Invitation

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Invitation

Marginalized     Forsaken

Extend   Selfless   Generosity

A Place of Honor

Humbly

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 14:13

Jesus was telling a parable to those who were invited to a feast and who were seeking a place of honor. He said:

"When you hold a great feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind."

Reflection

Kathy and I love getting invitations. It always makes us excited to open them and to read about the party or event. I feel good that someone has thought about us. 

Of course, sometimes there are conflicts, and we can't attend. The kindness of someone to invite us, however, always touches our hearts.

Jesus talks about invitations in our reading from Luke. He mentions that some people who get invitations are looking to take the best seats at the table. They want to be recognized. They think that they are important.

Jesus has a different approach. He is concerned about the marginalized. He warns us about taking those good seats and encourages us to take the seats in the back. If someone calls us up to a better seat, that's fine. If they don't, that's fine as well. After all, we are at the feast!!

Instead of thinking about ourselves and where we are to sit, Jesus tells us to invite the forsaken of society. We should be thinking of those who are poor and be sure to invite them to our table. It is much more important to serve the needs of our sisters and brothers who are hungry than to serve our own egos.

We are called to extend friendship and healing to the crippled. Jesus knows that there are many people who are hurting and in pain. We can't be indifferent to what they are experiencing. Some are crippled physically and others emotionally by the abuse they have received from parents, teachers, or peers. They need us to extend our care and concern to them and to let them know how special they are in God's eyes.

Jesus asks us to be selfless in helping the lame. We need to slow down and walk with them and support them step by step. I heard a moving story recently about a young lady competing in the Special Olympics on crutches. She was running very slowly. Everyone slowed down and watched as she was finishing the race. They all gave her a very loud and enthusiastic round of applause as she crossed the finish line. 

They were responding to the invitation of Jesus with generosity. They did not take the place of honor for themselves. They gave it to her!

Jesus is calling us to act humbly and to always remember the marginalized. We need to spend less time thinking about being honored and more time honoring those who have been forgotten and overlooked.

Jesus is giving all of us a special invitation to His Feast. He asks us to be careful to extend the invitation to EVERYONE, especially those whom we seem to forget and ignore.

Enjoy your invitation!

Welcome to the Jesus Feast!

1. How do you feel when you get an invitation?

2. Do you like to get the best seats at a party or event you attend?

3. According to Jesus, what seats should we take?

4. How do you try to help those who are crippled?

5. Who will you invite to the Feast?

6. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)

Gate

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Gate

First/Last

Offering     Personal     Relationship

Where Are You From?

Strive

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 13: 25

Jesus was responding to someone who was asking Him a question about how many people would be saved. Jesus mentioned that the gate would be narrow, and we have to strive to enter it and then He said:

"After the master of the house has gotten up and locked the door, you will be standing outside knocking on the door and imploring, 'Lord, open the door.'

He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'"

Reflection

Gates can be very inviting. When I go past a gate, I am always wondering about what is on the other side. 

Some gates are attractive, and others look like they need a little repair. As I go through a gate, I am hopeful that something wonderful awaits me. 

The gate that Jesus talks about in our reading from Luke seems like it is a very challenging one. Jesus says it is very narrow, and we have to strive to get through it. It will take a lot of effort. It is the gate that leads to salvation.

Jesus mentions that those who want to be first through the gate will wind up being last. We have all had the experience of people who are very pushy and force themselves to the front of the line. They don't care about others. 

Jesus is saying that those people will wind up at the end of the salvation line. They are too selfish. They are going to have a hard time getting through the gate.

To get through the salvation gate we have to offer ourselves completely to Jesus and to those in need. Our offering is based on our personal relationship with Jesus.

We want to follow Jesus and imitate His example. He did not come to ask others to serve Him. He came to serve others----to heal the sick, to speak to the outcasts, to lift up those who had been trampled down by those in power.

If we have that personal relationship with Jesus and strive to follow His teaching, He will not ask us where we are from because He will know what is in our hearts. He will know that we are from His kingdom, that we are part of His family, that we desire only to follow Him more completely.

The gate is narrow, but Jesus shows us the way. All we have to do is strive to follow Him.

When we ask Him to open the gate for us, we will find that it is already open, and He is waiting for us with open arms.

Enjoy the embrace!

1. What are some gates that you remember going through?

2. What is your image of the gate of salvation?

3. How are you going to get through the salvation gate?

4. What will Jesus say to you at the salvation gate?

5. What do you feel as you contemplate Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)

3. 

Ignite

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Ignite

Cloud of Witnesses

Fire   Baptism   Division

Eyes Fixed On Jesus

Blaze

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures: Hebrews 12: 1 and 2

We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.

When we rid ourselves of sin, we can persevere in running the race with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Luke 12:49

Jesus was talking with His disciples and told them, 

"I have come to ignite the earth.

How I wish it was already blazing!"

Reflection

Have you ever felt so excited about some really good news that you just couldn't wait to share  with someone? The story ignited you and thrilled you. 

I think that must have been the experience of the apostles on Pentecost Sunday. The Holy Spirit ignited them with those tongues of fire. They could not wait to tell the people all about Jesus. 

I remember a song by the Doors that was very popular in 1967. It was called Light My Fire. It was about igniting the fire of love between a man and a woman. 

The beat was very intense, and you felt the passion between the two lovers. That feeling of course can burn out. The fire that Jesus is talking about in our passage from Luke is as intense as the feeling that the Doors are celebrating but it never fades. 

It is a fire that flows from the message of Jesus. He is calling us to love one another. Jesus knows that the power of that Love can transform us and the world. 

We know this because, as our reading from Hebrews mentions, we have a cloud of witnesses who testify to that Love. Many are witnesses in the literal meaning of that term---they are martyrs for that Love. They have given their lives because they believe that there is no greater Love than the Love that comes forth from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

We can feel the fire of that Love within us. It has warmed us and led us to Love, especially those whom others have rejected. It is a fire that flows from our Baptism. We have been given the Holy Spirit and are called to renew the earth.

This fire is not accepted by all. Jesus warns about this and tells us that this fire, this Good News, this Love will cause division, even division within families.

Some people cannot accept that Jesus loves them. They do not believe that they are loveable. They might have been told that they are stupid, that they have no value, that they will never amount to anything. They might have experienced a lot of failure and frustration in their lives. 

Jesus is not concerned about all of that. He wants to ignite us with the fire of His Love. He knows what is in our hearts. He knows how deeply we desire union with Him. 

Our challenge is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. There are so many distractions that we face and so many voices that want to mislead and misinform us. When we focus on Jesus and His message of compassion for others, we are ignited.

That blaze will never go out!

1. What is the best news you have ever gotten?

2. What is the fire that Jesus wants to ignite?

3. Who are some of the witnesses that have influenced your faith?

4. Why do you think that the teachings of Jesus have caused so much division?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara) 

Await

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Await

Little Flock

Prepare   Ready   Vigilant

Where Your Treasure Is

Kingdom

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara; photo from an image by Eugene Burnand---public domain)

Scripture:   Luke 12:34

Jesus was sharing with His disciples and said:

"For where your treasure is, there is where your heart will be."

Reflection

How do you feel when you have to wait a long time for something? I think most of us get very impatient. Many of us will pass on the activity or the sale and move on to another thing to do. We hate to waste time on lines.

However, some experiences are worth the wait. If there is a singer or band that we really love, we have no problem waiting all day to try to get those precious tickets. I can remember waiting on line for four hours at Madison Square Garden to attend Mass with Pope Francis as the presider. I would have had no problem waiting on that line for another four hours!

In our reading from Luke Jesus asks us to reflect on where our treasure is. When we discover our treasure, we have no problem waiting for it. Our treasure could be a special relationship, an important friendship, children, grandchildren, our time with God in prayer.

In speaking to His disciples Jesus referred to them as "His little flock". He spoke with intimacy and Love. It is obvious as you listen to the words of Jesus that He sees the disciples as His treasure. His heart is with them.

As we await a deeper encounter with Jesus each day, we are called to prepare our own hearts and to get them ready to see Jesus in each person we meet. We see Jesus especially in our sisters and brothers who are most in need---the lonely, the widowed, the orphaned, the hungry, the homeless, the refugees.

We are called to open our eyes and to be vigilant as we look for ways that we can make a difference. Our treasure is with Jesus. We want to join our hearts with His Heart. We await that deeper union that Jesus offers and that we seek.

We are invited into the Kingdom of God. We are called to repent of our selfishness and self-centeredness. We can spend too much time seeking for treasures which do not satisfy the deepest hungers of our heart. 

Jesus calls us to await no longer.

Come to Him.

He will give you all the treasure you need!

1. Can you remember a time when you had to wait a really long time for someone or some special event?

2. When have you felt that it was worthwhile for you to wait a long time?

3. Where is your treasure?

4. Do you feel that you are part of the little flock of Jesus?

5. What do you experience as you contemplate Kathy's photo of the Burnand image of The Waiting Servants?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)

Possessions

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Possessions

Spiritual     Treasures

Prioritize    Renew   Restore

Christ Is In All

Stewardship

(Phot and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Colossians 3:11

Here there is not Greek and Jew, a circumcised person and an uncircumcised person, a barbarian, a Scythian, a slave, a free person; but Christ is all and in all.

Reflection

What are your most important possessions? Are there certain items that you would never give away? Are there things that you feel you cannot live without?

Jesus always challenges us to put our love for God and for our neighbor first. We are tempted to follow the path of materialism. It seems like the American way is to have the biggest house, the latest car, the best boat, and to take amazing vacations while we complain that our taxes are too high.

We can easily get the feeling that we should just strive to accumulate as many possessions as possible. The teaching of Jesus that we should trust in God and not be attached to the things of this world is nowhere to be found.

Jesus points us away from all those material possessions and invites us to strive for spiritual treasures in their place. We have to decide what is really important in our lives. 

We know that we have to make a living and provide for our families. However, we have to avoid getting caught up in a society that always seems to want more things. We can easily become convinced that we need the latest technological innovations. When do we have enough?

Jesus invites us to prioritize the things and relationships in our lives. A complaint I hear all the time is people telling me that they have too much stuff. They are running out of room to store things. They have to rent storage units, and then they forget what is in the storage units! 

Jesus calls us to renew our spirits and not to be caught up in our possessions. We are called to give to those in need and to put them first. We restore our own spirits as we give to others. We avoid getting trapped by our desires for those things that can never really satisfy our deepest hungers.

St. Paul tells us in our reading from Colossians that we should avoid the silly boxes that we put people in. It is not important to put a label on people and name them as a Greek or a Jew. In doing that we distance them from ourselves. 

We are called to see Christ in all. Jesus has come for all and to be in all. Our constant quest for more possessions can blind us to seeing Jesus in our sisters and brothers. Is part of our present concern about immigration a worry that we will not have enough material possessions for ourselves?

Jesus is calling us to good stewardship. We should take care of what God has given to us, be thankful for it, and be willing to share it with those in need. 

All of our possessions come from God.

God has given us an amazing, beautiful, and intricate world.

Sharing this gift of creation is our joy. Getting wrapped up in a quest for more and more possessions robs us of that joy and that ability to see Christ in all. 

Thank you, Jesus, for your treasures!

1. What are your most valuable possessions?

2. How do you fight against the materialism that surrounds us in our American culture?

3. How do you try to restore your spirit?

4. What happens when we put labels on people?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)

Persistence

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Persistence

Asking   Seeking

Prayer   Focusing   Belief

Door Will Be Opened

Answered

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 11:9

Jesus was teaching His disciples about prayer:

"I tell you ask, and you will receive.

Seek and you will find.

Knock and the door will be opened to you."

Reflection

It is a real challenge to be persistent. When we face difficulties and failures, our tendency is to give up. We convince ourselves that we made a mistake in trying something new. We write it off as beyond our reach and abilities.

There are amazing exceptions. The story of Michael Jordan not making his seventh-grade basketball team and then going on to become such a dominant player is famous.

 On the religious level the story of St. John Vianney is also inspiring. He was dismissed from the seminary because he found it hard to learn Latin and went on to become the most sought out priest in the France of his time after receiving tutoring from his parish priest. The railroad had to build a special branch to the town of Ars where John ministered to accommodate all the pilgrims that were flocking to his church.

In our reading from Luke, Jesus speaks of the importance of asking. We might be reluctant to ask God for the help we need or for the patience to hang in there and to be persistent. 

Instead of giving up on our dreams, Jesus encourages us to keep on seeking. Those dreams might not materialize in a few months, a few years, or even in our lifetime. If they are from Jesus and inspired by His teachings, they are always worth pursuing.

At the heart of our seeking is turning to Jesus in prayer. We converse with Jesus about our hopes and dreams for a world that is more just and more peaceful. 

As we pray each day, we focus on the Good News of Jesus. As we savor the scriptures, we try to truly hear the word that Jesus wants to speak to us. It is a word that both encourages and challenges us to be persistent as we realize that Jesus will be with us to help us reach our goals.

Our persistence flows from our belief that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We have encountered Jesus in our prayer and know that He will lead us to overcome our doubts and failures.

We are wise enough to know that the path is not always smooth and easy. There are rocks that we will stumble over. There will be bends in the road. Sometimes the journey will be very steep, and we will wonder if we have enough energy to make it to the top. 

Jesus assures us, however, that the door will be opened. Jesus came for that very purpose. He wants to help us and guide us.

We speak of the frustrations we encounter when we have doors slammed in our faces. It can lead us to giving up. 

Jesus shows us another way. He wants to open the doors that lead to peace, true happiness, and justice. He wants to help us build community and unite people.

He wants to answer the deepest longings of our hearts. When we are persistent and patient, we can hear those answers. 

I picture Jesus opening the door of our striving and embracing us with His Love.

He knows us.

He cares about us.

He always answers!

1. Do you find it difficult to be persistent after you have failed at a task?

2. Have you ever felt reluctant to ask God for something?

3. Do you always feel that God should answer your prayers immediately?

4. Do you find it difficult to hear the word that Jesus is speaking to you?

5. What are some of the doors that Jesus has opened for you?

6. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)

Priority

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Priority

Christ Within

Cultivating   Nurturing   Relationship

Need Only One Thing

Word

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 10: 41 and 42

Jesus said to Martha,

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about a lot of things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has discovered the better part, and no one can take it from her."

Reflection

Every once in a while, it is good to take a step back from the hectic pace of our lives and evaluate our priorities. Who are the people and what are the issues that I should be emphasizing every day? Have I gone off track in my relationships and my values?

It is easy to do. We can get caught up in trivia and lose sight of what is truly important in our lives. We become angrier and more irritable.

When we start to reflect and examine what is going on in our hearts, we discover the Christ that is within us. Jesus comes to bring us peace. he wants to connect with us and lead us to rediscover our priorities.

Jesus helps us to cultivate the garden of our soul. We can pull out the weeds that are threatening to take over. We can enrich the soil of our relationships. We can trim the branches of our distractions.

In doing that we are nurturing our relationships with Jesus, our family, and our friends. We become more aware of others and eager to listen to them. We are not caught up as much in our own worries and problems. Our burdens seem lighter.

In our reading from Luke, Martha has gotten caught up in the tasks that she needs to do. They are important---the meal has to be prepared. It is a sign of the love Martha has for Jesus. When we have a guest for dinner, we like to share something special. 

Jesus reminds Martha of the better part. The meal is good but listening to Jesus is better. When we sit at the feet of Jesus in prayer, we discover the way to Peace and 
Love.

Our life now has direction. We find our priorities. Our concerns, while still with us, do not seem as overwhelming. We are assured that Jesus will help us with them.

Jesus is the Word of God dwelling with us and within us. Can there be any better priority?

1. Do you find it helpful to take time to reflect on your priorities?

2. How do you know when your life is off track?

3. What role does Jesus play in helping you discover your priorities? 

4. Why do you think that Jesus says Mary has chosen the better part?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)