Catalyst for Renewal

Seeking truth and renewal through conversation

 

HOME
SIP
REFLECTION DAYS
CATALYST DINNERS
CATALYST FORUMS
CONTACT US
ARCHIVES
THE DIGEST
CATALYST SPIRITUALITY
WORTH READING
OCCASIONAL PAPERS
LECTIO

 

Catalyst Spirituality

Catalyst Spirituality offers material for prayerful reflection. It will be thematic in that it will support us in growing to know that we are loved, for until that is known we cannot fully follow the gospel injunction to love one another. 

Catalyst for Renewal encourages us to express our love for one another in a particular way - through conversation about what touches us deeply and brings that to life.

 

2009

July/August

I was struck recently by both these Readings, and then again- how well they fit together -echoing the message of using our gifts for unity

Ephesians Chapter 4: 1-7

I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called:

 With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.

Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

One body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.

But to every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;  and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and 

For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and

to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,  

to another mighty deeds,  to another insight, 

to another mighty deeds,  to another insight, 

to another the interpretation of tongues.  

ll these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

 

June

Wisdom 7:24-8:1

For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;

because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.

For she is a breath of the power of God,

and a pure emanation of the glory of the almighty;

therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.

For she is a reflection of eternal light,

a spotless mirror of the working of God,

and an image of his goodness.

Although she is but one, she can do all things,

and while remaining in herself, she renews all things,

in every generation she passes into holy souls

and makes them friends of God, and prophets;

for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.

She is more beautiful than the sun,

and excels every constellation of the stars.

Compared with the light she is found to be superior,

for it is succeeded by the night,

but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,

and she orders all things well.

Wisdom is radiant and unfading,

She is easily discerned by those who love Her,

She is found by those who seek Her.

She hastens to make Herself known to those who desire Her.
One who rises early to seek Her will have no difficulty,

She will be found sitting at the gate.

To fix one’s thoughts on Her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on Her account will soon be free from care,

She goes about seeking those worthy of Her,

She graciously appears to them in their paths,

She meets them in every thought.

 

Wisdom’s Teaching

(each article from the psalm may be spoken by a different voice)

May we learn both what is secret and what is manifest,
for Wisdom, the fashioner of all things, teaches us:

May we know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements;

May we know the beginning and end and middle of times,

May we know The alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,

May we know the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,

May we know the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals,

May we know the powers of Spirits and the thoughts of human beings,

May we know the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots.

Please add your own prayer for Wisdom

May we learn.....

 

May we know...

 

May

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:3HlQ46m6KJ4MvM:http://www.listphile.com/Celtic_Symbol_Database/Triple_Spiral/image/celtic_triplesymbol.jpg

Matthew 10: 38-40 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 16:24-26 24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

 Obviously this message is important - since it is repeated, in close proximity, in this Gospel.

 All of us who’ve read and tried to open our hearts to the call of Jesus in this  gospel can sense the truth in those words.

 How is it to be done?

 How are we going to lose our life

 -       to lay down our life

 So that we can follow Jesus- not just at the periphery but at the centre- at the depth of our own being?

......

As we also know from the Gospels, He often withdrew from his disciples to be alone with His Father.

That is exactly the invitation- that we have to leave the surface

 -to leave the periphery

and at the centre

-to be one with Jesus

-to be with Him in the Father.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:3HlQ46m6KJ4MvM:http://www.listphile.com/Celtic_Symbol_Database/Triple_Spiral/image/celtic_triplesymbol.jpg

 

 HOLY WEEK 

...the focus in these excerpts is on our responsibility to learn and use the Easter narrative:… [references can be used as links to further reading]  

By stillness in the spirit we move in the ocean of God . If we have the courage to push off from the shore we cannot fail to find (this) direction and energy.

 John Main, OSB in Monastery Without Walls,

Laurence Freeman, ed.

..”Story and silence work together to awaken our understanding. Each time we meditate we enter into the dying and rising of Christ. …These coming days approaching Easter are specially graced moments - sacred time - that bring richer meaning to the great narrative of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus and these aspects of our own lives.

The narrative, the story we relive and repeat during these days, brings us to deeper knowledge - the very word 'narrative' comes from a root meaning 'knowledge'. Ignorance is not to know the story that throws light on the mystery of our own lives.  

Laurence Freeman.

Easter narrative: Construing the Jesus event.

“If Jesus is Christ, we learn about Christ by learning about Jesus. Because historical inquiry is an indispensable aspect of faith, it is a theological duty….

 Our Christian tradition offers various means of access to Jesus as Christ: the sacraments. the liturgical community, practices of care and healing. ….The tradition, …., is still for us both the cross where Jesus is nailed down tight and the tomb that lets him loose…..

The greater that desire grows, the harder it becomes ….to evade [the story]. And Easter is for yearning.”

National Catholic ReporterApril 14, 1995   by Marianne Sawicki author of Seeing the Lord: Resurrection and Early Christian Practices, 1995, Fortress Press. Copyright 1995 NCR; Copyright 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ - Story Summary:

 The Jewish high priests and elders of the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of blasphemy, arriving at the decision to put him to death. But first they needed Rome to approve of their death sentence, so Jesus was taken to Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea . Although Pilate found him innocent, unable to find or even contrive a reason to condemn Jesus, he feared the crowds and let them decide Jesus' fate. Stirred by the Jewish chief priests, the crowds declared, "Crucify him!"

As was common, Jesus was publicly scourged, or beaten, with a leather-thonged whip before his crucifixion. Tiny pieces of iron and bone chips were tied to the ends of each leather thong, causing deep cuts and painful bruising. He was mocked, struck in the head with a staff and spit on. A prickly crown of thorns was placed on his head and he was stripped naked. Too weak to carry his cross, Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry it for him.

He was led to Golgotha where he would be crucified. As was the custom, before they nailed him to the cross, a mixture of vinegar, gall and myrrh was offered. This drink was said to alleviate some of the suffering, but Jesus refused to drink it. Stake-like nails were driven through his wrists and ankles, fastening him to the cross where he was crucified between two convicted criminals.

The inscription above his head tauntingly read, "The King of the Jews." On the cross Jesus hung for his final agonizing breaths, a period that lasted about six hours. During that time, soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothing, while people passed by shouting insults and scoffing. From the cross, Jesus spoke to his mother Mary and the disciple John. He also cried out to his father, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?"

At that point, darkness covered the land. A little later, as Jesus gave up his spirit, an earthquake shook the ground, ripping the Temple veil in two from top to bottom. Matthew's gospel records, "The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life."

It was typical at crucifixions for Roman soldiers to show mercy by breaking the criminal's legs, thus causing death to come more quickly. But this night only the thieves had their legs broken, for when the soldiers came to Jesus, they found him already dead. Instead, they pierced his side. Before sunset, Jesus was taken down by Joseph of Arimathea and laid in a tomb according to Jewish tradition.

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Matthew 27:50-53

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people

28:1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee . There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee ; there they will see me." (NIV)

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee ; there they will see me." (NIV)

Dawn of the Golden Age of Last Judgment - by His Resurrection Jesus has given the definitive proof of the general resurrection.

 

Lenten reflection re-assures us that we are loved…….

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful". 

                                      

Religion Footprints poster, inspirational poster, Religion poster

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. When the last scene of his life flashed before him he noticed that many times there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it was at the very lowest times in his life. He questioned the LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The LORD replied, "My precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

 

 

Ignatian Sprituality and Lent

   

Take, Lord, receive
all my liberty,
my memory, understanding,
my entire will-
all that I have and possess;
you have given to me,
to you, Lord, I return it.
all is yours now;

do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace;
that is enough for me

   In the tradition of St. Ignatius let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on our progress in Lent through pondering the following questions:  

  1. What  has inspired you?
  2. What is the best thing that someone else has done for you?
  3. What is the best thing that you have done for someone else ?
  4. How can you improve tomorrow?

~

 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long. [Psalm 25:4-5]


 

Lent Week 2

The aim of Lenten discipline is to allow the experience of knowing that we are loved to arise and envelop us. 

~At any time of the day or night we can call on Jesus~

              What a wonderful blessing: No phone, no e-mails, just a whisper…

You are invited to make a 'Sacred Space' in your day to spend ten minutes, praying here and now, as you sit at your computer, with these prayers- and wherever they take you- for this week in Lent.

Ø      Light a candle

Ø      Fold your hands in prayer

Ø      Have an icon in front of you- spend some moments ‘gazing’

Grant, O Lord, that I may be free
from greed and selfishness.
It is so easy to get caught up
with the trappings of wealth in this life.

Remind me that the best things in life are free…Love, laughter, caring and sharing.

 

Dear Lord help me to remember that You gave me life. Thank you for the gift of life. Teach me to slow down, to be still and enjoy the pleasures created for me…to be aware of the beauty that surrounds me…the marvel of mountains, the calmness of lakes, the fragility of a flower petal…. I need to remember that all these things come from you.

 

v     Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to the disciples, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." What are you saying to me, Lord?

 

 Some thoughts on this scripture

Ø      We are enhanced by our qualities of mercy, forgiveness and tolerance. Prayer is love which burns away some of the bitterness that is part of every life. It may happen when we ask for this grace.

Ø      How has God's Word moved me? Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way?

Ø      Share your feelings in more prayer.

 

Lent Week 1

Cross

This liturgical season is all about asking for directions-going into the dryness so that we can show up transformed at the spring of new life.

  There are many different ways to pray during this time of preparation. It's about using everything in your life to better connect with God.

 Here are some of  the paths into the desert of Lent :  

Ø       Fold your hands when you pray. Your body tells God that you’re talking to Him, even if your mind is off wandering elsewhere.  

Ø       Gratitude is the highest form of prayer. Try to pay special attention to all the small, wonderful things in your life  

Ø       Jesus calls himself the "light of the world" (John 8:12 ) Paul instructs the Ephesians to "walk as children of Light" (Ephesians 5:8) Christians light the Paschal Candle on Easter as a symbol of the risen Christ. Light a candle when you pray.  

Ø       "Singing is praying twice." Sing your song to the Lord.  

Ø       An easy way to can keep track of  prayers is to say a rosary.  

Ø       The importance of art to spirituality is what it means to "take a long, loving look at the real."
The late theologian Henri Nouwen explained his love of icons: "Gazing is probably the best word to touch the core of Eastern spirituality. The Byzantine fathers focus on gazing. . . . An icon is like a window looking out upon eternity. Behind its two dimensional surface lies the
garden of God , which is beyond dimension or size."  

Ø       Using the mantra "Jesus, be with me" [or any mantra] becomes part of your awareness and attention to God in your life.  

Ø       Create a special devotion to one of the Saints with whom you identify.  

Excerpts taken from:Therese J. Borchard is the author in spirituality.

Excerpted from Sacred Space for Lent 2009 by the Jesuit Communication Centre , Ireland

Excerpts taken from:Therese J. Borchard is the author in spirituality.

Excerpted from Sacred Space for Lent 2009 by the Jesuit Communication Centre , Ireland

 

 

February 14th

 

Sit……………..see the sun set.

 

  Blessings abound…………….

 

February

Why We Speak Blessings

 First, our blessing conveys that we acknowledge God is the loving, sovereign, omniscient Creator. "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Ps 24:1, KJV).

 Secondly, our blessing invites God's involvement. As we speak blessings, we are prayerfully inviting His intervention in our lives. We are petitioning the Lord to insert His power and authority into a situation.

 Third, our blessing encourages and exhorts the one we bless. Through the blessing, the person may be informed or reminded that God's righteous, omnipotent hand is ready to touch them in their current condition. This truth gives real hope and encouragement.

 Finally, our blessing releases the blessing of God. We are acting as His ambassadors when we use His language to bless. As we speak blessings to others, we are not merely sharing human thoughts; we are tangibly impacting their lives with divine authority.

 ~ By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted.
Proverbs 11:11a (NASB) ~

January

Reminding us of the many ways we touch each other deeply~ 

 FEELING, SYMPATHY, TOUCHED

His heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

OT: Isaiah, vii, 2  

FEELING, HEARTWARMING, SYMPATHY

There is a chord in every heart that has a sigh in it if touched aright.

Ouida

The truth is that the beginning of anything and its end are alike touching.

Yoshida Kenko, Life Frail and Fleeting, The Harvest of Leisure, 1330-1335

"One conclusion was forced upon my mind at that time, and my impression of its truth has ever since remained unshaken. It is that our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it parted by the flimsiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. We may go through life without suspecting their existence; but apply the requisite stimuli and at a touch they are there in all their completeness, definite types of mentality which probably somewhere have their field of application. No account of the universe in its totality can be final, which leaves other forms of consciousness quite disregarded. How to regard them is the question - for they are so discontinuous with ordinary consciousness. Yet they may determine attitudes though they cannot furnish formulas and open a region though they fail to give a map. At any rate they forbid a premature closing of our accounts of reality."

Wm James Varieties of Religious Experience

HEART, QUALITY, EXCELLENCE

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched... but are felt in the heart.

Helen Keller

I touch the future. I teach.

Christa McAuliffe

 

To view Catalyst Spirituality reflections for 2008 click here

            

2010 Programs

Paddington

3 March “I feel passionate about Spirituality in the Pub”   Speakers:  MICHAEL WHELAN sm, Director of The Aquinas Academy &  GERALDINE DOOGUE, ABC television, radio presenter and author. Both Co-founders of Catalyst for Renewal and Spirituality in the Pub

7 AprilI feel passionate about global justice”

 Speakers:  BEN SPIES-BUTCHER, lecturer in Economic and Political Sociology at Macquarie University &  JENNIFER BURN , senior lecturer in Law at UTS and General Editor of the Immigration Review. 5 May “I feel passionate about being uploaded”.  Speakers tba

 

2 June “I feel passionate about Reconciliation/Healing”. Speakers tba

 

7 July “I feel passionate about storytelling”.  Speakers: MARY LEAHY rsj, Chaplain to the Merchant Navy at Sydney Ports & tba

 

4 August “I feel passionate about parenting”. Speakers: RABBI JACKI NINIO, Assistant Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Woollahra. and PETER CERNEAZ, single parent and artist.  Moderator:  JULIE McCROSSIN

 

1 September “I feel passionate about an inclusive society”. Speakers tba

 

6 October: “I feel passionate about where the hell we find God in tough times”. Speaker: RICHARD LEONARD sj, director of the Australian Catholic Film Office  Responder: tba

 

 

Send mail with questions or comments about this web site please
Contact PAULINE O'NEILL (Secretary) directly on catalyst-for-renewal@tpg.com.au Tel: +61 2 999
0 7003
Last modified: November 06, 2009   
 Home                          Catalyst Contents