Reflection: 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 31, 2011 (A)
Reading: Matthew 14: 13 – 21
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him . . . when he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him . . . when he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
Reflection: (reflections written by Sr. Louise Alff, OSF)
How do you handle your grief? Go off by yourself? Keep busy? “Shut down” emotionally? Talk to a friend? We are so familiar with today’s gospel of Jesus feeding the five thousand that we could easily miss the first line. Jesus was grieving the death of his friend, John the Baptist. Matthew records that he went off by himself. Perhaps he wanted to be alone with his pain, to pray with his grief, to recall their times together. But this quiet retreat was short-lived as the crowds disturbed pressed around him.
We are told that his heart was moved with pity for them and he cured their sick. It was as if, in his grief, he was stretching his level of compassion. He knew the ache in their hearts because his own heart ached with sorrow. He knew the tears they cried because he wept himself. He understood their brokenness because something in him felt broken. The greatest way he could honor John’s memory was to continue to reveal the kingdom of God. What John heralded he would continue to proclaim by his words and actions.
Reflect:
- When has sorrow brought me to deeper compassion?
- Whose death challenged me to be a better person?
- What hungers are there around me that I can feed?
Last comments:
- The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living.
- Joy and sorrow are next door neighbors.
- What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, God calls a butterfly
Reflection: 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 24, 2011 (A)
Reading: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
(God said) “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon answered: “Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right
from wrong”. . . (God said) “I do as you requested.”
(God said) “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon answered: “Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right
from wrong”. . . (God said) “I do as you requested.”
Reflection: (reflections written by Sr. Louise Alff, OSF)
If God came in your dream tonight and offered to grant you one wish, what would you request? Success, popularity, job security, money, love? As a young king Solomon had many legitimate needs. He needed wealth, military might, fame, security, prosperity, long life and happiness. But when God came, he requested only one thing – wisdom. The scriptures put it in these words: “an understanding heart to judge your people and the ability to distinguish right from wrong.”
How different our lives would be if that was our prayer. An understanding heart – to know how to be a wise parent, to know what to say to a distressed co-worker, to know when to speak up and when to remain silent, to appreciate the giftedness of those around us, to be humble enough to recognize our own faults and to seek advice, to distinguish right from wrong. God is
pleased with Solomon’s request and gives him a heart that is wise and understanding. God desires to do the same for us.
pleased with Solomon’s request and gives him a heart that is wise and understanding. God desires to do the same for us.
Reflect:
- At this time in my life, what do I request from God?
- In what situation could I use some wisdom right now?
- How do I determine what is right or wrong: Bible, Church teaching, advice from trusted friends, “gut” feeling, or prayer?
Say daily:
The Serenity Prayer:
God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reflection: 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 17, 2011 (A)
Reading: Matthew 13: 24-30
The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. . . . The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’ No, let both grow together until the harvest.’
Reflection: (reflections written by Sr. Louise Alff, OSF)
I’m no farmer and I have often reflected on the beauty of someone’s garden only to be told that what I am looking at are all weeds. They looked good to me! So don’t trust me with taking care of your garden.
Apparently, I am not alone in trying to distinguish wheat from weeds. Weeds apparently resemble wheat in the early stages of growth and, entwined with the wheat, make it difficult to distinguish. As the parable states it is better to wait until harvest time and then separate the two. Since this is a parable about the Kingdom of heaven, I think there is an important
lesson to glean from this story. The Kingdom of heaven is here already, planted like a seed in the hearts of those who believe. When we feed the hungry, forgive those who hurt us, act justly, practice charity, we make the kingdom evident. But within all of us, weeds grow. Weeds that produce dissent, alienation, anger and brokenness. God doesn’t write us off because of these weeds but gives us amply time to work through them so that hopefully, by the end of our lives, we will have surrendered to the power of grace, expressed our contrition and turned our weeds into a bountiful field of wheat.
lesson to glean from this story. The Kingdom of heaven is here already, planted like a seed in the hearts of those who believe. When we feed the hungry, forgive those who hurt us, act justly, practice charity, we make the kingdom evident. But within all of us, weeds grow. Weeds that produce dissent, alienation, anger and brokenness. God doesn’t write us off because of these weeds but gives us amply time to work through them so that hopefully, by the end of our lives, we will have surrendered to the power of grace, expressed our contrition and turned our weeds into a bountiful field of wheat.
Reflect:
- I will name some of my “weeds.” Which ones can I surrender to God this week?
- Pray for the grace to make a good confession and really start over.
- When looking at others, I often see their “weeds” of weakness, more than their “wheat” of goodness. I will ask for the grace to see the person as God sees.
- How can I be a tiny seed of justice today?
Last Thoughts:
- Every sinner has a future, every saint has a past.
- Sometimes silence is golden, other times it is just plain yellow.
- To lift your soul, first bend your knees.
Reflection: 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 10, 2011 (A)
Reading: Matthew 13: 1-9
“A farmer went out to sow his seed . . . ”
“He who has ears, let him hear.”
“He who has ears, let him hear.”
Reflection: (reflections written by Sr. Louise Alff, OSF)
There was a funny comic in the paper about a wife trying to get her husband’s attention. She requested something from him and then repeated it three times, each time shouting a little louder. An observer finally said to the woman: “Is your husband hard of hearing?” she said, “No, just hard of listening.” We all have “selective listening.” We hear what we want to hear and therefore, feel justified in our thoughts and judgments.
In today’s Gospel Jesus challenges us to really listen. He tells a parable about a farmer who sows seed. God is the farmer; the seed is the message of God’s kingdom. That message is made up of words like: love, forgive, live justly, speak the truth, give respect, work for unity, be a peace maker. That message, those seeds are implanted in our hearts. It is up to us to provide fertile soil to receive them. Jesus ends by saying, “He who has ears, let him hear.” To really hear is to take these words and allow them to shape our lives. To really hear is to die to our own needs and reach out to another. To really hear is to pull out the rocky soil of selfishness and the thorny bushes of our own prejudices. To really hear these words is to deepen their roots in the soil of prayer. Only then will our seeds yield a harvest to feed the multitudes.
Reflect:
- How good am I at listening? What things do I “not want to hear?”
- How am I being challenged to change as a result of this gospel story?
- What names would I give to my “rocky soil” or my “thorn bushes”?
Last Thoughts:
- We have two ears and one mouth. The proportions of how much we are to listen and speak.
- The brook would lose its song if God removed the rocks.
- The one who sings their own praises is usually out of tune.
Reflection: 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 3, 2011 (A)
Reading: Matthew 11: 25-30
Come to me, all you who are labored and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
Reflection: (reflection written by Sr. Louise Alff, OSF)
I remember my first retreat at the Women’s Prison so clearly. It started on Thursday night as the women shuffled in with heads down, hair in front of their faces, broken spirits and bitter hearts. The last night of the retreat was a healing ritual in which the women were asked to write the names of people they needed to forgive. They then came forward and symbolically expressed their forgiveness by placing their list of names into the fire. The next morning as they came into the hall the transformation was astonishing. They stood proud, their hair was decorated with colorful pins and their faces glowed. I witnessed a resurrection!
These ladies came to the retreat labored and burdened. Throughout the three days we smothered them with love, drenched them with prayers and nourished them with the faith. They eventually traded in the yokes which pressed them down and put on the yoke of Jesus. In that exchange they found renewed life.
What yokes do I carry? The yoke of insignificance, fear, loneliness, anger, betrayal, grief? How long will I allow it to determine who I am? Jesus says: “Take my yoke and you will find rest.”
Reflect:
- Do I allow Jesus’ yoke to rest lightly on my shoulders or do I struggle to do things “my way”?
- What heavy burdens do I lay on the shoulders of another?
- A yoke connects two animals for a common purpose. When I allow myself to be yoked with Jesus, I am committed to the same mission as Jesus. How do others see Jesus in me?
Last Thoughts:
- To receive direction from God, you must receive correction from God.
- God has a big eraser.
- Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall? To make up for a bad summer.
