Not just Me but “We”

 

Not just Me but “We”

 

We’re nearing the end…of the Church Year, of 2021, of Ordinary Time, and during this month we especially think of the End Time and of all those who have gone on ahead of us into eternity. And above all, we as a people of the United States will celebrate how thankful we are.

 

Self-concerned as we are, this time of the year calls us to think beyond ourselves. We are called to think of the precious communities that hold our precious lives…we are grateful for the community that is our family, the strugglers and those who have entered eternal life. We give thanks for the wider communities of our cities, our nation, our parish and our other spiritual and religious communities. As our sister, Margaret Mayce, OP recently reflected, when we think of ourselves we can feel heavy, but when we think of those who hold us up we can feel hopeful. So it is the time to think ‘we.”

 

As we sit down to our Thanksgiving meal, we think of those at our borders, those who are locked behind food barriers in Tegrey, in Afghanistan, in Haiti. As we gather to remember our beloved dead, we bond with those who have lost loved ones to COVID, as prisoners of conscience in tyrannical regimes. As we ponder the End Times, we are faced once again with the only bar of judgment: how we have treated our brothers and sisters in the day-to-day hum-drum of our ordinary time. Yes, we are learning to think “we.”

 

Are you there,

Looking at me through those pleading eyes?

Did I catch a glimpse of You

Behind all those tears?

What do you want of me, Lord?

A kind word, a listening ear, a helping hand?

These may look like ordinary days in ordinary time…

But they aren’t.

They’re meeting places, and I often forget.

Open my eyes to you when I listen to the news.

Help me notice you behind the impatient one,

the complaining one.

By your Spirit, help me to think beyond me…to we.

 

 

 

Thank you to Associate Lisa-Marie Duffield for this month’s reflections.

 

MASS OF REMEMBRANCE – NOVEMBER 7, 2021

Wisdom 3: 1-9 | Romans 6: 3-9 | John 12: 23-26

 

“We who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death…If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” (Rm) “It remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (Jn) “As gold in the furnace, God proved them.” (Wm) Alone. Away. Dropped? Placed? Forgotten? Illness. Grieving. Darkness. Covered. Cold. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Something. Changed. Growing. Broken. Warm. Seeking. Reaching. Down, down, down. Drinking. Up, up, up. Breathing. Clean. Pure. New. Strong. Shading. Loving. Here. Always here. With you.

 

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Daniel 12:1-3 | Hebrews 10:11-18 | Mark 13:24-32

 

“Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” (Mk) “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.” (Dn) “For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.” (Hb) We are called to live with the conviction that the time of the coming of the Lord is always now. In my life, am I asleep in the dust of the earth? What will it take for me to awaken? What kind of legacy will I leave today? We have everything we need to live a just life when we call on the strength of God, for we have been made perfect – not as in flawless but complete. We are the people of God! Let us arise and shine brightly in our dark world!

 

SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING – NOVEMBER 21, 2021

Daniel 7:13-14 | Revelation 1:5-8 | John 18:33-37

 

“All peoples, nations, and languages serve him.” (Dn) “Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.” (Rv) “My kingdom does not belong to this world… Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Our world is divided. There is one earth, but different lands, different peoples, different cultures,  languages, governments. Even the area where we live is not monolithic. We are a world defined by our differences. But Jesus, our anointed King, does not belong to the world, rather we belong to him. All of us, even those from whom we are most divided. What is the voice of God telling  me today?  How can I draw closer in faith to those from whom I feel divided?      

 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT – NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Jeremiah 33 14:16 | 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 | Luke 21:25-36

 

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” (Lk) “I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah.” (Jer) “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” (1Thes)  While socializing, food, and drink can wear down our bodies, our hearts can be worn down by anxiety. How can I be calmer and kinder in a world of strife? Our communities are as contentious as the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. What does God call me to? Love. Deep, rooted, increasing, and abounding love.  What could an infusion of LOVE heal in my life?