Parish Nursing Program - Reflections
Hungering For God
Week of August 3, 2008
Scripture: Mt. 14: 13-21
When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." (Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over --twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.
Reflection:
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking
up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,…”
An impossible situation confronts the followers of Jesus in this week’s scripture passage. A deserted place…hungry people…and only five loaves of bread, and two fish!
Knowing that, the disciples must have thought Jesus was crazy to ask them to feed the people, rather then send them away to get food! How often, have you come across a similar situation where the basic reality is….you don’t have enough of what is needed…
In today’s world…we are experiencing an oil crisis…too much demand and not enough supply. There are also not enough: …Jobs….Accessible Health Insurance Plans…. Energy Efficient Products,… Teachers…..Good Educational Institutions….. Attainable Retirement Benefits…..Peaceful Resolutions for Conflict…..Food for the Developing World….and so on and so forth…..
Jesus, took what they had, and said a blessing….and, in the end, it was enough! We need to look deeply within ourselves for hidden resources of creativity, perseverance, and ingenuity to resolve the seemingly insurmountable reality of our “not enough” experiences. Jesus trusts us with the task of creating a better world… It is time for us to trust our own capacity to be a positive influence in our everyday life experiences. In the small tasks of life…step by step…using the creative energy and talent God gave us…..we can and will… change the world!
Closing Prayer:
Creative and Loving God, may we trust deeply in our innate gifts and talents and always be willing to use them for the betterment of our world. We ask this in your name, Amen.
Blessings, Sr. Pat Kennedy, RSM, RN, BSN
Hungering For God
Week of August 10, 2008
Scripture: Mt. 14: 22-33
Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."
Reflection:
“Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand
and caught him,…”
I am always attracted to adverbs and verbs! For me, they capture the essence of a sentence. And here, in today’s scripture, is another example of how powerful an adverb can be. “Immediately….” Jesus did not stop to think,… take a breath,… evaluate the situation,… or ponder the solution….He stretched out his hand and caught him….. IMMEDIATELY! What a comforting description of how Jesus responds to our needs! The other side of this story reflects another reality…in the person of Peter. Trusting at first…he falters, grows fearful, and then cries out to Jesus for help. What can we learn from today’s gospel?
Every once and awhile, we all confront situations that challenge our trust, perseverance, and courage. It is here that we are invited to call out to God for help. These are the rough seas of our own lives which are made real through the death of a loved one, the diagnosis of cancer, the loss of a job, the need to downsize…or the ending of a relationship. Here is where we are challenged to trust that God will stretch out a hand…immediately…. and save us. We might not recognize God’s help in the moment, but after the fact, we may come to realize how present and helpful God truly was. God surrounds us with grace….when we are most in need. With confidence, trust that… and call out to God…God is just waiting for us to ask!
Closing Prayer:
Jesus, Son of God, save us! In every situation of life, stretch out your hand and guide us. We ask this in your name, Amen.
Blessings, Sr. Pat Kennedy, RSM, RN, BSN
Hungering For God
Week of August 17, 2008
Scripture: Mt. 15: 22-28
Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Reflection:
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
This gospel has always perplexed me! It is not the kind, gentle Jesus I am used to experiencing. To some degree, Jesus actually seems a little bit harsh to this Canaanite woman. And yet, he ends up by praising her great Faith!
For all practical purposes, this woman didn’t have a chance. She was not a Jew; she was a Canaanite and had no right to ask anything of Jesus, yet she dared to do just that! In her desperation, she begs Jesus for help. And how does Jesus respond…. Jesus wouldn’t answer her! He was silent in the face of her request. What does she do as a result…she continues to beg Jesus!
This story is a great lesson about Faith!.. Truthfully, it is more about how God tests our faith. Ultimately, none of us are worthy to come before God….but if we present ourselves with deep humility and continue to trust in the love of God in and though all of our personal trials and tribulations… (ie… our own tests of faith), then God will eventually respond to us in a compassionate way! Faith is not faith without questions and doubts, and trials and tribulations. The mountains we encounter in the journey of life are the stepping stones to the formation of a strong faith. In the midst of all of our struggles, engage God and trust that God will respond. Be humble…and have Faith!
Closing Prayer:
Compassionate and loving God, hear us when we call out to you, with humility and trust. We ask this in your name, Amen.
Blessings, Sr. Pat Kennedy, RSM, RN, BSN
Hungering For God
Week of August 24, 2008
Scripture: Mt. 16: 13-20
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
Reflection:
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
The question Jesus asks of his followers is the same question we must respond to along our own personal journey in Faith. My image of God has changed
throughout the years, adapting to the various
experiences in my life. As a small child….God was a distant being…far away …out of reach… and very powerful. As a young adult, I found God to be a challenging presence, calling me to work for justice and share my goods with the poor. Now, in my middle years…I find my image of God taking on another dimension as well.
The apostles were first attracted to the human presence of Jesus. They were awed by his teachings, moved by his healings and enamored by his compassion. The human presence of Jesus stirred their minds and hearts to develop at a later point in time, an awareness that God was … intimately connected to, and alive within the person of Jesus. God was incarnate…within a human presence. Peter’s proclamation voiced that awareness for all of us. “Who do you say that I am?”…continues to be asked of us today. Can we then…like Peter, recognize the presence of God in one another?
This is the challenge of my middle years… I am called each day to look into the eyes of all those I meet, and remind myself that God dwells within them. Spend sometime this week looking into the eyes of each person you encounter and call to mind the reality that God comes to us each day in and through each human encounter. For God is…the stranger, the beggar, the poet and the artist….. in our midst.
Closing Prayer:
Ever present and indwelling God, may we come to recognize you in the midst of our everyday, in and through the encounters that we have. We ask this in your name. Amen.
Blessings, Sr. Pat Kennedy, RSM,RN,BSN
Hungering For God
Week of August 31, 2008
Scripture: Mt. 16: 21-27
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.
Reflection:
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Self denial….and bearing crosses….. what might that look like in today’s world? I recently began reading a book entitled, “Three Cups of Tea,” the story that details Gregg Mortenson’s desire to build schools for children in some of the most remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson, an American mountain climber who finds himself lost in the tiny village of Korphe…grew in his appreciation of the hospitality of the people who took care of him, and desired to return their generosity when he discovered the children sitting on the ground and doing their lessons in the dirt…. using sticks instead of pencils.
His journey is one of complete and utter selflessness. After bargaining for funding….living in his car….taking jobs as a weekend Nurse….and seeking out the materials needed to build his first school, he arrives only to discover that before the school could be built….they must construct a bridge… in order to get the materials across the river! So, back he goes once more to the United States…to seek/beg more funding….etc, etc, etc. I hesitate to tell you more…in case you want to read the book! The point is…. carrying crosses…and self denial….can be the means to great achievements.
This week, look around you and try to discover selfless acts of love on the part of those you encounter. We really do have everyday heroes all around us, modeling the life of Jesus!
Closing Prayer:
Loving God, may every word and deed we offer be living expressions of humility and self sacrifice. We ask this in your name, Amen.
Blessings, Sr. Pat Kennedy, RSM, RN, BSN
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