Category: trust

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Surrender

Fourth Sunday of Advent (A)

And I don’t know what the future is holdin’ in store
I don’t know where I’m goin’, I’m not sure where I’ve been
There’s a spirit that guides me, a light that shines for me
My life is worth the livin’, I don’t need to see the end

Sweet, sweet surrender
Live, live without care
Like a fish in the water
Like a bird in the air

– from the song Sweet Surrender, by John Denver

Surrender.

How does that word make you feel?

For most people, it is not a pleasant or a desirable thing, at least at first glance.  It evokes feelings of defeat, failure, disgrace.  It may evoke the fear of being defenseless before one’s foes, or something that is dangerous. It may evoke the shame that comes from feeling powerless over compulsions or addictions, bad habits or sins.

On the other hand, surrender can be a positive thing: the dropping of one’s defenses, in trust, in the presence of one’s beloved. The sense of feeling safe, loved, and accepted as one is.  Such a surrender is not easy to achieve, though, because any surrender feels risky and generates fear and anxiety. Continue reading “Surrender”

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Who’s Your Daddy?

First Sunday of Lent (C): Luke 4:1-13

Temptation.

We all experience temptation in one form or another. Each one of us knows that we are more vulnerable to certain temptations than others. Some temptations seem to be too much for us. We look for help and guidance as to how to cope with temptation and remain faithful to the Lord.

We are reminded in our Gospel reading for this Sunday that Jesus, too, experienced temptations. The Letter to the Hebrews picks up on this: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with out weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Continue reading “Who’s Your Daddy?”

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Fear And Trust

Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)

One dictionary defines fear as “an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger”. Fear has always been a part of human experience. Our earliest ancestors must have feared carnivorous animals, bad weather, disease, and other, possibly hostile, tribes – among other things. Even with all the advances that civilization has brought us, many of those ancient fears remain. Each century has found new fears as well. Not only that, but each one of us has things we are afraid of – things that might not be all that dangerous in themselves, but which symbolize for us some deeper, more threatening danger. It may a fear of heights, or of the dark, or of a certain animal. It may be fear of the unexpected or the unknown.  Whatever the face may be that we show to other people, most of us (if not all of us) carry in our hearts some fear or fears.  Continue reading “Fear And Trust”

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To Whom Shall We Go?

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

As is usually the case, we find plenty of meat for reflection in this Sunday’s readings. St. Paul’s discussion of marriage in the second reading – especially his teaching that wives should be subordinate to their husbands – can always be counted on to generate lively discussion, shall we say. I have preached on this reading before. The challenge is to explain as faithfully as possible what Paul means by this while remaining sensitive to how this might be understood in contemporary society.

However, given where we are as a Church in this country in recent weeks, it seems best to focus on the first reading and Gospel for this Sunday. In both readings, people are challenged to reaffirm their faith in the Lord. In the first reading, the Lord has led Israel into the Land of Promise through Joshua. Now, Joshua asks the people to renew their commitment to the Lord. In the Gospel, the challenge is different. Earlier in John 6, people were ready to acclaim Jesus as king after he fed a large crowd with a few loaves and fishes. Now, once Jesus begins to explain the meaning of that miracle – and that he himself is the true Bread of Life – people find this “a bridge too far”. Even many of Jesus’ own followers no longer walk with him. Jesus asks the Twelve if they, too, will leave him. Continue reading “To Whom Shall We Go?”

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The Serpent’s Trap

Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)

Now that baseball season is well underway, I can mention a quote I recently came across. It was from Warren Spahn, the Hall of Fame pitcher who played for the Braves nearly all his career – beginning when the Braves were still in Boston. Here is the quote:

“Hitting is timing. Pitching is disrupting timing.”  Continue reading “The Serpent’s Trap”