Posted by Sr. Terry Rickard, O.P., D.Min. | Filed under Cultural Mosaic, español, God in the Stuff of Life | May 16, 2012 No Comments »

In the bestselling novel The Shack, the Trinity appears in unorthodox form to Mack, a father whose youngest daughter has been murdered. In this story, the Holy Spirit is portrayed as “full of dynamic shades and hues of color and motion”—a Spirit alive and active and visible in everyday life. At one point in the story, God appears as a gardener and asks the father to assist her in clearing out a tangled mess of flowers and thorns that, we later discover, is actually Mack’s heart. Although The Shack is just a story and not a catechism, it reflects some truths about a loving and personal God who cares for us. I think that is why so many seekers and people of faith are drawn to the book—enough to make it a best seller!

The gardening imagery is an apt metaphor for the Holy Spirit’s work of planting the word of God in our hearts and pulling up the weeds of doubt and fear that threaten to choke out the faith blossoming in us. The Holy Spirit is a dynamic member of the Holy Trinity that often gets short shrift. In my early years, the only time I thought about the Holy Spirit was when I was preparing for exams. In those days—when my major was socializing and athletics—I was praying more for a miracle than for recollection of information I had not retained through study.

Today I experience the Holy Spirit as the one who moves me from being a lukewarm believer to a fully committed disciple. It is the Holy Spirit that moves me beyond my selfish desires to a motivation to give myself more generously to others. It is the Holy Spirit that moves me from simply acquiring knowledge to developing true wisdom. It is the Holy Spirit that activates my faith and helps me to live more fully each day in God’s love.

As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost we pray for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit on each of our hearts and on the heart of the Church. May we recognize the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit moving in and through our world in the shades of color found in the people, the events, and the many manifestations of nature we encounter each day.

El Espíritu Santo vive y obra en nuestra vida

En la muy popular novela La Cabaña, la Trinidad se aparece en forma poco ortodoxa a Mack, un padre cuya hija más joven ha sido asesinada. En esta historia, el Espíritu Santo se presenta como “lleno de matices dinámicos de color y movimiento”, un Espíritu vivo y activo, y visible en la vida cotidiana. En un momento en la historia, Dios aparece como un jardinero y le pide al padre que la ayude en la limpieza de una maraña de flores y espinas que, más tarde descubrimos, es en realidad el corazón de Mack. A pesar de que La Cabaña es solo una historia y no un catecismo, refleja algunas verdades acerca de un Dios amoroso y personal que nos cuida. ¡Creo que es por eso que tantas personas en busca de Dios y tantas personas de fe se sienten atraídos por el libro, lo suficiente para que sea un best seller!

Las imágenes de un jardín es una buena metáfora de la obra del Espíritu Santo, la siembra de la Palabra de Dios en nuestro corazón y arrancar la cizaña de la duda y el miedo que amenazan con ahogar el florecimiento de la fe en nosotros. El Espíritu Santo es un miembro dinámico de la Santísima Trinidad, que a menudo se subestima. En mis primeros años, la única vez que pensaba en el Espíritu Santo era cuando me estaba preparando para los exámenes. En aquellos días, cuando mi especialidad era socializar y ser atleta, estaba rezando por un milagro más que para recordar la información que no había retenido por el estudio.

Hoy conozco al Espíritu Santo como el que me convierte de ser una creyente tibia a una discípula totalmente comprometida. Es el Espíritu Santo que me mueve más allá de mis deseos egoístas a la motivación para estar dispuesta a darme más generosamente a los demás. Es el Espíritu Santo que me mueve desde la simple adquisición de conocimientos al desarrollo de la verdadera sabiduría. Es el Espíritu Santo que activa mi fe y me ayuda a vivir más plenamente cada día en el amor de Dios.

Al celebrar la fiesta de Pentecostés roguemos por un mayor derramamiento del Espíritu Santo en cada uno de nuestros corazones y en el corazón de la Iglesia. Podemos reconocer la presencia dinámica del Espíritu Santo en y por medio de nuestro mundo en los tonos de colores que vemos en las personas, los acontecimientos y las muchas manifestaciones de la naturaleza que nos encontramos cada día.

Sr. Terry is the Executive Director of RENEW International and a Dominican Sister from Blauvelt, NY.

Posted by RENEW | Filed under Reflections on the coming Sunday's Gospel | May 15, 2012 No Comments »

“’I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth’” (John 17:13-19).

John’s Gospel is one of contrasts—to be of the spirit rather than of the flesh, this world as opposed to heaven, light instead of dark.

This passage from John was part of Jesus’ last discourse before his passion and resurrection. This reading is used in the liturgy between the feasts of the Ascension (when Jesus ascends to heaven) and Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit descends upon the followers of Jesus).

In John’s Gospel, to follow Jesus is to live in the light. “The world” here refers to those who have not understood Jesus’ message—those who ultimately arrest and kill him. Jesus knows that he will depart from the disciples’ presence. He is preparing them for the time when he will no longer be present in the flesh but will be with them in a different way. He tells them that they will be protected by God, as they are entrusted to be the bearers of Jesus’ mission.

So, why is this reading used between the feasts of Ascension and Pentecost? Perhaps it is because as Jesus’ mission in the world had come to an end, he passed this mission along to the disciples. We, too, are the disciples of Jesus and must take up the mission of Jesus in the world. The end of the physical presence of Jesus was directly connected to the beginning of the new Church, which is enlivened and protected by the spiritual presence of Christ.

God is with us, no matter where we are or where we are going. Like the disciples, perhaps we also need to hear that we are protected, even as we are living through challenging times. This reading reminds us that every ending is another beginning—the beginning of something more powerful than we could have imagined.

What “in between” times have you been through? How have you experienced the presence of God in these times?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

Posted by RENEW | Filed under Reflections on the coming Sunday's Gospel | May 14, 2012 No Comments »

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’ So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs” (Mark 16:15-20).

The Ascension is a beautiful development in the story we have been following for the past forty days. Jesus was “taken up” and seated “at the right hand of God” before our very eyes.

In this Gospel, Mark assures us the Resurrection has taken place— the Ascension is the culmination of the resurrection narrative. Jesus ascended from the warm embrace of his community of believers on earth. He was teaching and affirming at the moment of his ascension. He was with those he loved, his friends and followers, and assured them that they were ready to begin the serious work. Before the Ascension, he gave them instructions.

This Great Commission to the disciples was to proclaim the Gospel to all creation.

These are our instructions, too. The faithful fulfillment of our duties is to proclaim that God is with us and God is gracious. This simple and blessed assurance is our job.

As the disciples had grown and developed in the Easter narratives, we faithful continue to grow and mature, to evolve and change. Now we do so as living witnesses, developing the gifts that God has entrusted to us, bearing fruit by sharing the word with others.

The Ascension is far from the end of the story. The faithful are on earth, and Jesus is at the right hand of God, readying us for the next stage. The story is really just beginning.

How do you proclaim the Good News in your own life? How can you be a better witness of Jesus through your actions and in your conversations with others?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

Posted by Sister Pat Thomas | Filed under Pastoral Pathways | May 10, 2012 No Comments »

It has been said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans”.
 
I am reminded of the story of the Israelites in the days of the Judges. In the First Book of Samuel, the newest judges, who just happen to be Samuel’s sons, are highly corrupt and unfair. The people demand a king rather than live under the guidance of these judges. When Samuel goes to God with the people’s demand, he expresses a personal sense of failure. God tells him that the people are not rejecting Samuel; they are rejecting God as their king. God explains very clearly what would happen if a king was put in place, and the news is not good. Even so, the people reject God’s words and continue to demand a king, so God relents and agrees to let the people have a king.
 
God does not give up on the people and make them sink or swim by their own devices. God does not let the failures of the kings destroy the people. God holds them all close and watches them carefully. He sends them what they need when the days grow dark during the reigns of some of their kings.
 
God does not want our plans to fail, but sometimes we put too much of “us” into them. No prayer, no reflection; it is all about whatever we want to do and when we want to do it. If the plans fail, we never understand why.
 
I don’t think that God laughs at us when we make plans. God is not sadistic or cynical about us. God loves us. So when our plans go awry, God is there with arms open to tell us it is time to start over and put in the missing piece — God. As we make our plans, major and minor, let us keep our own hearts and minds open to accept God’s direction. Let us be willing to listen to the wisdom of the prophets in our lives today who can share God’s words with us. Let us be willing to change our plans, to let go, and to let God!
 
Sister Pat is a member of the RENEW staff, a Dominican Sister, and loves working with Young Adults as the program manager of Theology on Tap.

Posted by RENEW | Filed under Reflections on the coming Sunday's Gospel | May 7, 2012 No Comments »

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 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.’ ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you’” (John 15:9-14).

We are challenged in this passage to follow and remain faithful to the commandments. We are to give of ourselves, even to the point of laying down our lives for others. Above all, we must love each and every other person as much as we are loved by God.

One words sums up this whole reading—Love.

Love is what we remain in and are faithful to. Love is what gives us comfort, challenges us, provides us strength, and love is what we must dare to share.

Our friendship with Jesus demands that we remain in that love. We have to work at sustaining our friendship with him by following the commandments. In baptism, we enter a community that commits itself to remaining in God’s love and to sharing that love with all whom we encounter.

What have been the moments when “remaining” has been difficult and challenging?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International