(Excerpts from, and special thanks to Joe Colletti for his paper, “Examination of Consciousness in the Spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola.”)
How do we know we are doing the right thing? How do we know we are treating strangers with a particular kind of kindness that would reflect the kind of treatment we would give the Incarnate God? I was assigned this paper to read and found some enlightening points that came from St. Ignatius Loyola a few hundred years ago that might help us with a little checks and balances. It’s called the Examination of Consciousness. “An Examination of Consciousness is a spiritual practice that helps us reflect on God’s activity during our daily life. During this time we can ask God to help us examine ourselves.” In our meditation we search for places where God has been present in our lives, or examine places where we have fallen short. In our meditative state we quiet our souls in order to “hear the voice of God within our own heart and to experience a growth of familiarity with God’s will” “The examination of Consciousness evolves around two major activities: 1) discovering how God has been present throughout our day; and 2) discovering those areas in our lives that need further growth and healing.” In this practice, within the context of the relationship between meditation and contemplation, we find what we are seeking as we seek answers for ending the evils of this world, such as poverty, greed, corruption, murder and homelessness. Mediate: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love. Wash me thoroughly form my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” (Psalm 51) Pray for Jose, whose heart and business seek God’s blessing; may the wealth of God’s grace pour upon him so that his business will flourish.
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Trying to end homelessness seems like an impossible ideal. As I contemplated this morning how I would begin such an insane endeavor I read this passage in the Bible:
"Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 While this passage is taken from a prophesy regarding the restoration of Israel, I believe it holds truth for all creation to be restored back to its Creator. It begins by calling out to God to ask for help and to find the answers. It is a step by step process. Like building a new home requires blueprints and materials and human labor, so to does taking people off the street and placing them into that very home. That is a great and mighty thing. Meditate: I invite you in O Lord to meet me where I desire your love and peace. Pray for the six participants whom I will be baptizing today, into the Body of Christ. Read: Jeremiah 33 Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a docter but the sick."
There is nothing wrong with preventative medicine for a health and well being of our society. If it is sin that is making us unhealthy, then it would suggest we work to prevent sin before it can make us and our community sick. More the reason we need heal the sickness of poverty and homelessness now, in order to truly enjoy the health and well being of all creation. The sin is not those in the street, but all the reasons they are on the street in the first place. We can prevent those things from destroying a healthy human being and a healthy, thriving communal economy. If you desire to help transform an unhealthy community, then help to prevent someone from becoming homeless in the first place. Meditation: I have not come to call the righteous but sinners into repentance. Pray: for Andre, who was found living on streets by his daughter and taken back to Texas for rehab. May the power of God's love be with him and his family as he struggles with healing his addiction that has lead to his chronic homelessness. A Special Prayer: Pray for Sandy's mom who is recovering from open heart surgery; that she will heal quickly to embrace the gift of life fully. When an egg cracks on the outside what is on the inside dies. But when an egg cracks from inside what comes out is life.
We are fragile human beings. We are prone to crack. So how do we help one another from dying as we do? Helping those in need is a good place to start. So when they do crack, life emerges. Meditate: Rejoice for every face that turns to him grows brighter. Rejoice. Pray for Joe who is teaching us the way, and his quest to end homelessness; God we pray for his endurance and success in what seems like an uphill battle. A Psalm prayer to help us remember who we are to praise and who we are to serve.
As you pray it, try to imagine someone you have met or seen who is homeless, and lift them up in your prayer knowing God is love. Pray for the end of homelessness, and for Oscar who desires a house to live in. Psalms 34:1-22 I will bless The Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. O magnify The Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. I sought The Lord,, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed. I will bless The Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him; And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of The Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. O fear The Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek The Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord . I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Who is the man who desires life? And loves length of days that he may see good? I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Keep your tongue from evil; And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous; And His ears are open to their cry. I will bless The Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalms 34:1-22 NASB) Happy Ash Wednesday! Are you preparing to fast this Lent?
If so here is a Helpful Hint: Don't focus your fast on depriving yourself, but instead focus on devoting yourself to God. Me? Well, a professor of mine has asked us to use this Lent to help end homelessness. I am not sure where to begin, other than here. Typically, I feast on one of the commandments for personal growth. This year I will focus on the spiritual practice of meditating on the Word using a devotional plan on the YouVersion app. Through reading and prayer I will prepare my heart to seek answers that might lead to a positive solution to help those in need. Reading: Michah 7:18 and Matthew 6:16-21 Meditate: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Pray: for the safety of Brian. Where ever he is resting his head, my God's blessing be upon him. Tonight President Obama called for an increase in the minimum wage in his State of the Union Address. Roughly $80 more a week. $320 more a month. It's a start. But too many of our brother's and sister's can't find work to get minium wage. If Jesus came looking for a job, would you hire him? Do you think his religious affiliation would get in the way of getting the job done? Or would we cast him out into the streets to survive? Minimum wage is just that, a minimum. We need to do more. And we can do more. It starts with us. You, me, and all those we claim as our Facebook friends. For every one of us who can help, there is one in need of help. Simply ask.
Prayer: Glen, who needs to work a second job to make ends meet. Pray for the growth of his home church. And pray for those who support it. 1Timothy 6:7-11
For awe have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and ba snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Thank you to the Rev. Glen McWorther at the New Church Whitter for helping me remember this. I would add, if someone were to know you would it be by your longing for money or by the wealth your faithful generosity and gentleness? This is worth reading as a reminder of our duty to one another. I use this passage to help me remember that God is always among us, and could be walking beside us or sitting on a bus bench calling out to us.
As the Son of Man comes in his glory, and gathers the nations together and stand before him, don't be left wondering "when did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and cloth you?" It might be embarrassing to know that you missed out on something really cool. Remember in your prayers: Oscar and Daryl, two guys I met who are living on the streets of L.A. and looking for a place to live. In his gospel message, John begins by saying "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." This is John's discription of Jesus.
What words are used to discribe you? And what are the words you use to discribe others? On a quest to greet strangers with kindness, your words matter. Not just the ones you say but also the ones you think. It is the words in our heart that are used to judge others wrongly. For example, you see a dissheveled man wearing ragged clothes, pushing a shopping cart filled to the brim with what looks like bags of garbage. He is waving his arms wildly while screaming up to the sky. What is the first words that cross your mind? Crazy? Homeless? Stay away? While these are natural reactions, it does not get to solving or even ending the problem. If your first reaction is "God, I lift this man up to your care" the problem still persist in that you are separating yourself from the problem and passing on the work to God to solve it for you. But God has called us to the work. Jesus told his disciples that "Not everyone who calls out to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven." But the ones who listen to his words and do the work will be like the smart man who built his house on a solid rock. If you saw this man on the street and the first word to come out of your heart was "Jesus," then your heart is in the right place; built on a solid foundation. I say this for many reasons. The first is you acknowledged that this man has a name. The second is this man could be anyone, including the beloved Son of God. Third, who is to say that he is crazy simply because he is talking to the wind and the birds. The great St. Francis of Assisi would preach to the birds in the trees and the animals in the forest. I once saw a comedian talk about this very scenario. After a great delivered set up he dropped the punch line that this man could be a great prophet being called by God to deliver a prophecy upon the people. The Bible can attest that such prophecies are often ignored and the prophets often marginalized and pushed to the fringe of society. Whether or not the man in my story was homeless or not, he has a name. He has a mother and a father, and maybe even siblings, aunts and uncles. Maybe a high school sweetheart who sifts through Facebook looking to reconnect with him. In short, he is a human just like us. Until we can begin to see him as such we will not be able to commit ourselves to doing the work we are called to do. That is to say, love our neighbors as ourself. In Matthews Gospel Jesus said, "I tell you solemnly, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do to me." That is the word directly from the Word. |
Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
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