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)

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)