|
Discipleship: Where is Jesus Leading You Now?
Week 26 Keep Your Eyes Fixed on Jesus Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, we praise You, for You are generous. Forgive us for those times that we have strayed from Your plan for our lives. In Your Scripture You tell us, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so, ask the Master of the harvest to send out laborers for His harvest.” (Luke 10:2) Thank You for coming to us through ordinary people and inviting us to join You in Your great work of love. Please send out laborers to help everyone experience the freedom, peace, and joy You intend for us. Show us what part You wish us to take in this mission. Please make our next steps toward Your mission clear and give us every grace we need to take them in faith. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: Sometimes, on our journey, it’s helpful to pause for a few moments, rest, and look around. When we take a long trip in the car, occasionally we have to stop to fill the gas tank and get something to eat. Discipleship is a long journey; not just a quick trip. As disciples, we are in for the “long haul”, growing in our relationship with Jesus. When we gradually finish our “Walking in the Foot Prints” series, we are not “done”, but called to go forth and make disciples, sharing the Good News of Jesus. So, it makes sense to stop and look around once in a while. This month, turn to God in prayer, asking Him for the grace you most need in this moment. Ask Him for the grace to see yourself as He sees you. Then speak to Him as intimately as you would a friend and listen to how the Holy Spirit moves you. As always, remember that we are not sprinters in a race, but marathon runners in for the distance. That means there will be times of joy and times of difficulty, and God is present and calling you in all of them. Our task is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Reflect on how your journey with Jesus has grown as you’ve Walked in His Foot Prints over the last nine months. Is there a specific moment that stands out to you on this journey? Fruits of Discipleship We have seen it happen over and over. The presence of a significant number of disciples changes everything: a parish’s spiritual tone, energy level, attendance, bottom line, and what parishioners ask of their leaders.
(Excerpted from Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Sherry A. Weddell; p. 80-81; Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division; Huntington, IN; 2006) What have been the fruits of this Discipleship Journey for you? What fruits of discipleship have you seen in others? What fruits do you desire to cultivate in yourself more deeply? Closing Prayer Soul of Christ sanctify me. Body of Christ save me. Blood of Christ inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me. Within Your wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from You. From the wicked foe, defend me. At the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to You. That with Your saints I may praise You Forever and ever. Amen. The Anima Christ
0 Comments
Discipleship Habit #5: Serve the Least Regularly
Week 25 Humble, Self-Emptying Service Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, we praise You. You are all-powerful, yet still humble and compassionate. Just as You did for Your disciples at the Last Supper, You bend low in humble service to wash our feet, and invite us to follow Your example of sacrificial love. Forgive us for the times we’ve failed to see that the poor are created in Your image. In Your Scripture You tell us, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40) Thank You for coming to us in the distressing disguise of the poor and showing us such a concrete way to give You our love. Help us to know that You long to love the poor through us. Help us to love You by loving the lonely, the suffering, and the outcast. Give us the desire to serve You in the least of our sisters and brothers. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: Jesus doesn’t serve as if looking down on us. Jesus shows us God’s design for relationships where the last are put first and the least are treated as the greatest. He illustrated this humble, self-emptying service by washing His disciples’ feet – a dirty and undignified job in a sandaled walking culture (John 13:1 – 17). We serve the least, not because we’re better, but because they are our sisters and brothers. We come to them, not from on high as people who have more or know better than they, but as humble self-emptying servants. Jesus teaches us that whatever we do for the least of His sisters and brothers, we do personally for Him. We seek to love and serve the least of our sisters and brothers to love and serve Christ. The habit of “Service to the Least” is how we follow Jesus past the comfort and familiarity of our individual lives into a deep and daring love for our suffering sisters and brothers. Jesus invites us into compassionate service because that is how His Body, the Church, fulfills her identity and mission. We live as disciples of Jesus in the Church when we make others our first priority. Together we are sent to go out on mission to those who most need to hear and experience the Good News of Jesus. Reflect on a recent experience when you served someone in need; describe what that felt like in your heart. Does it make you desire to continue with this service, or is it time to serve in another way? What might that look like? Reflection from St. Vincent de Paul Central to an understanding of Vincentian spirituality is the mystery of the incarnation. In God’s unfathomable love for humankind, the Son of God became flesh; God and humanity meet in a wondrous exchange. St. Vincent de Paul teaches: “Since Christ willed to be born poor…He made Himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say that He would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor as done for or against Himself.” St. Vincent bases His incarnational spirituality on the 25th Chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel. St. Vincent says that “in serving the poor, we serve Jesus Christ.” We “serve Jesus Christ in the person of the poor. And that is as true as our being here.” “They (the poor) have been given to us as our masters and patrons.” (Conf #24 and Conf #195) The mystery of the incarnation, so loved by St. Vincent de Paul…, therefore, was not just a matter of doctrine to be believed, but to be put into practice by acts of charity toward the poor and needy. Vincentians who minister to persons who are poor or in need find the person of Jesus in them. And their interaction with Jesus transforms them. Vincentians grow spiritually through their person-to-person service. Vincentians do what they do for the person of Jesus and to the person who is Jesus. This is incarnational spirituality. This is Vincentian spirituality. This is one essential element that differentiates members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul from others. It is who Vincentians are which gives life to what they do. (Excerpted from What It Is…What It Does, Society of St. Vincent de Paul Council of the United States) (For more information on the St. John XXIII Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, contact Joe DeLucia at 262-685-6034.) What strikes you from this passage? What do you find most challenging about this passage? Why? In what way has your spirituality changed through your service to the poor? How are you being invited to respond? Closing Prayer Open my eyes that I may see the deepest needs of men, women, and children. Move my hands that they may feed the hungry; touch my heart that it may bring hope to the despairing; Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers; let me share my possessions with those in need; Give me the care that strengthens the sick; help me share in the quest to set prisoners free; In sharing our anxieties and our love, our poverty and our prosperity, we partake of Your divine presence. Amen. Prayer for Vincentians, St. Vincent de Paul Society  Discipleship Habit #5: Serve the Least Regularly
Week 24 Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me. Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, we praise You. You are all-powerful, yet still humble and compassionate. Just as You did for Your disciples at the Last Supper, You bend low in humble service to wash our feet, and invite us to follow Your example of sacrificial love. Forgive us for the times we’ve failed to see that the poor are created in Your image. In Your Scripture You tell us, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40) Thank You for coming to us in the distressing disguise of the poor and showing us such a concrete way to give You our love. Help us to know that You long to love the poor through us. Help us to love You by loving the lonely, the suffering, and the outcast. Give us the desire to serve You in the least of our sisters and brothers. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: We practice the habits of discipleship to become more like Jesus. If we want to be more like Jesus, we seek to do what He did, and to value what He valued. The habits of discipleship help us find our essential God-given identity. Our fifth habit of discipleship is to “Serve the Least Regularly”. Who are the least? Not much has changed since Jesus’ time. Our world is still filled with people who are marginalized, oppressed, lonely, grieving, physically ill, mentally ill, addicted, hungry, living in poverty, and dying. We find them in our own neighborhoods, in nursing homes, in prisons, in our work places, in hospitals, in unwanted pregnancies, in the pew at church… We follow Jesus to the broken places of life because that is where He spends most of His time. In His earthly life and ever since, He is constantly trying to bring the Good News of His life and teaching to the people who need it the most. Jesus loves and serves them so, as His disciples, we seek to love and serve them. Name someone who you personally know who might be considered “least”. How might you, in union with Jesus, seek to love and serve them? Reflect on Scripture: Matthew 25:31 - 46 Jesus said: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him. And He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the king will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me food, I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink, a stranger and you welcomed Me, naked and you clothed Me, ill and you cared for Me, in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You ill or in prison, and visit You?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ Then He will say to those on his left, “Depart from Me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink, a stranger and you gave Me no welcome, naked and you gave Me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for Me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to Your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for Me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Reflection Questions As you read these passages from Scripture, what strikes you? Who does Jesus say will inherit the kingdom and why? According to these passages, who does Jesus refer to as the least? How does Jesus respond to the hurting, the hungry, the sick, and the broken? Who are the least in your midst? How does Jesus invite you to change your life through this Scripture passage? What are you going to do differently this week? Closing Prayer Make us worthy, Lord, to serve others throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give peace and joy. Amen. St. Teresa of Calcutta Discipleship Habit #5: Serve the Least Regularly; Week 23 - Those Who are Last, are Truly First3/18/2021 Discipleship Habit #5: Serve the Least Regularly
Week 23 Those Who are Last, are Truly First Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, we praise You. You are all-powerful, yet still humble and compassionate. Just as You did for Your disciples at the Last Supper, You bend low in humble service to wash our feet, and invite us to follow Your example of sacrificial love. Forgive us for the times we’ve failed to see that the poor are created in Your image. In Your Scripture You tell us, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40) Thank You for coming to us in the distressing disguise of the poor and showing us such a concrete way to give You our love. Help us to know that You long to love the poor through us. Help us to love You by loving the lonely, the suffering, and the outcast. Give us the desire to serve You in the least of our sisters and brothers. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: This session we encounter the habit of serving the least of our brothers and sisters. As disciples, we do as Jesus does. Jesus spent most of His earthly life with those who were unwanted, who were cast-off, who were broken, sick, injured, who were the scourge of society. In the eyes of Jesus, those who are last are truly first. Those who are the outcast are the dearest and most precious. This can be very challenging to us. We can be easily lulled into believing that everything we have is a result of our own efforts. We can begin to draw comfort in our prayer and our relationship to Jesus. But our action is central to faith. Everything we have is a gift to be used in the service of others. Even our very relationship with God, through Jesus, calls us out of our comfort zone into seeking out the least of our world, finding the lost, and serving those in need. Create a list of gifts that you’ve received from God. How many of these gifts could be shared with others? Identify one of them and give it to someone in need this week. Reflect on Scripture: John 15:12-17 Jesus said: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask Him in My name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” In what ways has Jesus shown His love for you? Who does Jesus treat as friends? How might Jesus’ friends be different than those we would consider friends? What does it mean to lay one’s life down for one’s friends? Recall a time when you served those in need. What was that experience like for you? How did that experience impact you? How do you think Jesus is calling you to love the least of His brothers and sisters? How are you going to respond? Reflections from Dorothy Day Dorothy Day, coming into her faith after years of atheism, found God in the streets among the destitute and homeless and then invited them into her own “houses of hospitality” for food, shelter, and care. She co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement and opened houses of hospitality for the poor across the country. Below is an excerpt from “8 Spiritual Heroes: Their Search for God” by Brennan R. Hill. Day, as a Catholic Christian, saw her God incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ for her was God made human and, therefore, was the way for living human life….Christ was a real presence to her…Jesus was the worker, the poor man without a place to lay his head, and Day was able to see the Lord in the homeless person, the worker trying to get a just wage or without a job. Jesus’ commitment to the outcast was the model for Day’s dedication to alcoholics, prostitutes, drug addicts, and convicts. This was the way to making life better for people here on earth. “We are not expecting utopia here on this earth. But God meant things to be much easier than we have made them…” Christian love was not romantic or sentimental for Day. It meant laying down her life for her neighbor; it meant sacrificing “our bread, our daily living, our rent, our clothes.” She was convinced that the only way we can know that we love God is to show love for other people. She believed that love makes us want to give… What strikes you from this passage? What do you find most challenging about this passage? Why? How would it change your life if, like Dorothy Day, you saw Christ in all those you encounter? Closing Prayer Merciful Creator of us all, in Christ Jesus, Your Son, our Risen Savior, You have brought light to the blind, comfort to the afflicted, and Good News to the Poor. We now remember with heartfelt thanksgiving the generosity of spirit manifest in the life and labors of your devoted servant, Dorothy Day. In times of unrelieved hardship and economic depression, as well as in widespread prosperity and abundance, she spent herself in dedicated partnership with the privations and disdain felt by the homeless and the unwanted as a champion of their rights. An early, often lonely, witness in the cause of peace and conscience, at once fearless and gentle, she braved the disapproval of the powerful, rejection by the many who did not understand, and even imprisonment. Grant that we, in turn, may be moved by Your Holy Spirit, Father, to share her compassion and concern as true disciples of the Lord Jesus, giving ourselves as she did to the love and care of the neediest members of Christ’s Body and committing our lives, our means, even our homes, to bring the light and hope, the justice and peace of the gospel to all your people. This we pray in the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Claretian Fathers and Brothers, Chicago, IL  Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, we praise You, for You are merciful. You died on the cross for our sins and rose to restore us to fullness of life in You. Forgive us for the times we’ve turned away from You and others and did not earnestly seek You. In Your Scripture You tell us, “the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14b) Thank You for giving us Your mercy and healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Help us to know that You long to shower us with Your mercy. Give us the courage to face that which alienates us from You and allow You to tear down the walls that separate us from You. Help us to seek You often in Your Sacrament of Mercy. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection on Mercy: Insights from Pope Francis It is not easy to entrust oneself to God's mercy, because it is an abyss beyond our comprehension. But we must! ... "Oh, I am a great sinner!" "All the better! Go to Jesus: He likes you to tell Him these things!" He forgets, He has a very special capacity for forgetting. He forgets, He kisses you, He embraces you and He simply says to you: "Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more" (Jn 8:11). — Homily on March 17, 2013 Jesus' attitude is striking: we do not hear the words of scorn, we do not hear words of condemnation, but only words of love, of mercy, which are an invitation to conversation. "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again." Ah! Brothers and Sisters, God's face is the face of a merciful Father Who is always patient. Have you thought about God's patience, the patience He has with each one of us? That is His mercy. He always has patience, patience with us, He understands us, He waits for us, He does not tire of forgiving us if we are able to return to Him with a contrite heart. "Great is God's mercy," says the Psalm. — Angelus on March 17, 2013 Spend a few minutes reflecting on Pope Francis’ words. What thoughts or feelings emerge? Read the quotes aloud slowly. What word or phrases stand out for you? Spend a few minutes quietly reflecting on that. Read the quotes aloud slowly again. Notice how your body is responding. Share with God what you are experiencing. Reflections on Sin Below are two reflections on the topic of sin by different theologians. Choose one or both and, after reading and reflecting on the passage, spend time talking with God. “[We] may understand sin as whatever lessens humanity, decreases the capacity to love, or gets in the way of developing [our] potential as an image of God. Sin ultimately goes against [our] own being, for its roots are relational. Thus, sin includes both individual and social responsibility.” Dyckman, Garvin, and Liebert in The Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed How true do these words resonate with your own life experience? Where is your humanity lessened? Your capacity to love diminished? Your potential as an image of God marred? “I propose…that sin originates in a lack of sufficient believable unconditional love… The way out of sin is to see through the falsehood, to be really convinced that someone else is sustaining you, that you don’t have to sustain yourself, that you are already given more affirmation, nurturance, respect, love, life, joy than you can even imagine desiring. If you can really believe that someone else is sustaining you, then all the self-defense operations which result in sins are going to evaporate, because they are no longer needed.” Beatrice Bruteau in Radical Optimism How do these words resonate with your own life experience? In what ways do you believe the falsehood that you are not unconditionally loved?  Closing Prayer
“Come As You Are” – Crowder, from the album “Neon Steeple” Come out of sadness from wherever you've been Come broken hearted let rescue begin Come find your mercy Oh sinner, come kneel Earth has no sorrow That Heaven can't heal Refrain So, lay down your burdens Lay down your shame All who are broken Lift up your face Oh wanderer, come home You're not too far So, lay down your hurt Lay down your heart Come as you are There's hope for the hopeless And all those who've strayed Come sit at the table Come taste the grace There's rest for the weary Rest that endures Earth has no sorrow That Heaven can't cure Refrain Come as you are Fall in His arms Come as you are There's joy for the morning Oh sinner, be still Earth has no sorrow That Heaven can't heal Refrain Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, we praise You, for You are merciful. You died on the cross for our sins and rose to restore us to fullness of life in You. Forgive us for the times we’ve turned away from You and others and did not earnestly seek You. In Your Scripture You tell us, “the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14b) Thank You for giving us Your mercy and healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Help us to know that You long to shower us with Your mercy. Give us the courage to face that which alienates us from You and allow You to tear down the walls that separate us from You. Help us to seek You often in Your Sacrament of Mercy. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: For some Catholics, the Sacrament of Reconciliation has been intimidating, almost scary. “In our day and age, the word ‘sin’ is so prone to be misunderstood that it has become quite useless. The reality once called sin is still with us; however, and so our time had to find its own term for it. What other ages called sin, we call alienation…Alienation suggests an uprootedness from one’s true self, from others, from God…The word ‘sin’, too, suggests uprooting and separation. It is related to the word ‘asunder’. Sin tears asunder the wholeness in which all belongs together. Sin alienates. An action is sinful to the degree to which it causes alienation. Without alienation there is no sin…‘Working out our salvation’ means overcoming alienation in all its forms. The contemporary term for salvation is belonging. The path from alienation to belonging is the path from sin to salvation.” Brother David Steindle-Rast, O.S.B. in Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, like the Sacrament of the Eucharist, is a “sacrament of the journey”. Both Eucharist and Reconciliation feed us and keep us on the right path. Just as disciples receive Eucharist often, disciples receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation often. How often should disciples go to confession? That may vary from person to person. The key is the regular, intentional examination of one’s life – and receiving the sacramental grace of healing and absolution. Like the woman at the well who encountered Jesus, we seek living water. Like the Samaritan woman, we long to know we are loved and forgiven by the Lord. We want to share with Jesus everything that troubles us. We need His healing touch in our lives. This month consider attending the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Notice any feelings or experiences, and how Jesus may be calling you. How might you seek reconciliation often? Praying with Scripture This week we are going to again read the story of the Woman at the Well, but this time we will take a little different approach. Go to the Gospel reading on the following page and reread the passage aloud… We are wired for God. We have an infinite desire for Him but instead of filling ourselves with God, we get hooked on something less, on worldly things. We get a little buzz from these worldly things and when the buzz wears off, we get “thirsty” again. Gradually that buzz becomes addictive desire. The “jar” in this story represents these wayward, skewed desires. The woman must keep filling her water jar (i.e., creating the buzz) to quench her thirst, just as we keep going back to our various addictions to fulfill our desires. What is the water jar in your life? What are those things in your life that you thought were going to satisfy you? In ancient Jewish culture, the husband governed a woman’s life. When Jesus tells her to “call her husband”, He is really asking her to tell Him who is in charge of her life. Think of the various points in your life, five years ago, or ten years ago, or now. How would you have answered Jesus’ question if He asked it of you at these various points in your life? How would you answer it now? What makes it difficult for you to set down the old water jar you are carrying? Where, in your life, do you need forgiveness and healing? Spend time talking with God. Reflecting with Scripture John 4:5 – 19, 25b – 26, 28 – 30, 39 - 42 Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son, Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from His journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How can You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and Who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” [The woman] said to Him, “Sir, You do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can You get this living water? Are You greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to Him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I can see You are a prophet…I know that the Messiah is coming, the One called the Anointed; when He comes, He will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One who is speaking with you.” …The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could He possibly be the Messiah?” They went out of the town and came to Him…Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to Him, they invited Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Praying Visio Divina While Lectio Divina is a method of praying with Scripture, Visio Divina (Latin for "divine seeing") is a method for praying with images or other media. Visio Divina invites us to see at a more contemplative pace; to see all there is to see, exploring the entirety of the image; to see deeply, beyond first and second impressions, below initial ideas, judgments, or understandings; to be seen, addressed, surprised, and transformed by God Who is never limited or tied to any image, but speaks through them. As your prayer begins, take a few moments to open your heart and mind to God. When you are ready, slowly look and notice the image below, taking your time to let feelings and thoughts come to you as you take in forms, figures, colors, lines, textures, and shapes. What does it look like, or remind you of? What do you find yourself drawn to? What do you like and not like? What are your initial thoughts? What feelings are evoked? Writing your name on one hand and a meaningful name for God for you on the other. Is there a word you can write between the hands that brings them together? How does this connect with what we already reflected on in Scripture? Closing Prayer Lord Christ, I wish I could offer You a reasonably clean and swept house to dwell in, but I can’t. I can say - and know the meaning of - “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof…” But You are already there! Living among the once flourishing idols. The floor is dirty And at times the room is airless - even for me. I am ashamed of Your presence there, yet You slept in a cave and on a donkey’s back at night under the desert stars. So, if I can’t change Your accommodations let me rejoice all the same that You are present. I must believe strongly, Lord, that I can’t question this: that You are at home with sinners - and my greatest sin Lord Christ, is that I don’t want to be a sinner! Nor do I easily accept it - still, the evidence is overwhelming. But hope is like a green shoot in the midst of an airless, disordered world. And that hope comes from Your Spirit. I rest in that hope, Lord. William Breault, S.J. Discipleship Habit #4: Seek Reconciliation Often; Week 20 - Lord, Give Me This Living Water2/26/2021 Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, we praise You, for You are merciful. You died on the cross for our sins and rose to restore us to fullness of life in You. Forgive us for the times we’ve turned away from You and others and did not earnestly seek You. In Your Scripture You tell us, “the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14b) Thank You for giving us Your mercy and healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Help us to know that You long to shower us with Your mercy. Give us the courage to face that which alienates us from You and allow You to tear down the walls that separate us from You. Help us to seek You often in Your Sacrament of Mercy. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: Mercy is one of those things that you don’t know until you’ve really needed and The fourth habit of discipleship that we want to explore is the call to “Seek Reconciliation Often”, the habit that finds the disciple regularly encountering the mercy of Christ. “Confession is the sacrament of the examined Christian life. It is the sacrament of recognized enlightenment. The life we embraced and committed to ourselves to live at Baptism was the life of disciples – students and imitators of the life of Jesus Christ.” (Fr. David Knight) By God’s design, we are made for relationship. We are made for deep friendship with God in Christ now and for all eternity. We are made to practice sacrificial love toward our neighbors, whether they are family, friends, acquaintances, enemies, or unknown people across the globe. And we are made to love ourselves in ways reflecting the Divine Image in which we were created. Unfortunately, due to our human weakness, we fall short of God’s design for us. Often, because of the careless things we do or don’t do, we cause the wounding or progressive hardening of these relationships. And sometimes, because of gravely selfish choices, we cause deep fissures or total fractures in our relationships with God and others. We know our sin is real and, like a pebble thrown into the pond, causes ripples of harm to the community of people and the Church around us. But there is great news! Repairing our relationships is exactly why Jesus came! By dying on the cross for our sins, He built a bridge of forgiveness back to restored relationships with God, others, and ourselves. Through His once and for all sacrifice on the cross, Jesus has placed His mercy and forgiveness at the doorstep of our hearts. All we need to do is open that door and walk in repentance to encounter Him in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. He is waiting for us there in love and mercy. Reflect on a time when you may have harmed someone knowingly, how did that impact the way that you looked upon yourself following that experience? Reflect on Scripture: John 4:5 – 19, 25b – 26, 28 – 30, 39 - 42 Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son, Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from His journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How can You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and Who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” [The woman] said to Him, “Sir, You do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can You get this living water? Are You greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to Him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I can see You are a prophet…I know that the Messiah is coming, the One called the Anointed; when He comes, He will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One who is speaking with you.” …The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could He possibly be the Messiah?” They went out of the town and came to Him…Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to Him, they invited Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. (Reflect on the questions on the following page.) Reflection Questions As you read these passages from Scripture, what strikes you? Put yourself in the place of the woman. How would you react if someone you just met told you everything you’ve done wrong or been ashamed about? Did the woman react like you would? What does Jesus seem to want the woman to understand? What do you think He wants you to understand? What is Jesus’ attitude toward the woman? What does that tell us about Jesus’ attitude toward us: our weaknesses, our sins, our failings? What does this Scripture tell us about forgiveness and healing? What is difficult or challenging about confessing our sins? Closing Prayer Have mercy on me, God, in accord with Your merciful love; in Your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions. Thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me. For I know my transgressions; my sin is always before me. Against You, You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your eyes So that You are just in Your word, and without reproach in Your judgment. A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from before Your face, nor take from me Your Holy Spirit. Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation; uphold me with a willing spirit. Lord, You will open lips; and my mouth will proclaim Your praise. Psalm 51:3 – 6, 11 – 14, 17 Discipleship Habit #4: Seek Reconciliation Often; Week 20 - Lord, Give Me This Living Water2/17/2021 Discipleship Habit #4: Seek Reconciliation Often
Week 20 Lord, Give Me This Living Water Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, we praise You, for You are merciful. You died on the cross for our sins and rose to restore us to fullness of life in You. Forgive us for the times we’ve turned away from You and others and did not earnestly seek You. In Your Scripture You tell us, “the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14b) Thank You for giving us Your mercy and healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Help us to know that You long to shower us with Your mercy. Give us the courage to face that which alienates us from You and allow You to tear down the walls that separate us from You. Help us to seek You often in Your Sacrament of Mercy. Jesus, we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: Mercy is one of those things that you don’t know until you’ve really needed and The fourth habit of discipleship that we want to explore is the call to “Seek Reconciliation Often”, the habit that finds the disciple regularly encountering the mercy of Christ. “Confession is the sacrament of the examined Christian life. It is the sacrament of recognized enlightenment. The life we embraced and committed to ourselves to live at Baptism was the life of disciples – students and imitators of the life of Jesus Christ.” (Fr. David Knight) By God’s design, we are made for relationship. We are made for deep friendship with God in Christ now and for all eternity. We are made to practice sacrificial love toward our neighbors, whether they are family, friends, acquaintances, enemies, or unknown people across the globe. And we are made to love ourselves in ways reflecting the Divine Image in which we were created. Unfortunately, due to our human weakness, we fall short of God’s design for us. Often, because of the careless things we do or don’t do, we cause the wounding or progressive hardening of these relationships. And sometimes, because of gravely selfish choices, we cause deep fissures or total fractures in our relationships with God and others. We know our sin is real and, like a pebble thrown into the pond, causes ripples of harm to the community of people and the Church around us. But there is great news! Repairing our relationships is exactly why Jesus came! By dying on the cross for our sins, He built a bridge of forgiveness back to restored relationships with God, others, and ourselves. Through His once and for all sacrifice on the cross, Jesus has placed His mercy and forgiveness at the doorstep of our hearts. All we need to do is open that door and walk in repentance to encounter Him in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. He is waiting for us there in love and mercy. Reflect on a time when you may have harmed someone knowingly, how did that impact the way that you looked upon yourself following that experience? Reflect on Scripture: John 4:5 – 19, 25b – 26, 28 – 30, 39 - 42 Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son, Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from His journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How can You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and Who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” [The woman] said to Him, “Sir, You do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can You get this living water? Are You greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to Him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I can see You are a prophet…I know that the Messiah is coming, the One called the Anointed; when He comes, He will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One who is speaking with you.” …The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could He possibly be the Messiah?” They went out of the town and came to Him…Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to Him, they invited Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. (Reflect on the questions on the following page.) Reflection Questions As you read these passages from Scripture, what strikes you? Put yourself in the place of the woman. How would you react if someone you just met told you everything you’ve done wrong or been ashamed about? Did the woman react like you would? What does Jesus seem to want the woman to understand? What do you think He wants you to understand? What is Jesus’ attitude toward the woman? What does that tell us about Jesus’ attitude toward us: our weaknesses, our sins, our failings? What does this Scripture tell us about forgiveness and healing? What is difficult or challenging about confessing our sins? Closing Prayer Have mercy on me, God, in accord with Your merciful love; in Your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions. Thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me. For I know my transgressions; my sin is always before me. Against You, You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your eyes So that You are just in Your word, and without reproach in Your judgment. A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from before Your face, nor take from me Your Holy Spirit. Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation; uphold me with a willing spirit. Lord, You will open lips; and my mouth will proclaim Your praise. Psalm 51:3 – 6, 11 – 14, 17  Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are good, for You are a faithful God. By offering us the sacrifice of Your Body and Blood, You lovingly give us Your grace and invite us into deep relationship. Forgive us for the times that we’ve failed to recognize that You desire to be truly present with us and in us through the Eucharist. In Your Scripture you tell us of the first Eucharist, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15) Thank You for giving Yourself to us in the Eucharist so freely and so completely. Help us to know that You eagerly await us at every Mass. Lord, inspire us to grow in intimate union with You be receiving You in the Eucharist often. Jesus we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: Reflecting on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (Excerpt from The Catholic Faith Handbook (St. Mary’s Press)) Why does the Eucharist hold such an esteemed place in Catholic life? It is because the Eucharist brings together in a single ritual all of the important elements of the Catholic faith. In it we recall what God has revealed to us through history in the Liturgy of the Word. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we remember and make present the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We actually receive Jesus Christ – physically and spiritually – when we receive the consecrated bread and wine, which become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. One way to participate more fully in the Eucharist is to spend time reflecting on what the celebration means. Give some prayerful thought to the insights quoted below:
How do you experience Jesus Christ’s presence in the Eucharist? How has your life been changed by receiving the Eucharist over the years? Closing Prayer Soul of Christ, sanctify me Body of Christ, save me Blood of Christ, inebriate me Water from Christ’s side, wash me Passion of Christ, strengthen me O good Jesus, hear me Within Thy wounds hide me Suffer me not to be separated from Thee From the malicious enemy defend me In the hour of my death call me And bid me come unto Thee That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever Amen. Anima Christi Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are good, for You are a faithful God. By offering us the sacrifice of Your Body and Blood, You lovingly give us Your grace and invite us into deep relationship. Forgive us for the times that we’ve failed to recognize that You desire to be truly present with us and in us through the Eucharist. In Your Scripture you tell us of the first Eucharist, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15) Thank You for giving Yourself to us in the Eucharist so freely and so completely. Help us to know that You eagerly await us at every Mass. Lord, inspire us to grow in intimate union with You be receiving You in the Eucharist often. Jesus we trust in You. We make this prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Reflection: The Creed (Excerpts from A Biblical Walkthrough the Mass by Edward Sri) In this “anything goes” cultural milieu, the Creed grounds us in reality and reminds us that our beliefs and choices do matter. Progressing from creation to the redemptive work of Christ to the sanctifying mission of the Church today, the Creed presumes a narrative framework to human history. In other words, the Creed assumes that there is a plot to life, and that we are here for a reason. It proclaims that the universe is not here by random chance, but was brought into existence by the one true God, “the Maker of heaven and earth,” and is moving in a certain direction according to God’s plan. The Creed also presumes that this divine plan was fully revealed in God’s Son, the “One Lord Jesus Christ” who “became man” to show us the pathway to happiness and eternal life. The Creed also notes how Jesus came “For us men and for our salvation” and to bring “forgiveness of sins”. This admission that we needed to be saved and forgiven tells us that something went terribly wrong with our situation before the coming of Christ. It points to the original rebellion against God by Satan and his minions and to how they led Adam and Eve in the garden and the rest of the human family to participate in this rebellion by falling into sin. Thus, the story of the Creed implicitly tells of an intense conflict that has been raging since the beginning of time. Thus, the Creed reminds us that our little lives are caught up into this much larger story. And we each have a significant role to play in this drama. The question is: “How will I play my part?” The Creed will not let us persist in the modern relativistic myth that says there is no right or wrong choices or that it doesn’t matter what we believe or what we do with our lives. The Creed reminds us that at the end of our lives we will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ Who “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” So, the Creed will not let us be lukewarm bystanders in this cosmic struggle. It challenges us to pick what side of the conflict we will fight for. Will we follow the prince of this world who wants us to think there is no right or wrong? Or will we follow the King of heaven and earth Who leads us to happiness in His everlasting kingdom? When we profess our faith at Mass in the Creed, we publicly stand before the whole congregation and Almighty God and plant the flag with Jesus. We solemnly declare that we will strive not to live like the rest of the world, but to give our wholehearted allegiance to the Lord: “I believe in one God…” The Nicene Creed I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, He suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, Who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Reflection In what ways is the Christian view of the world as summed up in the Creed different from the way our world lives today? In what way do your beliefs and choices shape our world today? In what way does the Creed challenge you? Affirm you? Console you? Closing Prayer Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. Matthew 8:8 |
PurposeJoin us for these weekly devotional readings and reflections designed to help you fall in love with God on your faith journey. Archives
May 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed