View from the Other Side

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apostles, Elijah, Jesus, Moses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transfiguration

Tomorrow* Christians the world over celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the day when Jesus took his three closest disciples to the mountain to pray. While there, Jesus was “transfigured” before them, (MK 9:2-10) “His clothes (and I would venture to say His whole self) became dazzling white.” In addition, two of the “Greats” from the past – Moses and Elijah – appeared and were conversing with Jesus. The apostles were understandably dumbfounded but, recognizing Moses and Elijah, Peter began to set out a plan for staying there…(“Let us make 3 tents…”) but they were so terrified that they could hardly speak, so God took over.

From the cloud that overshadowed them then came a voice that they must have all heard, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” And suddenly the vision was over and they were again alone with Jesus.

Think about that. How do you think you would feel in that situation, especially when they were coming down from the mountain and Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until “the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” That statement in itself was stunning. What did “risen from the dead mean?” they probably asked themselves (and I would guess that they wondered together). How do you think Jesus was feeling about the whole thing? Knowing that God was pleased with him must have given him some solace in what must have been loneliness for him.

Why not try envisioning the entire event – or at least from the appearance of the cloud – and creating a conversation with Jesus about it all. Ask him questions, give him sympathy or encouragement. See what happens. You may come away from the conversation knowing or understanding Jesus (or even yourself) better.

(*I WILL NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO POST TOMORROW AND DID NOT WISH TO MISS THIS IMPORTANT DAY)

Do It Yourself

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disciples, God answers prayers, Jesus, Moses, requests, solutions, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The readings for today sound like they could be written for the 21st century, “first-world” people who think they deserve all the good things of the earth without much effort to earn them. That may sound harsh but it seems valid to me, as I read today’s first Scripture reading which does sound like a recognition of the adage “It was ever thus.” (Nm 11:4b-15)

Moses is having a hard time with the people who had followed him out of Egypt and are now complaining because they have no meat to eat. One would think that they would be satisfied and even grateful for the manna that appeared every night so that they had something to eat every day. (They were escaping servitude, after all.) But no; they grumbled and spoke about what they had left in Egypt – so much that Moses asked God to kill him so he wouldn’t have to “face their distress any more.”

Jesus found himself in a similar situation when he was grieving over the death of John the Baptist. It seems that all he wanted was a little time for himself but the crowds followed him, hoping to be cured of their illnesses. In an unlikely turn of events, when the disciples came to him for a solution to lack of food for so many people when it was growing late, he didn’t offer them a solution right away. He simply said, “Give them something to eat yourselves.” They must have been dumbfounded at that statement; they were far away from any place where they could have found food. One wonders if he was just frustrated at the lack of preparedness of the crowd. (Why didn’t they have food with them? Were they not expecting such an event?) Maybe he was just tired and sad at the loss of his friend/cousin John.

It didn’t take long to find a solution to this situation, however. One of his disciples must have been checking around the crowd because they knew that someone had a mere five loaves and two fish. Offering that as a solution to the thousands of people who were hungry was enough to have Jesus scan the crowd, having been shaken out of his mood, perhaps, by the size of the crowd and be filled with pity for them. He fed them all.

These thoughts all lead me to consider my expectations. Do I expect God to always answer my requests as if I were the only person asking, i.e. Do I take God for granted? What am I willing to offer as a solution to the difficult issues/situations in my life? How am I willing to answer the needs of others as an aide to God?

To what action does this story call you?

The Forerunner

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forerunner, Jesus, messenger, St. John the Baptist, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I have a friend who often speaks of “the Forerunner” as the spirit of God in the form of John the Baptist when she has something important to accomplish—or when she has an important journey to make. Perhaps I’m thinking of the word because the Olympics are on the horizon and there will be many races for which runners have trained in earnest. Do you ever add John the Baptist to your list of companions on the journey?

Today we celebrate this “Forerunner of Jesus,” the one who announced the coming of the long-awaited “Savior,” the one who had been promised for generations, centuries even, “the one who was to come.” John the Baptist spoke of himself as “a voice crying in the wilderness” to announce the coming of “the One”…the One who had been promised, the laces of whose sandals John did not feel worthy to untie.

We have heard many stories about this John, this strange man who emerged from the desert “eating locusts and wild honey” with a message that would have perhaps been better announced with trumpets and drums than simply with his booming voice shouting “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD!‘

Do you ever think about John the Baptist, relative of Jesus and deliverer (maybe “front man”) for the long awaited Messiah? Sometimes I think about some of the musicians that appeared in the late 20th century—like Bob Dylan who told us that “the times they are a changin,” upending the way we messaged music for generations.

Do you ever consider yourself as a messenger from God? What is the message you give to the world? I have come to trust a line in the Constitution of the Sisters of St. Joseph (the document that I live by in addition to the Constitution of the United States of America). It’s the first line and it says that”the Sister of St. Joseph moves always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction...” If I remembered that all day every day, I think I could be seen as preparing the way of the Lord. Some of us are called to speak with our voices, some with our actions—some in a more courageous way than we would choose. Whatever we are called to, we ought to trust that God will see us through if we continue to listen and respond when called.

What’s In Your Eye?

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Jesus, judging others, love one another, Matthew, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It’s hard to miss the meaning of the reading from Matthew (7:1-5) when Jesus is heard talking about judgment. His image of having a wooden beam in one’s eye and not noticing it is outlandish hyperbole by anyone’s reckoning. But it does capture our attention, which is the obvious purpose of Jesus, I suspect. The question at hand might rather be whether or not I notice the specks in my own eye. That seems to me the more difficult test. I can easily rub my eye and (perhaps) get rid of a speck—or grab some eye wash and blot it out. It may be too easy to find such a remedy. I still don’t want to think of a wooden beam…so how do I stop judging?

Whatever it takes to wake up the vagaries of your mind is the essential question here. What might you suggest to help others accept people without judging them? Do you judge yourself? If so, might that be a first step in changing your judgements of others? Instead of judging yourself or anyone else, why not try to just love without judging? You know: “Love the sinner, not the sin.” Then pray for the possibility to forgive—yourself and everyone else. It will be difficult but certainly worth the effort.

Wind and the Water

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apostles, faith, Jesus, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I think that today’s gospel could be called “Getting to know you…” It’s early in the writings of Mark; Chapter four, to be exact. Those fishermen who have left their nets to follow Jesus are just now crossing the Sea of Galilee to get to another place where Jesus will preach. It’s a very placid scene. The water is calm; the Teacher is asleep in the boat and all seems as it should be.

Suddenly a violent wind storm comes up and threatens to capsize the boat. Jesus is still sleeping. Finally someone yells to him: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?!” (That’s a rather strange question that presumes a faith in Jesus as healer that they otherwise do not seem to possess yet.) Next, Jesus acts in a way that one might expect later in the relationship but which at this point seems rather startling. He wakes up (one might think as if he was waiting for the challenge) and speaks directly to the wind (somewhat unusual, you must admit) saying “QUIET! BE STILL!” and miraculously, the wind calms.

The apostles must be totally flummoxed by that time, as Jesus throws a challenge at them. “Why were you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” What would you have said in reply to that question? I don’t see the possibility of any reasonable response. Rather, I am certain I would have been “in the same boat” as the apostles, wondering, “Who is this whom even the wind and the sea obey?”)

The story ends with a beautiful saying, one that I saw many years ago on a “holy card” and recall as often as I am in the presence of a body of water. It says that He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze and brought them to their desired haven. Each time that comes to mind, I ask myself the state of my faith. Do I trust that I will be given the strength to come through the storms of life? Am I feeling able? Is my faith in need of a boost, a sign that I will be taken care of so that I need not be “terrified” by circumstances? Happily, I am usually able to respond in the affirmative, trusting that the waters will not drown me but rather will lead me to that “desired haven” where God awaits.

Where Is Your Heart

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heart, Jesus, Matthew, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, treasure

Today Matthew is still recounting a part of the famous message of Jesus from the Mount of the Beatitudes, one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited. Jesus is preaching about the danger of storing up earthly treasures and he makes a statement that engenders my question this morning about “treasure.” He suggests that we not be concerned with material goods and such, but rather go deeper, finding more precious things. He says simply and directly, “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” And so I ask myself today: “Lois, where is your heart?”

Let Your Light Shine

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Jesus, light, Matthew, shine, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today’s gospel reading presents a monumental challenge to us. (Mt. 5: 13-16) It begins with a compliment that one could consider as a “hook” (as in: “Be careful not to get hooked into something you can’t do”) but when we hear Jesus say: “You are the salt of the earth!”, it’s hard not to get puffed up and think we can do anything. It’s the same when we hear: “You are the light of the world!” The difficulty comes with reading the second part of each of those declarations of Jesus. Look back and see if you don’t feel deflated occasionally when you’re having a bad day and you hear about salt losing its taste or light set under a bushel basket unable to be seen…

I suggest we look at both of the full statements as the words of a cheerleader instead. “Come on!” Jesus says. “You can do it! Shine! You are such a brilliant light! Just keep going! Keep trying! Be the light you want to see in the world! Shine! Shine! Shine!”

Sharing the Faith

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Acts of the Apostles, faith, Jesus, proclaim, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today we read my favorite lectionary text from the Acts of the Apostles: (Acts 17:15->) when Paul stood in front of the people of Athens to proclaim his faith in Jesus. It’s a stirring text and brave at the time when Christians were few and far between. The most “gutsy” sentence of all was the proclamation that…”he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’“

I just think of Paul standing up in this large outside amphitheater with no microphone or any other apparatus—only his voice to convince his listeners that Jesus is more than just a gifted preacher. If the opportunity presents itself, why not go outside, stand up tall, take a deep breath and boom out the sentence quoted above. How believable is your statement? Can you imagine speaking that way if there was a crowd listening to you? Think about it.

Today’s brief reflection from the Daily Devotional “Living Faith” has this to say about that situation:

“It’s hard, and risky, to speak of faith to others. We don’t want to offend or be laughed at; we’re afraid of being unable to explain ourselves, getting muddled or misrepresenting our faith. Yet it remains true that we know about the resurrection from the dead because someone took the risk to tell us. And they knew because the women and men who beheld the risen Jesus told others, and the word has been passed on year after year over twenty-one centuries. We may find, like Paul and the Athenians, that one person’s openness to speak is met by another’s openness to hear….” (Mary Marrocco)

Hoping Against Hope

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Acts of the Apostles, go deeper within, Jesus, John, love, Ordinary Time, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

We are moving swiftly toward “Ordinary Time” – the season after Pentecost when we are left to our own devices, when Jesus leaves the earth for good and tests our trust in the Holy Spirit for faith and inspiration. The lectionary readings today are full of “foreshadowing” and are mixed between miracles with St. Paul in prison (Acts16) and Jesus in his disturbing message to the apostles (JN 16) where he says things like: “It is better for you that I go.” I can hear myself responding to that with “NO! You can’t go! What will we do without you? How will we know how to live in this confusing time?”

As I wrote that last part, I was reminded of the commentary on the news last night on MSNBC about all the unbelievable political issues and the violence in the world. So I ask again of Jesus: “How are we to live without your presence?” and I get the same difficult answer: Go deeper. Love as best you can and trust that I am with you. You need to find me in your best selves, in the evidence around you: the light that returns every morning without fail, the burgeoning of springtime, the kindness of strangers…everything that speaks of the good in the world.

Think of the best person you know and consider why that person is “best.” Make a list of all the good things in your life. Watch internet videos of babies interacting with one another…Do anything that shows the goodness in life. And trust in God, hoping against hope that God is, in fact, truly with us. And never stop doing your best to love one another as Christ loves us.

Settling In

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abide, Jesus, John, settle in, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

In today’s gospel, the single verse, (Jn. 15:4), contains the verb “remain” eight times. John could have substituted something like “as I DO” for at least one or two of those repetitions to smooth out the message of Jesus, but he didn’t. It makes me think that he was trying to push the point. In a commentary from The Little White Book, the author gives us lots of possibilities about the use of the word “remain” – like “abide with” or “dwell.” Then there is a suggestion of “settle in” with the following comment.

“There are some people (probably not too many) with whom I am completely ‘at home.’ I’m glad to see them and be with them. I ‘settle in’ and relax with them. When I settle in with someone, I don’t have to be talking all the time. It’s just plain good to be together. I’m at ease, at home with them. I don’t have to prove anything, show off. We’re together and all is well. If we do talk, we can talk about anything. And sometimes we do.”

Then the author asks two questions that I think are worth a day’s reflection:
1. Do I settle in with the Lord?
2. I wonder if I allow the Lord to settle in with me. Do I?