Identity

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Identity

Beloved   Son

Transfigured   Confirmed   Fulfilled

Then A Cloud Came

Listen

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 9:7

Then a cloud came. A shadow was cast over all of them. From the cloud a voice was heard:

"This is my beloved son. Listen to him."

Reflection

Mark relates an amazing experience that Jesus has on the mountain. He is with Peter, James, and John and becomes transfigured before them. His clothes become dazzling white and Moses and Elijah appear with him. 

The three apostles who were with Jesus were stunned. They could not believe what was happening. They had never seen anything like this before.

Jesus was revealing His identity. He was showing them who He really was. It was overwhelming for the three apostles as it would be for any of us.

They knew that Jesus was a special teacher who taught with authority. They saw Him do fantastic miracles and heal many people. 

This was something very different. Jesus was demonstrating His extraordinary power to become totally transformed. He was in this world but not of this world. He showed that as He was conversing with Elijah and Moses.

Then a voice came which fully revealed the identity of Jesus. It was the voice of God which told the three apostles that Jesus was God's Son.

We all wonder about our true identity. The question, "Who am I?", is one we all have to answer. 

Jesus shows us the way to answer this question. We have to listen to God. We have to hear God's voice. Prayer is the key.

As we take some time to commune with God, we can discover our true identity. We also can become transfigured by God's grace and experience how deeply and completely we are loved.

The shadows are lifted. We are beloved! We know who we are and whose we are!

1. How do you answer the question, "Who am I?"

2. How does prayer help you find your identity?

3. Do you see yourself as beloved by God?

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

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

Temptation

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Temptation

Desire   Enticement

Resist   Pray   Listen

Believe In The Gospel

Repent

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 1:15

After Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, He went to Galilee and spread the Good News. He told them, "Repent and believe in the Gospel."

Reflection

We all face a variety of temptations, just as Jesus did. We have our time in the desert when we are alone. Voices come to us to tell us how right we are. Other people are to blame. If only they would follow our advice, the world would be so much better!

The voices can tempt us to thirst for power over others or to belittle them. We can be tempted to turn our back on those who are in need.

Prayer and reflection can help us to put those temptations into perspective. We can listen to the voice of God and open our hearts and our lives to the example of Jesus.

Jesus comes to share Good News with us. We can repent from our lack of caring and embrace the Good News that we are loved.

Now is the time to live that Good News by looking around our communities and seeing what we can do to make them better. 

We will be tempted by that voice that says our little actions won't really make a difference. However, when we listen to the voice of Jesus in prayer, we will be led on another path. 

Our actions, which can seem to be so insignificant when we contemplate the huge problems we face, can deeply touch others and let each person know that she or he is deeply loved.

1. What are some of the temptations that you face?

2. Do you think that your little actions of caring and kindness can really make a difference?

3. Can you think of a time in your life when the kindness someone showed you made a difference in your life?

4. What do you think of when you contemplate Kathy's photo?

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

Imitators

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Imitators

Witnesses   Evangelizers

Touch   Cleanse   Renew

I Am Of Christ

Fulfill

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 11:1

Be imitators of me just as I am of Christ.

Mark 1:40 to 42

A leper approached Jesus. He knelt down and started begging Jesus, saying "If you want to, you can make me clean."

Jesus was moved with compassion and reached out His hand. 

Jesus touched him and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean."

The leprosy left him at that moment, and he was made clean.

Reflection

We are given the choice of who we wish to imitate in our lives. Some of us choose to follow a sports hero. Others model their lives on a great singer or actor. Still others have been very moved by a special teacher who has influenced them. For others it might be someone on Tik Tok.

Paul, in the First Letter to the Corinthians makes a very bold statement. He is asking the people in the community at Corinth to imitate him. 

Our first reaction might be, "Who does he think he is?" It seems like a very egotistical statement. 

If we look closer though, what Paul is really saying is that he tries in his life to imitate Christ. He is really asking the Corinthians to focus on Jesus and to try, as best they can, to follow what Jesus said and did.

Paul can make that bold statement because he has given himself fully and completely to Jesus. His whole life as an evangelizer was to proclaim Jesus with his every thought, word, and deed.

We learn in our reading from Mark what that involves. We see Jesus as a healer.

This is not an ordinary healing. Jesus breaks the Law by touching the man who has leprosy. This action would have made Jesus unclean. 

We see the love of Jesus clearly in this story. He is not limited by the confines of the Law. He puts the wellbeing of this man first.

This man was breaking the Law also by approaching Jesus. He was hoping that Jesus could help him and restore him to the community. The lepers had to live by themselves and keep their distance from everyone else because of the fear that they might spread this disease and infect others in the community.

Jesus saw his desperation, his desire for more human contact, his wish to be with others. Jesus made him clean so that he could be with everyone else. The man was so filled with joy, that he ignored what Jesus commanded him about not telling anyone. He let everyone know what happened to him and who cured him. 

Our challenge is to imitate this compassion and love of Jesus in our lives. We are called to reach out to those in our society who are ignored by others. There are many lepers in our society today who are not suffering from the physical disease of leprosy but who are just as ignored by people today as the lepers were in the time of Jesus.

Who are you going to imitate?

1. Who are some of the people that you have followed in your life?

2. How do you try to imitate Christ?

3. Whom do you feel are the lepers of today?

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

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

Purpose

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Purpose

Plan   Create

Preaching   Healing   Casting Out

I Have Come Now

Salvation

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 1: 38

Jesus spoke to His disciples and told them, "Let us move on from here to the surrounding towns and so that I can share the Good News there as well. I have come for this purpose."

Reflection

I think that we all realize the need to have a purpose in our lives. It gives us a focus each day. It gives meaning to our lives. 

A purpose is a statement of belief that we can fully embrace. We wake up with excitement and energy because we want to work out that purpose in our daily lives.

Jesus at this point in the Gospel of Mark is at the beginning of His public ministry. He has been very successful in curing a man who was possessed, curing Simon's mother-in-law, and healing many others in Capernaum. He was much in demand in the town.

It would have been easy for Jesus to stay there and to accept the praise from all those who were benefiting from His ministry.

Jesus knew, however, that there was more to be done. He went off and spent some time in prayer and realized exactly what His purpose was. He was called to share the Gospel with those in the surrounding area. 

He was not going to stay in His "comfort zone". He was going to continue to share about the Kingdom of God and to invite all those He encountered to follow Him by reaching out to those in need.

The example of Jesus is an invitation for us to reach out to those who are on the margins as He did. We can reflect on our purpose and ask ourselves is there any better purpose than to share the faith that we have been given by God.

Like Jesus we can come out of our comfort zones and reach out to those in other areas whom we have never met but who are waiting for some Good News.

Let us embrace our purpose as Jesus embraced His!

1. What is your purpose in life?

2. Does your purpose give you excitement and energy?

3. How important is prayer in finding your purpose in life?

4. How difficult is it for you to move out of your comfort zone and to take on a new challenge?

5. How does Kathy's photo help you to find your purpose in life?

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

 

Teacher

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Teacher

Authority   Commander

Cast Out   Expel   Obey

The People Were Astonished

Liberator

(Photo and Poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 1:22 

The people were astonished at the teaching of Jesus.

He was a teacher who taught with authority and not like the scribes. 

Reflection

What do we look for in a teacher?

It is certainly important that teachers have command of the subject and that they know what they are talking about. It is important that they are prepared.

It seems from this passage that Jesus was a teacher who was different. He stood out. The scribes would teach by quoting the opinions of others. Jesus taught with certainty and conviction. He did not have to refer to other teachers.

This astonished the people who were gathered. They were even more amazed when Jesus cast the evil spirit out of the man. They started wondering exactly what type of person Jesus was. Where did He get His knowledge and His ability to communicate it so effectively?

The authority that Jesus showed came from His relationship with the Father. Jesus was always going off by Himself to pray and to reflect on the mission that the Father gave Him. He was one with the Father.

Jesus invites us into that relationship. He calls us to listen to His teaching as we pray and ponder the Word of God. We have all experienced many teachers in our life. They have helped us greatly. 

Jesus comes to teach us also as they have. He wants to share the Good News that the Father gave to Him. It is astonishing.

When we hear that Good News from Jesus, our Teacher, our lives are changed forever. We know that we are loved with an Infinite Love.

We rejoice in that teaching and try to follow it by sharing that message with others through our acts of love each day. A smile, a caring word, a compassionate phone call, making a meal for someone who is sick, offering a ride to a doctor's appointment, helping out at a local shelter or soup kitchen, advocating for justice for those unfairly treated, and countless other acts of love show that we have embraced the teaching of Jesus.

Astonishing things are still happening!

1. Who are the teachers who have made the deepest impact on you?

2. Why did Jesus teach with so much authority?

3. What are some of the truths that you have learned from Jesus?

4. How does the teaching of Jesus affect you in your daily life?

5. What are the most astonishing things that you see happening today by those who follow the teachings of Jesus?

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

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

Call

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Call

Message   Discipleship

Repent   Believe   Follow

The Time of Fulfillment

Chosen

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark: 1: 14 to 16

After John's arrest, Jesus went around Galilee spreading the good news:

"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is here. Repent, and accept the gospel."

Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee and he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew. They were casting their nets into the sea to try to catch some fish. 

Jesus spoke to them, saying

"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Reflection

How do you feel when someone calls you and asks you to follow her or him?

Most of us in that situation would like to take some time to think it over, to evaluate the pros and cons, to consult with others, and to ponder our decision.

In this passage there is none of that. Jesus issues His call and the fishermen leave what they are doing and follow Him immediately.

Why so quickly? 

We can imagine that there was such a special quality in the way Jesus spoke to them, in His gaze, and in His body language that an instant response was demanded. 

The fishermen left everything and followed Jesus. They made no excuses.

They didn't say that they needed more time.

They didn't ask about the salary.

They didn't haggle over perks and benefits.

They just followed the call.

The call was about Good News---the Kingdom of God had come. It was here right now. No more waiting.

All that the prophets had spoken about was now here in Jesus. He came to let everyone know that this was the opportunity that was spoken about: God was here---in the midst of the people.

The apostles were excited to get this call and to proclaim the presence of the Kingdom. They would now have the opportunity to catch people rather than fish.

That same call comes to each one of us today. We reflect on the question: how can I spread the Good News?

We have all been given gifts and talents. We can use them to let others know this Good News: the Kingdom is here!

The Love of God has arrived and is in our midst. God will lead us. 

How will you respond to God's call?

1. How do you picture Jesus calling you?

2. What are the excuses that you usually make when God calls you to proclaim the Kingdom?

3. Why were the apostles so excited to get this call?

4. How excited do you get when you receive God's call?

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

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

Discipleship

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Discipleship

Follow   Messenger

Invitation   Behold   Found

Come You Will See

Listen

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 1: 37 to 39

The two disciples heard what John the Baptist said about Jesus and they began to follow Him.

When Jesus saw them following Him, He said, "What are you looking for?"

They said, "Teacher, where are you staying?"

Jesus said, "Come and you will see."

Reflection

Following.

This is always an issue for us.

Whom should I follow?

What should I follow?

Am I being misled?

Am I listening to the wrong people, am I getting "fake news", am I going down the wrong path in life?

It can be hard for us sometimes to figure out exactly what the right path is and who is really telling the truth. The two disciples in our reading were guided to the Truth by John the Baptist. He pointed them towards Jesus.

They were spiritual seekers. They were looking for guidance and for that special person who could explain the scriptures for them.

Jesus invites them to come with Him and to see where He lives. It is an invitation that they both accept and it changes them forever.

I can relate to that change. When I read the scriptures and reflect on the words of Jesus, my life is changed. I see the wisdom and the power in those words. There is no one I would rather follow.

That invitation to come and see is an invitation that Jesus gives to us today. He wants us to know Him so that we will experience His Peace and His Love.

Who can refuse that invitation? It's time to listen!

1. What voice do you follow in your life?

2.  How do you figure out who is really telling the truth?

3.  Have you ever felt that Jesus was giving you an invitation?

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

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