Answer

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Answer

Actions   Words

Honesty   Change   Obedience

And Believe In Him

Truth

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 21:32

One day Jesus was talking to the chief priests and the elders and shared a parable about two sons. Their father had asked them to do some work. One of the sons refused the father but did the work and the other son said yes but did not act on it. Jesus compares this to the response of some of the chief priests and the elders to John the Baptist and says to them:

"When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet when you observed that, you did not change your minds and believe him."

Reflection

Sometimes we get answers that are very helpful for us and bring change in our lives.

There are also times when we give answers and do not act on them.

We might also struggle to find an answer to a difficult situation we are facing.

Answers don't always come instantly.

When we get or give an answer, we then have to translate that answer from the words into concrete actions.

In our reading from Matthew the chief priests and elders with whom Jesus is speaking (we have to note that this encounter certainly does not represent all of the chief priests and elders!), received an answer from John the Baptist but were not able to accept it even as it was accepted by prostitutes and tax collectors.

This reflects our own attempts to accept an answer that we might find difficult to reconcile with what we believe. These particular chief priests and elders did not feel that they had to accept the answers that John the Baptist was giving.

There are times in all of our lives when we cannot accept an answer. In those moments we have to take an honest look at our lives and see if there are changes that we need to make.

The son in this parable of Jesus who initially gives a negative answer to his father changes his answer through his actions. There are times when all of us follow this path. We reconsider our initial answer and make a change. 

That change led this son to obedience. He did what the father wanted him to do. After his initial resistance, he truly listened to not only what the father wanted but what he felt he should do.

These particular chief priests and elders had listened to John the Baptist but could not accept the answers that he was giving at that point in their lives. 

Of course we do not know if their response changed later on as the son changed his response. So many times we reflect on the words some one has shared with us later on after our initial encounter. We start to see the wisdom of those words and that can lead us to change.

Those changes can lead us to a deeper belief. The son changed and believed in his father. He realized that it was more beneficial for him in the long run to do what his father asked him to do. 

The other son answered in the affirmative but did not answer with his actions. He did not follow through. He said what he thought his father wanted to hear; but he did not really believe it was right for him to do what the father had asked. He excused himself from his answer.

It comes down to our embrace of the truth. 

Do we believe in our answer?

Do we feel that it is the right thing to do?

Are we willing to change from our preconceived notions of what we feel is the right path?

Do we want to take an easier path or one that will not demand as much from us?

The prostitutes and the tax collectors were open to the message from John the Baptist. They were willing to change and embrace the truth that God loved them in spite of their failings. They answered by saying yes to God's invitation.

What is your answer?

1. Have you ever been given an answer that you found difficult to accept?

2. Can you think of a time in your life when you reconsidered an initial answer and made a change?

3. Do you sometimes answer with what you think the other person wants to hear from you?

4. Can you relate to the prostitutes and the tax collectors in this story?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo of the Peace Pole?

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

Choose

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Choose

Life     Death

Find Joy In Suffering

Christ Will Be Magnified

Unity

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Philippians 1:20c

Christ will be magnified in my body.

Reflection

How many choices do you make each day?

Isn't it amazing when you think about all of the decisions that you face daily?

When should I get up?

What should I wear?

What should I have for breakfast?

And that is just the start of your day!

In our reading from Philippians, Paul is facing a very difficult decision. He is writing from prison and knows that he could be facing death. This Good News that he has been preaching has been found to be dangerous by some of those in positions of power in the Roman Empire.

He could take the easy way out and just deny the Good News and stop talking about Jesus. If he is quiet and goes along with the official religion of the Empire and gives worship to the Emperor, his life will be spared and his suffering will be over.

That is not for Paul. He has found joy in the Gospel and true happiness in giving his life to Jesus. For Paul to live is to be one with Christ. He cannot deny the Gospel. Jesus has changed his life forever. He is even able to find joy in his suffering in prison because he knows that he is not alone. Jesus is with him every moment. 

His goal in all his choices is a simple one: how can my choice magnify Jesus and give Him the praise and the thanks that Jesus deserves. His choices are never about Paul. They are all centered in Jesus.

These choices lead Paul to become one with Jesus and through this unity one also with all the people he encounters. He is able to reach out to many of the communities of faith that he initiated through the power of the Holy Spirit. He writes letters from jail and receives visitors while imprisoned. 

His words can echo in our hearts and lives today. As we make our many choices each day, we have opportunities to follow Jesus by sharing the Love He gives us each day with the people we meet. 

Paul was able to do that while he was in prison. Nothing stopped him because he wanted to magnify Jesus. 

The smile you share with a stranger.

The food you give to the hungry.

The welcome you give to the immigrant.

The comfort you bring to the sick.

Those everyday choices that you and I make help the Gospel to come alive in our day and time.

Keep on choosing to magnify Christ!

1. Why do some people consider the Gospel to be dangerous?

2. Do you find joy in the Gospel as Paul did?

3. Is it really possible to find joy in suffering?

4. What is the goal of all the choices that you make each day?

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

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

Coin

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Coin

Life   Death

Spend   Love   Dedication

We Are The Lord's

Forgiveness

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Romans 14:8

For if we live,

We live for the Lord.

If we die,

We die for the Lord.

Whether we live or die,

We are the Lord's.

Reflection

How do you spend your coin?

I think of the coin that God has given to me. I have been blessed with so many riches.

An amazing wife.

My family.

My friends.

My faith.

My Church community.

The coin that I have been given helps me to appreciate the gift of life. I cherish the blessings that surround me, and I thank God for the goodness of creation.

Paul, in our reading from Romans, talks about living for the Lord. We all try each day to put God first and to follow God's call. 

Paul says we also die for the Lord. Each day we are called to make sacrifices to help others. We have to die to that selfishness that places our own desires first. We try to become more aware of how we can help those who are in need.

We dedicate our lives to using the coin we have been given to make our world a more loving, kinder, and more compassionate place. We strengthen that dedication through our prayer, reflecting on God's Word, building up our community, and performing works of mercy.

We realize that we are the Lord's. God guides us in all we do, and we give ourselves completely to God. We hold nothing back.

That giving helps us in one of our most difficult tasks: to forgive those who have hurt us deeply or who have hurt those we love. 

We have been given a precious coin by God. It is the coin of forgiveness. 

It is that coin that can heal the pain we have experienced when someone has disappointed, attacked, or belittled us.

This degree of forgiveness is a challenge for all of us. God knows this and is patient with us. As we give ourselves to Jesus and realize we are the Lord's, Jesus can start us on our journey to be more forgiving.

As I ponder Kathy's photo of Mary holding Jesus after He was taken down from the cross, I see what forgiveness is all about. Jesus gave His life to let us know that we have been forgiven, we are loved, we are His.

His forgiveness is complete.

In His Love for us, He decided to give us a coin.

Each time we forgive someone whom we find it hard to forgive, we are spending that coin.

After we spend it, He gives us another one.

He never runs out of those coins.

He just invites us to accept them from Him and to spend them on forgiving others.

Don't hoard those coins!

1. What are some of the coins God has given to you?

2. How do you try to live for the Lord?

3. How do you die for the Lord?

4. In what ways do you use the coin of forgiveness?

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

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

Unpayable

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Unpayable

Love   Choice

Fulfillment   Moral   Law

Love Neighbor As Yourself

Requirement

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Romans 13:8

You should owe nothing to anyone except to have love for one another.

If you love one another, you have fulfilled all the requirements of the Law.

Reflection

Have you ever accumulated a debt that you thought was unpayable? As you struggled with that, you might have wondered where you were going to get the money to pay it all back.

In our scripture from Romans, Paul is encouraging us                                                                                                                                                                            to have only one debt. He is calling us to have love for one another. 

When you think about this, we all have a debt that is unpayable. God has Loved us with a love that is so huge and complete that we can never pay that depth of Love back. We try to respond partially by the loving choices we make.

We try to spread sunshine into the lives of those who are burdened.

We try to reach out to others with a thoughtful telephone call.

We try to advocate for justice for those who are treated unfairly.

Those loving choices fulfill the moral law by bringing more love into people's lives. We never know the difference that can make. 

I always remember the story I heard about a young man who was thinking about ending his life one night. A friend of his was going to meet some people that night and "by chance" stopped by his house. As they talked together the young man realized he was not alone. He could feel the love coming from his friend. He found the comfort and strength to embrace life.

We are called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This often means putting others first before our own comfort and needs. It can mean responding to a friend or a stranger in the middle of the night when we get a sudden call or see someone we don't know in need of help. 

We ask ourselves in those situations, "What would I want others to do for me?"

Many times we are called to go beyond what is required and to do more for others. We do this when we realize that God has absolutely no requirement to love us. God's Love is a total GIFT for us. There is no way that we can pay God back for that Love. 

It is an unpayable debt. 

God gives it freely.

He simply asks us to love everyone we encounter each day as we love ourselves.

God challenges us to love others.

God shows us the way!

1. Have you ever felt overwhelmed with your debts?

2. Why is the debt we owe to God unpayable?

3. What are some loving choices that God is calling you to make today?

4. Can you think of a choice you made to love that made a difference in someone else's life?

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

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