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)

Daughters

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Daughters

Afflicted   Believers

Touch   Heal   Cures

Your Faith Saved You

Arise

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 5:25; 27 to 29; 34; 41 and 42

A woman had been suffering with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had heard many stories about Jesus and came up to Jesus and touched His cloak. She thought that if she touched His cloak that she would be cured. Immediately the flow of blood dried up and she felt that she was healed of her affliction. 

Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you whole. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction."

Jesus then continued to the house of Jairus and came to where his daughter had died. He took the child by her hand and said to her. "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, arise." The girl, who was twelve, arose immediately and walked around.

Reflection

There is something special about the relationship between a father and his daughters. In our reading from Mark, Jesus refers to the two women who are healed as His daughters. 

It is amazing to think how close Jesus felt to these two women. His Love for them was so deep that He thought of them as daughters. They were family.

I am blessed to have two daughters. As a father I always have the desire to make sure that my daughters are safe and doing well. I want to see that they are thriving.

Jesus brings that same attitude to these two women---one who is older and another who is just twelve. Jesus wants to make sure that they are both healed and doing well.

He recognizes the faith of the woman who had been bleeding for many years. She did not want to draw any attention to herself or her illness. She believed that Jesus was special. She had heard about all the healings he had done. 

She felt all she had to do was touch His cloak and she would be healed. What faith she had! Jesus saw that and admired it. She was His daughter and He loved her.

The twelve-year-old child, Talitha, is dead. Her father seeks the help of Jesus. As a father he cannot accept her death. He knows that it is not natural for a child to die before the parents. He also is a person of faith, and he seeks out the help of Jesus.

Jesus feels this man's pain. He goes to help and brings her back to life. Everyone who witnesses this is astonished. Again, we see the power of faith in Jesus.

The depth of the Love that Jesus has for us is truly amazing. I get a small glimpse of it as I think of my daughters. I marvel at what both of them have accomplished and what wonderful persons they are and how much love and care they have for their children. I feel a strong connection to them and admire them.

The marvelous thing about Jesus is that He feels that love and more for all of us. He considers us to be His daughters and sons. He wants to heal us and to embrace us with His unconditional Love.

If we are able to overcome our hesitation and doubt and to reach out to Jesus in faith, He will fill us with that Love. 

Welcome to the Family!

It's time to arise!

1. Why is the relationship between a father and his daughter so special?

2. What power in your life has come from your faith in Jesus?

3. How do you feel when you think of yourself as a daughter or son of Jesus?

4. Why do we have a tendency to doubt that Jesus can love us?

5. What emotion do you feel as you look at Kathy's photo of a day at the beach with two of her granddaughters?

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

Storm

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Storm

Tumultuous   Disturbance

Trust   Obey   Cease

Be Still And Know

Faith

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 4:37 to 41

When Jesus was in the boat with them, a tumultuous storm came up and the waves were breaking over the boat and it was filling with water. Jesus was asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat. 

The disciples woke Jesus up and said, "Teacher, don't you care that we might die?"

Jesus woke up and stopped the wind immediately and said to the sea, "Be still."

Then there was a great calm.

Jesus asked them, "Why were you so upset? Don't you have faith yet?"

The disciples were all amazed and said to one another, "Who is Jesus that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Reflection

Have you ever been caught in a sudden storm on a boat?

One beautiful summer morning, Kathy and I picked up some bagels and met our son, John, for a ride on his boat. All of a sudden, we noticed some black clouds heading our way. There was a torrential downpour and the boat started to fill with water and it got very rocky. It was a scary moment!

Fortunately, it ended quickly, and the sun returned, and we got to enjoy our bagels. Jesus takes care of the storm for His disciples in our reading from Mark. 

We are amazed at the power of Jesus. Immediately the storm stops. The disciples are wondering what type of man Jesus is. How can He have the power to do this? 

The disciples are beginning to understand that Jesus is different. They will gradually put their trust and faith in Him. 

We also face many storms in our lives. They can come up quickly. We are having a great day, and we get news that someone very close to us has become ill or is involved in a serious accident. We hear about a war starting or another shooting in a school. 

We wonder where Jesus is. Why is Jesus allowing this bad thing to happen. Is He still sleeping on that cushion?

We are challenged to place our faith in Jesus in those difficult situations. If Jesus calmed violent storms instantly, we know He can help us when we experience our own stormy times. 

Jesus loves us and He will help us in the hard times. We don't need to wake Him up. He is always there for us, and He knows what we are going through.

Be still.

God is with you.

The storms will pass.

1. What are some storms that you have faced in your life?

2. What type of man is Jesus?

3. Why was it hard for the disciples to put their trust in Jesus?

4. Why does Jesus allow bad things to happen like wars and school shootings?

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

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

Soil

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Soil

Hearts     Mind

Plant     Hope     Prayer

The Kingdom of God

Flourish

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Mark 4:26 and 27

Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is similar to a person who scatters seed on soil that has been well prepared.

At night that person is sleeping comfortably, and the seed is growing.

How does that happen?"

Reflection

Did you ever wonder how that seed grows and becomes a crop that we can harvest and turn into food?

One of the keys is to have good soil. In another parable Jesus talks about the soil that falls on rocky ground and does not mature. 

In a similar way we have to prepare our hearts and mind to receive the Word of God. If we are closed (if our soil is poor), the Gospel cannot take root in us.

I had a marvelous experience of good soil recently when I was blessed to attend the graduation of our oldest grandchild from high school. She thrived in her high school and took advantage of every opportunity that was offered to her in terms of course selection, clubs to join, and athletic teams. 

Her soil was prepared by two loving and involved parents who encouraged her, drove her to many activities, were always present for her performances and competitions, and who prayed with her and for her.

That soil produced much fruit and led to an individual who touched the lives of many in her community. As I witnessed that growth over the years, I could see the soil getting richer and richer.

It takes a lot of work and time. It takes patience and perseverance. Each day becomes a small step to a rich harvest. As you go through each day, you wonder if all of the effort is worth it.

Then you see the result and you thank God for the wisdom and strength that God so richly gives. We are building the Kingdom of God.

It is a Kingdom where all are accepted, where all are invited to flourish, and where the harvest will be rich.

I know.

I saw it and felt it that night.

The soil yielded a wonderful harvest!

1. How is the soil of your heart and mind?

2. Who has helped to prepare your soil?

3. Have you helped to prepare the soil of the heart and mind of someone you love?

4. Where have you seen the Kingdom of God flourishing?

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

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