Tuesday, February 23, 2016

                                    Our Transfiguration - Our Exodus

When Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain where He was transfigured, they saw Moses and Elijah talking to Him. No doubt the apostles were shocked to see those two Jewish heroes.  But I suspect, what stunned them most, was the topic of their conversation.  They were speaking “of His exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31)  In other words they were talking about Jesus’ death and departure from this world. 

Although Jesus tried many times to broach that subject of his suffering and dying with His Apostles, they did their best to avoid it.  Now they couldn’t escape it.     

What did Moses, Elijah and Jesus say about His exodus?  We don’t know.  But here are two possibilities.  Maybe they spoke about the method of Jesus death, His dying on a cross with all its horror.  Or maybe they talked about how Jesus would personally face His death…regardless of the method used to kill Him.  In other words, how Jesus would live the final journey.

The way we live the final journey is the heart of the matter more than the method of our dying.   

Jesus did not choose the manner of His death.  But He chose the way He personally lived the journey.  He forgave the soldiers.  He forgave the repentant thief.  He took care of His mother. He died as a Son of God in whom the Father was well pleased.

We won’t choose the manner of our exodus either.  But we can choose the way we want to live the final journey.  Will you die as a son or daughter of God in whom He is well pleased?  What would that mean?

This week tell someone about the way you want to live your final journey.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016


Temptations

     First Sunday of Lent

A few years ago I went to a continuing formation conference for priests.  Our teacher gave us an insight into original sin and the temptation that led to it.  He said that their temptation was not primarily to disobey God, but to become rivals with God.  They ate the fruit of the forbidden tree because the demon told them that “the moment you eat it you will become like gods”. (Genesis 3:5) So, our teacher said, ‘original sin is really a sin of rivalry’.

Sadly the rivalry, to which Adam and Eve succumbed, also destroyed the original harmony which God created.

Rivalry is also at the heart of the temptations Jesus faced in the desert. (Luke 4:1-13) The demon’s temptations are intended to drive a wedge between the Father and His Son…making them rivals too.  The good news is that Jesus does not bite from that apple. He is at peace with who He is in relationship to the Father.

Unfortunately we have inherited the effects of that kind of original sin.  For example, why do I judge someone?  Probably because I see myself as better than the person I’m criticizing.  Why am I jealous or envious?  Because I’m comparing myself to others. Why do I ‘stretch’ the truth or gossip or make myself out to be the hero? Rivalry is at work in all of those things.     

What role does rivalry play in your life? What can we do to help restore the harmony that gets disrupted by our rivalries?

 

Tuesday, February 9, 2016


                                          Changing the Way We See God

    (Week of Ash Wednesday)

 Lent is a time for ‘metanoia’.  That’s a Greek word, often translated as ‘repent’ or ‘turn away from sin’.  That’s what I understood until I read Fire Starters written by Bishop Richard Sklba. Bishop Sklba describes ‘metanoia’ as ‘changing the way we see God’.   

 My earliest image of God was ‘The Policeman in the Sky’.  Seeing God that way certainly shaped my early life. For lots of years I spent much time and energy trying to change my sinful self so that God would not be disappointed in me. In itself that’s not a bad thing, but it’s a pretty narrow way of seeing God.    

 15 or 20 years ago I started to see God as the Good Shepherd who loves and heals me. That image of God comforts me.  It helps me to see myself as someone whom God loves even though I’m a sinner.    

But now my way of seeing God is changing again in the light of Pope Francis who sees God as the friend of the poor and of those on life’s periphery. How does that way of seeing God touch me? How am I poor?  This way of seeing God is leading me to recognize my dependency on God. 

These changing ways of seeing God also affect how I look at others.  When I saw God as the ‘Policeman’, I was more judgmental.  When I see God as merciful, I see others more kindly.  When I see God as a friend of the poor, it opens my eyes to see the poverty that we all share.     

How has your way of seeing God changed over the years?  Is there a new way to see God that will help you to see yourself and others in a different light?

Tuesday, February 2, 2016


Whispering God

                        A blog that calls attention to the quiet voice of God in daily life.

 

Can you hear God’s voice when He whispers? The title of this blog comes from the story of Elijah in the Book of Kings (1Kings 19:11-13). Elijah wants to hear the voice of God, but God’s voice is not in the wind or in an earthquake or in a fire. God’s voice comes in the ‘sound of sheer silence’…some translators call it ‘a quiet whispering sound’. 

 

I frequently miss hearing God’s voice.   Sometimes there’s simply too much noise in my life and I can’t hear God’s voice.  And sometimes my relationship with God gets too focused on me and my needs. When that happens my ears are blocked and I can’t hear God’s quiet whispers. But in some grace-filled moments I do hear God’s quiet voice.  When I do, it is such a blessing. 

 

Here are some examples.  Recently a lady called to say thanks for something I did a while ago.  It was a call out-of-nowhere.  Last weekend I presented 3 children to our church after their baptisms. It touched my heart to hold each of them. This morning I fell asleep when I was praying. I woke up thinking of someone.  So I called him and my timing was just right.  These are small things, but (usually in hindsight) I realize I’ve heard God’s quiet voice.    

 

The object of this blog is help us be more alert to the soft voice of God in ordinary experiences and in tiny moments when we are vulnerable enough to let God’s word pierce our hearts and touch our souls.   

 

Think of the last time that a whisper of God entered your heart or touched your soul.