Name

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Name

Sacred Faithful

Meaning Revealing Promising

"I Am Who I Am"

Yahweh

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:     Genesis 12: 1 to 3

The Lord told Abram:  Go from your land, your relatives, and from your father's home and  go to a land that I will give you. I will form your family into a great nation and share many blessings with you. Your name will be great and you will be a blessing. If someone blesses you, I will bless them. If someone curses you, I will curse them. Every family on earth will find a blessing in you.

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection

What is in a name? What does a name reveal? 

I think of the process that Kathy and I went through in giving  names to our four children. We reflected and prayed as we came up with the names for both a boy and a girl.

We thought of our family traditions and the meaning of the name. We turned to our religious faith for the biblical roots----going for the four gospel authors if we wound up with four boys. John and Mark covered half of the gospels!

Erin was chosen for both our Irish roots and for the meaning of Erin---peace. It was a time of war with our troops in Vietnam and we were all praying for peace. 

There were deep family roots for our youngest, Kathleen. Kathy's Mom, Kathy, and my sister all shared that name.

The process of naming was both exciting and a challenge. We wanted to get the name right. We knew that our children would be answering to those names for a long time.

With All Saints day coming on Sunday, November 1st, we can think of the connection between our name and a special saint. 

 The name is special. 

The name is sacred.

We reflect on the Sacred Name, the Name of God. It is a name of mystery. We are challenged to translate it. Many scholars call it untranslatable. 

"I Am Who I Am" (our attempt to translate that Sacred Name) calls Abram and asks Abram to go to a new land, to begin a new journey, to uproot from family. What a request?

The request is surrounded with mystery. Abram wonders who is asking him to make this journey. 

Yet Abram responds in faith and in trust. The Lord has made a promise: Abram's name will be great.

And so it is. Three religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) call him "Father" because they all trace their roots back to his "Yes".

Kathy's photo reminds us of our own encounter with mystery. We look at it and wonder exactly what it might be. We are intrigued. We want to name it.

In Abram's "Yes" we have been named. We are the Children of Abraham, the name given by the Lord to Abram in Genesis 17:5. His name means the Father of Many Nations.

There is so much in a Name! 

1. What is the story behind your name?

2. Is there any connection between your name and a special saint?

3. What does the name of the Lord ("I Am Who I Am") mean to you?

4. In what ways have you said "Yes" to God in your life?

 

Binds

 The Spiritual Waiting Room

Binds

Encircled Connected

Untangling Untying Interceding

Mary, Undoer of the Knots

Unbound

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Isaiah 54: 1 to 3

Shout out with joy even though you are barren; sing rejoicing though not in labor. More numerous are the children of the wife who has been abandoned than her who is with husband. Enlarge the place for your tent and spread out its cloths. Make your ropes long and and pound your stakes into the ground. For your fame shall spread and your descendants shall be numerous and shall fill up all the abandoned cities.

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection

During the month of October in our Catholic tradition, we spend time in our prayer reflecting on the importance of Mary's role in the life of Jesus and in our own lives. 

One of our favorite ways of reflecting on Mary is the image of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. This image has Mary very patiently and carefully holding a rope full of knots and undoing them one by one.

So many times in our lives we can get bound up in confusion, doubt, and worry. This can even lead to paralysis. We don't know what to do next.

Sometimes it can be the hatred or anger from our unwillingness to forgive someone who has hurt us. Pope Francis in his latest encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, speaks to that hatred or anger that can lead us to revenge. He says revenge resolves nothing.

When those knots bind us up (as those knots in Kathy's photo), we can turn to Mary. We can ask her to help us undo the hatred and confusion.

Isaiah talks about this in our scripture. In a reversal the prophet speaks of the joy that the barren woman will experience.

God will come to her and help her and she will have many children. So many that the ropes of her tent will have to be lengthened to accommodate her growing family.

So many times this is what God can accomplish when we trust in God's path.

Mary wants to lengthen our ropes too as she unbinds all those knots that block us and bind us to our fears.

She loosens those knots because she cares for us and wants us to experience the Love that Jesus feels for us. Allow that Love to encircle you and to connect you to everyone and to all of creation.

1. What is your favorite image of Mary?

2. How does the image of Our Lady, Undoer of the Knots, strike you?

3. When you feel hatred or anger from a difficulty in forgiving someone who has hurt you, do you find it hard to let it go?

4. Do you agree with Pope Francis that revenge resolves nothing?

 

Terebinth

The Spiritual Waiting Room 

Terebinth

Aromatic Fruitful

Budding Blossoming Shading

The Oak of Abraham

Sprig

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:  Sirach 24: 16 to 22

"I spread out my branches like a terebinth. My branches are amazing and graceful. I birth forth delights like a vine; my flowers are splendid and fruitful. You will never forget my sweetness for it tastes like honey and is even better than the honeycomb!When you eat of me, you will still be hungry; and when you drink of me, you will still be thirsty. When you obey me, you will never taste shame; and when you serve me, you will never be lost."

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection:

What a great image of God! Can't you just picture a huge tree with its branches over your head giving you shade on a hot day?

I've had that experience so many times! Recently we were upstate in a park for a Birthday picnic for our granddaughter, Phoebe. It was a hot day and it was refreshing to go in the lake.

When it came time to eat our lunch and enjoy some Birthday Cupcakes, we found some shade and it felt twenty degrees cooler. We all felt so refreshed.

Don't you think that is the way God wants us to feel?

The fruit of the terebinth is very sweet smelling. Just imagine yourself now under that big tree, cooling off, and the you smell that sweet aroma!

Blessing on top of blessing.

So many times I feel that way with God. I wake up to the blessing of a day filled with sunshine and then I get to enjoy the blessing of a delicious breakfast.

I take a walk outside and I see some amazing roses that are flowering. As I am admiring the roses, I hear a bird serenading me with a soul stirring song.

What did I do to deserve this?

That's right----absolutely nothing!

The acorn in Kathy's photo is just like you and me. We start small and then through the grace of God we can grow into a mighty tree that towers over the landscape and spreads its branches to refresh and renew us.

Enjoy a few quiet moments under that Terebinth now. Feel the calming power of God's gentle breeze and listen to the sweet song of God's care.

Allow yourself to be BLESSED!

1. Were there times in your life when you were like a Terebinth to someone by offering them rest and renewal?

2. Do you see a need sometimes to withdraw into the shade to reflect on your life? 

3. As you faced times of transition in your life, who were some of the people who encouraged and helped you?

Authenticity

 The Spiritual Waiting Room

Authenticity

Truthful Genuine

Believing Embracing Accepting

Balance Truth and Grace

Self

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: Genesis 1:27

"So God created human beings in the very image of God. God created them male and female."

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection

The search for authenticity is something that we hear about frequently. "I am searching for my authentic self," is the refrain of those who are looking for a deeper truth. There is an ache in us for wholeness---a wholeness based on truth.

We are all upset with dishonesty. We feel disappointed when we find that a friend has told us a lie. The trust we once placed in that friend is shaken. We wonder why this friend would see the need to lie to us.

On the other hand a friend who challenges us to be better, who confronts us about a character weakness, who points out a mistake we made----such a friend is treasured because she has helped us to become more genuine.

I remember a time when I had a conversation with my brother, Brian, and I was complaining about a classmate who was always bragging about his accomplishments. Brian calmly pointed out that sometimes the faults we see in others are those very faults that lie within.

I was reminded of that encounter recently when I was listening to a homily by Pope Francis. He pointed out that when we are pointing out the errors in the world, it is best that we first look within ourselves.

That self reflection can lead us to become more believing. It can lead us to the revelation that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We can begin to realize that God Loves us and Believes in us. God has blessed us with many talents and gifts. We are close to God. 

When we feel that embrace of God, that realization of God's intimacy with us and care for us, we can accept that our authentic self lies in our relationship with God. That image of God that dwells deeply within us is God's Gift to us, a Gift of Grace.

That rock in Kathy's photo was a gift from the sea for us as we walked along the water's edge. We were struck by the beauty of the rock and the power of the water washing over it. It reflected the creative power of God. Its authenticity shone in the sunlight.

We are all invited to shine in the image of God. We were created that way with an amazing Love that leads us gently to our authentic selves.

1. How do you feel when you hear that you are created in the image of God?

2. Do you agree with the insight of Pope Francis about confronting the errors in the world?

3. How have you found your authentic self?

Signs

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Signs

Sacramental Faithful

Believing Persevering Atoning

Sola Gratia By Grace Alone

Salvation

(photo taken by Kathy McNamara at St. Canice Cathedral in Kilkenny Ireland; poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: Numbers 21: 4 to 9

The people were upset with God and Moses because of their long journey. "We do not want to die here in the desert. We have no water. We hate this food." The Lord sent saraph serpents among the people and many people died. The people realized what they did and came to Moses and said "We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Please ask the Lord to take the serpents away from us." Moses prayed for the people and the Lord responded and said, "Moses, make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and when the people look at it, they will live. " When the people looked at the serpent, they were healed.

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection

Signs are so important in our lives. I can remember getting lost and then rejoicing when I found a sign that indicated a town that I was looking for. The sign pointed me in the right direction.

Certain very colorful or very clever signs grab our attention. The "I Love NY" sign always cheered me up. Also the signs above the theaters advertising a Broadway show that I was excited to see. I saw the sign and began to anticipate an evening of great entertainment.

The sign in our scripture story is an unusual one---a saraph serpent mounted on a pole. The people were hungry, tired, and feeling isolated in the desert. They had enough of this journey that Moses was leading. 

Their concern was understandable. They were losing trust in Moses and in the Lord. They had seen extraordinary signs in Egypt. Plagues. The parting of waters. They were freed from bondage.

But that was yesterday. Memories are short. We easily forget what God has done for us. We get distracted. We grown restless. 

We demand more signs.

The sign that the Lord sends reminds us of the sign of our salvation, Jesus lifted up on the cross to redeem us. Jesus did not give up. Instead He gave.

He offers us GRACE. He has become our sign----the SIGN of total Love for each one of us. This sign reassures us and directs us. It leads us home to the Loving Embrace of our God.

1. When you look at the picture of Jesus from St. Canice Cathedral, what sign do you see?

2. Are you always looking for signs from God?

3. Are there any signs that you have found especially meaningful and helpful in your life?