Patience with ego demands

The life of those who are hidden in Christ is a theme from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The Wisdom from the Book of Ecclesiastes suggests that we are prone to satisfy our ego drives to self promote. One aspect of living in the hidden life of Christ might be our patience with vanity in ourselves and others. The Gospel from Luke prompts us to assess with thanksgiving our wealth, both spiritual and material, and from that grace act with our blessings in the manner pleasing to God. Summer replacement of the usual routine with rest and recreation by the lake with family brings opportunity for practicing patience and praising peace.

Support the prophet

The summer activities at the lake seem to be very far away from the threats on the life of Jeremiah and the execution of John the Baptist which are the events from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. The person in the family who speaks the uncomfortable truths about difficult situations may have the sense of rejection experienced by Jeremiah. Perhaps the need for a champion to support the prophetic family member is a role we may be called to fulfill. The death of John the Baptist as the consequence of a need to save face may invite some contemplation of the little deaths we may have initiated by our need to satisfy ego and our place in the family or group.

Some challenges in the peace of summer

The response we take to the challenging situations in life is a theme today in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Even when we take some time to get away from our usual routine and retreat to the lake we may find the peace we desire is accompanied with concerns of the world. Jeremiah is one who takes the changes in Judah and worship in the Temple as the will of God. He responds to God calling him as a prophet and finds, not surprisingly that his call to repent and turn away from idol worship is received poorly by the priests and prophets, who wish to kill him. Martha, who along with Mary and Lazarus are presented in the Gospels as close intimate friends of Jesus, is portrayed in two different aspects in the text from John or the alternate text from Luke. The death of Lazarus and the response of Jesus has evoked the declaration from her that she knows her friend is the Christ, the Son of God. In the passage from Luke, we find that her choice to be the perfect host to the guests who arrived with Jesus at her home is placed at a lower priority than the choice of her sister Mary to attend to the discussion of Jesus with the people. Our time away may be our need to choose to be in intimate relationship with Him or to let the lower priorities block our true peace.

Not perfect but called to gather

Daily efforts to see Christ in all things

She is the grandmother of Niskam

Fallible instruments serving His Way

Baptism Bargain

Moving to let the wheat grow

Woman shows love adoration and mission

Inattention to the other

Prepare to receive the seed

Mercy forgiveness and help for migrants

Humble walk of the imperfect

Hope and trust with the stranger

Who is he to tell me?

Norms need merciful interpretation

A yoke of hope

Our trust and our openness to revelation

Ego and lack of appreciation

Passively and aggressively blocking service

The virtue we miss in the other

The fear of the other is overcome in faith

Faith and not fight nor flight

Seeds of peace and reversal

We still do it our way

Shepherds and Transformation

Spouse is an experience of the Way

A Summer to prepare for mission

New wine skins and a new garment

Our blessing to share mercy