Sacrifice

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Sacrifice

Self-Offering

Foreshadow    Suffering   Resurrection

Listen to the Beloved

Transfiguration

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 9:7

Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John. He appeared along with Moses and Elijah. Peter wanted to make three tents for them.

From a cloud came a voice that said:

"This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him."

Reflection

When we hear the word sacrifice, we think of the times when we have had to work hard to achieve a special goal. It usually involves extra work on our part and devoting more time to a challenging task. 

We often grumble and complain at the additional time and effort involved. Yet when the goal has been reached, we feel a great sense of accomplishment and increased self confidence in our talents and abilities.

Jesus shows us today in our reading from Mark what our sacrifices can lead to. He has been faithful in following God's direction and has been transformed by His self-offering. His total giving to His mission leads to His transfiguration.

He is accompanied by Elijah and Moses. His transfiguration foreshadows the ultimate glory He will be dwelling in forever. He has sacrificed so much, and His sacrifice involved much suffering. He knew that the path to glory can involve many challenges and obstacles. 

Through His sacrifices Jesus did not hesitate in faithfulness to His mission. He came to show us the meaning of Love. We all know the sacrifices that are involved when we pledge our love to another person. It is no longer about us and our needs. We put the one we love first.

Jesus totally put us first. Although completely innocent, He was put to death because He was thought to be a threat to some in power. 

His sacrifice overcame and conquered death. Through His resurrection Jesus showed us that there was a path to a new life---a life that Jesus demonstrated through His transfiguration. Elijah and Moses are participating in that new life also as Jesus shows us the continuity between the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. 

The key for Jesus is always His relationship with the Father. Jesus is strengthened in His mission by the constant encouragement He receives from the Father. At the time of the transfiguration, the Father gives us great advice concerning His beloved Son:

Listen to Him!!!

1. How important is the idea of sacrifice in your own life?

2. Have there been sacrifices that you have made that have helped you achieve your goals?

3. What is the importance of the transfiguration in your spiritual life?

4. Are there sacrifices you are willing to make or have made for those whom you love?

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

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

  

Wilderness

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Wilderness

Our Temptations

Testing   Resisting   Overcoming

Led by the Spirit

Victory

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Reflection

When I think of wilderness, I imagine excitement and adventure. I get ready to explore an area that is unknown to me. A place that I have never experienced. What will I encounter?

As Jesus goes into the wilderness, He is preparing Himself for the unknown. What will His public ministry involve? Whom will He encounter as He travels around the various towns? Will people be open to hearing His message?

His first encounter is with the devil. There are temptations that He will have to deal with that are very much like our temptations: physical pleasure, belief in the providence of God, and seeking power and dominance.

Jesus deals with these temptations by turning to the Word of God. He knows that God has given us guidance in the scriptures to help us meet the challenges that we face. We are never left alone.

The testing that we go through in our individual wilderness helps form the person we are becoming. We are called upon to make choices: will I choose my own pleasure and comfort, or will I share my resources with those who are in need?

I have to resist the temptation to test God as Jesus resisted it. I can easily demand that God do what I want. In my egotistical way, I can feel that I know better than God. I question God and point out my own wisdom which I feel is superior to God's way.

As I resist temptation, I can begin to overcome my pride and realize that God will lead me. My trust in God begins to grow. I know that God leads me to peace.

As I face the many temptations of pleasure, pride, and power, I start to understand that the Holy Spirit is leading me. I begin to feel the power of the Spirit as I realize that giving into those temptations will not lead me to wisdom and truth but to a wilderness of emptiness and isolation.

The pleasures will fade, the pride will crumble, and the power will collapse. I see that these are all temporary and I search for something that is lasting. I find that in my relationship with the One who has won the Victory.

Jesus has overcome these temptations. He has shown me the path to follow: ponder the Word of God, follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, and grow each day in the Gift of God's Love.

Rejoice in the Victory!

1. What is your image of the wilderness?

2. How do you overcome the temptations you face?

3. Does the Word of God assist you as you encounter challenges in your life?

4. Has the Holy Spirit ever led you into the wilderness?

5. What message do you get as you ponder Kathy's photo of the wilderness?

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

All Seeing

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

All Seeing

Eyes of God

Trust   Choose   Fulfill

Eyes Have Not Seen

Open

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Isaiah 64:3

No ear has ever heard, no eye has ever seen, any God but you. You work amazing deeds for all those who wait for you!

Reflection

When we hear the saying that God sees everything we do, it can cause some concern. We might think of something awful we have done, something we are ashamed of, something we didn't want anyone to know about. We certainly don't want God to see it!

When we get over that initial concern, we can begin to look at the All Seeing God in a different way. We can begin to see God gazing at us with Love and Caring. We are created in the image and likeness of God. We are good.

God is merciful and forgives those embarrassing things we might have done in which we have harmed others. When we are truly sorry, God extends Peace and Pardon to us. The Eyes of God are Eyes of Love.

We can gradually begin to trust in God---to trust that God wants only good for us. God did not create us to harm or hurt us in any way. Our growing trust in God is similar to the trust we put in a good friend. We will tell that friend about our challenges and struggles because we know that friend will offer us help and guidance.

We begin to realize that God chooses us. God wants us to follow a path that will help us to thrive and to bring joy to others. God's Eyes of Love invigorate us and encourage us. We feel God with us.

God has fulfilled the promises that have been communicated to us in the scriptures. God has entered into a covenant with us. God has promised to always be with us.

Human eyes have not seen a Love like this. Our vision is limited to what we have experienced. The All Seeing Eyes of God have no limitations. We look at works of art, watch movies, go to see plays and can have very different opinions about what we have just seen. 

We often remark, "How did I miss that?", when someone who has been to the same movie we have seen speaks about a scene in the film that we did not notice. We can be distracted. We don't see everything. Our eyes can be on someone or something else.

God's Eyes are eternally on us. I think it is a great spiritual practice to take some time each day to sit with God and to feel those Eyes on us. They communicate the warmth and care that God has for us. We are precious and special in God's Eyes.

Those Eyes help us to become more open to the needs of our sisters and brothers. When we begin to realize how deeply and profoundly we are loved, we are eager to share that GIFT with others.

Enjoy those All Seeing Eyes. They are full of Love!

1. How do you react when you think of God seeing you all the time?

2. Does God gaze on you with Love?

3. What helps you to put your trust in your friends?

4. Why has God chosen you?

5. What do you feel as you ponder Kathy's photo of the new archbishop of New York waiting to knock on the door of St. Patrick's Cathedral?

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

Shine

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Shine

Morally   Spiritually

Influenced   Transform   God's Truth  

You Are the Light

Illuminate

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 5:14

Jesus was teaching His disciples and comparing them to salt and light. He said:

"You are the light of the world. Just as a city on a mountaintop cannot be hidden, so your light must shine."

Reflection

I recently entered a room and had difficulty for a few moments finding where the light switch was. There was a slight feeling of panic. It was dark, and I fumbled around for a while. When I   finally found it and the light came on, there was a sense of relief.

In our reading from Matthew, we are given quite the challenge. We are called to shine so that others may be guided to follow Jesus. What a responsibility!

It is so true. We need examples to follow. Think of how someone learns to be an electrician. Study is certainly important. Following an experienced electrician puts all that knowledge we have gained into context and gradually we become confident and competent.

People need moral examples. As we read about our contemporary and classical saints, we become inspired. I think of the actions of Oscar Romero in standing up for the rights of the poor and marginalized. He was not always accepted by those who were wealthy and in power; but he remained true to the words of Jesus to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. His light still shines even though he was brutally shot and killed while presiding at Mass.

People also need spiritual examples. Many of us find it difficult to pray as we battle distractions and the hectic pace of our daily lives. We think of saints like Thomas Aquinas who worked so hard on his teaching and writing but realized all of it was just like straw in a fire compared to the Love our God wants to share with us in prayer. His light still shines through the beautiful hymns of praise that were the fruit of his spiritual life. and that we still sing today.

We reflect on the people who have influenced us. Many people have inspired us and transformed our vision. We can all think of special conversations we have had with people who took time to reach out to us.

I can remember a teacher, Fr. Harold Buckley, who reached out to me when I was a sophomore in high school and invited me to be part of a play he was directing. I felt honored that he took the time to do that and really enjoyed the experience. It led to several more experiences in plays.

Those moments lead us to God's Truth: we are Loved. Because we are Loved we can share the Light with other people and illuminate the darkness in our world. We can reach out to others with compassion and caring because Jesus will be with us to help us deal with the obstacles and challenges we inevitably face.

With Jesus with us, it's time to let our light shine!

1. Who are some of the people who have been examples of the Light for you?

2. Has there been anyone who has influenced your moral development?

3. What are some ways that you have been helped to grow in your spiritual life?

4. When have you felt God's Love?

5. What do you feel as you ponder Kathy's photo of the lighthouse?

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

Chosen

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Chosen

God's Grace

Humble   Lowly   Weak

Consider Your Own Calling

Presence

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   First Corinthians 1: 26

Paul was writing to the members of the Church in Corinth to which he had ministered. He was talking about the wisdom we find in Jesus, and he said:

"Consider your own calling, sisters and brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many of you were powerful, not many were of noble birth."  

Reflection

Isn't it amazing that you have been chosen by God? From all eternity God has called you so that you might be full of the Love of God. You are wanted. You are cared for. You are known.

Paul is telling the community in Corinth that they have been called not because they were wise, powerful, or born into wealthy families. God chooses us for one simple reason: God loves us. It is not that God wants to get something from us. God wants to give us the gift of the presence of God. God wants to fill us with grace.

God calls those who are humble because the humble are open to listening to God's word. They know that they do not have all the answers. They seek truth and wisdom. They know that it is not about them. They do not seek power and fame. They want to follow what God wants.

In the eyes of the rich and powerful they might be considered to be lowly. God sees with different eyes. God knows what is in our hearts. The lowly are elevated to the highest positions because God wants people who are sincere and truthful to spread the Good News. 

God chooses the weak. We might think that God could not possibly choose us because there are so many better people for God to call to build up the Kingdom of God. We can think of many people who are more talented and skilled than us. 

Yet God chooses us with our failings because God will give us the strength that we need. It is not about us. It is always about God and how deeply God loves us. We can be confident that God will lead us in the right paths because God always has. We know that God can use us in our weakness if we embrace humility and listen for what God wants us to do.

It is time to consider our calling: what does God want us to do? God has shared Wisdom with us in the scriptures, in our community, in creation, and in the saints that inspire us. We discover that God wants us to love our sisters and brothers as God loves them and to work for a just world for each and every person. 

We do this when we live in the presence of God each day. We take time to listen through prayer and spiritual reading. We transcend our individual weakness and lowliness the more we turn to God and follow our calling.

God has called us.

We have been chosen.

How special are we!

1. How has God chosen you?

2. What does God want to give to you?

3. Why does God choose the weak and the lowly?

4. Do you feel that God will lead you in the right paths?

5. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo of a young person receiving her Confirmation?

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

Unite

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Unite

Prophesied Messiah

Stand   Courageously   Follow

He Proclaimed the Gospel

Faith

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 4:23

After the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus began to preach about the Kingdom and He called apostles to help in the mission. He went all around Galilee. He taught in the synagogues.

Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease and illness among the people.

Reflection

In our contemporary scene many people bemoan the lack of unity in our country. They mention political, religious, and social differences. This can lead to screaming matches where people do not take time to listen to one another and try to understand the viewpoint another person has.

This of course is not new. Jesus faced similar differences and disagreements as He tried to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. The religious leaders of His day had different opinions about following the law and associating with those who were "unclean". 

The prophet Isaiah had spoken about the Light that would shine in the darkness. Jesus tried to bring that Light to the people but there was resistance to His message. He came from Galilee and that was considered to be a territory that was not very significant.

Jesus would not let that stop Him. He took a stand for justice and reached out to those on the margins. He did not back down when there was opposition to His ministry. He reacted courageously and called others to minister with Him. 

The first apostles He called were fishermen. He asked them to trust in Him and to follow as He proclaimed the Gospel.

The amazing thing is that they did not hesitate to leave their nets and to walk with Jesus. They were attracted to His message and to His person. They saw something special in Him. They came to believe that He was the Messiah and the Son of God. 

They put their faith in Jesus and became one with Him. They were moved by His teachings and by His care for the people. They sensed His Love for them and His desire to heal their hurts. 

The apostles united together to spread the message that Jesus had shared with them. That spirit of unity is a challenge for us today.  We are asked to put all divisions aside and to unite with our sisters and brothers to bring justice to those who have been neglected and oppressed. 

It's time to unite!

1. Why do you think there are so many divisions in our society today?

2. What can we do as followers of Jesus to unite people today?

3. How did Jesus react to the opposition and disunity that He faced?

4. Can the Good News of Jesus bring unity today?

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

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

Prologue

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Prologue

The Baptist

Identifies   Bear Witness

The Spirit Came Down

Lamb of God

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 1: 32

John the Baptist was speaking about Jesus and said:

"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon Him."

Reflection

What was the prologue to the public ministry of Jesus? What was Jesus doing to prepare for His ministry? What was He thinking about?

He knew that His cousin, John the Baptist, was preaching about repentance and preparing people for the coming of the Messiah. John was asking the people to turn away from selfishness and greed and to turn back to God's covenant with the People of God. 

Jesus sensed that this was the right time to approach John for baptism. He did not need to be baptized. He did not need to repent because He had never sinned. 

His baptism had another purpose. It was the prologue to His ministry to the people. He was saying that His time to proclaim the Good News was now.

John identified Jesus in the crowd. He knew that Jesus was special and that He was the one who would teach people about the Kingdom of God. John knew that the prophets had spoken about the person who would lead the people from darkness to Light and who would inaugurate a kingdom of justice and truth.

John was bearing witness to Jesus. He was letting the people know that Jesus had come to teach and to heal. John had noticed the hunger in the people who were coming to listen to him as he preached in the desert. He saw that they were eager for a deeper relationship with God.

The decisive moment for John was when he saw the Spirit come down upon Jesus. This was most likely also the confirming moment for Jesus as He felt the power of the Spirit fill Him. Jesus realized that this was the time to "go public", to speak out, to share the instruction that God had given Him.

In His human nature this must have been a challenging moment for Jesus. He had prepared many years for this; but He must also have had an inkling that this was not going to be easy. There would be people who would be threatened by His message and question His background.

Think of that moment when the Spirit came down upon Him. He knew He would not be alone. The Father and the Spirit would be there for Him. He would prevail over the opposition.

John says that the Spirit "remained" upon Him. John was able to discern something special in Jesus. He called Jesus the Lamb of God. 

This title echoes the covenant that God made with His People. The lamb was sacrificed by the people at the time of the Passover as a sign that God would liberate His People from the slavery that they were experiencing in Egypt. 

Jesus came with a message of liberation as well. He wanted to let the people know how deeply God loved them---so deeply and profoundly that God sent Jesus to them.

John sensed that when he saw the Spirit remain with Jesus.

Jesus knew it when He felt the Spirit come down upon Him to let Jesus know that the prologue was over and the ministry was starting.

We feel it today when we experience the Spirit in our lives.

We are called to accept the Good News and embrace God's Love.

The Lamb of God has come to free us from fear and to help us to know how much we are loved!

1. How was John the Baptist able to recognize that Jesus was the Lamb of God?

2. Why did Jesus begin His public ministry after His baptism by John?

3. Do you think that it was difficult for Jesus to "go public"?

4. Have you experienced freedom as you follow the Good News?

5. What do you feel as you meditate on Kathy's photo of people who are attending a protest?

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