Journaling with Sharon: Examination of Conscience or Self-judgement

By Sharon Nelsen

This morning’s verse 10 from Psalm 103, revealed to me my disbelief:  The psalmist declares that God does not “treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults.”  Intellectually, I have to accept that, but experientially, I do not believe it.  It feels like presumption to me.

I took that to the Lord in prayer and discovered that I believed the lie, not the truth.  The Lord led me to look at what was underneath the lie, what was keeping me from accepting the Peace God offers me in those wonderful, merciful words.  To my surprise, what surfaced was that I needed to look more closely at the differences between examining my conscience and self-judgment.  To that end, the Holy Spirit activated this understanding:

Examination of Conscience


1. Taking time to reflect on my motivations and acts

2. Believing “I have power and freedom to choose/decide.”

3. Desiring growth/challenge

4. Acting in the conviction that God is with me

5. Free to admit errors

6. Empowering

7. Encouraging

8. Affirming

9. Owns true self

10. Delights in one’s humanity



Self-judgment


Reacting to immediate accusations, “I should have…”

Believing “I am a victim; I really have no choice.”

Avoiding growth/challenge

Acting as if God is my adversary, against me

Fear of “being wrong”

Weakening

Discouraging

Condemning

Denies true self

Resents being human


If I believe the lies associated with self-judgment, then I will avoid healthy reflection on my acts. To help me change my habit, the Holy Spirit inspired me with a “Once Again Prayer”:



Dear Merciful, Compassionate Divine Friend,



Once again

I have fallen short

Once again

I ask your forgiveness

Once again

I rely on your mercy

Once again

I ask for Your Grace that I may

Once again

Serve you with my whole heart, my whole soul, my whole being

Once again

I give You the praise and the glory for all the good you have worked through me and will

Once again

Continue to work through me in spite of my faults and weaknesses.

Once again



I thank you, Dear Triune God, for being with me. Amen!

The Birthplace of the Church

Sunday June 7, 2015

A Reflection on Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 N.A.B. 

By: Larry T

At a small group faith sharing meeting last year our parish pastor asked, “What does the Last Supper mean to you?” Red faced, the eight of us stared studiously at our hands, not daring to meet his eyes. To be sure, it wasn’t a fair question - the kind to be answered on the spur of the moment, because there is more than one good answer. Still yet, it is a thought provoking question. What are we to make of the Last Supper?

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday we read about the events leading up to the Last Supper, the meal itself, and the institution of the Holy Eucharist:

¹² On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³ He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him.

¹⁴ Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’

¹⁵ Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.”

¹⁶ The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

²² While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴ He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.

²⁵ Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Our attention is immediately drawn to the words of Institution (vv. 22-24) because they are a familiar part of the Mass, but there is much more to it than that. Is it possible that Jesus asks each of us, Where is my guest room where I may eat my Passover with you? And if His words and actions have caused us to spiritually prepare for Him, He will come to dwell within us.

Once the meal preparations were completed Jesus gathered his disciples and went to the upper room. Today, some two thousand years later, Jesus continues to assemble us (his disciples) in preparation for the meal.

Jesus abruptly departed from the traditional meal ritual when he broke the bread, handed it to his disciples and said, “Take it, this is my body” and then offered them the cup saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many”. They would have been both alarmed and puzzled at Jesus’ words and actions. They could not have immediately fully understood that with this act Jesus was providing them and all humanity to come with the gift of his body and blood.

When the priest elevates the consecrated host above the paten or above the chalice and says, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” we might recall the words of Revelations 19:9 N.A.B.: “Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These words are true; they come from God.” The image of a wedding feast is frequently used in Scripture to describe the Kingdom (Matthew 22:2, 9:15, 25:1-13). When we receive the consecrated bread and wine which are truly the body and blood of Jesus, we are in communion with him; through it our living God spiritually and physically receives us.

The early Church was founded on Jesus’ death and Resurrection, which he anticipated in the gift of his body and blood at the Last Supper (v. 25), so we might even go so far as to say that this meal was the birthplace of the Church.

Joy is Strength!

Sunday, May 3, 2015
A Reflection on John 15:1-12 N.A.B.

By: Larry T

Lily B. is the most fulfilled and joyful person that I have met in recent years. She is sixty-something, a grandmother, a very plain woman who wears very simple and modest clothing. Her face is always lit up with joy, inner peace, and serenity. Anyone who has personal contact with Lily will go away thinking I want some of what she has.

Early Christians called themselves simply “the living”. Lily would have fit right in with them because she has found what all mankind is desperately in search of - life itself, full, and eternal life.

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday Jesus promises that if we remain in him our prayers will be answered (v.7), we will bear much fruit (v.8), our purpose of glorifying the Father will be fulfilled (v.8), we will experience divine love (vv. 9-10), and have fullness of joy (v.11). Remaining in Jesus brings joy and eternal life.

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.

² He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.

³ You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.

⁴ Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.

⁶ Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.

⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

⁸ By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

⁹ As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.

¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

¹¹ “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

¹² This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. - John 15:1-12 N.A.B.

When does eternal life begin? The three most common answers to this question are either, I don’t know, I’m not sure, or immediately after death. Pope Benedict XVI points out: “Eternal life is not – as the modern reader might immediately assume – life after death, in contrast to this present life, which is transient and not eternal. ‘Eternal life is life itself, real life, which can also be lived in the present age and is no longer challenged by physical death. This is the point: to seize ‘life’ here and now, real life that can no longer be destroyed by anything or anyone.” - Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth.

This sense of eternal life is spelled out very clearly in the raising of Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25b-26a N.A.B.). When Jesus said to his disciples, “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.” (John 14:19 N.A.B.), he revealed once again that his true disciples “live” beyond the mere fact of existing. They find the real life that all humanity is desperately pursuing. This knowledge filled the earliest Christians with joy and is why they called themselves “the living”.

St. Teresa of Ávila, the 16th-century Carmelite nun and reformer, herself spoke out against deadly serious Catholicism. “A sad nun is a bad nun,” she said. “I am more afraid of one unhappy sister than a crowd of evil spirits…What would happen if we hid what little sense of humor we had? Let each of us humbly use this to cheer others.” This Doctor of the Church, and eminent teacher of the faith, continually endorsed humor. More recently, Mother Teresa said, “Joy is prayer; joy is strength; joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”

Remaining in Jesus means keeping his commandments including loving one another as he loves us. It is through this relationship with Jesus, who is Life that we become “the living”. This leads us to joy and eternal life because everything will be as it should be; there will be a sense of rightness in our lives. Although it is a life-long struggle, we have Jesus’ assurance (v. 7) that our prayers for strength will be answered.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) the French philosopher and Jesuit priest said, “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God”.

Be a Witness

A reflection for the Third Sunday of Easter, April 19

By Judy Morss

Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9

1 John 2:1-5A

Luke 24:35-48

The gospel this week finds the apostles back in the upper room. They were probably fearful and wondering what would happen next. Two of the disciples had reported back to the apostles that Jesus had made himself known to them in the "breaking of the bread."  Jesus appeared to the group gathered together.  It is not unexpected that they were startled and probably very frightened.  They thought they were seeing a ghost.

Jesus spoke to them asking why they were frightened.  Did they recognize Jesus? His wounds from

crucifixion were visible.  As he showed them his hands and feet, they probably began to realize that their Savior was indeed in their midst.  Jesus reminded them that he has already spoken to them about what would happen to him. He reminded them that everything would be fulfilled.

He opened up scripture to them so that they could better understand it.  Then he said that they are "the witnesses of these things." 

We are blessed to have heard the Word of God, even though we have not seen Him with our eyes.  We still believe. We, too, are called to give witness to what God has done for us and for the whole world.  Right now we are in that special place between Easter and Pentecost.  Our Savior has risen. What should we being doing?

 I think that we should spend more time being a witness. We are meant to be "witnesses of a great joy, witnesses that love is stronger than death, and witnesses of the resurrection." This is the role that the disciples will soon take on as their mission. This can be our mission as well.  Most of us will not be traveling throughout the world witnessing and evangelizing. However in our small circle of influence we can witness what God has done for us through his beloved Son. And who knows how we might be able to enlarge that circle.

I found Psalm 4 to be just beautiful. I plan to incorporate part of the Psalm into my nightly prayer.

"O Lord, let the light of our countenance shine upon us!  You put gladness in my heart.

  As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep, for you alone, O Lord, bring security to my dwelling. "

Peace and blessings,

Judy

(artwork Christ's appearance to the Apostles, by Andrey Mironov CC BY-SA 3.0 via wikimedia commons;  Jesus, I Trust in You, by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski  public domain via wikimedia commons)

Journaling with Sharon and the Father

Unless you become as a little child...

Beset with many tasks and sensing myself sliding into a feeling of being overburdened, I was drawn to an earlier journal entry-- a prayer that began this way:

 

“Hold onto the sense you are receiving,” I hear that word this morning Dear Lord.  You have taken me back to remembering my sense of things as a little child:

·         I didn’t worry about shelter, home, or food, or having a place to sleep.
·         Things may have been changing all around, there was a war going on, but I felt okay—that everything was being taken care of.
·         And, it wasn’t my responsibility—it was in the hands of others and my parents didn’t put those burdens on me.

 And You say to me, Dear God “Unless you become as a little child, you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven.”  I probably don’t have the exact words, but that is what I remember.  Today I see a particular meaning for me in being a “little child”, and that is having that “sense” that everything is being taken care of—the world, all of us, are in Your hands, your Loving Hands, and you do not burden us with that which we cannot do. Rather, You teach us to listen with our hearts, from our unifying central core, so that we may move with You, doing, taking care of that which You have placed before us, given to us, as our responsibility. We learn in our teenage to young adult process to go from outer controls to inner controls.  We meet the challenges of our calling. You have called me to a holy Mother.  I am formed in motherhood and I have that gift to offer, mothering where it has been lacking as Father Flanagan “fathered” boys who had missed good fathering-- protection and guidance, provision and modeling.  So today, Dear Lord, I willingly move as Mother—nurturing, guiding, always caring, loving and letting go so my sons and daughters may grow. I was moved by the recent penguin story on Public TV’s “Nature”—how the parent penguins move away, longer and longer distancing, so the growing young will learn how to find them, and in the process, the young penguins develop physical strength that prepare them for life on their own. You, Dearest Father, Brother Jesus, Holy Spirit, sometimes appear to be far away.  Yet you are present, teaching us, teaching me, how to seek and find so that I may be nourished by You.  And in the process, my spirit is strengthened, preparing me for what lies ahead. Thank you, Dear Father that all is in Your Hands; Thank you, Dear Jesus, for teaching us by Your Life and dying, the Way, the Truth and Life;  Thank you, Dear Holy spirit, for moving our hearts and empowering us to express them for building up the body, the kingdom, the place where God is at home.  Thank you for showing me what it means for me to become as a little child.

Now and forever, 

 Your Sharon

 

As I listen, I hear the Lord say to me:

Beloved of My Heart,

            Yes, as you are free of bitter roots and regrets, you are able to sense my protective, caring, teaching, guiding, providing presence—LOVE, all works of love.  I have prepared you as a loving Mother—you wanted to be a Sister, and I have formed you as Mother.  Mother superior!  What a good laugh you are having over that one!  I show you the path to life, fullness of joy in My Presence and bliss forever at My Right Hand.

            Stay with Me, beloved, as I stay with you.  Remember My words:

            “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them.”  (As did Jesus)  Ezekiel: 36.26

            “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.”  (Hebrews 19.24)

            Jesus said, “To the one who has something, more will be given.”  (Mark 4.25)  The more you are open to the word of God, the more you receive.  God does not hold back!

                  

I love you, Dear Heart, now and forever,

Abba

Mary Magdalene - Apostle to the Apostles

Easter Sunday

A Reflection on John 20:1-11a, N.A.B. 

By: Larry T 

The four Gospels mention Mary Magdalene (Mary of Magdala) at least twelve times, which is more often than most of the apostles are mentioned. Is Mary Magdalene the sister of Martha and Lazarus? No, the sister of Martha and Lazarus is Mary of Bethany. The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene on July 22^nd, and the feast of Saints Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany on July 29^th.

Was Mary of Magdala a virgin? Possibly. Saint John Chrysostom (349-407 A.D.) and Saint Ambrose (340–397 A.D.) both suggested that Mary Magdalene was a virgin.

Was Mary of Magdala a prostitute? Probably not. Attempts at merging Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister of Lazarus, and the penitent woman (Luke 7:36-50 N.A.B.) into one person began as early as 591 A.D. However, instructions included with the 1969 revision of the Roman Calendar stipulated that the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene is solely that of the woman to whom Christ appeared and not that of the sister of Lazarus or the penitent woman.

In his apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem ("On the dignity and vocation of women", part 67-69) dated 15 August 1988, Pope John Paul II dealt with the Easter events in relation to the women being present at the tomb after the Resurrection, in a section entitled 'First Witnesses of the Resurrection':

“The women are the first at the tomb. They are the first to find it empty. They are the first to hear 'He is not here. He has risen, as he said. (Mt 28:6) They are the first to embrace his feet.(cf. Mt 28:9) The women are also the first to be called to announce this truth to the Apostles.(Mt 28:1-10, Lk 24:8-11) The Gospel of John ( also Mark 16:9) emphasizes the special role of Mary Magdalene. She is the first to meet the Risen Christ. Hence she came to be called "the apostle of the Apostles". Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ, and for this reason she was also the first to bear witness to him before the Apostles. This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men.” - John Paul II

In the following reading we see that Mary of Magdala was the first to arrive at Jesus’ tomb, and the last to leave. Peter and the other disciple came, saw the empty tomb, and returned home.

¹ On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.

² So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don‘t know where they put him.”

³ So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.

⁴ They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first;

⁵ he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

⁶ When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,

⁷ and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

⁸ Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

⁹ For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

¹⁰ Then the disciples returned home.

^11a But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. – John 20:1-11a, N.A.B.

Why was Mary Magdalene so devoted to Jesus? Her dedication to him probably began when he exorcised seven demons from her and cured several other women of evil spirits and infirmities (Luke 8:2 N.A.B.). In response Mary and the group of women began to follow Jesus, some supported him financially, while others tended to his needs (Mark 15:41 N.A.B., Matthew 27:55, 56 N.A.B., Luke 8:3 N.A.B.). Does this group of women, led by Mary Magdalene, exemplify the correct response to the Lord for answered prayer and healing? On a larger scale could they represent wounded humanity in need of physical and spiritual healing, and having received it from Jesus, remained uniquely faithful to him? That women still remain uniquely faithful to the Lord is evident by the way they continue to minister to his Church through their involvement in various lay ministries and many parish activities.

Mary Magdalene must have watched Jesus perform miracles, exorcisms, and healings. Likewise she would have listened to Jesus’ teachings and probably witnessed his confrontations with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. Her actions at the empty tomb confirms that she and the other women had an exceptional bond to Jesus, and that she was more than qualified to become a foundational character in the earliest Christian community. 

The Resurrection is the most important event in Christianity, without it Jesus would have been just another Jewish prophet that had been put to death. God handpicked Mary Magdalene, a woman in a male-dominated world, as his messenger to announce the Good News of the Resurrection to the disciples. This is why Saint Augustine (354-430 A.D.) called her apostle to the Apostles.

Merciful and Just is our God

Sunday, March 15^th, The Fourth Sunday Of Lent
By:  Judy Morss

Today's readings are taken from:

Second Book of Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23  

Psalm 137

Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians 2:4-10 

Gospel according to John 3:14-21

This Sunday is Laetare Sunday; Laetare meaning rejoice.  Today is just past the halfway point of Lent.  As part of our rejoicing, the priest and deacon may be wearing rose colored vestments and flowers may adorn the altar in some parishes.

We rejoice because we are reminded of all the ways that God reaches out to us in mercy. Chronicles tells us that the people of Judah rejected God  and " added infidelity to infidelity." God became so angry with them that he withdrew His protection. Jerusalem was destroyed and those who lived were made captives in Babylonia.  Jeremiah foretold there would be seventy years of torment before there would be relief. Then God had compassion for His chosen people; they were offered a second chance through the mercy of the foreign king, Cyrus.  He allowed the people to return home and rebuild the temple.

St. Paul describes God as "rich in mercy, because of the great love He had for us." Even when we were dead in all our sins, God "brought us to life with Christ" -- by grace we have been saved, yet again.

John tells us that "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believed in him might not perish but might have eternal life."  God is so forgiving and compassionate, we rejoice in His love for us. But we must do more than rejoice. We must remember that Christ died on the cross for love of us.

As I kneel before the Lord in adoration and as I look upon the cross, contemplating the face of Christ, I know and understand more deeply what Christ has done for me and for all of us.  The question for me then becomes: What have I done for Christ, what am I doing for Christ and what should I be doing for Christ? As I continue my Lenten journey, I will search for answers to these questions and act upon those answers.

Peace and Blessings -- Judy