights. It usually appears in the sky after a storm, but the conditions have to be perfect for you to see it. More often than not you are surprised by this arc of color. Here at Eastern Point, we have many examples of the arc stretching a good length of the horizon. Sometimes it’s a “double rainbow!” “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Suggestions for Prayer Ask for the grace to enter more deeply into the covenant that God has made with us in Jesus Christ. What might be the signs of this covenant love in your life? How is God revealing “hesed/loving kindness” during this graced time? Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant. Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old. In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD. R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant. Good and upright is the LORD, thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, and he teaches the humble his way. What are the words and phrases in today’s psalm that you might savor? Spend time with the words that speak to you of God’s covenant love. What are the feelings that emerge as you pray with them? Mark’s Gospel gives us the briefest account of Jesus’ temptations in the desert. There is no dialogue as there is in Matthew’s and Luke’s account. This account leaves a great deal to the imagination! The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. From my own imagination came a story, “Malachi’s Message” in which two young shepherd children meet a stranger in the desert caves. They are the “angels” who ministered to them. malachis_message.pdf Ask for the grace to know who the angels are who have ministered to you during this difficult year of isolation and hunger for companionship and the “ordinary.” How have they lifted your spirits, like the “rainbow” sign of the covenant does every time we see one? Tempted or Tempered? He steals away into the wilderness. Desert’s allure calls him from day to day dues and don’ts. He hopes to hear again the echo of Love’s voice, when sky was rent, rending him speechless. Tender words, heard “You, the one and only.” He seeks to find a place Where sound resounds ricocheting round him, vibrations well tempering chords of love. No need to knock where there are no doors but only open space where silence has the first and last word. What drove him desert-ward except to hear again Abba’s voice evoking wonder and wanting assurance, insuring himself against double-dealing doubt that all was just illusion? He waited and waited. In cave by day shunning desert’s heat and shifting sands, Outside by night sleeping under starlit skies, searching magi-like for signs and wondering when the voice would re-sound in ears attuned to Love’s timbre No need for food. His fare? Holding fast to a memory. Each day of forty promising A repeat performance. But no voice was heard, tempting him to test the waters of disbelief, wading into the wiles and Tricks the mind plays. “Play God,” he hears A voice from where? Within? Without? “Sway God,” he hears Louder now, “You have it in you!” The roar of one lying in wait, preparing to pounce “After all Is said and sung, The second psalm calls you Son! Own it all!” Another voice whispers his inner ear ringing, Could it be her voice singing? “Let it be done to you” He steels himself. This testing tempers him. No caving in to power’s ploys and Satan’s schemes. The whispered voice speaks Volumes. Not so- Fast2/19/2021 Friday after Ash Wednesday
A friend posted in Facebook these words from Pope Francis: Do you want to fast this Lent? Fast from words that hurt others Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude Fast from anger and be filled with patience Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. Fast from worries and have trust in God. Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity Fast from pressures and be prayerful. Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. Fast from words; be silent and listen Very wise words from a pastoral Pope! Today’s scriptures have “fasting” as a primary theme. But it’s not fasting in the physical sense an authentic change of heart that is not focused inward but outward. This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! Last year on this day when “fasting” was on my mind, I saw a squirrel “feasting” on the sunrise. I wrote “Squirrel Scramble.” Friday after Ash Wednesday Squirrel Scramble I saw a squirrel squatting on a stone wall holding fast for a few seconds. I wondered if he were feasting his eyes on the golden kernel of sunrise as I was or was he in search of kernels of another kind? Was he aching for acorns or fasting from feasting ? Was he searching for stores or asking for more than oaks can provide? “Squirrels do not live on acorns alone.” I saw a squirrel Scurrying away Holding fast no more. Had his hunger tempted him To break fast from this glorious feast for the eyes, this golden kernel of sunrise? Had his aching for acorns consumed him? Has his searching for sturdy oaks blurred his vision of sun’s rising over a rock of ages, symbol of steadfast love? I saw myself in a squirrel scampering away from steadfast Rock and squirrel fortifying me with wisdom’s kernels. Fast, yes, when it comes to acorns Fast, no, when it’s time for slow Hold fast to the one who Holds you Fast! "Grit or Grace?"2/18/2021 Thursday after Ash Wednesday Is life a test or a gift? It’s a question that I’ve asked myself when I’ve reflected on the meaning of life. Is it one or the other? Is it either a test or a gift? Or is it both? As we begin the Lenten journey it may make a difference whether we approach this time with “gratitude” or with” grit.” Most of us see Lent as a time of testing, trial and temptations to be avoided. We may feel that God is testing us, and we need to prove our worthiness through ascetic practices. More than any other time we need to practice self-control if we consider ourselves disciples. As Jesus says in today’s gospel, “If you wish to come after me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” Following Jesus demands “grit.” But “grit” without “grace” misses the mark. (That’s what “sin” is in its original meaning, “hamartia” or “missing the mark.”) I miss the mark in this Lenten season when I think it’s all about “me.” If I grit my teeth and determine to be “better”, I can pass the test and after these 40 Lenten days, I’ll receive some reward for my efforts. But “grit” without “grace” misses the mark. If we can focus more on the grace than on the grit, we may first of all realize that we are already “redeemed.” This morning a friend reminded me of Fry.Walter Burghardt, the well-known Jesuit preacher, always saying on Ash Wednesday, “It’s Lent. Look redeemed!” Is it possible in this Lenten season to receive this time as a gift, a grace in which we come to know the infinite love God is for us in Jesus Christ? Could Jesus’ exhortation to “deny yourself” mean “don’t take yourself too seriously?” Could Jesus’ exhortation to “take up your cross”, mean “don’t be afraid to let go of the idea that you are in control of your life?” Both meanings may help to see life and this Lenten time as more “gift” than “test”, as more “grace” than “grit”. This was the reflection I wrote on the day after Ash Wednesday 2 years ago. I thought it was worth sharing again because I believe that there is something very true about how we “choose life” as Moses says, and “lose life” as Jesus says. And yet, after the year we have had, it does feel like life is more of a test than a gift. We’ve needed to have the "grit," the determination to face another day of the pandemic, the political divisions in our country, the natural disasters due to climate change. Most days do not feel like “gift.” But there is something about “grit” that moves me to think of the “pearls of great price” in our lives. As you know, it’s the “grit” inside the oyster that creates the pearl. Without the “grit,” there would be no pearls. So today, I’m thinking of “grit” and “grace” as a “both/and.” It might be easier if all were “grace” but it wasn’t that way for Jesus either. He had to have the “grit” and determination to face each day and also recognize the traces of grace. As you contemplate the photo above (not mine) what do you think is in the mind of the person who sees the long and winding road before him? Is he filled with "true grit" and determined to face the challenges or is just grateful that he is able to walk the road, one step at a time? (Yes, I know that the photo below is a scallop shell and not an oyster but it is the symbol of the Camino of Santiago de Compostela, a journey that demands "grit" and is "full of grace." February 17th, 20212/17/2021 Ash Wednesday
As I’m getting ready for a day of prayer, “Remember that you are loved, and to love you shall return,” I don’t have time to write a reflection this morning. Perhaps this afternoon? For now I share with you “What a Whorl?” which I wrote the day after Ash Wednesday last year. We certainly did not know then what in what a “whorl” we would find ourselves this past year! 2-27 What a Whorl! What a whorl we live in! Is life a line straight? An arrow from here to there? Not on your life! No, life’s eddy finding, twisting, turning swirling, whirling storm’s imprinting pooling and pulling this way and that and always whipping up a fury and frenzy. Virile or viral? Our human weakness all at once in a whorl. Yes! Today a straight path from ashes to Easter. (By the time we get to Phoenix. He’ll be rising.) Even ashes etched in straight line cross-roads, as if the journey would have clear markings! No, look closely! Ashes bear the whorls Of human fingers Imprinted on brows, beating the odds of death’s victory over life. What whorl we do when ways are not straight and one strays, skipping along life’s yellow trick road with its mindless, heartless and cowardly lines? “Choose life” Moses remans. “Lose life” Jesus reminds. If the world we live in were not such a whorl of choosing and losing, perhaps the path would be straight as an arrow from here to there from ashes to Easter. At least this whorl we live bears the marks of him who imprinted his life on this world. Thumbs up! AuthorAs an ordained Catholic priest for 45 years and a member of the Jesuits for 57 years, I've had a great deal of "spiritual" experience! This is a place where I can continue to share my thoughts about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and what it means to live the "mystery of God." Categories |
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