Footsteps

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Footsteps

Saint Francis

Pray     Surrender     Rebuild

Follow The Lord Always

Remember

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 9:57 and 58

As they were accompanying Jesus, a man came up to Jesus and said, "I will follow you no matter where you go."

Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man does not have a place to rest his head."

Reflection

Once again we see here that Jesus does not do a good job in recruiting new members. He does not make following Him easy and comfortable. You might ask yourself after hearing this reading, "Why would anyone want to follow Jesus?".

Saint Francis of Assisi read this and knew that Jesus was precisely the Person that he wanted to follow. He wanted to be challenged. 

Francis had experienced the comfortable life. He came from wealth and enjoyed partying with his friends. 

He had lived the life of a soldier and a merchant. None of this proved satisfying for him. He was searching for more. He found it as he read the scriptures and realized that he wanted to give his life completely to Jesus.

He inspired a revolution. Others joined him and his new order and his new way of life to bring a transformation to the Catholic Church.

He felt called to rebuild the Church and he did just that. Jesus invited Francis to "Follow Him". Francis did not hesitate when he got the call. He followed Jesus without any hesitation.

Like Jesus in our reading from Luke, Francis literally had no place to lay his head after he left his home with his parents. He lived outside of Assisi and worked on repairing a fallen down church. 

He spent time in prayer and reflection. He communed with creation and developed friendships with animals. 

Francis taught us to always follow the Lord and not to follow the most comfortable path.

Will we remember?

1. Why would anyone want to follow Jesus when it is so demanding?

2. Why does Francis decide to follow Jesus?

3. How do you try to follow Jesus?

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

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

Vineyard

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Vineyard

Heaven     Faith

Seek     Call     Labor

The Usual Daily Wage

Generosity

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 20: 1 to 2, 13 to 16

Jesus shared this parable with those who were following Him:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out very early to hire workers to help in his vineyard. He agreed with them about the usual daily wage and sent them out to work. After they complained about their wage, he told them that he wasn't cheating them. They had agreed with him on the usual daily wage. He said to them, 'What if I wish to give those who came last the same wage that I gave to you? It is my money and I can do what I wish. Are you getting upset because I am so generous?' For the last will be first and the first will be last."

Reflection

In this parable Jesus is giving us an insight into what the kingdom of heaven is like. Jesus is inviting all of His followers into that kingdom so He wants to explain what it is all about.

Jesus chooses this story about a landowner who gives the exact same wage to all the laborers who worked for him that day---even those who only worked a very short time. Those who worked the entire day were naturally very upset with this. It seemed very unfair to them.

However, while they were expecting more, the landowner reminds them that he gave them the amount that was agreed upon. He did not cheat them at all.

How does this story relate to the kingdom of heaven? The word "generosity" seems to be the key here. 

The kingdom that Jesus proclaims is one of a love that goes way beyond our expectations. It is a love that surprises us. 

If we are trying to imitate the way of Jesus, we have to grow our love also. We see this today with people who spread caring by "random acts of kindness."

I heard a story recently about a man at a fast food restaurant who was on a drive thru line and noticed that the woman in the car behind him seemed upset. He decided to pay for her meal.

She was so moved by his kindness that she found him and they became good friends. He had noticed her in a difficult moment in her life and helped her to realize that there were others who cared in a world that can seem cold and cruel at times.

Love can transform hearts. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of unbounded and unconditional love. 

Enjoy the generosity of God's Love!

1. How would you describe the kingdom of God?

2. How would you feel if you were one of the workers who received the same wage as the workers who worked for a short time although you had worked the whole day?

3. How would you feel if you were one of the workers who received a whole day's wage although you only worked a short time?

4. Do you agree with what this landowner did in giving everyone the exact same wage?

5. How do you try to grow your love?

6. Have you ever been the recipient of a "random act of kindness"? If so, how did it make you feel?

7. Have you ever done a "random act of kindness"? If so, how did it make you feel?

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

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

Forgiveness

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Forgiveness

Repentance     Restoration

Seek    Pray     Choose

He Redeems Your Life

Pardon

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures:   Sirach 28:2 to 4

Forgive the injustice of your neighbor. Then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.

If you are letting anger grow within you towards others, can you really expect the Lord to heal you?

If you refuse to be merciful to others, can you really seek pardon for your own sins?

Psalm 103:3 and 4

The Lord pardons all your sins and heals all your hurts.

God redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with kindness and compassion.

Matthew 18:21 and 22

Peter asked Jesus, "If my sister or brother harms me, how many times should I offer my forgiveness? As many as seven times?"

Jesus said, "No, not seven times but seventy-seven times."

Reflection

Our three readings all stress the importance of forgiveness. In Sirach the author ties our giving forgiveness to others to God giving forgiveness to us for our sins and offenses.

The reason for this is pointed out in Sirach. If we do not forgive others, anger grows within us. It is that anger which does not allow us to enter into the forgiveness that God wants to grant us so that our hearts and minds can be healed. Our anger literally blocks the healing and forgiveness. 

Psalm 103 tells us about God's intention towards us. God is a God of forgiveness. God wants to offer us pardon and healing. What an amazing God!

God wants to redeem us. God does not want us to feel left out or alone. We can face destruction and ruin. Our anger and lack of forgiveness can lead us down the wrong paths.

How many times do we hear of a person whose anger got so out of control that it lead to violence? God is leading us in another direction. God offers pardon to us so that we can extend that forgiveness to another person when we are being put down or our feelings are hurt.

In Matthew Jesus lets Peter know that our forgiveness should have no limits. Peter mentions seven times and this seems like a lot to most of us. Jesus takes it to another level entirely. He says it should be seventy-seven times. Since seven in the Jewish tradition was a number of perfection and completion, seventy-seven times refers to absolute and total forgiveness. Jesus is telling us that we have to ALWAYS forgive. That is our challenge.

Why does Jesus give us this challenge? It seems so hard.

Jesus knows that giving forgiveness to others is good for us. It lessens the anger we feel that can lead to such destructive actions.

Embrace that gift of pardon that Jesus offers!

Then share it with others!

1. Do you think God can forgive you if you do not forgive others?

2. Have you ever noticed that your anger blocked you from forgiving someone?

3. How do you feel when you realize that God has forgiven you?

4. Is Jesus being realistic when He tells us that there should be no limits on our forgiveness?

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

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

 

Love

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Love

One    Another

Fulfill the Law

Come Into His Presence

Adoption

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures and Prayer: Psalm 95: 1 and 2

Let us come together and sing with joy to our God

We can rejoice in the rock of our salvation.

Let us come into the presence of God with gratitude;

We can sing psalms to God with joy.

Romans 13:8

The only thing we should owe to one another is to have love for one another.

When we have loved one another, we have fulfilled the whole law and all the commandments.

Prayer

Thank you God for the gift of your adoption which leads us to true freedom and an eternal inheritance. Amen.

Reflection

Our reading from Psalm 95 celebrates the feeling of joy that comes from our personal contact with God in prayer. This joy fills our heart and our soul because we realize that we are entering into the presence of God.

It is the feeling that we get sometimes when we are joined with our sisters and brothers in prayer. We realize that we are not alone. There are many who want to gather together and lift up their voices to give praise to God.

That joy leads us to the love that St. Paul speaks about in Romans 13:8. When we are filled with the joy that comes from dwelling in the presence of God, we want to share the gift we have been given with others. We know it is not right to keep it to ourselves.

We owe this to one another. When we take those concrete steps to love others, we are sharing what God has given to us. When we feed the hungry, we are giving the gifts that we have received from God to others.

In the circle that is love, so many times when we do that we are filled with joy. Our act of love becomes a Psalm---we are praising God through our humble and sincere acts of love for others.

Our Prayer today sums it up for us: when we realize that God loves us so much that God adopts us, we are truly free. We are free of prejudice, hatred, greed, and selfishness. We live with God.

We celebrate the Love that God gives us just as that Valentine's Day baby in Kathy's photo. We know that we are loved by God today and always. God will never leave us.

What a GIFT!!!

1. How can our prayer lead us to experience joy?

2. What do you feel is the connection between joy and love in your life?

3. How can our acts of love lead to joy?

4. Do you feel that God has adopted you?

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

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