Parable

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Parable

Humble   Proud

Seek   Humility   Repentance

Be Merciful On Sinners

Exalt

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 18: 13

Jesus was telling a parable to those people who thought they were righteous and looked down on others. It was a story of a Pharisee who went to the Temple and told God how good he was. The other man, a tax collector, said:

"O God, be merciful on me, a sinner."

The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not even raise his eyes to heaven. He beat his breast as he prayed.

Reflection

How do you feel when you meet someone who is always bragging about her or his accomplishments?

It can really turn us off. We can get tired of all the self-praise. We might be saying to ourselves, "Enough is enough!"

The parable that Jesus shares in Luke reminds us of those experiences. The Pharisee is telling God about all the good things he does for God. The tax collector is asking for mercy. She or he is acknowledging sin.

Humility is so important for our spiritual growth. It literally means to tell the truth. The proud person is drawing attention to her or his accomplishments. It is much better if that praise, when it is deserved, comes from another person. 

We don't seek praise or ask for it. We try to live our lives by loving God and others. If someone points that out and thanks us for it, we praise God for the gifts given to us by our Creator. 

We seek God first; and we realize that we find God in serving our sisters and brothers in need. We see that in so many holy women and men who founded religious orders to serve those in need. For example, those who founded schools observed the world around them and noticed that there were children who needed an education and responded by starting institutions to help them.

They served others with humility. When they sinned, they asked for forgiveness and repented. They realized that they were human and had many faults. They never looked for glory for what they had done. They thanked God for the inspiration and strength they were given to help others despite their own weaknesses and limitations.

They were merciful to others because they had received mercy from God when they confessed their own sin.

They never looked to exalt themselves---only to reach out to others who were hurting and in pain. 

As we look around us today, we can ask ourselves about the needs in our communities. Like the tax collector, we acknowledge our sin and weakness. We turn to God for mercy and ask for the wisdom and the strength to extend that mercy to those who are most in need. 

We try to lift them up and exalt them because we know how much our God has lifted us up and exalted us.

God calls us not to brag but to repent and serve--to bring people to the Light! Enjoy your serving!

1. How do you feel when you hear people bragging about their accomplishments?

2. What is humility for you personally?

3. After you have acknowledged your sin and repented from it, do you feel any changes in your life?

4. Is it difficult for you to extend mercy to those who have hurt you?

5. As you contemplate Kathy's photo, what feelings fill your heart?

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

 

Scripture

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Scripture

Wisdom   Salvation

Equip   Prepare   Holdfast

Remain Faithful To Beliefs

Proclaim

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Second Timothy 3:14 and 15

Remain faithful to your beliefs.

You know who taught you.

You have known the sacred scriptures from your infancy.

These scriptures give you wisdom for salvation because you have placed your faith in Jesus.

Reflection

How important is the Bible in your life?

Many of us are overwhelmed when we think of the Bible. So many books. So many different translations. Where do I start?

We respect the scriptures. We have been inspired by certain passages. 

It is important as we approach the scriptures to be patient and to persevere. It is good to have a guide to help us and to join a good Bible study group to assist us on our journey.

We find a lot of wisdom in the scriptures. There will be certain passages that we read that touch our hearts and our souls. They make sense to us as we reflect on our own life experiences.

We begin to slowly see that the main message of the scriptures is one of Good News: God wants to offer us the gift of salvation. God has sent Jesus to us to unlock the Wisdom that God knows we need to live a fruitful life.

The scripture equips us for the challenges that we will face in our lives. It helps us to deal with the loss of those who are close to us. It assists us in dealing with rejection, failure, and prejudice. 

The scripture prepares us to bring justice to our world. We quickly discover that there are those who work to dominate and exploit others. The scriptures show us another way and encourage us to help the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and those in need.

The scripture reminds us to hold fast to the teachings of the patriarchs, the prophets, and Jesus to love God and to love our neighbor. It can be easy to give up in the face of adversity and failure, but the scriptures encourage us to be persistent and to persevere as Paul and Timothy did.

If we remain faithful to our beliefs, we can help those who are discouraged and in need. We can begin to live the message of the scriptures every day in our encounters with others.

It is a challenge to remain faithful. It can seem like the message of the scriptures is being ignored by those who lie and cheat their way to "success". 

The scriptures proclaim a path of understanding, compassion, and love. They tell us that God is love and command us to love others as Jesus has loved us.

In our reading Paul tells Timothy to hold fast to the teaching of the scriptures he has received from his infancy and to place his trust in Jesus.

 

Today we have that same advice to read, study, pray over, and live the scriptures. We know that they will inspire us and lead us to real success and true happiness.

Enjoy your journey with the scriptures!

1. Do you find it challenging to read the scriptures?

2. What resources have you found helpful in your study of the Bible?

3. What passages in the scriptures have you found helpful in your faith journey?

4. How difficult is it for you to remain faithful to your beliefs?

5. As you contemplate Kathy's photo, what are the doors you will be going through to discover more about the scriptures?

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

Healing

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Healing

Physical   Spiritual

Plunge   Saving   Word

Give Thanks To God

Cleansed

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 17:17 and 18

Jesus cured ten lepers and only one of the ten came back to thank Jesus. Jesus said,

"Ten were healed. Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"

Reflection

Healing is an amazing experience. When we think of times when we were seriously ill and then healed, we are full of gratitude. The pain is gone, the uncertainty about the future wiped away, and our lives can continue.

The physical healing is much appreciated. However, there is another dimension to the healing that we can overlook---the spiritual healing that takes place as well. The pain in our bodies is acutely felt in our spirit. We are not the same. We are unbalanced and feel out of sorts. We notice the difference.

We have the option of taking the plunge into despair or into healing. In our reading from Luke, Jesus offers healing. He offers His Saving Word.

We have the choice to plunge into that Saving Word and be renewed, refreshed, and healed by it or to plunge into self-pity and discouragement. The one leper who returns knows that Jesus has healed him both in body and in soul.

The spiritual healing has helped this "foreigner" (he was a Samaritan) to experience not just a healing of his leprosy but a healing from just thinking about himself and his problems. 

He returns to Jesus not only to give Him thanks but to kneel before Him in worship and praise. He acknowledges the power and love of Jesus and is thus a foreigner no longer but a follower. 

He knows that Jesus is different not just because he has been healed. Jesus has the Saving Word that can fill our hearts with peace and joy. This is what we are truly looking for. Our spirits need to be renewed and healed even more than our bodies.

It is a parable for our time when there seems to be so much division and bitterness. We need to work for the healing of all of our people and to demonstrate the compassion that Jesus has shown to the "foreigner". 

We need to realize that all of us are sisters and brothers in God's Family and give thanks to God for each and every person. 

We need to be cleansed from the leprosy of hatred and indifference and to embrace the healing power of Jesus. 

Let us plunge our spirits into the healing that Jesus offers so that we can overcome the physical and spiritual ills that divide us and diminish us.

Enjoy your plunge!

1. How do you feel when you are ill?

2. How do you feel after you have been healed from a serious illness?

3. Which is more important for you---a physical or a spiritual healing?

4. How can Jesus heal you?

5. Do you need to be cleansed from anything?

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

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

Stir

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Stir

Into   Flames

Power   Love   Self-Control

Holy Spirit Dwells Within

Embrace

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   2 Timothy 1:6

I want to remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have been given through the imposition of hands.

Reflection

Don't you just love it when you are making a recipe for the first time, and you have assembled all the ingredients and you start stirring them all together? You are wondering, "How is this going to turn out?"

Our faith is very much like that. We have been taught all of the amazing doctrines that have been handed down. We then reflect on them and try to incorporate them into our everyday actions. We start stirring them into our lives!

Flames can be scary. We don't want to see them get out of control and destroy our homes and communities as we have seen so often lately. Those scenes where people come back to their homes and find just a pile of ashes are heartbreaking. 

The flames that Paul is talking about in our passage from 2 Timothy are very different. They are the flames of love that energize us to reach out to others with kindness and concern.

There is a tremendous power in that love. We have all experienced it in our own lives. Recently my brother, Brian, passed away. I was very close with Brian because we would meet together for lunch once a month to solve all the problems of the world. Brian was very well read and a great conversationalist.

Many people reached out to me with supportive messages and cards. I felt the power of their love, and it lifted me up. When the flame of love is stirred up, it can transform our lives.

Self-control can help us truly feel the power of love. Many things can upset us or cause us to be angry. Instead of reacting immediately to a difficult situation, we can try to hold back on our initial feeling and figure out the loving path to take.

As we reflect, we can ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we seek a peaceful path. So many times, when I have done that, I have found a better way of dealing with my first reaction and a good resolution to the disagreement. 

We know that the Holy Spirit dwells within us and is ready to guide us if we give Her the opportunity. Once our confusion or anger subsides, we can truly listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and follow a more fruitful path.

The Holy Spirit wants to stir us up to follow God's way. The Holy Spirit wants to embrace us with the power of God's Love. 

Enjoy that Stirring!

Enjoy that Embrace!

1. Do you enjoy stirring all the ingredients together as you make your favorite recipe?

2. How do you attempt to stir the doctrines of your faith into your everyday life?

3. Has your life ever been transformed by the love of others who have reached out to you with their kindness and concern?

4. How do you deal with situations in your life that cause you to get upset or irritated?

5. What did you feel as you reflected on Kathy's photo?

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

Afterlife

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Afterlife

Lazarus   Rich Man

Faith    Wealth    Reversal

Listen To Moses Prophets

Chasm

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 16:29

Jesus told his disciples a story about a rich man who ignored a poor man, Lazarus, who was begging by his door. When Lazarus died, he went to the bosom of Abraham, but the rich man went to the underworld where he was facing torment. The rich man asked Abraham to send messengers to his five brothers so that they would change their ways and avoid what he was experiencing.

"But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'"

Reflection

Many of us wonder exactly what the afterlife will be like. We do not have an exact description; but in this story Jesus tells in Luke, it sounds very good for Lazarus but very miserable for the rich man!

It seems like the issue of faith is crucial in this story. Lazarus has put his faith in God and is asking for help from those who have more blessings than he does. The rich man simply ignores the needs of Lazarus and enjoys his feasting while Lazarus is hungry.

Faith is not just a recitation of abstract beliefs. We have to live our faith every day in the ways we treat others. If we turn away from those who are struggling, our faith is empty and meaningless. 

Wealth is not something that we should keep for ourselves. With that wealth comes our responsibility to share the blessings that God has given to us with others, particularly those who are neglected and live on the margins of society as Lazarus does.

I remember a Mass Kathy and I attended at Yankee Stadium on October 2nd, 1979, where Pope John Paul II presided and gave the homily on this story from Luke. He reminded those of us in wealthier countries to share our resources with those in the developing world. It was a challenging message for us then and even more so now as our country has discontinued much of the life-saving aid that we formerly gave to people who are hungry and need medical care in developing countries. 

This story depicts a reversal, Lazarus goes from hardship to eternal bliss, and the rich man goes from feasting to suffering. This shows us the importance of not settling for a temporary advantage but of being true to what God asks of us. We might feel that we are losing something by sharing our wealth and blessings with others, but, in the wider picture, we are only gaining more love and being enriched with more blessings. 

We are encouraged by Jesus to listen to the message of Moses and the prophets. It was a message that was consistent in the Hebrew Scriptures: we must take care of the stranger, the poor, the widow, and the orphan. The prophets never tired of proclaiming this message and exhorting the people to remain faithful to the covenant with God by giving to those in need.

Abraham reminds the rich man of the chasm that exists between him and Lazarus. It is a chasm that is built on indifference to the needs of others. 

We have the opportunity to close that chasm every day in this life so that there are no chasms in the afterlife.

Enjoy your efforts to fill in that chasm!

1. What is your picture of the afterlife?

2. How important is it for you to put your faith into action?

3. Do you feel that wealth is bad in itself?

4. Do you feel, as Pope John Paul II said, that wealthier countries have an obligation to assist developing countries?

5. What do you feel about the afterlife as you ponder Kathy's photo?

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

 

Public Prayer

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Public Prayer

Supplications   Petitions

Prioritize   Offer   Encompass

Pray For All People

Ransomed

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   First Timothy 2:1

The first thing that I ask is that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for all people.

Reflection

Do you find it hard to pray for certain people?

There might be people with whom you have a difficult relationship. You might have been arguing with them recently. You might not agree with certain people who have different political beliefs. Some people might have treated you badly.

Paul encourages us in this reading from First Timothy to enlarge our approach to prayer. He is challenging us pray for all people.

Public prayer speaks to this larger perspective. We all try to pray privately using prayers that we have been taught and bible readings with which we are comfortable. Public prayer invites us to see many events in our everyday lives and many different places as possibilities to raise our voices to God or to simply be silent and listen to what God wants to say to us.

This can lead to our supplications during which we can beg God for assistance to deal with difficult situations. I can think of times in my life when those I love deeply were facing challenging medical conditions and I turned to God for help. Those prayers can be lifted up (and certainly were!) in very public places like doctor offices and hospital waiting rooms. 

This can lead also to our petitions where we pray in a very public way for an end to war and the exploitation and suffering of people throughout the world. Those petitions come from our hearts as we feel the pain and hardship that so many are experiencing. 

We have to make sure that our priorities are established. We all have a tendency to put ourselves first. We have to offer our prayers for all people. We have to encompass that vision of Jesus as we pray for others and not just for our own needs.

The difficulty in Paul's challenge to us is definitely that word "all". There are certain people that we tend to leave off our prayer list. Perhaps what Jesus is telling us is that the people we find it hardest to pray for are the ones we should pray for the most. 

We need to drop our "enemies list" and realize that Jesus came to ransom all of us and not just the people that we might like. Our public prayer must include everyone. 

It's Prayer Time!!

1. Are there certain people for whom you find it hard to pray?

2. Can you pray for those on the other end of the political spectrum from you?

3. Are there certain public places where you are comfortable praying?

4. How do you overcome the tendency to put yourself and your own needs first as you pray?

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

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

Name

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Name

Save    Redeem

Humble   Obedient   Servant

Jesus Christ Is Lord

Exalt

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Philippians 2:9 

God greatly exalted Jesus and gave Him a name that is above every other name.

Reflection

We are all curious to know the origin and meaning of the names of different people we encounter. Some names are common and easy to comprehend. Others are unusual and cause us to wonder why someone might have that particular name.

Some names have a special importance and reveal a lot about the person or about the one or couple who gave the name. In our passage from Philippians, we learn that Jesus received His name from God. It is a name that means "the one who saves".

We learn that Jesus has come to redeem us. Sometimes we take this for granted; but when you reflect on it, you realize that this is an indication of how deeply God loves us. God did not have to send Jesus to redeem us. God cares for us this much!

Jesus humbled Himself to become one with us. He was obedient to what God asked of Him. He trusted in God's plan for Him. 

Jesus came to serve us. He knew the problems we face. He came to help and to heal. He reached out to those who others ignored---the lepers, the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the widows, and the poor.

As we experience Jesus in our lives, we come to realize that Jesus is Lord. We are committed to Jesus because we believe in His mission and in His message. He has the words of eternal life and shows us how to live a life of caring for our sisters and brothers and gives us the strength to truly help others.

God has exalted Jesus so that He can come into our lives to lift us up. Jesus wants us to know how deeply we are loved. His name tells it all. He has come to save!

1. What does your name indicate about you?

2. What does the name of Jesus tell us about Him?

3. How did Jesus humble Himself?

4. How do you try to be humble?

5. Why are you committed to Jesus?

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

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