Shepherds Represent Us

Every manger scene has some shepherds.  They were the first visitors invited to come and see Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us, our Savior.  They are our representatives at the stable.

The shepherds in our mangers appear to be docile and kindly, with at least one of them always carrying a lamb on his shoulders. So we see the shepherds in a positive light. 

But shepherds were seen in a less flattering way during Jesus’ time. They had reputations as rowdy characters who caused a stir when they came to town. They were also thought to dishonest. Local people hid their valuables when the shepherds were around.     

And religious leaders saw them as sinners.  They rarely entered synagogues or the Temple. To be fair, shepherds’ lives didn’t allow much time for religious activity. And it seems that their work left them ‘unclean’ for worship without ritual cleansing. 

So why were the shepherds picked to be the first visitors at the manger? 

Precisely because they were sinners…just like you and me. C. S. Lewis says that “Christmas has no message for people who think they have no sin.  The true message of Christmas comes across when we admit that we are sinners and that we need a Savior.”

                                          Mary Our Model  

 

On this eve of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I remember Mary as our role model. She is a model Steward, Prophetess, Cross-carrier, Disciple and  Ponderer.

 

Mary, as a model Steward, holds nothing back from God.  She gives her entire self without condition. “I am the handmaid of the Lord…let it be done unto me according to your word.”

Mary is a model Prophetess.  She speaks truth to power. She says: "The Lord has cast the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.”

Mary is a model Cross-Carrier. Mary faces the doubts of people who suspect her of unfaithfulness. And later she faces the double tragedy of losing her husband and then her son.

Mary is a model Disciple. She remains faithful to her son even when she doesn’t understand Him and His mission. She stands at the foot of the cross. 

Mary is a model Ponderer. She reflects on all that happens and trusts that God is working in everything.  Mary our model, pray for us. 

                                             Vesper Time – A Book Review

Vesper Time is a short book, packed with insights into 5 key areas around the issue of aging. The first chapter deals with memories.  It’s not so much about losing memories as it is to identify the key memories which have led us to become the people we are.

Chapter two raises the subject of Intimacy.  What kind of intimacy really helps us as we age?  How do we maintain relationships that sustain us and keep us connected as we face the future? And, of course, facing it with others is more life-giving than facing it alone.

The third chapter treats the huge issue of diminishment.  What things can’t we do as well as we used to? Can we admit that?  And are there some things that we can actually do better now, in spite of the physical and mental changes we are experiencing? 

And the last 2 chapters deal with acceptance and gratitude. They help us age with hope. They encourage us to see aging not only as a challenge but also as a gift.  The goal is to become loving and grateful people and to avoid the grumpy old men or women syndrome!

I’ve read four or five other books about aging and this one is my favorite.  It’s written by Frank Cunningham and published by Orbis Books, Maryknoll New York.

                                       

                                                            Leading with a Towel

On last Sunday’s feast of Christ the King, Pontius Pilate and Jesus are discussing Kings and Kingdoms.  The kind of Kingdom Pilate has in mind is the King of the Roman Empire.  His throne is the seat of power and his army controls the borders, his weapons include horses, lances, bows and arrows, and his riches provide a luxurious life-style.

And Jesus’ notion of a king is a Servant King. His throne is the cross.  His army are His disciples.  His riches are the poor, the leprous, the marginalized, the prostitutes and sinners.  And He leads with a towel.  It’s the towel of a servant King who washes feet.  And that Servant King asks His followers to lead with towels too. 

Our Servant King is in charge of the final judgment. He will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep will enter the Kingdom because they fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, welcomed the homeless, visited the sick and imprisoned. And our Servant King says: "What you did for my least brother or sister…you did for me."

Question: How are you leading with a towel this week?   

                                                              Gratitude

I’m trying to broaden the scope of my gratitude.  And I invite you to do the same.

Who have been your best teachers in school or in life?

What’s the tastiest meal you’ve had?  With whom did you eat it?

What’s the most interesting place you ever visited?

Who are people behind the scenes of your life who really help you?

List the beautiful things in our natural world that you relish and enjoy.

Think of a piece of music or a work of art that has touched your soul.

Remember a time when you laughed so hard that you cried. 

When did you feel closest to God in the last week or two?

Who loves you most?  Why do you think that person loves you so much?

                                        Happy Thanksgiving.  F Ron

                                          I Will Praise You…For I Am Wonderfully Made

                                                                       (Psalm 139:14)

How wonderfully made are you? There’s something a little unnatural for me (and probably for many of us) to describe ourselves as wonderfully made.  It sounds like we are bragging.  But God really has made us wonderfully.

 

In my morning prayer I almost always say: “Thank you Lord for loving the total package that I am.”  And that includes my sins, foibles, idiosyncrasies, etc. But it also includes the gifts that God has given me.  Can you name 5 gifts that God has given you?

The way I see it is that I am a child of God.  And just like I take after my parents in some ways, I also believe that I have some qualities that God has passed on to me too.  It’s what I call my Spiritual DNA. 

Take time today to identify your DNA markers that are God-like.  And then think about the people closest to you.  Can you see how wonderfully made and God-like they are too?

                                                            God-Sent Moments

Last weekend I was struck by Mark’s placement of the story about the scribe who approved Jesus’ insight into the 2 great commandments.  In Mark’s Gospel, that story occurs on the Tuesday of Holy Week…a time when opposition to Jesus was growing rapidly. 

The previous day Mark described Jesus’ visit to the temple when He turned the tables upside down and used a whip to get the money-changers out of there.  Many Jewish leaders saw that as proof that Jesus had to be killed. 

So on Tuesday each opposition group sent people to confront Jesus.  It was a horrible day until the Scribe came.  He asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest.  And when Jesus described the two commandments of love, the scribe genuinely affirmed Jesus.  That was a God-sent moment that helped Jesus face the agony that was coming soon.  

Sometimes God-sent moments come directly from God, but most of the time they come from people that God puts into our lives.  Who was a recent instrument of a God-sent moment in your life?  And how were you recently an instrument of a God-sent moment for someone else?