Prayer

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Prayer

Jesus     Father

Believing     Glorifying     Being

To Perfection As One

Word

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 17: 20 to 24a

Fixing His attention on heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: "Holy Father, I pray not only for my apostles, but for all of those who will come to faith because of their word,

 so that all may be as one,

 just as you are one in me 

and I am one in you, 

that they may also be united as one in us,

so that the world may have faith

that you sent me.

I have shared the glory you gave me with them,

So that they may be one

As we are one,

I in them

And you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,

that the world may realize that

you sent me,

and that you loved them

even as you loved me.

Father, they are your gift to me.

Reflection

The importance of being one!

Jesus is sharing His life with the Father. It is a life of deep unity---a unity so profound that it is hard to understand and comprehend.

What would be a good comparison?

The type of unity Jesus is talking about is similar to that unity in a relationship when we can look at a friend's face and know something is up (either for good or ill) without our friend uttering a word.

We know immediately because we have spent time with our friend, shared deeply, laughed and cried much, and are comfortable being silent together.

We are one.

It feels good. It feels special. We rejoice in that unity.

Jesus stresses the importance of unity because of the responsibility of the apostles to share the word. It would be confusing to people if the apostles started to share different messages as they went about preaching.

When that did happen in the Church, it was necessary to bring the leaders together to clarify the message and to achieve the unity that Jesus prays for.

Jesus tells us that the way to achieve that unity is to stay rooted in our relationship with the Father and the Son through prayer. Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to lead us to that all important union.

Jesus tries to bring us to perfection as one. It is impossible to achieve perfection by ourselves. We know this only too well as we try hard to achieve something in our personal lives and fall short due to poor communication or lack of a particular skill or talent.

Jesus leads us to that perfection through His Love for us. Jesus has so much Love for us that He even speaks of us as a GIFT from the Father.

Imagine that! You and I are GIFTS for Jesus. 

It is overwhelming to think that Jesus, who has everything, could possibly think of us as GIFTS.

We are GIFTS because we have been Loved by the Father. We come into this world through the Love of the Father and we journey to the Father in and through that very same Love.

Remain in that Love.

Always!

1. Why does Jesus stress the importance of unity?

2. Is it possible to achieve unity in a divided world and a divided Church?

3. How can we achieve the unity that Jesus prays for?

4. Do you see yourself as a GIFT for Jesus?

5. What does Kathy's photo say to you?   

Twelve

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Twelve

Tribes     Foundation

Naming     Inscribing     Radiating

God Gave It Light

Revelation

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Revelation 21:10 to 14; 22 to 23

The angel lifted me in spirit to a wonderful, high mountain and laid before me the sacred city Jerusalem coming right out of heaven from God.

It radiated with the splendor of God.

Its reflection was like that of a special stone, like jasper, transparent as crystal.

It had a huge, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were watching and on which names were written, the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.

There were three gates pointing east, three north, three south, and three west.

The wall of the city had twelve layers of stones as its foundation, on which were written the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I looked for the temple in the city but could not find it; its only temple is God and the Lamb.

The city did not need sun or moon for radiance, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.

Reflection

It's all about the Light!

In a world where there seems to be a lot of darkness, confusion, hatred, and violence, where can we turn for Light? 

The author of Revelation has some ideas for us. The first one is a vision of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was the center of religious life for the Jewish people. They would go there on pilgrimage with their friends and family. It was their place to celebrate all the major feasts and holy days.

The number twelve in our reading is so important because it represents the twelve tribes of Israel. They were the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob. As such they represent the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God was and is faithful!

This tradition is continued by Jesus as He selected twelve apostles. These apostles spread the Good News of Jesus---the Kingdom of God is here.

It is that Kingdom that gives Light as there is no temple but the Lamb will provide the Light. When we keep our focus on Jesus and try to follow Him in our love for each other, we can overcome the darkness.

We have seen this over and over in our days. We witness time and time again so many people respond with generosity and care after horrible tragedies.

There is something deep within us that says I want to radiate Light. I will not let the darkness rule over me and have the last word.

This is the revelation. Yes there will be challenges. Yes there will be obstacles. Our world is far from perfect.

In the midst of these struggles Jesus, the Lamb who was sacrificed, will lead us to a Kingdom of Light!

1. Where do you turn for Light?

2. What does the number twelve signify for you?

3. How can you spread the Light in your community?

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

 

Commandment

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Commandment

New     Greatest

Ascribing     Extolling     Glorifying

I Have Loved You

Transmit

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:    John 13:31-33a, 34-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man surrounded with glory, and God is exalted in Him.

If God dwells in glory through Him, God will also exalt Him and do so immediately.

My friends, I will be with you for only a short time.

I want to share a new commandment with you: share love with one another.

As I have spread love with you, you should also love one another.

This is how everyone will know that you are my followers, if you spread love with one another."

Reflection

In this reading Jesus knows that He is facing a huge confrontation with the authorities and He wants to leave some final wisdom for the apostles. He tells the apostles that He will only be around for a short time.

The commandment that He leaves is a call to love. Jesus knows that this is the most important way for us to follow.

It is the way that Jesus is going to follow after His Last Supper with the apostles. Jesus puts all His fears aside and remains faithful to what the Father is asking Him to do.

Jesus is walking the path of glory. That is the path of God. When we walk with God, we are always surrounded with His Glory. 

Jesus tells us that God will exalt us immediately. God does not hesitate. God wants to share the Glory of God with us.

That Glory leads us to love one another. Jesus encourages us to love one another just as Jesus loves us. 

Jesus has given us an example. He has held nothing back. He gives us the full GIFT of His Love.

If we love another with that Love, we will be dwelling in the Glory of God.

Always!

1. How do you encounter the Glory of God?

2. Can you love others in the same way that Jesus loves us?

3. What are some ways you transmit the Love of God?

4. What do you see when you look at Kathy's photo?

Sheep

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Sheep

My     Father

Hear     Voice     Follow

They Shall Never Perish

Eternal

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 10:27-30

Jesus said: "My sheep respond to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 

I gift them with eternal life, and they shall never perish.

No one can break them away from My hand.

My Father, who has gifted them to me, is more powerful than all, and no one can break them away from the Father's hand.

The Father and I are united."

Reflection

Sheep get to know the voice of the shepherd and will respond to only that special voice. A relationship has been established.

A priest I knew very well used to share an experience he had with sheep and shepherds. He had just finished lunch and was about to board a bus to continue his tour in the Holy Land.

He noticed some sheep gathered outside the restaurant. When the shepherds came out to gather them, the sheep responded to the voice of their shepherd and left the flock with him. 

They were all mixed together waiting but did not hesitate to leave the others with their own shepherd. He could not believe it as he saw this scene play out in front of him.

In some ways we are just like those sheep. We listen to many different voices. 

We are attracted to certain newscasters, celebrities, influences, musicians, athletes, and humorists. We can wind up dedicating a lot of our time to following them.

Many of those voices can have a positive effect on our lives and we can find them very helpful and enjoyable.

Some, however, we can find disappointing and misleading.  

Jesus tells us that if we want to follow Him, we have to listen to His voice. It is a voice that cares for us and surrounds us with Love. 

We have a beautiful image of that in our reading: Jesus is holding us with His hand. Imagine the deep Love that Jesus feels for us.

When we are struggling or disappointed with a "voice" that we might have been following, just reflect on that image.

Jesus is reaching out to you.

He wants to hold your hand and tells us that no one can take us out of His hand. Some might try to lead you in a different direction but they cannot succeed.

Jesus has you.

He won't let go! 

He wants to make sure that we don't perish. He leads us to eternal life.

Kathy's photo is from Good Shepherd Hospice in Port Jefferson. It is a special place of comfort and care for those who are close to death. 

Those who work there make a special effort to hold the hands of their patients and to lead them to the Good Shepherd.

1. Which voices are important for you?

2. Have you ever been disappointed by some of the voices you followed?

3. What is different about he voice of Jesus for you?

4. How has Jesus held your hand?

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