Commissioning

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Commissioning

Spiritual   Harvest

Battered   Exhausted   Abandoned

Jesus' Heart Was Moved

Compassion

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 9:36

As Jesus looked out at the crowd that was following Him, His heart was moved with compassion for them. He could see that they were troubled. They seemed to Him like they were sheep without a shepherd.

Reflection

How do you feel when you sense that Jesus is asking you to do something?

Sometimes as I am praying, a person just pops into my mind. I think that maybe Jesus is asking me to reach out to that person and see how they are doing. It might also be a person who is sick and Jesus is telling me to pray for them. 

The experience is like a commissioning from Jesus. He is planting a seed in our hearts to reach out to someone else. All of a sudden we are not just thinking about ourselves and our own needs. Our vision becomes wider and we want to help someone else.

Jesus has that experience in our reading from Matthew. As He looks out at the crowd, His focus goes from the truths He wants to teach the people about the Kingdom of God to the actual lives of the people: what are they feeling?

Jesus can sense their confusion, pain, and discouragement. He can feel their spiritual needs. They need to hear Good News.

He knows that there can be a great harvest: the people are ready for the message He has come to share. It is a message of healing for those who have been battered, refreshment for those who are exhausted, and community for those who feel abandoned.

Jesus knows their needs. He can see into their souls and their hearts. He is moved to reach out to them. 

In the following verses Jesus is going to select twelve apostles to assist Him in bringing the Good News and healing to the people. He knows that this is not a task for one person. 

We are commissioned by Jesus to be ministers of compassion to the People of God. Just as He commissioned the twelve, He commissions us today. Each one of us is important. Each one of us is gifted. Each one of us has the Holy Spirit within us to guide us.

Those moments when we are praying and we get the name of someone to whom we should reach out, those are Holy Spirit moments. Jesus is asking us to make a difference with our compassion. Just as the heart of Jesus was moved, so our hearts are moved to help those who are struggling today. 

How will you respond?

1. When you are praying, do you ever get the feeling that you should reach out to someone who might need your help?

2. What do you feel that Jesus is commissioning you to do?

3. Do you sense that there is a great harvest awaiting the Church today?

4. What is your gift that Jesus wants you to share with the People of God?

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

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

Sharing

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Sharing

Body   Blood

Eat   Live   Abide

I Am Living Bread

Union

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 6: 51

Jesus was speaking to the people that were following Him after He had fed the large crowd:

"I am the living bread that has come down from heaven."

Reflection

Everyone looks forward to a good meal.

The other day Kathy whipped up a delicious meat loaf and we delighted in it. It was so tasty!

Jesus, in our passage from John, is talking about an even better meal. He is saying to the people who were following Him after He had multiplied the small number of loaves and fish and fed so many that He will give them His very self. He will become living bread for them!

You can imagine their reaction to this statement. They didn't know what to make of it. Was He mad? They just could not accept this. Most of the crowd, with the exception of Peter and the apostles, turned away from Jesus at this point. They had wanted to make Him king after His miracle. Now they wanted nothing to do with Him. He made no sense.

For Jesus it was all about sharing. He wanted to give Himself to the people in a profound way. He wanted to share His Body and His Blood with them. 

It is like us when we meet someone we love deeply. We want to share ourselves with them completely. We trust them. We don't want to hold back.

Jesus knew that the people needed more than just bread. Yes that would satisfy them momentarily. Their hunger, however, went much deeper than that. 

They needed not just to eat some bread. They needed to know how to live with each other in community and to understand and care for each other. 

Jesus came to show them and us the way to live. We all have the tendency to be selfish and to think of our own needs first. We find it hard to put the needs of others before our own desires. 

Jesus showed us that the way to do that is first to abide with God in prayer. To truly know God and to understand God's ways. To admit that we do not have all the answers and turn to God for guidance and truth.

Jesus is the living bread because He wants us to truly live life completely by giving ourselves to others. Jesus never holds back. He always wants to feed us on wisdom, truth, kindness, understanding, and compassion.

Jesus knows what we need. We need union with God and with one another. We need to feel connected. We need to overcome the division and exploitation we find in our culture and live in a different way.

We find this hard to understand two thousand years after Jesus showed us the way. We too walk away from Jesus as the crowd did. We cannot comprehend that Jesus would want to share His Body and His Blood with us. 

How can anyone possibly love us that deeply?

It is beyond us.

It is the Jesus Way.

It is Love!

1. How can Jesus be the living bread for you?

2. Why does Jesus want to share His Body and His Blood with you?

3. When do you abide in God?

4. How do you experience union with God?

5. What do you experience as you meditate on Kathy's photo?

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

Relationship

 

The Spiritual  Waiting Room

Relationship

Triune God

Grace   Love   Fellowship

Greet With Holy Kiss

Receive

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   2 Corinthians 13:12

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Reflection

How important are relationships in your life?

For most of us, relationships are crucial for becoming who we are and for growing in maturity. When we are developing as children, our relationships with our parents and siblings help us to find our place in the world. We grow further through our interactions with our teachers and friends.

What is truly amazing, however, is to think of God in terms of relationship. The mystery of the Trinity, one God in three Persons, is a baffling one for us. It totally transcends our reason and is put into the category of a revealed truth. 

It points out that God is a God of relationship. We read in Genesis (2:18) that it is not good for us to be alone. The same seems to hold true for God. God exists in community---a community that keeps the profound unity of the Three Persons intact.

That unity leaves us with a beautiful and challenging message: we are also called to work for unity in our human family. Our myth of nation building and exceptionalism is exposed for what it is by the mystery of the Holy Trinity. We are really one family and we must work together to include ALL peoples as one and not divide and exploit and subjugate. 

There are three elements that the Trinity can supply for our spiritual growth. Grace can help us to see God's initiative in our lives. It is God who loves us first. We do not earn that grace.

That grace flows from our second element in our spiritual growth: love. The Trinity is a mystery of Love, a Love that totally transcends our comprehension. It is the "Love beyond all telling" that we constantly celebrate in our liturgies. 

That Love leads us to our third element: fellowship. Since we are Loved with this Trinitarian Love, a love of fellowship, we feel the call and the command to share it with our sisters and brothers. We always hear that love is not genuine until it is shared. When we are mired in self love alone, the curse of Narcissus dwells within us. 

These three elements of the spiritual life help us to respect the dignity of each person and to greet each other, as Paul expresses it in 2 Corinthians, with a holy kiss. It is a kiss that elevates us and honors us. It is a kiss that expresses the common bond that we all have as children of God. It is a kiss that celebrates our unity, a reflection of the unity of the Holy Trinity.

What is our role in this mystery of the Holy Trinity? We are invited to respond to God's invitation to relationship. Our God delights in us and wants to share grace with us. We are asked to receive God's Love and to share it in fellowship with ALL. 

It is a deep and lasting relationship that God wants with you. 

Receive it now in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Today and always!

1. What are the most important relationships in your life?

2. Do you ever picture God as a God of relationships?

3. Why is the unity of all of humanity an outgrowth of the mystery of the Holy Trinity?

4. Is there anything you can do to earn God's grace?

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

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

Pentecost

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Pentecost

Breathe   Spirit

Bestowing   Commissioning   Forgiving

Peace Be With You

Mission

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 20:19

Jesus appeared to the apostles in the upper room on Easter Sunday evening and said,

"Peace be with you."

Reflection

What was that very first Easter really like?

I am thinking it must have been an amazing transformation from acute disappointment to utter shock. If I was there, I would have been tempted to think that my eyes were deceiving me. In our experience when you are dead, that's it. 

Jesus knew very well that this was going to be very hard for the apostles to really understand. He had prepared them as best He could. Resurrection was going to be too overwhelming for them to really comprehend. The apostles were going to need help with this one!

This is where Pentecost comes in. Jesus is going to send the Holy Spirit to assist us and guide us. We will not be alone. Jesus has promised this; but, again, it was hard for the apostles to understand exactly what this might mean.

Just as breath is a sign of life, Jesus was going to breathe the Holy Spirit into the apostles so that they could have the strength to proclaim the Good News. As Jesus bestowed the Spirit upon them, first on Easter and then on Pentecost, He commissioned them to bring the gift of forgiveness for all who were in need of healing.

Jesus knew that the one thing that can stand in the way of our accepting all the Love that He wants to give us is our inability to both give and accept forgiveness. When our hearts are loaded with anger and hatred, we cannot let the Holy Spirit in. We become consumed with the desire for revenge and self loathing.

Aware of this only too well, Jesus comes to the apostles on Easter Sunday evening with a gift. It is the gift of peace. It is the shalom that only Jesus can give.

This is the Peace that we all need. It is not the absence of war or conflict. It is rather the presence of a genuine love and caring for each person we encounter. It is seeing her or him as a child of God. It is beholding that person through and with the eyes of the Holy Spirit.

This is the mission that Jesus has given to us on Easter Sunday and confirmed in us on Pentecost. We are called to see each person as Jesus does. We know this is not easy. Jesus knew also how challenging it would be for us. 

The Holy Spirit has been given to us to strengthen us so that we will be able to overcome our weaknesses and selfishness and fulfill the mission we have been given.

It might seem to us to be a Mission Impossible; but we know with Jesus and the Holy Spirit nothing is impossible.

Come Holy Spirit!

1. What do you think the apostles were feeling on that first Easter?

2. Why does Jesus send the Holy Spirit on Easter Sunday evening and Pentecost?

3. How has your inability to forgive others and to accept forgiveness forced the Holy Spirit out of your life?

4. How would you describe the peace, the shalom, that you need in your life now?

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

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

Ascension

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Ascension

Sabbath Journey

Obey   Command   Respect

Went to the Upper Room

Holy Spirit

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Acts 1:13

After the Ascension of Jesus from Mount Olivet, the followers of Jesus went a Sabbath's journey and returned to Jerusalem.

When they came into the city, they went to the upper room where they had been staying.

Reflection

Have you ever wondered how the followers of Jesus must have felt after His Ascension?

Putting myself in their sandals, I would have felt apprehensive. Jesus has promised them that the Holy Spirit would come to them. However, what exactly would happen?

Their first move was to take a Sabbath's journey back to the upper room in Jerusalem. An observant Jew was limited to 5/8ths of a mile walking on the Sabbath. If you walked more than that, it was considered to be work and that was forbidden.

The Sabbath is a time of rest and renewal. It is a special time to pause and remember all that God has done for us.

The followers of Jesus were obeying what Jesus had told them. Yes, they were probably upset, confused, and afraid. Those emotions did not stop them from obeying Jesus. They were witnesses to the resurrection and had sacrificed much to follow Jesus. They trusted His message to them.

Jesus had given them the command to love one another. He told them that He would not leave them as orphans. He would be with them until the end of the world.

The followers of Jesus respected what Jesus had done and what Jesus had told them. They would  go to the upper room where they had celebrated the Last Supper with Jesus and wait for the Holy Spirit as Jesus had told them.

We are in a similar situation as we try to follow Jesus today. We are on a journey of faith. We listen to the Word of God and take a step each day to embrace what Jesus is asking us to do---to love one another.

We also know that we are not alone on our Sabbath's journey. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. We are temples of the Holy Spirit.

How do we get in touch with the Holy Spirit? We have to take time to go into our own upper room. We can pray and ask Jesus for the strength that we need to follow His command to love one another.

We can find the right time and the right place to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It might be for a few minutes after our young children are finally asleep. We are exhausted and ready for sleep ourselves; but those few minutes reassure us and help us on our Sabbath's journey.

It might be a walk at the beach, an encounter with some flowers, a spiritual podcast, a few minutes with the Word of God, a good conversation with a close friend, a refreshing and renewing book.

There are Upper Rooms all around. Jesus is inviting us to take time to realize the GIFT He wants to share with us.

Come Holy Spirit!

1. How would you feel if you were one of the apostles and you had just experienced the Ascension?

2. Do you ever take a Sabbath's journey with Jesus?

3. Do your emotions of confusion and fear ever get in the way of your following Jesus?

4. How do you feel Jesus with you?

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

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

Joy

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Joy

Hope   Truth

Keep   Commandments   Teaching

If You Love Me

Indwelling

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 14: 15

Jesus was speaking to His apostles after the Last Supper and said:

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

Reflection

As you reflect on your life, what are the moments that have given you the most joy?

I can think of the first time I met my wife to be. I was going into my senior year in college and told my good friend who was with me that this is the girl I am going to marry. He thought I was crazy!

I saw and felt something very special. She was a person of joy. I loved her laugh and her honesty. I knew that she was a person with whom I could share my hopes and dreams.

She had a passion for the truth. She would always speak frankly and had a great ability to read the hearts of people.

In our reading from John, Jesus connects love for Him with keeping the commandments He has given to us. Those commandments are handed down by God to Moses and through him to our Jewish sisters and brothers and all peoples.

The commandments teach us to respect God and to respect the human dignity of each person. We might wonder how the commandments can lead us to joy.

When I met Kathy and experienced that joy, I knew instinctively through our communication that she was a person who respected God and our sisters and brothers. I knew the commandments were a true and lasting foundation for real joy and not the fleeting pleasure of a moment.

Joy comes when we embrace the teaching of Jesus. He has told us that His mission is to bring us joy---joy to the full.

We unfortunately sometimes have the impression that religious people are just dour rule followers who are afraid to experience life. When we look at the patriarchs, the prophets, the wisdom teachers, the disciples of Jesus, and the saints, we see just the opposite: they all embraced life, the commandments, and the joy that comes from giving to others.

Jesus teaches that if we love Him, we will keep the commandments. We keep them because we know that they are the foundation for a life of joy. We read every day about the sadness that comes to people who lie, cheat, and kill. We know that they need healing in their souls so that they too can experience true joy---the joy that Jesus wants to give.

That joy will dwell within us. We can never lose it even in the midst of adversity and challenge. It is why Jesus came to us. 

It is the GIFT that Jesus wants for us. Pope Francis aptly named his first apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel. He underscored that it was Good News and it was for ALL.

I felt it when I first met Kathy. I knew it was God's GIFT for me. I thank God for that GIFT every day.

Know that God wants that joy for you. 

Always!

1. What are some of your greatest moments of joy?

2. Why do some people have the impression that religious people are joyless?

3. How can the commandments help you to find joy?

4. Do you see the Gospel as Good News?

5. Where do you see joy in Kathy's photo?

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

Dwelling Place

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Dwelling Place

Eternal      Home

Way     Truth     Life

Take You to Myself

Promise

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 14: 3

Jesus was speaking to His disciples after the Last Supper and said,

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am going to come back and take you to Myself.

Where I am, you also will be."

Reflection

Our dwelling places are very important for us. We are willing to make sacrifices, work multiple jobs, and spend many hours sprucing up our homes. Many people devote a big chunk of their time watching home improvement shows and videos.

They are so central in our lives because we all need a place of privacy and relaxation. There are times when we are eager to invite friends to our homes and other times when we want to be alone or with close family. 

However, our homes are temporary. Many of us have lived in several homes. I was talking with a friend recently who has lived in 35 different homes. I felt like a slacker for living in only 12 homes!

In our reading from John, Jesus is pointing us toward a special home. It is a home with Him, an eternal home. 

Since we are so used to change and many different places to live, it is hard for us to imagine an eternal home. On a certain level, it is something that we desire. Many people will talk about putting a lot of time and effort into their homes and say that this is their "forever" home. 

Forever in that case means that they have worked so hard on their home, they do not want to move again. They are satisfied with how it looks. They are comfortable.

Jesus is leading us to His home. He tells us that He is the Way. If we follow Him, we will find a true home. 

In His Home, there is truth. We do not have to be concerned about people lying to us. We do not have to be concerned about fraud and scams. No one will be selling us snake oil or the Brooklyn Bridge. The truth will be clear and obvious because Jesus will never deceive us or mislead us.

The home to which Jesus is leading us will be full of Life because Jesus has conquered death through His resurrection. We will be leading a life of joy because Jesus wants to take us to Himself. 

He is so full of Love for us that His only desire is to bring joy to us, joy to the full. He wants us to dwell with Him forever. He has promised us that He will always be with us.

Those 12 dwelling places that I have experienced have all left memories with me. I can picture each one of them and remember those who were with me. 

They were all temporary. The dwelling place that Jesus wants for me and for all of us is different. It is our true Forever Home. 

It is a Dwelling Place of Love and Joy. 

It is a Dwelling Place with Jesus.

He wants to take us to Himself, to embrace us always.

1. Of all the homes you have lived in, which one was your favorite?

2. Do you enjoy working to make your home more comfortable?

3. Have you found your "forever" home or are you still looking or struggling to find a home or apartment?

4. How should we try to help those who are homeless find their dwelling place?

5. What do you hear in your heart when Jesus says that He wants to take you to Himself?

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

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