Saturday, October 09, 2004
Lk. 11:27-8;Lk. 17:11-19 people come to me wanting to "study" social justice or homelessness". i am asked how i keep my faith strong (little do they know). i have been asked to teach classes on how to 'relate to youth. Jesus has the answer to all of these--to do the gospel. i tell people to get their hands dirty, u cannot study, u have to enter into the messiness of peoples lives, of ur own. in our gospel for tomorrow we have jesus healing samaritan leperss, samaritans who were hated, their land in the middle of jewish land. the question that comes to mind is the samaritan land in our own lives--those messy areas, those shadows. i am studying "Ride the Dragon" looking at my own samaritah lands. the first tool given is to "prune", to look at why we are available for people, a question i have to asked being on demand. for eg. why i am i so available for two weeks for matt, while his parents are gone, why center my life around him for two weeks--for me it is an enjoyable break from the City, it makes him happy, and i enjoy his company--in otherwords i get enjoyment.
i am often filled with doubts, but i go to work, i continue to show up, as i tell people that is the secret to any achievement. when i fail, i show up, when i doubt i show up, when i am under fire, i show up. i work my faith, i do the gospel by exercising that gospel, mistakes and all, and out of that comes "doing the gospel at some point", but that involves looking at the samaritan land in our lives and rideing the dragons of our lives. this is it for two days, will be going up north to a friend of matts, and to an unearth concert tomorrow. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Lk. 11:27-28; Lk. 17:11-19 people come to me wanting to "study social justice" or to "study homeless ministry"; once i was asked to teach a course of uc berkeley on "Learning how to relate to youth--techniques and practice." people asked me how i keep my faith strong, (little do they know). my response to all these requests is that u get ur hands dirty. for me to live the gospel means to get into the messiness of my own life. and that relates to the gospel for sunday. samaritans were hated by the jews, there country was in the middle. jesus was willing to get caught up into the messibness of the samaritans, but what about the samaritan land in our own lives, those messy areas, those untouchable areas. i am studying a book i have read and reread again, "Riding the Dragon", and i am looking at the messiness in my own life. the first suggestion is "to prune in order to have beautiful blossoms." in otherwords to asked the question "why do u do what u do?" why do u like to work with people, and when one finds out why the people will not disappoint and u will not burn out. for me that is a constant effort, i am surrounded by people who demand from me, so a part of my own messiness, samaritian territory within is to keep clear that i work with people, hang out with them, or there for them because i believe the image of Jesus is in each one, and personally i get much joy with being there. it is sorta of like my being with matt these two weeks. i refused pay to stay with him because one: that means u are hired help and two matt is my friend. i am staying with him because i care about him, and because it makes me feel good to see him having a good time and doing well while his parents are away.
i tell people all the time that what it takes to keep a job, to achieve ur goal is for the most part just showing up. when i am depressed, having many doubts i continue to show up, when i am under fire, am told i will never achieve what i set out to do, i show up. when i screw up, i continue to show up.
and so that is my reflection for the next two days. i think matt and i are taking off to redding to see his former nanny, and come back tomorrow in time for an "unearth concert." Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Friday, October 08, 2004
Lk. 11:15-26 spent yesterday cooking for the evening meal on street, got back to san carlos at midnight, had to go to school to pick up matt's books at 12:30 a.m., up at 6:00 to fix breakfast, get matt to school, and to bed for a few hours.
so what does all this mundane shit have to do with the gospel for today, well lets see, where is God in all of this, as a good spiritual director would ask?
Our gospel is about making choices--about what really matters to us. Jesus points our to the disciples that we all make choices, and that what appear to be the "strongest" choice may not be so. In this case Jesus seems to be saying that he is the of God and therefore the "strongest" and not to follow after others who say they can do the same thing. for the past ten years i have chosen to follow a path that frees me up to minister, and to be, in a way that i see is a ministry of presence. these two weeks with matt for example--if i worked a regular job or saw this time as "babysitting" then my choice would be costly both in money and emotion, as well as time. for me it is a time to be not only with Matt, but with God as well. it is giving of myself to a friend, saying that i care enough to let other things in my life go for two weeks, to be with u. this choice in turn is determined by the choice of the One in whom I anchor my life. I see Jesus as being present with people. i often joke that weeks go by and i talk to no one over 19, why is that? let's see my twenty or so adult friends are always "busy", and i am sure they are. but even their family has to make appointments to see them basically. I see Jesus as being available, not "busy" but using his time in a meaningful presence. Our choices determine who we are, and what guides our lives--and often those choices that appear to be the strongest--job, money--are not the strongest. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Thursday, October 07, 2004
Gal. 3:1-5; Lk. 11:5-13
a friend from LA, who is 19, i have known for four or so years showed up. he has been traveling, left school depressed. so he stayed with matt and i, we went to santa cruz, came home, and matt did homework, moss and i just hung out. woke up at 3, could not sleep, went to store, came home and fixed matt breakfast, got meal going for tonight, took matt to school==nice kind of having a mundane day.
The Message in Galations 3:4-5, says we should be "focused on cross." in my own life i have found that as long as i stay centered in Jesus, then no matter what goes on around me i can cope, when i don;t then i lose my anchor. it is the same with my kids==their lives are out of focus, they drift from one thing to another, and so life is chaotic,. they look to drugs, anything to make their lives easier. for me the anchor i need is jesus, and i believe for all of us we need an anchor that centers our lives. it is the same with prayer, if we stay focused, what i think Jesus is telling us is that we will be given what we need, and that is what i have found, i receive what i need, no more, no less, and that is enough. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Lk: 11:1-4
Petersen translates in the message "give us our daily bread", as "provide us with three square meals a day."
From the beginning God intended for humanity to have the basics, and that we all were to have those things that make life worthwhile--food clothing etc. but the greed of humanity has intervened to hurt more than 80 per cent of the world. "give us three square meals a day". is a request of millions, and those of us who say we are called by Jesus are called to incarnate that desire in our lives.
i am in san carlos with matt for the next two weeks, quiet. i pick him up at school, cook his meals, and we just hang. took a long walk tonight around town. am reminded of where i was raised and how insinulated i was from the world, and how that is one of the reasons we have the problems we do, people just are not confronted--"give us three square meals a day." that is all the majority of people asked. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Monday, October 04, 2004
Lk. 10:38-42 9(Mary and Martha)
Today as I moved through the day my intention was to stay pretty much to myself and get things done for being away for the most part for two weeks taking care of matt: well lets see:
1. D, 19 comes into restaurant "to say hi", and then to asked for a "point"
2. ML, shows up and sits down and chatters
3. S, 22, follows me down the street to "chill".
4. W, 20, comes into a coffee shop begging me for a "point".
And so the day went, to the point i finally shut off the phone, in order to relax, to read, and to pray.
The gospel is about balance. It is about a balance between activism, service, and time for prayer, reflection.
and so the Gospel came to life for me today in my life. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Luke 10:25-37--The Good Samaritan
spent all day yesterday at reggaie festival, went to bed asap, just woke up. in reflecting on this parable listening to the music, the music that calls us to social justice, i thought of how most of thepeople there are considered samaritans to society at large--pot smokers, people who live alternative lifestyles etc, ones who feel feel close to the words of the songs because of their own hearts and because they have lived out being samaritans. we are all so different, and so our neighbor is everyone. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Luke 10:25-37--The Good Samaritan--Feast of St. Francisa
spent all day sunday at reggae festival, and to bed early. listening to the music brought my attention to this parable, as i was reflecting i saw a multi-colored group of people, and the music calling all of us to social justice. but what struck me most of all was that many of the people present--pot smokers, street people, teens, those who live out their lives in more simple ways etc. were for the most part not people who fit into the system, they are the samaritans of our society. if u don;t fit in, u are often singled out, and this group would be one to be singled out. in fact reggae equals pot smoking to some, and so that brought a more police presence. at any rate--this parable calls us to love our differences. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Sunday, October 03, 2004
2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk. 17:5-10
spent yesterday at the Reggaie Festival in the Park, and the same today. it is always such a difference to come back to polk and see how people scratch and fight to survive and then go to a concert and see people who are just having fun.
matt asked me recently: what is there about this Jesus stuff that makes u like u are? all i can answer is that my faith is what centers me, gives me meaning just to get up in the morning.. It is as our epistle says "a gift from God. It has been a gift that since i was 14 years old has stood me through the shifting sands of life, the good, bad. but it is a gift whose "flames i have to fan". faith is a muscle that has to be worked. in my doubts, my fears, what i do is just keep on trucking, keep on moving on. i may doubt, but i still do the office, i may doubt but i still do the work, and the embers always come alive again. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk. 17:5-10
spent yesterday at the Reggaie Festival in the Park, and the same today. it is always such a difference to come back to polk and see how people scratch and fight to survive and then go to a concert and see people who are just having fun.
matt asked me recently: what is there about this Jesus stuff that makes u like u are? all i can answer is that my faith is what centers me, gives me meaning just to get up in the morning.. It is as our epistle says "a gift from God. It has been a gift that since i was 14 years old has stood me through the shifting sands of life, the good, bad. but it is a gift whose "flames i have to fan". faith is a muscle that has to be worked. in my doubts, my fears, what i do is just keep on trucking, keep on moving on. i may doubt, but i still do the office, i may doubt but i still do the work, and the embers always come alive again. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk. 17:5-10
spent yesterday at the Reggaie Festival in the Park, and the same today. it is always such a difference to come back to polk and see how people scratch and fight to survive and then go to a concert and see people who are just having fun.
matt asked me recently: what is there about this Jesus stuff that makes u like u are? all i can answer is that my faith is what centers me, gives me meaning just to get up in the morning.. It is as our epistle says "a gift from God. It has been a gift that since i was 14 years old has stood me through the shifting sands of life, the good, bad. but it is a gift whose "flames i have to fan". faith is a muscle that has to be worked. in my doubts, my fears, what i do is just keep on trucking, keep on moving on. i may doubt, but i still do the office, i may doubt but i still do the work, and the embers always come alive again. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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