Discipleship

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Discipleship

Cost   Conduct

Deny   Oneself   Yes To God

Take Up A Cross

Follow

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 16:24

Jesus was talking to Peter and the other Apostles about the suffering that He would be facing. They found it hard to accept this part of the teaching of Jesus.

Jesus told them:

"If you want to follow Me, you must take up your cross and follow Me."

Reflection

How do you react when someone challenges you to do something that you really don't want to do?

In our reading from Matthew that is exactly the situation that Peter and the Apostles find themselves in. They do not want to hear that Jesus will have to suffer. We can't blame them. We would react the same way. We feel terrible that Jesus underwent the sufferings He endured.

We continually ask ourselves "Why?" in the face of suffering. We get mad at God because there is suffering in the world. We get disgusted and upset when we see the pictures of innocent children dying in war zones. We hunger for a better world.

There are times in life, however, when we have to pay a cost for our beliefs, our faithfulness to God's teachings, and our struggle to achieve justice in a world that we know is very far from justice.

I think of John Lewis on a bridge in Selma, Alabama, getting his head bashed in because he wants to help Black people to vote.

I think of Nelson Mandela locked in a prison for over twenty years because he wanted to end apartheid in South Africa.

I think of Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated because he was advocating for the rights of his people and for sanitation workers to have a better wage.

I think of our soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

There is a cost when we try to follow the Good News of Jesus. Will we conduct our lives in such a way that we are willing to pay that cost or will we remain quiet and uninvolved because we don't want to make waves or stand up for what is true and right?

There will be times when we have to deny ourselves the comfort of going along with everyone else and turning away from the challenge of confronting an evil in our society. Others might caution us not to raise our voices and take a stand. They are, like Peter and the Apostles, very well intentioned. They do not want us to get hurt.

We face the choice sometimes: will we say "Yes" to their voices urging caution and timidity or will we say "Yes" to God because we know that God wants us to help those who are in need, those who are struggling to survive?

Jesus had to take up His cross because He faced misunderstanding and opposition. If we are His followers, why would we ever think that we would escape taking up the cross as well?

We know that our world is not perfect and that there are evils around us and within us all the time. As we try to follow Jesus, we ask for His strength and guidance to be able to take up the crosses that daily confront us and to walk in the paths where He will lead us.

We are not alone.

We are His disciples.

We follow!

1. How do you react when you are confronted with suffering?

2. What is your feeling when you contemplate the sufferings that Jesus faced?

3. Are you willing to pay a cost for believing in Jesus?

4. Who are some of the people you know who have had to pay a cost for following Jesus?

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

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

Identity

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Identity

Turning   Point

Jesus   Peter   Rock

Who Do You Say I Am?

Messiah

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 16: 15

Jesus was talking with the apostles in the area of Caesarea Philippi and asked them what they had heard about Him. He asked them:

"Who do you say that I am?"

Reflection

We can spend a lot of time thinking about our identity. We wonder what can truly define us.

Am I a husband?

Am I a teacher?

Am I an advocate for justice?

Am I a father?

 Am I a grandfather?

When we look at it carefully, we can say that we are made up of several identities. We are complex. We are involved in many activities and assume many roles.

In our passage from Matthew, Jesus is seeking the knowledge of the apostles. What have they heard about Him from others? What are people saying about Him now that He has been preaching, teaching, and healing for some time in His public ministry?

After Jesus gets that feedback and the variety of responses, He then questions the apostles directly. He asks for their understanding and not just what others have been saying. It is a turning point in His relationship with them. He is asking them to state their truth. They have been travelling with Him and observing Him for a good while now. What do they think?

Peter is the one who speaks up. He is clear. He is forceful. He is direct. With his clear faith in Jesus, he becomes their rock and the rock of the Church. 

He states that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah. He is very clear about the identity of Jesus. 

Jesus affirms Peter. He knows His identity. He knows about His mission from God. He understands what He must do.

At this point Jesus has had a lot of opposition, and it is understandable. He is from a small town and has no religious training that can compete with the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He is not part of the religious establishment of His day.

Peter sees beyond that and recognizes something that is unique in Jesus. He believes in Jesus. He sees the true identity of Jesus.

We are called today to answer the question that Peter answered. Who is Jesus for us? Who do we say He is?

As I personally reflect on the question of my own identity, I would answer that I am a follower of Jesus. I trust in Him. I believe in Him. I try to live the moral code that He proclaimed, embraced, and lived.

He is the Messiah.

He is the Son of the living God.

He is my Friend and Lover. 

Who is Jesus for you?

1. How have you discovered your identity?

2. As you have talked with other people, what have you heard them saying about the identity of Jesus?

3. Why did Peter become the rock of the Church?

4. Why is it understandable that Jesus would face so much opposition?

5. Who is Jesus for you?

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

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

Canaanite Woman

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Canaanite Woman

Persistent    Interruptor

Trusting   Calling   Kneeling

Have Pity On Me Lord

Undeterred Mother

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 15: 22

One day Jesus was traveling in a Canaanite district and one of the women from that area approached Him and said:

"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is struggling with a devil."

Reflection

If your daughter was suffering, what would you do to try to get help for her?

I think most of us would answer that we would do anything we could to try to alleviate her pain. So many times when my children were sick, I would want to take on their suffering myself so that they could feel better. 

The Canaanite Woman in our passage from Matthew is in that exact situation. She wants help for her daughter who is suffering from a demon. 

She knows that she is out of place in approaching Jesus. She is a Gentile and He is Jewish. His mission is first to the People of Israel. 

She is persistent, however. She is fighting for her daughter. She interrupts Jesus even though the apostles try to keep her away from Him. She will not be denied.

Even though she is not Jewish, she recognizes Jesus as Lord and as the Son of David---a messianic title. In some way God has touched her heart with the recognition that Jesus is special. She has been blessed with the gift of faith.

She places her trust in Jesus.

She calls out to Him in her anguish.

She demonstrates her faith by kneeling before Jesus. She knows He is extraordinary. She believes He can help her. She does not give up---even when Jesus tries to dismiss her because she is not Jewish.

She asks for pity.

She asks for compassion.

She asks not for herself but for her daughter.

She reminds me of how I have prayed when my children were sick. I was not thinking about myself. I just wanted them to feel better. I put them in the arms of Jesus. I asked Jesus to heal them.

The Canaanite Woman is an undeterred mother. She will never take no as an answer. Her daughter is too important. 

The Canaanite Woman gives us an example of faith and persistence. She believes in Jesus. She will not give up. She keeps on trying. 

Help us Jesus to place our trust in you just as the Canaanite Woman did!

1. How do you feel when your children or children you know are ill?

2. Are you persistent in your prayer or do you tend to give up if you do not get an immediate response?

3. Do you acknowledge Jesus as Lord?

4. Is it challenging for you sometimes to place all your trust in Jesus?

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

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

 

Water Walker

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Water Walker

Persevering   Faithful

Come   Choose   Courage

Do Not Be Afraid

Saves

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew   14: 27

Jesus was walking towards the apostles on the water. They were surprised as they were being rocked by waves in their boat. They thought that they were seeing a ghost!

Jesus said to them,

"It is I. Do not be afraid!"

Reflection

What is it like to be a water walker?

If we let our imaginations go for a moment, it must be an amazing feeling. I can just picture myself gliding over the water and enjoying the walk. How amazing!

In this incident from the  Gospel of Matthew, Peter is a temporary water walker. Initially he is doing fine; but then he falters when he takes his eyes away from Jesus and focuses on the water below. 

It is so hard to be persevering in our focus on Jesus. It can seem like Jesus is asking so much of us. Doubts can creep in about our ability to meet the challenges. We can sink into the waters of our inadequacy.

Jesus is asking us simply to be faithful. We are called to trust in Him and in His power to sustain us in our weakness. We know that He can overcome our limits and mistakes. He will always guide us into the boat when we are sinking.

Jesus asks us to come to Him every single day. We come to Jesus when we reach out to our sisters and brothers. When we feed the hungry and clothe the naked, we are coming to Jesus. We are being faithful. We are persevering.

We choose to be water walkers with Jesus. It can seem to be beyond us. We can feel that it is too difficult for us. We learn, however, that it is not about us. Our choice is to take that walk with Jesus.

That walk involves courage. We know what happened to Jesus. There were some who rejected Him and wanted to put Him to death. We know that we will face hardships as well. It will not be easy.

One of the main obstacles that we face to walking on the water of the Gospel message is our own fears. It is easy for us to think that we are not as capable of following Jesus as well as someone else. We can wonder if we have the strength to face rejection and criticism. What will we do if people laugh at us?

Jesus tells Peter and the apostles (and us today) that there is nothing to fear. Anything that anyone can do or say to us will not really harm us because our eyes will be on Jesus who has overcome every obstacle and triumphed over it.

Jesus came with a mission and He persevered in it no matter what the difficulty. He came to save us---to offer a path that included love and compassion for each person, especially those who were most neglected. He came to heal, to feed, to lift us up. 

He was a water walker who showed us that the impossible was possible. We have nothing to fear. 

He is holding His hand out

for us to grasp---

    to lift us up when we fall,

to greet us with tenderness,

to guide us through darkness and confusion,

to bring us into the saving boat of Love.

1. How would you like to be a water walker?

2. Why do we falter when we try to walk on water?

3. What can make it difficult to be faithful to Jesus?

4. How do you try to come to Jesus?

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

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

Humanity

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Humanity

Grief   Compassion

Heal   Bless   Feed

Bring Them To Me

Divinity

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 14: 13 and 14

When Jesus heard about the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew by boat and went to a deserted place to be alone. 

The people realized that Jesus had done this and went to find Him. 

When Jesus got out of the boat, He saw the vast crowd that had come. 

His heart was moved with pity for them and He healed the sick they had brought.

Reflection

Do you relate to Jesus more in His humanity or in His divinity?

We know from our teaching that Jesus is one person in two natures, human and divine. As we pray to Jesus and relate to Him, we can sometimes feel a bit closer to His human nature; and, at other times, seek the power that He manifested in His divine nature.

Our scripture from Matthew features both. 

I wonder how Jesus felt when He got the news of the death of His cousin, John the Baptist? Especially hearing about how he died---beheaded by Herod to fulfill a promise to his daughter because of how she danced!

John had prepared the way for Jesus and had reluctantly baptized Jesus (even though John thought it should have been reversed with Jesus baptizing him). They had a special bond. It must have been devastating for Jesus.

In His humanity He might have been thinking, "If they did that to John, will I be next?" In His time of grief, He wanted to be alone.

His mourning was cut short. The crowd sought Him out and brought the sick with them. 

It is in this moment, when a grieving Jesus was looking at the crowd, that His humanity shines forth. He looks upon the people with compassion. They have touched His heart.

We go quickly from His humanity to His divinity. 

He heals the sick whom they have brought to Him.

He blesses five loaves of bread and two fish.

With that meager amount of food, He feeds five thousand men and many women and children.

There are twelve baskets of food left over and collected.

Jesus asks the apostles to bring the five loaves of bread and two fish to Him. What He is really asking, however, is to bring the people to Him. 

He loves them.

He wants to heal and to feed them.

His humanity displayed through His compassion. His divinity shown forth in His miracles. 

How BLESSED are we to have such a savior, such a friend, such a prophet, such a Lover!

Human.

Divine.

Love Supreme!

1. Do you relate to Jesus more in His human nature or in His divine nature?

2. How do you think Jesus felt when He got the news that His cousin John was beheaded?

3. Jesus put His grief aside to heal the sick and feed the hungry. What does this tell us about the type of person Jesus is?

4. Why does Jesus feed the crowd instead of dismissing them?

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

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

Treasure

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Treasure

Heavenly Kingdom

Sell   All   Follow

Those Who Love God

Salvation

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Romans 8:28

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.

Reflection

I had the blessing of growing up with a daily reminder of the Love of God for me.

Every day as I began my day I would pass by a small scroll that was attached to the wall by my bedroom. It had Romans 8:28 on it---the scripture passage for today's blog. 

It reminded me of where my treasure was. We did not have a lot of money growing up. We did not live in the best house. After my Dad died, my Mom was a single parent who raised five children from fifteen to six years old. 

I knew my treasure was not in financial riches but in the wealth of God's Love for me and for our family. God let me know that I would always be in the Heavenly Kingdom. God would take care of us.

God's Kingdom should come first in our lives. It is a Kingdom that is open to all. We are called to sell all that we have in a material way and to  follow God without the distractions that our worry and concern for wealth can generate. 

Our focus changes. We don't become anxious about our status or how others might look at us. We know that God is with us, that God is calling us to be in the Heavenly Kingdom, and that God will shower us with true Love.

When we love God, ALL things can work together for good. It might not seem that way at the time. God has a way of leading us through bumps, detours, and u turns into the Kingdom. We know it will be challenging. 

In those times of struggle we will be tested. We will have our doubts and second thoughts. We will wonder if we are on the right path. It will seem to us that others are more successful and happier than we are.

In the midst of those turbulent times comes the realization that our God only wants to offer us that which is good, beautiful, holy, and true. God sent Jesus into our world for one purpose---to offer us the gift of salvation. 

When we accept that gift, we are called to act in a different way. We begin to value the treasure of God's Love over all else. We know that this Love is not meant for ourselves alone. It motivates us to help those who are most vulnerable, most on the margins, and most in need. We know this is what God wants.

Enjoy the treasure of God's Love.

There is none greater!

1. Where is your treasure?

2. How would you describe the Kingdom of Heaven?

3. What distractions do you face as you try to follow Jesus?

4. Do you believe that ALL things can work together for good if you love God?

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

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

Plant

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Plant

3 Measures

Kindness   Fidelity   Forgiveness

Good Ground For Hope

Grow

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Wisdom 12:19

You taught Your people through Your actions that those who strive for justice must be kind. You gave Your children good ground for hope and told them that You would allow repentance for their sins.

Reflection

I'm always looking for good recipes. It's so much fun when you find one that really works well, is fairly easy, and is a hit with everyone. It's a keeper!

In a similar way when you are planting some flowers and they look beautiful, you write it down and keep the name for future reference. You don't want to forget it!

When we do our planting, there are three measures  we can look to for success. Are the words and actions that I plant around me every day done with kindness? If I am just thinking of myself and what I can gain, inevitably my planting will turn people off and discourage them. People I encounter will want to quickly dispose of those plants. No one needs more aggravation and negativity!

The second measure that is helpful to plant is fidelity. When I am committed in my relationships and dependable, people I encounter can place their trust and confidence in me. They can count on my being there for them. Especially when they call at stressful times, they know that I will be at their side as soon as I can.

The third measure to plant in this recipe for following the example of Jesus is forgiveness. In many ways this can be the most difficult ingredient to add. There are always people who have hurt us deeply that we find difficult to forgive. 

Our forgiveness can transform the hard ground of bitterness into the receptive soil of new life. We can leave behind the misunderstanding and hard feelings of insult and disappointment. We begin anew.

As we plant with our three measures of kindness, fidelity, and forgiveness, we are walking with Jesus. We are transforming difficult situations and past hurts into the good ground that is so essential for new life to take root. We have planted hope for new possibilities. 

Many times people can feel discouraged by the obstacles they are facing. Things might not be going well at work. A good friend has received a difficult diagnosis. Someone in your family has been in an accident and is seriously injured.

If we can plant some seeds of hope in the lives of those we meet each day, we can accompany them patiently as they try to grow through those challenging times. In walking with them the miracle is that we grow also.

As the flowers that we planted and the recipes that we mastered have enriched our lives, so to do the measures of kindness, fidelity, and forgiveness that we share with others help us to grow to become better followers of Jesus.

Growth is a process that can seem far too slow and overly frustrating. We plant our seeds and want to see those flowers immediately. We wonder why that new dish that we are making is taking so long in the oven.

Sometimes also we do not see the results of all of our hard work. We are planting the seeds for future generations to enjoy. We trust that there will be growth some day.

It is always planting time. Those three measures are calling us. The growth will come. The ground of hope awaits!

1. How do you feel when you discover a new recipe or a new plant?

2. Have the three measures for successful planting (kindness, fidelity, and forgiveness) helped you bring hope to others?

3. In what ways have you grown as you have tried to bring hope to others?

4. What have you learned from the sometimes  slow process of growth? 

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

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