Bulletin November 8, 2015
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B
1 Kings 17: 10-16; Hebrews 9: 24-28; Mark 12: 38-44
How does God feel about the way I am living my life right now? Is He aware of only the big things that I am into or is He aware of everything? Jesus cared tremendously for the people who popped into His life. To Him, each person was important; each person was special; a unique creation of His Father. Does God scrutinize me to see the times that I concentrate on me and am not aware of oth- ers in need? How does God feel about me right now? Maybe the better reflection question for me right now is How do I feel about me?
So I continue within the same framework: Do I feel comfortable within myself? How do I feel? What do I need? Do I ever start my prayer period by asking myself how I feel? After reflecting on this for a while do I then ask what do I need and what do I need from God? Often I feel uncomfort- able with asking this of God...but I’m starting with how I feel...now with how God feels about me. Jesus told us repeatedly that God loves us. After my study of Scripture and Theology and with years of Spiritual Direction I like to put it this way: God loves me right now, just the way that I am. And there is no way that I can love myself that way...but God does...Jesus told us so.
I like the definition that Carl Jung uses for reality: ‘Reality is that which affects you. whatever af- fects you is real. God affects my life, so God is real for me. God motivates me, so God is real for me. God touches me; therefore, He is real for me. God opens up infinite possibilities for me, and so I am alive, and God becomes ever more real for me.’ I add to this: If I let Him!
The people in today’s readings help us with this. In the first reading, Elijah had announced a famine in the land in response to King Ahab’s worship of the Canaanite deity Ba’al. Then he travels north into the foreign territory of Sidon when he encounters a poor widow and her son. The widow recog- nizes Elijah and whom He serves by her response, “As the Lord, your God, lives.” (1 Kings 17:12) The Israelite king failed his religious responsibilities, and it is a foreign woman who shows respect and offers the last of her sustenance to this prophet of God. LOOK at her faith: she didn’t ‘hoard’ the little that she had but continued to live the law of hospitality and kindness to strangers and those in need. How special it is to remember from our past lives the ones who have touched us. Many times it was those who have the least who often were the most generous. What has that told me? I am amazed at their total giving even in their desperate need. If I looked at them in this way...how does God look at them? I only have one response: with love!
The gospel from Mark gives the example of the poor widow putting money in the ‘poor box’. What was she doing...relying on God like the poor widow in the first reading. She knew that others are in need and she could help them in her own small way. In looking at her, we all would respond that she was helping in an enormous way and she was teaching each of us a very important lesson. Every- thing we have is a gift from our loving God. Do I with what I have received as a gift share as a gift? I have to constantly remind myself of this. It is not only giving physically and materially out of my surpluses but also giving and sharing of my time which is the most precious commodity that I have. Doesn’t Hallmark use the slogan to ‘give of your very best’? Well, do I? When I look at my ‘giv-
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B
1 Kings 17: 10-16; Hebrews 9: 24-28; Mark 12: 38-44
How does God feel about the way I am living my life right now? Is He aware of only the big things that I am into or is He aware of everything? Jesus cared tremendously for the people who popped into His life. To Him, each person was important; each person was special; a unique creation of His Father. Does God scrutinize me to see the times that I concentrate on me and am not aware of oth- ers in need? How does God feel about me right now? Maybe the better reflection question for me right now is How do I feel about me?
So I continue within the same framework: Do I feel comfortable within myself? How do I feel? What do I need? Do I ever start my prayer period by asking myself how I feel? After reflecting on this for a while do I then ask what do I need and what do I need from God? Often I feel uncomfort- able with asking this of God...but I’m starting with how I feel...now with how God feels about me. Jesus told us repeatedly that God loves us. After my study of Scripture and Theology and with years of Spiritual Direction I like to put it this way: God loves me right now, just the way that I am. And there is no way that I can love myself that way...but God does...Jesus told us so.
I like the definition that Carl Jung uses for reality: ‘Reality is that which affects you. whatever af- fects you is real. God affects my life, so God is real for me. God motivates me, so God is real for me. God touches me; therefore, He is real for me. God opens up infinite possibilities for me, and so I am alive, and God becomes ever more real for me.’ I add to this: If I let Him!
The people in today’s readings help us with this. In the first reading, Elijah had announced a famine in the land in response to King Ahab’s worship of the Canaanite deity Ba’al. Then he travels north into the foreign territory of Sidon when he encounters a poor widow and her son. The widow recog- nizes Elijah and whom He serves by her response, “As the Lord, your God, lives.” (1 Kings 17:12) The Israelite king failed his religious responsibilities, and it is a foreign woman who shows respect and offers the last of her sustenance to this prophet of God. LOOK at her faith: she didn’t ‘hoard’ the little that she had but continued to live the law of hospitality and kindness to strangers and those in need. How special it is to remember from our past lives the ones who have touched us. Many times it was those who have the least who often were the most generous. What has that told me? I am amazed at their total giving even in their desperate need. If I looked at them in this way...how does God look at them? I only have one response: with love!
The gospel from Mark gives the example of the poor widow putting money in the ‘poor box’. What was she doing...relying on God like the poor widow in the first reading. She knew that others are in need and she could help them in her own small way. In looking at her, we all would respond that she was helping in an enormous way and she was teaching each of us a very important lesson. Every- thing we have is a gift from our loving God. Do I with what I have received as a gift share as a gift? I have to constantly remind myself of this. It is not only giving physically and materially out of my surpluses but also giving and sharing of my time which is the most precious commodity that I have. Doesn’t Hallmark use the slogan to ‘give of your very best’? Well, do I? When I look at my ‘giv-
ing’ I could say that it seems to be inconsequential. But it isn’t...if it’s from the heart. I send five dollars to the missions—I have been told this can feed a family for a week. I can’t realize this in my culture, but it’s true where they live. How important is to God? I visit an elderly friend in the nurs- ing home, is this important? I might be the only one who came and helped them in their loneliness and helped them remember good times together. I send a note...I make a phone call...I e-mail, text or use social media to say ‘Hi...you’re loved’. Isn’t this doing what Jesus did for us...show us God’s love for each of us all the time. DO WE EVER GIVE GOD A CHANCE TO THANK US FOR LOVING? I think we should. JESUS TAUGHT US, COMMANDED EACH OF US TO LOVE BECAUSE GOD LOVES...How honored I am to bring God to others.
Fr. Paul Coutinho, SJ in his wonderful book How Big Is Your God? The Freedom to Experience the Divine in his chapter On Moving from Charity to Compassion says:“Do not stop practicing your charity, but pray for the grace of being more and more compassionate. Because when you have a relationship with God, when you are compassionate, you will experience God everywhere. When you have a relationship with a compassionate God, good things happen, wonderful things happen. In compassion, I celebrate the good, because that good is also part of me. When some person in the world does something extraordinary, I am drawn to that person, and I also feel extraordinary. I share in that experience because that person is part of me. If someone is celebrating, I celebrated with that person. If someone is hurt- ing, I hurt with that person. So I am part of every person’s life and each person is part of my life. Experiencing that human inter-connectedness through our divine connection is the transition from charity to compassion.”
So I come to look at my life as God looks at my life. He created me...He continues to create me. He gifts me...He continues to gift me. He needs me...He continues to need me to love and to be love as Jesus taught me and showed me. I am important because I am the only me that He created me to be. And in being ME I am completing His plan that He had for me forever. Someone always needed me....I don’t know who...I don’t know when...but it was the me that God created and gifted is what is needed. Lord help me to be aware...to never give up...to always trust.
So I reflect on:
Fr. Paul Coutinho, SJ in his wonderful book How Big Is Your God? The Freedom to Experience the Divine in his chapter On Moving from Charity to Compassion says:“Do not stop practicing your charity, but pray for the grace of being more and more compassionate. Because when you have a relationship with God, when you are compassionate, you will experience God everywhere. When you have a relationship with a compassionate God, good things happen, wonderful things happen. In compassion, I celebrate the good, because that good is also part of me. When some person in the world does something extraordinary, I am drawn to that person, and I also feel extraordinary. I share in that experience because that person is part of me. If someone is celebrating, I celebrated with that person. If someone is hurt- ing, I hurt with that person. So I am part of every person’s life and each person is part of my life. Experiencing that human inter-connectedness through our divine connection is the transition from charity to compassion.”
So I come to look at my life as God looks at my life. He created me...He continues to create me. He gifts me...He continues to gift me. He needs me...He continues to need me to love and to be love as Jesus taught me and showed me. I am important because I am the only me that He created me to be. And in being ME I am completing His plan that He had for me forever. Someone always needed me....I don’t know who...I don’t know when...but it was the me that God created and gifted is what is needed. Lord help me to be aware...to never give up...to always trust.
So I reflect on:
- In what situations do I find myself most needing to rely on God?
- Am I ever tempted top exploit another person’s neediness for my own gain? How do I respond to
this temptation? - When has just a speck of hope, courage, friendship kept me going despite the odds?
- How many good ‘good deeds’ have I done today? Do I have to count how many?
- What does it mean to be poor? What does it mean to me to be wealthy?
- What does it mean for me to give from my want or need, instead of from my excess?
- Why do people who do something to help the poor give money or goods instead of time and pres-
ence? Which is more valuable in helping to alleviated poverty: material goods and services, or time and presence? Why?
Sacred Space 2015 says:
“Jesus reminds us once again how we are to treat each other. We are all sons and daughters of the Father, and so we must be aware of the dignity each of us carry within. Through baptism, we have been brought into the family of God, and so we are all connected through grace.
No one is greater than another, and no one is more important than another; we are all equal in the sight of our Father in heaven.”
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