Become

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Become

Word   Truth

Change   Transform   Convert

Be Doers of the Word

Begin

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:    James 1:17-18, 21b, 22

Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. 

God desired to give us new life by the word of truth.

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and saves you.

We become the first fruits of God's creation.

Be doers of the word and not just hearers. This way you will not delude yourself.

Reflection

What do you want to become?

The reading from James answers that question. We can become the first fruits of God's creation. Imagine that! 

The first fruits are always special. There is always excitement and anticipation. The farmer cultivates those fruits with care and patiently watches them grow. When they have ripened, everyone on the farm looks forward to tasting them.

In the eyes of God, we are those first fruits. God delights in us and is excited to see us change and grow.

God's word calls us into being. It is a word of truth, and it overcome all the lies and deceptions that can surround us.  We can easily follow the wrong advice and the wrong leader. God's word calls us back to focus on what is truly important and valuable.

We reject the shadows and the confusion and decide to follow the light. We become changed and transformed by the example and teachings of Jesus. A conversion happens within us. We have found peace.

We realize that it is not enough to just listen to the teachings of Jesus. We are called to fully embrace them and to put them into action as we become doers of the word.

That moment of realization becomes in us a new beginning. We know that God, the Mother and Father of Light, will always lead us as we try to work for justice and peace. 

We are called to become true disciples and to reach out to the most vulnerable and neglected in our midst. The first fruits are tasty indeed!

1. How do you feel when you realize that you are becoming the first fruits of God's creation?

2. What are some of the lies and deceptions with which you have had to contend?

3. Have you ever experienced a personal conversion in your life?

4. What does it mean for you to be a "doer of the word"?

5. How have you become a true disciple of Jesus?

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

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

Peter

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Peter

Witness   Believer

Words   Spirit   Life

To Whom Shall We Go

Serve

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures:   Joshua 24: 18

Joshua said, "We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God."

John 6:66 to 69

After Jesus spoke, many of the disciples left Jesus and returned home. Jesus then asked the Twelve, "Will you also leave Me?"

Simon Peter answered Him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

Reflection

In our reading from The Gospel of John, Peter is put in a difficult situation. Most of the followers of Jesus have left Him and returned home. After Jesus had fed five thousand men with just five barley loaves and two fish, many of His followers wanted to make Him a king.

Then Jesus told them that He would give them something much greater than the bread and the fish. He would give them His own body and blood. He wanted to feed them and nourish them always. The food He would give them would lead them to eternal life.

Many of the disciples could not accept this teaching. They left Jesus. 

Jesus was wondering if the Twelve whom He had chosen would also abandon Him. In some ways this must have been the low point of His ministry. He was trying to give Himself to His followers in a special way and He was utterly rejected.

Peter responded with an act of faith. He had been a witness to all that Jesus had said and done. He had seen the miracles of Jesus up close. He had witnessed His compassion and kindness to those in need. He had heard Jesus explain the Hebrew Scriptures so lucidly. He had listened to the teachings of Jesus about the Kingdom of God. 

All of those experiences had made Peter a believer. The words of Jesus had touched him. He felt the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus.

Peter knew that there was no one else he had ever encountered or heard about who was like Jesus. All of the teachers that Peter had met in his life could not compare in the knowledge and authority that had come forth from Jesus. There was no one else that Peter wanted to follow.

Peter made the decision to serve the Lord just as Joshua had done many years before. He recognized how special Jesus was.

We are faced with that same question that Peter answered. 

Will we leave Jesus?

Whom will we serve?

1. Why do you think so many of the followers of Jesus left Him after He spoke about giving them His Body and Blood?

2. How do you think Jesus felt after so many followers left Him?

3. Why does Peter say that he will follow Jesus?

4. Will you follow Jesus as Peter did?

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

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

Sustenance

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Sustenance

Eternal   Nourishment

Eat   Abide   Remain

Living Bread From Heaven

Salvation

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 6:51

Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

If you eat this bread, you will have sustenance forever.

The bread that I will nourish you with is my very flesh for the salvation of the world."

Reflection

We need to eat. We need sustenance. Our bodies need the nourishment and the energy to survive.

We know how certain foods can affect us. Too much sugar is no good for us. We have all seen the effects of too much sugar in children. Try getting a young child to sleep at night if they have had too many deserts!

Jesus knows that we need sustenance for our spiritual journey. We can be misled and deceived. There are false prophets who want us to follow them and not to listen to Jesus. We see this all the time from Jonestown to Waco. There are leaders who want to have power and control over others.

Jesus promises us eternal nourishment. He does not want to feed us for a little time and then abandon us. He wants to nourish us always. He knows that we will need that strength to survive the many challenges that will face us every day.

If we eat at the table of Jesus, He will feed us. He does this because He wants to abide with us and remain always in our lives. 

It is hard for us to take this in. The God who created the whole world wants to be with us and actually delights in us. We can tend to think that we are unimportant; however, when we truly hear what Jesus is saying, we can see how special we are in the heart of God.

Jesus tells us that He wants to give us His very self. He holds nothing back. It is living bread that Jesus wants to share with us because Jesus wants us to be fully alive---to completely enjoy life.

That sustenance is not given for us alone. It is a nourishment that leads to salvation. Jesus wants us to share this gift of salvation with each person we meet. It is living bread for all. We should not be selfish and just keep it to ourselves.

We are sustained and nourished by Jesus.

Time now to share that gift with all by our simple acts of love each day. Each time we make that thoughtful telephone call, write a kind note, share food with someone who is hungry we are bringing that Bread of Life to someone else!

1. Which foods affect you in a positive way?

2. Which foods upset you?

3. Have you ever been deceived by a false prophet?

4. How has Jesus sustained you in your life?

5. Do you feel that you are special in the heart of God?

6. How have you shared the Bread of Life with others?

7. How does Kathy's photo sustain you?

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

 

Taste

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Taste

God's Promise

Chose   Transform   Nourish

Bread of Eternal Life

Gift

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 6:51

Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; when you taste this bread, you will live forever."

Reflection

The power of taste.

We can all think of certain times when we were rewarded with a really good taste. Eating a special meal. A really fine glass of wine. An amazing desert. You don't want that experience to end. It's delightful.

God comes to us with a promise in Chapter 6 of The Gospel of John. Jesus invites us to taste a special bread. It is a bread that has come down from heaven.

What an invitation! How can anyone refuse that bread? We all want to live forever. 

It is an invitation that lets us know that God has chosen us. We are transformed by God's choice because God wants to nourish us. God knows that we need special food for our journey. Jesus came down from heaven to give us that food.

Our favorite foods are wonderful, and we look forward to tasting them. They fill us with delight and satisfy us. This effect, however, is temporary. We will get hungry again.

The bread that Jesus is sharing is eternal. It will always be with us, always help us, always sustain us. 

It is a pure gift. We cannot merit it. We cannot purchase it. We cannot make it. 

The bread is Jesus.

He wants to be with us. He wants to fill us. He wants to give us living bread.

That bread comes to us as we get to know Jesus intimately through our prayer life, through pondering the scriptures, and through proclaiming the Good News to the poor and the outcast.

Jesus wants to gift us.

We have been chosen.

Tasting time!

1. What are some of your favorite tastes?

2. How do you feel about the invitation that Jesus gives us to taste of His living bread?

3. How has Jesus nourished you?

4. Why does Jesus want to be with you?

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

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

Panis

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Panis

Manna   Eucharist

Feed   Nourish   Sustain

I Am The Bread

Endure

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:  John 6: 35

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. If you come to me, you will not hunger. "

Reflection

One of the great hymns which celebrates the gift of the Eucharist is called the Panis Angelicus or the Bread of Angels. It was written by St. Thomas Aquinas with music composed by Cesar Franck and Sylvester Wager.

The song reminds us that Jesus gives us the bread of life because of His deep and total love for us. The song tells us that the bread of angels becomes the bread for people. 

Manna was given to the Jewish people as they travelled during the exodus event from Egypt to the Promised Land. That bread sustained them on their journey.

Jesus knows that we will face many difficulties and challenges on our journey: discouragement, rejection, frustration, and disappointment. Where will we get the strength to continue?

Jesus provides that strength through, with, and in the Eucharist. We will not be alone as we try to overcome those daily obstacles that we all encounter. 

Jesus feeds us. With that food, Jesus encourages us to feed others in our world who are in need. Just as Jesus gives to us, we are called to give to others---especially those who are most in need.

Jesus nourishes us. He knows the type of bread we need to become stronger and to persevere. We all know what happens to us when we don't take care of ourselves with the proper foods. Junk food won't help!

Jesus sustains us. There will be times when we feel weak. There will be times when we doubt. There will be times when we feel like giving up and we don't think we can make it. Jesus will be there for us and help us to keep going.

We will endure.

The Bread of Life fills us with Love.

Let us come to the table of Jesus.

1. What are some of the challenges that you have been facing lately?

2. How have you felt called to feed the hungry because of your participation in the Eucharist?

3. What has helped you to endure?

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

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