Walk

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Walk

Faith   Hope

Humble   Gentle   Patient

Unity Of The Spirit

Worthy

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Ephesians 4:1 to 6

I urge you to live in a manner that is worthy of the call God has given you.

Live with humility and gentleness.

Be patient.

Bear with one another in a loving way.

Try to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Live in the hope of your call.

Remain one in faith.

Reflection

What is the road I should walk? What path should I choose?

Every day I have choices to make. I know that God is calling me to listen to the voice of God and to choose a path that echoes our passage from Ephesians.

My path begins in faith. I place my trust in God.

My next step is one of hope. I feel that God is with me.

I try to be humble and realize that my life is not about me and what I can accomplish. I am called to serve what God wants me to do.

I have to walk in a gentle way. The earth is a precious gift, and I must cherish it and be a good steward.

I must be patient on my path. I will not accomplish everything that I would like to do in one day. I am on a journey and my call unfolds over time.

As I walk forward, I have to be mindful of others and try to listen to their needs and feelings in order to preserve that unity which comes from the Holy Spirit. I know that God wants all of us to work together and to build the Kingdom of God together.

I will try to walk in a way that is worthy of the call that God has given to me and to all of us. It is a call to love one another and to embrace each person with the Love that walks with us.

Enjoy your walk!

1. Where have you been walking lately?

2. What does it me for you to be humble as you walk?

3. How do you try to preserve the unity of the Spirit as you walk?

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

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

Meadow

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Meadow

Invitation   Request

Access   Receive   Saviour

Sheep Without A Shepherd

Welcome

(Photo and Poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures:   Jeremiah 23:3 and 4

I am going to gather the remnant of my flock into one and bring them back to their own meadow where they will thrive. 

I will place shepherds over them to guide them so that they will no longer be afraid, and no one will be lost.  

Mark 6:34

Jesus saw a vast crowd.

His heart was moved with compassion for them.

For they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Reflection

You have been on a long journey. You are very tired. You have been away from your home for a few years.

You come back and see a beautiful green meadow. You delight in it. You are home.

You feel refreshed and renewed because you were lost. You were confused. You felt abandoned.

God welcomes you to this beautiful meadow. God invites you to be one with God, to rejoice in God, to feel the presence of God with you always.

The Shepherd wants to take all of our fears and worries away from us. 

We are not alone.

We will never be alone.

We are welcomed.

The meadow awaits.

1. Where do you find your meadow?

2. How does God welcome you?

3. What are some of your greatest fears?

4. How does your relationship with God help you to overcome those fears?

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

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

Two By Two

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Two By Two

Walking Stick   Sandals

Preach   Evangelize   Anoint

Jesus Summoned the Twelve

Chosen

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 6:7-8, 12-13

Jesus gathered the Twelve together and started to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. Jesus told them to take nothing as they went out but a walking stick---no food, no sack, no money in their belts.

They went out and followed the instructions of Jesus.

 They preached repentance.

They drove out many demons.

They anointed with oil many who were sick and they cured them.

Reflection

Jesus is putting the apostles to work. They have been absorbing His teachings and have seen His miracles.

How are they feeling about this?

Let's take a minute to put ourselves in their sandals. I'm thinking that they were probably nervous about this. How do you follow in the footsteps of Jesus? What a responsibility!

Jesus is placing a lot of trust in each one of them. Will you be able to show that you are worthy of that trust?

The apostles go out and followed what Jesus had told them to do. They had remarkable success. Demons were overcome and the sick were healed. 

If I am an apostle, I'm feeling pretty good at this point. It is an affirmation of the decision I made to follow Jesus. His authority and His instructions are potent.

Today we receive that same call, that same trust from Jesus. He sends us out the same way He sent out the apostles.

One important characteristic of the approach of Jesus is that He sends out the apostles in pairs. I think that is great advice for all of us today. Community is very important for ministry.

Our proclamation of the message of Jesus is much more powerful and effective when we work with others. I saw this when I worked in Religious Education. Many of the teachers taught in pairs. This proved to be very helpful.

Jesus is summoning us!

We have been chosen!

Time to get to work.

1. If you were one of the Twelve apostles, how would you have felt as you went from town to town sharing the Gospel?

2. Do you feel that you are worthy of the trust that Jesus has placed in you to carry on His ministry?

3. Why is it important that we minister two by two?

4. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo of the flower and the bee?

Thorn

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Thorn

Trials   Suffering

Humbles   Strengthens   Powers

My Grace Is Sufficient

Content

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   2nd Corinthians 12:7 to 9

So that I might not become too proud, a thorn in the flesh was given to me. Three times I asked the Lord that it might be taken from me.

But the Lord said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you. 

Power is made sufficient in weakness."

I would rather boast about my weakness so that the power of Christ might dwell in me.

Reflection

Everyone wonders what that thorn in the flesh St. Paul is talking about. Different theories have been proposed but no one really knows exactly what it is.

It must have been very upsetting for Paul. He didn't ask just once but three times. He really wanted the Lord to take it away.

The response of God here is very direct. God seems to be saying, "Don't worry about it. I have you covered."

Paul is reassured by the words of the Lord. It seems counterintuitive. How can power come from weakness? It doesn't seem to make any sense.

Paul understands exactly what the Lord is trying to communicate. If we become weak, the power of Christ can come into our lives and transform our weakness into strength.

I remember experiencing that in my life many times. Once I was conducting a retreat for the teenagers in the parish and it seemed like many of them were not responding.

I turned to the Lord and asked Jesus to touch their hearts. I knew that I did not have the answer, but I believed that Jesus did. 

The rest of that retreat was amazing. The teens had a very powerful experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and were very open to the grace that God wanted to shower on them. You could feel the power!

That power of Jesus can overcome the many thorns that we will inevitably face. It is important that we bring our "thorns" to Jesus honestly and completely in our prayer.

Jesus wants to fill us with grace.

That grace is always sufficient for us!

1. Have you ever experienced a time in your life when your own personal weakness was overcome by the power of Jesus?

2. How honest are you in sharing your "thorns" with Jesus in prayer?

3. Do you feel that God's grace is sufficient for you?

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

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