If you would like to receive these daily reflections (written by various parishioners) in your email box each day, contact darcy.wharton@rocklincatholic.org
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Reflections for Apr. 15-21, 2019
Monday, April 15, 2019-The Desert
When my parents started spending time in Palm Desert I didn’t understand the appeal. The desert has a reputation for being hot, dry and unforgiving. I think of desolation, despair and death. In the Bible the desert is the place where Israelites wander around lost and where Jesus faces temptation. All in all: not a place that I wanted to visit.
But as I have had the chance to spend more time there, I have seen that there is great beauty in the desert. Hidden in the rocks are big horn sheep, invisible until you are nearly standing next to them. There are short, round cacti that look like beach balls and tall, willowy cacti with arms reaching high. There are mountains and caverns, rocks and sand—a land surprisingly diverse if we open our minds and our eyes to see. Like our spiritual lives, we can choose to see the only the dull, unending expanse or look for the gifts obscure at first glance.
The season of Lent is our 40-day journey into the spiritual desert. Have you spent this year’s Lent exploring the beauty of the wilderness?
Erin Gallawa
Tuesday, April 16, 2019-The Oasis
An oasis is a green area in a desert region, usually associated with respite and relief. Imagine what a sight it must be after being in direct sun in the open desert to suddenly see a grove of green, lush trees! There is a place in the Palm Desert area called The Cove. It is full of hiking trails. There is a trail that goes to a spot called The Oasis, aptly named for its grove of trees. Ironically, I have never been able to find the Oasis! I have run and hiked in the direction of the Oasis, but the path has never taken me there. Like the Israelites with Moses, I have wandered aimlessly in this small desert, looking for respite but ending up back where I started. In my life, I know that God has led me to the desert. I also know that when I have needed an Oasis, he has shown me the place to find it. In this last week of Lent, may we walk with intention through the desert, trusting that God will show us the oasis if and when we need it.
Erin Gallawa
Wednesday, April 17, 2019-Death in the Desert
I am always struck by the fact that Moses never left the desert. “The LORD then said to him, this is the land about which I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross over” (Dt 34:4). After all the years he spent leading his people and serving God, Moses died in the desert before reaching the promised land.
Through the Paschal Mystery—the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—we are freed from the same fate as Moses. We believe that because of the Paschal Mystery that we will reach our promised land. Our time in the desert is just part of the journey, not the destination. Although we do not know what it is that lies on the other side of our desert, we trust that God will meet us there. We will not just see the promised land, we will enter into it. As we approach the end of Lent, we give thanks that our journey through the desert will end in joy.
Erin Gallawa
Thursday, April 18, 2019-Holy Thursday
On this holy day when we celebrate the institution of the Last Supper, we also remember Jesus’ humble act the washing the feet of his disciples. My first experience of the foot washing was as a high school senior when one of my own teachers unexpectedly knelt before me and washed my feet. I will never forget the experience in that room as I watched the teachers we loved and admired wash the feet of students. Years later it became my own honor and joy to wash the feet of my students on their senior retreat. As an adult I still wonder which experience was more significant—serving others or the grace of being served? The truth is that we need both.
Oh Lord, at the Last Supper your son knelt before his friends and washed their feet. It was an act of service, an act of humility, an act of love. He modeled for us what it means to be a servant and friend. We ask humbly, oh Lord, that we may serve others with the same grace with which you have served us. We pray that we too will allow ourselves to be served when you kneel before us.
Erin Gallawa
Friday, April 19th, 2019-Good Friday
On this Good Friday we remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. This moment in our Lenten journey may be the lowest point of our trip through the desert—the end is near and it is full of despair. We know that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. But at the moment Jesus suffers death on the cross, we understand fully his humanity. Death is part of the human condition. Even Jesus could not escape it.
Today we fast and we pray as we remember that Jesus entered into his death willingly. He was not spared physical or emotional pain; Jesus suffered as humans suffer. Let us offer today as a day of quiet prayer and reflection as we remember the immense sacrifice of Jesus.
Erin Gallawa
Saturday, April 20, 2019-Initiation
On this Holy Saturday we await the Easter Vigil when we will celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation for our elect and candidates. They have spent the last year in active preparation for this day. But for many, their journey in the desert has been much longer. For some it started as a child when they felt a call to something unexplainable. For others it was a moment in adulthood that sparked a question or a desire for something more. But whatever it was that brought these men, women and children to our church, they are here today, humbly awaiting their initiation.
As a part of the RCIA team I have been blessed to accompany these men and women on part of their journey. They have honored us by sharing their stories and opening their faith to us.
On this holy night we welcome the elect into the baptismal waters and we invite all to the table to share in the Eucharist. We give thanks for enriching our community and blessing us with your faith. May all the faithful be renewed by the spirit of our candidates and elect!
Erin Gallawa
Sunday, April 28, 2019-Resurrection
When my daughter was just two years old she suffered an anaphylactic reaction from eating a cashew. We had just settled in for an evening with my family when she came to show me a rash on her arm. I gave her a quick bath thinking something had irritated her skin, but the rash kept spreading. Calls were made to the advice line and before we knew it my mom and I were on our way to the hospital with my daughter. As we drove down the freeway toward Kaiser it became clear that we didn’t have time to drive that far. My mom pulled off the freeway to get to a closer hospital. And that is when my two-year-old daughter lost consciousness.
I don’t know what it is like to a lose a child, but I know what it feels like to get my child back.
After what felt like an eternity, her digestive system reacted and she vomited and opened her eyes. I don’t know what it felt like for Jesus’ mom and disciples to watch their beloved Jesus die. But I feel like in that moment I learned just a little of what the women felt like when they discovered that Jesus had resurrected. There was some confusion, a deep sigh and then absolute joy.
On this Easter day we are joyous. We celebrate resurrection, new life and second chances. We feel renewed by the waters of Baptism after our time in the desert. We feel hope and gladness because Jesus is risen! Alleluia!
Erin Gallawa
Reflections for Apr. 8-14, 2019
Monday April 8-The Beginning
We tend to read the beginning of Genesis as a way to explain how God created the world but do we ask why He created it? He created it for us. Much like a story we may tell our children to explain how they came to be, Genesis is a story about how we came to be and God’s plan for us. First God created the world for us to come into, just like we first create a family for our children to come into. Both plans have a sequence. God had a six day sequence in Genesis for how the world came to be. We too have a sequence for the family. First we search for someone, then we date that person, fall in love, get engaged, and then get married, creating a foundation for a child to come into. That is the genesis of our family. Though not all families have children, children are not just a byproduct of the family but a central part of the family. And in Genesis, we were not just a part of God’s plan in the creation story, we were the reason for it. God created the world for us.
We are the why for God creating the world.
Kurt Peterson
Tuesday April 9-Kyrie Eleison
Every Sunday we speak these words; ‘Kyrie, Eleison, Christe, Eleison, Kyrie, Eleison’, this transtlates to ‘Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy’. But do we really have any connection to the Greek word eleison? The word mercy in English is the translation of the Greek word eleos. This word has the same ultimate root as the old Greek word for olive oil. In the ancient world olive oil was used extensively as a soothing agent for bruises and minor wounds. The oil was poured onto the wound and gently massaged in thus soothing, comforting and healing the injury, making the injured area whole again.
The Hebrew word for eleos, or mercy, is hesed which means steadfast love. So when we say the Greek words ‘Kyrie, eleison’ we are saying, ‘Lord, soothe me, comfort me, take away my pain, heal me with your steadfast love.’ This mercy does not refer so much to justice or acquittal but to the infinite loving-kindness of God, and his compassion for his hurt and wounded children. At the beginning of Mass we do not stand in front of a tribunal asking for mercy from a powerful judge; we are face-to-face with a compassionate God, who is ready to care for and to heal our wounds like the Divine Physician he is. We come to Mass wounded from the outside world and we leave healed to enter the world again. So while it may seem strange to speak Greek words at Mass, the Church chose those words centuries ago specifically for their deep and powerful meaning.
Kurt Peterson
Wednesday April 10-Wedding Ring
The wedding ring has an interesting history. In ancient Egypt a braided ring made of hemp or reed was worn on the 4th finger of the left hand because the Egyptians believed the vein in that finger connected to the heart. The Romans called that vein the vena amoris, or the vein of love and they made their rings out of iron. In many cultures it was traditional for only the woman to wear a wedding ring. This was also true in the United States prior to World War II. During the war many servicemen wore their wedding rings as a sign of commitment and as a way to remember their wives while stationed overseas. Now it is traditional for both to wear the wedding ring or band. My ring is my most cherished possession. It has not been on my finger only twice in over 41 years. The first time was when I badly cut my knuckle. It was acting as a tourniquet but when the doctor wanted to cut my ring off, I painfully twisted it off my finger instead. The second time was when Sarah had it repaired because of a crack in the ring. My ring is a daily reminder of my love and commitment not only to Sarah but to my whole family. It represents to me that our family is never ending. Our family continues as new people join through marriage and birth. It also represents that our marriage is encircled by Christ through our commitment before God. What does your ring mean to you?
Kurt Peterson
Thursday April 11-Does it Give Joy?
Recently Sarah and I watched Marie Kondo’s show ‘Tidying up’. As she helps people de-clutter their homes she has them look at each item, whatever it is, and ask the question ‘Does it bring joy’. If it brings the person joy they keep it but if it does not, they say thank you to the item and get rid of it. That is a great way of looking at the things in our lives. Scripture reminds us to live simply not only with the things that we have but the things we hold inside. Many times we hold onto past hurts or injuries and they begin to clutter our inner thoughts and can keep us from moving forward in our journey with God. Inner de-cluttering is a big part of what the Lenten season is about. We are asked to look at the habits, thoughts or attitudes we have and to ask the question does it bring Joy. Am I a better person because of it or does it clutter my life and deter me from being the person God calls me to be. This has been the focus for me during this Lenten season. It isn’t always easy but I am working on releasing those things that do not bring joy. And de-cluttering my soul can give Jesus more room to move within me.
Kurt Peterson
Friday April 12-Did Jesus Forget 4 Commandments?
In Mark 10:17-31 when the rich young man asks Jesus what more he can do Jesus identifies 6 of the 10 commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bare false witness. Do not defraud. Honor thy father and mother. But he does not mention the other 4. Did he forget about them or are they not important? Why did he skip them? When Moses presented the 10 Commandments to the Israelites they had recently escaped from Egypt where they were enslaved for many years. God made them His people and he was teaching them how to live. Maybe, hundreds of years later, they no longer needed to be reminded of who God was. So now the sins of Israel were not because of how they treated God but how they treated each other.
Throughout the New Testament Jesus calls all people to have compassion for one another. Many of his parables were about how man treated their fellow man. He rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for how they used the law not as a tool for holiness but as a hammer to punish the people. His stories of compassion were often about people outside the Jewish community. The commandments are split into two types of relationships: our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. Our relationship with God was broken by the first sin. But because of His relationship with us, through His sacrifice, Jesus mended the relationship between man and God. So today it is the second relationship, and the Second Great Commandment that we have to work on the most. Lord Jesus, help me show my love for God by showing my love for my neighbor.
Kurt Peterson
Saturday April 13-Repurpose
This year I made a resolution to reduce the amount of TV I watch in the evening and work on projects. When we first moved into our current home Sarah decided to go with a different decorating theme. So after first going through things and letting go of the items that no longer brought joy, we looked at the remaining furniture and realized that it did not fit the new home style. Once we identified that, I started changing or repurposing things to match the new decor. I found while working on this that some things adjusted to the change easily and others caused me to spend more time and effort to reach the desired result. This is similar to how God moves in the lives of His people. Some of us receive the change with relative ease, like Mary, while others fight it like the prophet Jonah. Very few of us allow God to repurpose us easily. We fight and the process can become difficult but when we stop resisting and allow God to change us we find we are so much better for it. Isaiah 64:7 says.” LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hand”. Lord let me allow you to mold me into the instrument of your will.
Kurt Peterson
Sunday, April 14-Holy Week Begins
For the people journeying through the RCIA Holy Week has great meaning. The Candidates and Elect had a very special retreat yesterday and will experience all of the smells, sights and sounds that the Church offers throughout the week. For many of them this journey began almost 2 years ago. From their time of entering the inquiry process to becoming Catechumens and Candidates to eventually being received into the Church at the Easter Vigil and becoming Neophytes, they have been steadfast in their search for the Truth in the Catholic Church. Though some of them have experienced Holy Week in the past, each celebration this week will be more vibrant than ever before. None of them will have experienced the Easter Vigil as powerfully as when they receive the full initiation into the church though the sacraments. It is something they will remember forever. I know I still remember my initiation 31 years later. It is as cherished to me as my wedding day. For you who have gone through the RCIA process, renew the excitement you felt back then. And for you who were born into the faith see this week through the eyes of the Candidates and Elect, you will experience it with new appreciation.
Kurt Peterson