Vision

The Spiritual Waiting Room

 

Vision

Righteous     Patient

Waiting     Trusting     Delivering

How Long O Lord

Fulfillment

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Habakkuk  1:2-3; 2:2-4

How long, O Lord? I plead for assistance but you do not listen.

I tell you, "Violence!" but you do not assist.

Why do you let me see so much harm; why must I be surrounded with so much pain?

Destruction and violence are all around me.

There is fighting and loud conflict.

The Lord responded to me and said:

Write down what you have seen exactly upon the tablets, so that everyone can read it clearly. For what you have seen is still important. It is moving on towards completion. It will not leave us upset. If it delays, do not be upset but wait patiently. It will definitely come. It will not be late.

The rash person has no integrity.

The one who works for justice and is motivated by faith, that person will live.

Reflection

The author of Habakkuk  is upset with God. This prophet has had enough of the violence and destruction that are all around. Why is God turning away and not listening?

So many times this seems like the case for us. We wonder why there has to be war and crime and senseless killings. We know instinctively that there must be a better way.

God is listening.

God hears the cry of the prophet.

God encourages the prophet to write down the vision. We are not to hide our heads in the sand and ignore the evil that is happening.

We are encouraged to keeping working for justice and to wait patiently. It is easy to give up. We are challenged to be persons of integrity and to be steadfast in our work for justice.

How long O Lord?

We pose that same question. We have a vision of what the world should be. We want to see an end to war, poverty, abuse, exploitation, and prejudice. 

We join with the author of Habakkuk and question God. Justice should come more quickly. We are tired of waiting.

It is our challenge to keep on working step by step to achieve justice. It is up to all of us to create that world where each person is respected and valued. 

Our acts of kindness and care make a difference. We are called to be persons of integrity and to keep on building the world of justice that God desires.

1. Do you ever get upset with God?

2. How does God listen to you?

3. How can you work for justice?

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

Neighbor

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Neighbor

Homeless     Sickly

Work     Comfort     Feed

Lazarus Means God Helps

Call

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Jesus was talking to the Pharisees.

"There was a wealthy man who was dressed in purple clothes and expensive linen. He dined with huge meals every day.

Right outside his door there was a man named Lazarus who was very poor. He was covered with many wounds and would have been happy with the leftovers from the rich man's meals.

Dogs would come by him and lick his wounds.

When Lazarus died, angels led him to the bosom of Abraham.

When the rich man died, he was in pain in the underworld. He looked up and saw Abraham. Lazarus was next to him.

He called out to Abraham and said,

'Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Have Lazarus come to me and bring me some water to help me deal with my suffering.'

Abraham replied,

'You have to remember that you had it very well while you were on earth. Lazarus was suffering. He has peace here but you are now in pain. There is a huge space between us now and no one can go from one side to the other.'

The rich man replied to Abraham,

'Please Father Abraham send Lazarus to my father's house. There he can warn my five brothers so that they will not have the suffering that I have.'

Abraham told him,

'They should listen to Moses and the prophets.'

The rich man said,

'They will all repent if someone from the dead speaks to them.'

Abraham replied,

'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not pay attention to someone who has risen from the dead.'"

Reflection

How can someone just pass by a person who is hungry and not reach out?

As we read this story of Lazarus and the rich man from Luke, this is the question that troubles us. How can a person possibly eat all these great meals every day and not share some of his food with people who are hungry?

It seems that this rich man was so involved with himself and his own lifestyle, that he just ignored the needs of others. 

He finally seems to discover compassion for others when he asks Abraham to send Lazarus to give a warning to his five brothers. Abraham rejects this because God has already provided so much guidance for us through Moses and the prophets. 

It is not a new thought to show kindness to our sisters and brothers in need. The Hebrew scriptures have made that point time after time.

Even an extraordinary event like someone rising from the dead will not penetrate a heart that has been hardened by selfishness. 

It is interesting, as Kathy indicates in her poem, that Lazarus means "God helps". We are all called to be Lazarus----helpers with and in God. 

The opportunities are there for us each day and all around us. The needs in our society are real: the hungry, the homeless, the lonely, the neglected.

God is calling us to throw out the life preserver in Kathy's photo and let others know that we are there to comfort and sustain them.

1. What do you feel when you see or hear about someone who is hungry?

2. What opportunities have you discovered to help those in need?

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

 

Stewardship

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Stewardship

Prudent     Wise

Utilizing     Managing     Reciprocating

Cannot Serve God and Mammon

Trustworthy

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 16:1 to 8; 10a; 13a; 13c

Jesus shared this story with His followers:

"A wealthy man had a steward and he heard that this person was mismanaging his property. 

He called him in and told him, 'What about the report I heard about you? I need a full accounting of your stewardship because you are no longer fit to be my steward.'

The steward was thinking about this and thought, 'What will happen to me now? My master wants to remove me from my position.

I am not up to doing manual labor and I am embarrassed to beg. I will come up with a plan where people will accept me after I am removed from my position as a steward.'

He went to those who owed a debt to his master. 

To the first one he asked, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' The steward said to him, 'This is your agreement. Write a new one for half that amount.'

To another the steward asked, 'What amount do you owe?' He said, 'One hundred kors of wheat.' The steward said, 'This is your agreement. Write a new one for eighty.'

The master was very happy with that dishonest steward because he devised such a clever plan.

The person who is trustworthy in insignificant affairs can also be trustworthy in important ones.

You cannot serve two masters.

You cannot serve both God and mammon."

Reflection

What makes a person a good steward?

This is a question that we all discuss a lot today. We are concerned with the stewardship of our environment. We are worried that the effects of climate change will get worse if we do not intervene and make sure that our air, water, and soil are clean.

Jesus shows us a path in this parable. The steward had been reported for mismanagement and the master is going to terminate him. We don't know exactly what he did wrong; but we do know that the master is very upset with him because of his dishonesty.

The steward reacts by coming up with a clever plan that will, he hopes, both please his master and ingratiate him with those who have accumulated a debt to the master. He takes action.

His ingenuity pleases the master. He has, perhaps, regained the trust of his master by taking action.

Jesus points out that we cannot serve two masters. When we do that, we will run into trust issues. One or maybe both of the masters will be disappointed.

This is very akin to the situation we face today with our stewardship of God's gift to us---our environment. Pope Francis refers to this as taking care of our "common home".

Will it be business as usual or will we undergo an "ecological conversion" and change the way we do things to protect our home?

We are called to serve God and to be good stewards of our environment. This is a difficult challenge for us today but one that we take up with hope and confidence that God will guide us and help us to be prudent and wise stewards. 

As we contemplate the Peace Pole in Kathy's photo, we can feel the call to bring peace to our earth by respecting the beauty that surrounds us and working to renew the face of the earth.

1. Do you feel that you are a good steward?

2. What is needed today to protect our environment?

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

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

    

Sheep

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Sheep

Lost     Found

Straying     Awakening     Recognizing

One Sinner Who Repented

Saved

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 15: 1 to 7

As Jesus was talking many who were tax collectors and sinners gathered to hear Him. 

The scribes and the Pharisees were upset at this and said, "This man associates with sinners and even eats with them!"

Jesus shared this parable with them:

"If you had a hundred sheep and one was missing, wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine and go find the one that was lost? When you found the one that was missing, you would be filled with so much joy that you would put it on your shoulders and carry it home. 

"When you arrived home, you would call all your friends and neighbors together and invite them to rejoice with you because you have found the sheep that was lost. 

"It will be the same in heaven. There will be more joy over the one sinner who repents than the ninety-nine who have no need to repent."

Reflection

The sheep goes off from the flock. It's trying to find a different way. Maybe that sheep is tired of being with the others.

We can all relate. There are times when we want to chart our own path away from everyone else. We need some "alone" time.

This can be very helpful for us but it can also lead us to become too self centered and selfish. This is where sin can enter in. We can ignore the needs of others, refuse to listen to them, and be filled with pride. 

It is in moments like this that one person reaching out to us can make a big difference in our lives by shepherding us. We can see this on a sports team.

One of the greatest baseball players of all time, Willie Mays, started his professional career with a huge slump (one hit in his first 26 at bats). He was discouraged and thought that maybe he wasn't ready for the major leagues.

His manager, Leo Durocher, reached out to him, encouraged him, and told him that he was not going back to the minors. He stuck with him like the shepherd who carried the sheep home on his shoulders.

Sometimes we can be criticized for hanging out with the "wrong"people. Maybe the people have a different skin color or speak with an accent. 

"Don't you know that we shouldn't be seen with them. They are not our type of people."

When we hear that, we can wonder what Jesus would think. Aren't we all part of one family? Aren't we all brothers and sisters?

When one of us is hurting or feeling down or making some poor decisions, aren't we all called to support and encourage that person?

Jesus shows us the way in this passage from Luke: reach out to those who are lost. When someone repents and turns away from a selfish way of acting, welcome that person back and celebrate with her or him and with the whole community.

The lost has been found!

Rejoice!

1. Have you ever reached out to someone who was lost?

2. Has someone helped you when you were lost?

3. Have you ever been criticized for hanging out with the "wrong" people?

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

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

  

Wisdom Of Heart

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Wisdom Of Heart

Redemption      Adoption

Aright     Gain     Freedom

Carry Your Own Cross

Disciple

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Collect (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

God, you have redeemed us and adopted us. Please give us true freedom and an eternal inheritance through our faith in Jesus.

Psalm 90:12

Help us to count our days aright so that we might gain wisdom of the heart.

Luke 14:27 and 33

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow Me cannot really be My disciple."

"If you do not give up all your possessions, you cannot truly be My disciple."

Reflection

Our readings point us in the direction of a different kind of wisdom. It is a wisdom that at first seems too difficult to embrace.

The Collect reminds us that we have been both redeemed and adopted. Jesus has come to offer us a gift: the gift of His life given to us. He wants us to be one with Him. He has adopted us into His family. 

What an amazing thought---we are in God's family. Since we have been adopted and we are part of God's family, we are entitled to an inheritance. It is a pretty special inheritance because it is one that will last forever. We will all take that type of inheritance!

The Psalm points us to true wisdom. When we follow God's path and walk aright with integrity, we develop a "wisdom of the heart". This type of wisdom helps us to see how God works in our lives.

It is a wisdom that leads us to embrace our crosses each day. In taking up those daily crosses, we are able to follow Jesus and to become truly free. When we resist our crosses and run away from them, we are living in fear. We are not trusting that Jesus will be with us and assist us.

If we truly believe we have been adopted and we are part of God's family, God will help us as we carry those crosses. 

Jesus also challenges us to give up our material possessions.

We ask ourselves why we have to give up so much. Jesus knows that we can easily become slaves to those possessions. They can dominate our lives and we can wind up just striving for more and more "things". 

If that happens, we are not free. We become slaves to acquiring material things. It becomes impossible to follow Jesus and to be His disciples because our interests and desires lie in a different direction. 

We all face this struggle. It is the wisdom of the heart that leads us to realize that we have been redeemed and adopted. 

We are part of an amazing family. Jesus wants us to be free and to be happy.

 Forever!

1. How do you feel when you realize that God wants to adopt us?

2. What do you think of when you hear about this "wisdom of the heart"?

3. Why does taking up our crosses each day lead us to true freedom?

4. Do you think it is important for you to give up your material possessions if you want to be a true disciple of Jesus?

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