Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Red Carpet Night - April 16, 2009
The Red Carpet Night
DATE.DANCE.DINE. PRAISE
on April 16, 2009, 4:00pm, Venue TBA
Dear Party People,
Ready for the RED PARTY???
Wanna know more about it?...
I’m sure you don’t wanna miss any single event of it…
…so come early and have more fun!
See yah!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Daily Reflection - April 25, 2009
April 25th, 2009
by
Robert Berry
by
Robert Berry
One of my most favorite memories growing up, was the playing of a game called “Follow the Leader”. This was a fun game as long as everyone was able to take their turn at being the leader, and as long as the leader gave clear instructions and played by the rule. As Christian leaders, we should follow the lead of Jesus as he showed us how to love and care for one another.
In I Peter chapter 5, the leaders of the church are encouraged to be imitators of Christ by performing their duties as servants to the people of the church. They are to be as shepherds to their sheep, where they show their love and concern towards them by feeding them and protecting them. These leaders are to serve with a willing spirit as well as live a life of good examples before God and the people. It is important for the leader to serve with humility. This same spirit of humility should be seen within the people of the church toward the leaders. The young members should show respect to the older members by virtue of their years of experience being lead by God. For God loves us so, that he provides our needs. God keeps his promises to us, to the point of giving his only son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sins.
God is the best example of a true leader, and he wants the best for us. Let’s follow his lead.
Daily Reflection - April 24, 2009
April 24th, 2009
by
Ken Reed-Bouley
by
Ken Reed-Bouley
| Friday of the Second Week of Easter |
Have you ever hosted a party or event at home or for work and had no idea how many people would come or if you would have enough food? Creighton University hosted an event a few weeks ago when we were in such a situation. Last year Project Homeless Connect Omaha brought together at Creighton’s Kiewit Fitness Center 500 volunteers and more than 300 homeless guests for a variety of services from medical and dental to housing and haircuts. But what if the recession pushed our guest numbers significantly higher? Would we have enough food to be hospitable as well as volunteers and services to be helpful?
In John’s version of what is commonly referred to as “the multiplication of the loaves and fishes,” Jesus was not worried about how to feed more than 5000 people who followed him to a mountain precisely because he was performing signs such as healing the sick. In fact, Jesus accepted the potential crisis as an opportunity to test his disciples “because he himself knew what he was going to do.” But the disciples were clearly worried about how to feed so many people and no doubt what the crowd might do if they were disappointed in Jesus and hungry after following him to this remote area.
Some scholars point to the significance of having the followers recline to eat (a position usually reserved for the privileged of the day) and the disciples doing the serving. Others suggest that the miracle of the multiplication may have been Jesus physically creating more food or perhaps that the sharing of the fish and bread evoked generosity and hospitality in the followers who began to share with fellow sojourners around them the food they brought for the day’s journey.
For me the significance lies in the twelve wicker baskets of bread gathered after everyone had had enough to eat, “fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” Here are a few lessons I draw from the gathered fragments:
- Live out of a sense of abundance rather than scarcity; “there’s always room for one more at the table”
- Don’t waste food and other resources (a lesson of sustainability and stewardship)
- Trust in the basic goodness of others; create opportunities to make it easy for people to be generous and they will generally follow through
- When we live out of a sense of abundance, community, generosity, and stewardship, we can often accomplish more and with fewer resources than we think we need
Participation did in fact grow this year for Project Homeless Connect Omaha: more than 600 volunteers and over 500 homeless guests. We did not multiply any bread or fish, but we did bring together many generous people, with a sense of community and stewardship, who did create something good through their sharing of talents and resources. Overall it was a good day, but our local and national communities have a long way to go to properly structure our society to have an abundance of jobs, healthcare and a home for all. This gospel reading calls us to make our society one in which resources are so abundantly shared that we never need an event like Project Homeless Connect to satisfy people’s basic needs.
Daily Reflection - April 23, 2009
April 23rd, 2009
by
Joan Lanahan
by
Joan Lanahan
| Thursday of the Second Week of Easter |
OBEY GOD’S WILL
Look at those feisty apostles. They break out of jail, thanks to an angel, and when confronted by the Sanhedrin, the religious authorities, have the gumption to reply,
“better for us to obey God than men.”
What was their grave deed: preaching of God’s love in Jesus.
“Obey” is an interesting word. It means “to follow commands or guidance, or abide by” another’s word. So, the apostles were following Jesus’ command to preach and teach his loving word.
“God’s will” is a phrase that causes many so much confusion and struggle. We desire to serve God’s will but often it is so difficult to know what that means for us. There is nothing simple about it though; I humbly simplify it to mean “to love as God loves us”.
John tells us,
“the one whom God sent
Speaks the Word of God”
Over and over in the gospels Jesus loves, speaks of loving and receives others’ love. You know how hard it is to love.
A friend, who is wife and mother, has spent the last several years supporting her husband through hard times. Then a daughter fell into her hard times and is now working at recovery as another daughter deals with the harshness in her life. It seems never ending.
Another Mom and Dad are trying to support their 40 year old son who is dealing with a horrible disease. His anger and discouragement and struggle to deal with his body and mind could consume their family. They continue to give him loving kindness and care.
Another woman, burnt out from 30 years of teaching takes care of elderly persons in their homes. She does the bodily care and menial household tasks with a smile and good humor.
What do all these people have in common? They are trying to love those around them. Sometimes it is tough and their pain seems unbearable and never ending. They too cry for help and God sends them others who support them.
“God hears the cry of the poor” always. Maybe we don’t all have angels who release us from prison, but we can find helpful hints from others’ insights and wisdom and support.
So, God’s Will is an invitation to love despite the cost. Remember the promise
“whoever believes in the Son has life eternal”.
Eternal life begins here, loving one another.
Daily Reflection - April 22, 2009
April 22nd, 2009
by
Susan Tinley
by
Susan Tinley
| Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter |
It is just nine days since we have celebrated Easter Sunday. The celebration continues really throughout our lives, but it is more prominent in our thoughts and liturgies during Easter Season.
What an amazing gift God has given us. He sent his Son to redeem each of us. We can easily see ourselves as insignificant, just because of the sheer numbers of people who share this planet with us now, not to mention throughout history. We can see what we do as insignificant in comparison with the brilliant, the great, the famous and those known for their holiness. We can see our insignificance in so many ways, but God does not see any of us as insignificant. He sent his Son for you individually and for me individually.
What a love that is! All we have to do is accept that love. We make the choice. God does not choose whether to love us. He loves us - of that we can have total confidence. We make the choice whether to accept his love and live in his light or reject his love and live in the dark. It seems like it should be so easy.
One might wonder what would ever lead us to reject this most fantastic gift. But what is most awesome about all of this is that when we are foolish enough to reject his gift, it is still there for us. He does not take away the redemptive power of his Son. His love is there for us to accept. In that love there is total comfort and security, no matter what else is going on around us. There is nothing in our human experience that can begin to compare to the gift of Easter.
“Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.”
Psalm 34
Daily Reflection - April 21, 2009
April 21st, 2009
by
John P. Schlegel, S.J.
by
John P. Schlegel, S.J.
| Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter |
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles notes “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”
The obvious question to reflect upon today is how has/does the resurrection of Jesus influence our actions and aspirations? In today’s climate of economic uncertainty, natural disasters, international warfare, and your own personal problems, what is the impact of the risen Lord in your life?
St. Paul preached that the resurrection is the very core of Christianity; it is the belief around which the church grew. If Jesus is not raised from the dead “than all is in vain,” he wrote. For Paul resurrection is first of all about new life now. It is about putting on Christ in baptism and then putting on Christ everyday thereafter.After the resurrection Jesus was alive not dead. It is the living Christ we experience at baptism and when we receive the Eucharist. Jesus comes into us and imbues us with his very life. In today’s Gospel Nicodemus did not understand that, like us, he “must be born from above.”And that “no one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man…and everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” This is our Easter gift, the indwelling power of Christ. As Paul noted “…yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.”
To put this Easter gift in the words of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins:
“In a flash, at a trumpet crash,
I am all at once what Christ is, since he was what I am, and
this Jack, joke, potsherd, patch, matchwood, immortal diamond,
is immortal diamond.”
Daily Reflection - April 20, 2009
April 20th, 2009
by
Jeanne Schuler
by
Jeanne Schuler
| Monday of the Second Week of Easter |
The Spirit Among Us
A change had come. The doors to their hiding place were unlocked and the fearful ones now walked the streets freely. They spoke boldly and touched those broken with love. Those who saw this were amazed. The authorities rumbled and ordered them to be silent. When the two apostles were released from custody, their companions cheered. As they prayed for courage to continue, the building swayed. God’s spirit was moving among them. They were not alone.
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night with his questions. He was a man of standing in the community. An expert on ritual, he was captivated by what eluded his fine understanding. Of course, with his reputation, these visits were secret. Nicodemus was stuck in the middle; he could draw no closer, neither would he forget. The spirit passed overhead as he pondered his quandary.
As Dante embarks on his journey through hell, he first enters the plain of Acheron, where the spiritually indifferent ones are left behind. These souls cannot cross the river and face judgment. Neither hell nor heaven wants them, so they are blown about forever like tumbleweed. His is a harsh view of those who waver and never take a stand.
Nicodemus tried to go it alone and got stuck in a holding pattern. We need one another to face the spirit. Like the winds that bring spring to the plains, the spirit moves among us when we gather in our need and fear and hope. Then we come alive. That day we are reborn.
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