Assessment

Tags

carrying crosses, empowerment, enough, goals, grace, holy season, Isaiah, Jesus, Joyce Rupp, Philippians, Prayer Seeds, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent. We don’t have much more time to achieve what we projected at the beginning of these 40 days, this “holy season.” How am I doing? Sometimes it seems that I am very aware of my desire to change, to jettison the parts of me that I see as less than acceptable, as holy, or as enough for God. I read Isaiah’s message from God: See, I am doing something new!…Do you not perceive it?” and I wonder if I really understand how present God’s Spirit is, how alive and active in every breath I take. I remember how Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery and hear St. Paul speak his faith to the Philippians: Forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal…and again I move to self doubt.

As usual, however, when I turn to Joyce Rupp, I find what I need to go forward. Her Lenten reflection called Carrying Crosses* contains a petition and then a recognition of what is true and necessary for us as we strive to accept ourselves as God sees and loves us every day. I am always grateful for her ability to speak just the right words at the right time. Listen:

Expand my perception of the good things my life already holds. Decrease apprehension about not having enough, being enough, doing enough or growing enough.

Confident in your grace and daily empowerment, I give myself to you as fully as I am able at this time. As I carry the crosses that are mine, remind me often that you are always with me and never against me. I place my desire for union with you into your loving care. Amen.

Amen, indeed.

*Prayer Seeds, p.90.

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Feeding the Hungry

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enough, feeding, food, handout, Jesus, John the Baptist, loaves and fishes, Matthew, metanoia, needs of the world, peaceable kingdom, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There is a line from Matthew’s gospel in the story called variously “the loaves and the fishes” or “the feeding of the five thousand” (CH 14) that always goes straight to my heart. It appears today and catches me as usual. It is late in a day that began with Jesus trying to escape the crowds to grieve the death of John the Baptist. Failing that, Jesus responds to the needs in what has turned into a long and likely tiring session of healing people. The narrative picks up with the apostles saying to Jesus that he ought to send the people away because it’s late and there’s no availability of food to buy in the deserted place where they are. They will need to go to one of the villages nearby to buy food. There is no need for them to go away, Jesus says. Give them something to eat yourselves. The gospel continues with the miracle of feeding the whole crowd on five loaves and two small fish.

How often the needs of the world seem that impossible to fulfill! And it is true that we cannot achieve such a goal alone. It will take a monumental – miraculous even – metanoia (conversion) to get our world on track toward the “peaceable kingdom” where all are fed and cared for. My question for today, however, is this: how shall we be until that possibility comes into view? Whom and how am I being asked to feed today? Am I awake to the people who need a kind word or a sandwich to help them through the day? Is it enough that I go through the day mindful of those for whom I have promised to pray? There wasn’t much to go on when Jesus started that “handout” but the result, worked through his helpers, fed them all.

Can we believe that what we have to give is enough?

 

 

 

 

 

For the Glory of God

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Ad majorem Dei gloria, catholic, enough, For the greater glory of God, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Your love and Your grace

I was reminded this morning of one of the customs of life in a Catholic school. At the top of our test papers (and probably our homework assignments as well) we wrote +JMJ, a reminder to dedicate our work to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. As we got older this was sometimes replaced by the Latin phrase, Ad majorem Dei gloria (+AMDG), For the greater glory of God. I’m sure that sometimes we wrote it to assure a good grade rather than as a reminder of the purpose of all our work, but something of motivation must have been instilled in us with this habit.

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola whose life story is a long and tortuous recounting of transformation from soldier to mystic and founder of the religious community called the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. It was Ignatius who took as the motto +AMDG for his “band of brothers” and who early in his conversion wrote what has become an intensive retreat model for spiritual seekers the world over called The Spiritual Exercises. The spirituality of Ignatius is summarized in a short prayer that mirrors the way he lived his life and has motivated others to deeper love for God over the past five centuries. A modern translation in song by Jesuit John Foley is my favorite rendering; the repetitious refrain especially calls to me.

Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, understanding, my entire will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; that’s enough for me. Your love and Your grace are enough for me. Take, Lord, receive all I have and possess. You have given all to me, now I return it. Give me only Your love and Your grace; that’s enough for me. Your love and Your grace are enough for me. Take, Lord, receive, all is Yours now. Dispose of it wholly according to your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; that’s enough for me. Your love and your grace are enough for me.

Of Wind and Water

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apostles, believe, calm, do not be afraid, enough, fear, I'm here, Jesus, John, terror, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walk on water

Today the gospel is John’s (brief) account of the storm at sea (JN  6:16-21). One might call it “bare bones” as there are simply the facts that as the disciples were rowing, the wind came up, followed by the appearance of Jesus walking toward them on the water who said, It is I; Do not be afraid – at which point everything calmed again and they rowed on. English teachers might call that a good synopsis as it contains little narration of the heart of the event which seems to me to be the terror  that was most certainly felt by the apostles. The crux of it all, however, were the words of Jesus when he told them not to be afraid. I find it interesting that he didn’t say, “I’ll save you!” or “It’ll be okay!” He simply said, “I’m here” as if (hopefully) his presence would be enough to take away their fear. We might ask ourselves if we can believe deeply enough in that presence in our lives that, when we are faced with our fears, we can rely on God to assure us, “I am here” and to know that for whatever we face, that is enough.