Calling

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Calling

Unleavened Bread

Commissioned   Witness   Testify

Christ's Triumph Over Death

Truth

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures: Acts of the Apostles 10:40 and 41

Peter said, "God raised Jesus on the third day and granted that He could be seen, not by all the people, but by us.

We are the witnesses who were chosen by God beforehand; and we ate and drank with Him after His triumph over death."

1 Corinthians 5:8

Let us now celebrate the feast. It is time to celebrate not with the old yeast, which is the yeast of evil and selfishness. Let us celebrate instead with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Reflection

Jesus is risen!

Having the benefit of so many years and so much teaching, we are able to understand what this means. Still, we find it hard to comprehend.

Imagine how the apostles felt. They were devastated when Jesus died on the cross. After following Him for three years and dedicating so much time to listening to the Good News that Jesus was sharing, they were faced with the bad news of the arrest, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus. Was the calling that Jesus gave them leading to a terrible conclusion?

The resurrection showed that the mission of Jesus---to lead us to the Kingdom of God---was, as Paul says in his First Letter to the Corinthians, an invitation to a feast that we would celebrate with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Jesus showed what this feast would be like as He actually ate and drank with the apostles after the resurrection. They began to realize what an amazing miracle had taken place. Jesus had conquered death; Jesus had triumphed over evil; Jesus had shown us how deep and profound His Love for us was.

As the apostles had a calling, so to do we have a calling today. The apostles were called to witness to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. They were called to share the Good News---the best news ever: Jesus is risen, and He has overcome death.

We are called to share that Good News today. We share it by our words but, more importantly, by our actions in reaching out to those who are most in need. Each one of us can help to transform our world by the warmth of our love.

The unleavened bread of sincerity and truth gives us the strength to do that, especially when we face discouragement at the extent of the evil and selfishness (that old yeast!) we face. We know it is not easy; but we also know that Jesus will be with us.

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

The Risen Christ will guide us!

1. Why is it so hard for people to comprehend the resurrection of Jesus?

2. How did the resurrection of Jesus affect the apostles?

3. What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for you personally?

4. When Jesus ate and drank with the apostles after the resurrection, what do you think the apostles were thinking?

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

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

Kenosis

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Kenosis

Self    Emptying

Humbled   Obedient   Sacrifice

Death On A Cross

Follow

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:  Philippians 2: 6 and 7

Jesus, though He was in the form of God, did not think of equality with God something to be held on to.

Instead Jesus emptied Himself and became a slave.

He came as a human.

He was completely human in appearance.

Jesus humbled Himself.

He became obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Reflection

Isn't it amazing when you reflect on the reality that Jesus, even though He was God, became a human being? The Greek word St. Paul uses for this is kenosis. It means an emptying.

Paul uses this word to convey that Jesus fully embraced our human nature. He made the decision to become one of us.

It is a reality that causes us astonishment. If we were in that situation, would we be willing to empty ourselves of our divinity and to become human? 

It is such a huge "emptying"! The gap between the human and the divine is so large. I think most of us would choose to stay comfortable in our divinity and not to bother with all the difficulties and challenges of the human condition.

However, Jesus takes it a step further. He embraces His mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God and encounters resistance and hostility from some in authority. They do not like what He is saying and doing. He seems dangerous.

This leads to His death by crucifixion. Hard to imagine that anyone would be that faithful and that obedient. Jesus never turned back, never watered down His message; He was obedient---He listened to God and embraced the call to spread the Love of God.

We are also called to listen to that challenge to love each person and to share the Good News that Jesus has come to let us know how deeply we are loved by God. 

We share that Good News despite rejection, misunderstanding, and humiliation. We too are called to empty ourselves of pride and a comfortable path and to embrace the way that Jesus shows us.

We learn through the example of Jesus that this will not always be easy and that it might involve rejection and suffering. 

Are we willing to follow the way of kenosis?

1. Why do you think that Jesus became human?

2. Do you think of Jesus as dangerous?

3. Is it hard for you to be obedient to God's call?

4. What are some ways that you can "empty" yourself to follow Jesus more completely?

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

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

Covenant

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Covenant

New   Promise

Cleanse   Forgive   Renew

Draw Everyone To Myself

Within

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Jeremiah 31:33

This is the new covenant that I will make with my people Israel says the Lord:

I will put my law within them and write it in their hearts.

I will be their God.

They shall be my people.

John 12:32

"When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Myself."

Reflection

How would you like to become one with Jesus?

Our scriptures from Jeremiah and John show us the way.

Jeremiah speaks to us about a God who will come to us and write His law in our hearts. We will know God's Law so well that it will be inside of us. We will feel it. We will know it intimately.

All of us crave this deep, interpersonal, and complete knowledge of God. No more searching. God cares for us so much that God is within us.

John speaks about how this will happen. Jesus will be lifted up on the cross. He will be executed like a criminal. He will be humiliated and mocked. His closest friends will abandon Him. He will suffer terribly.

Through that lifting up, Jesus will draw us to Himself. He will show the depth of His Love for us. He will hold nothing back. He had the power to destroy all His enemies; but He chose instead to give us an example of a suffering servant. 

He showed us that evil can be overcome through suffering; good can triumph over evil; those who thought that they eliminated a threat to their power and position were defeated by the example of Love.

Jesus draws us to Himself through the power of His witness. The covenant is now in our hearts  because Jesus wants to be with us always. 

We are one with Jesus.

Forever!

1. What does it mean for you to become one with Jesus?

2. Do you feel that you know God's Law?

3. How has Jesus drawn you to Himself?

4. What type of covenant have you made with God?

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

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

Salvation

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Salvation

Cross   Resurrection

Believe   Truth   Confess

God So Loved The World

Deliverance

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: John 3:17

God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world. Jesus came to save the world.

Reflection

We all search for salvation. We are looking for the meaning in life and our ultimate purpose. Why am I here? What is my destiny?

Jesus comes with a simple message: the Good News. He has come to bring us to salvation. God has sent Him to let us know that God loves us and wants only good for us. 

He calls us to follow Him by loving others. God does not want anyone to be condemned, to be hurt, to be lost. He wants us all to accept the Love He gives and to share that Love with others by accepting them, welcoming them, and caring for them.

We sometimes get an image of a God who wants to punish us and judge us. Jesus corrects that false image by revealing the depth of God's Love for us. It was a Love that is so complete that Jesus offered His life for us through His suffering, death, and resurrection. He held nothing back. He gave Himself to us completely.

We are delivered from self-centeredness, worry, and fear. God offers us salvation---a Love that will never end. 

1. What is your ultimate purpose in life?

2. Why do you think Jesus came into the world?

3. Did you ever think of God as wanting to judge you and punish you?

4. How do you think of salvation?

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

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

Cross

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Cross

Power   Wisdom

Signs   Wiser   Stronger

We Proclaim Christ Crucified

Called

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:23

...but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and absurdity to Gentiles,

Reflection

The cross can seem ridiculous to many people. If Jesus is truly God, how could He have been crucified? He made the whole world. It doesn't make sense that He would suffer the fate of a common criminal.

Those who look at things logically cannot fathom this outcome. You would think that people would be bowing down before Jesus and recognizing Him as a King.

Instead, Jesus comes speaking about the Kingdom of God and some cannot comprehend what He is sharing. The authorities decide that He is dangerous. He is accused of blasphemy. He must be put to death.

We can certainly relate to this. Think of all the times when something you said or did was misinterpreted and the other person took offense. Our intention was to point out the truth or to be helpful or to make a suggestion and it was taken out of context. The other person got upset and a feud started.

The message of Jesus was both simple and challenging. He encouraged us to love God and neighbor but also challenged us to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek when someone attacked us. 

He associated with sinners and outcasts. He healed those who were sick on the Sabbath. He threw the moneychangers out of the Temple. He questioned some of the accepted practices of the authorities. All of this got Him into trouble and led to His death on the cross.

The cross has become for us a sign of loving commitment and faithfulness to mission. We know that there will be times when we will face suffering and hardship just as Jesus did. We have seen that with martyrs who in ancient times and today are willing to put their lives on the line for truths that they embrace.

We greatly admire our first responders, police, and soldiers who are willing and ready to put their lives on the line for the safety of others. The cross might be seen as absurd to some; but we know what it means: a willingness to love and care for others.

The cross is Jesus showing us how to live and how to love.

1. Does it make sense to you that Jesus was crucified?

2. Do you think of Jesus as a dangerous person?

3. Did you ever experience a feud starting with someone you knew because the person misinterpreted something you did or said?

4. What does the cross signify to you?

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

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