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A Happy and a Holy Lent

Sun, February 27, 2022 Published by

Happy Lent! For Christians, the intention of this portion of the year is for us all to make a conscious effort to focus on turning our hearts and minds back towards God. Sometimes people do this by practicing a little self-denial and self-discipline, perhaps by giving up a favorite food or treat as a reminder to focus instead on our spiritual nourishment. A favorite family story of ours is how my brother (aged around 6 at the time) was asked by the priest following church what he was giving up for Lent. Without hesitation he replied, “school”. A good attempt, but not quite in with the intended goal of opening the doors of our hearts a little wider to the deep riches of faith!

Here at the campus, there are a variety of ways that you can mark this holy season. Lent begins on March 2nd, and so we invite you to join us for some delicious pancakes on Tuesday, March 1st, between 8 and 10AM, Life Center as we keep the custom of using up all the fattening ingredients in the house before the beginning of the Lenten fast.

Ash Wednesday follows on March 2nd. Ash Wednesday has for centuries been a day for Christians to have our foreheads marked with ashes as an acknowledgement of our mortality, and to reflect in penitence for our mistakes. Residents and staff are welcome to receive the imposition of ashes and spend some time in prayer and contemplation in the Life Center, 8:00am-12:00pm.

If you are interested in a contemplative way of journeying through Lent, copies of ‘Daily Guideposts – 40 Devotions for Lent’, are available to pick up in the Life Center after the Sunday services, or directly from our department by calling Kimberly Bravo 18465.

Another book that will be shaping our Lenten season is ‘Lent In Plain Sight – A Devotion in 10 Objects’ which is forming the basis of our current sermon series at the 3:00pm Sunday Campus Worship Service at which, as always, all are welcome!
I hope that these events and resources help to provide ways for us to use this season of reflection and prayer, and by doing so to grow closer to God in our everyday lives – a happy and a holy Lent to you all!

Make Life Good

Mon, January 22, 2018 Published by

How’s life?  I hope so very good.  Did you know, though, that just a few years back a national survey discovered that the number of retirees who say their retirement is “very satisfying” has dropped nearly 13% in the last decade and below the 50% level for the first time?  Theories are being generated as to why.  Some suggest it is for financial reasons and more prevalent theories deduce that is comes from the yearning for more and varied activities than is often available to them.

An article from the website MarketWatch has some excellent advice on how to make life good.  Most of you know this all too well, but I wanted to share some of it so as to affirm your excellent instincts.

Stay socially connected.  Keeping up with old friends and making new ones is extremely vital to one’s emotional outlook – your mental health.   New friends often open our minds to new thoughts and new experiences.  There is not a better set up than the Beatitudes community for that.  Consider joining someone you do not know for lunch or dinner, or greeting and talking with a neighbor you have never really spent time with.  Don’t forget the New Neighbor Welcome Coffee every 4th Community Wednesday either.  Meet them right off the bat.

Find things you love to do.  Research shows that the happiest retirees are those who keep themselves busy.  Another researcher and author notes that, “Following your interests and passions can add years to your life, and joy to your golden years.”  Think about those things that have brought you joy over the years of your life and do them again. There probably was never a good reason to stop doing them anyway other than life got too busy.  Beatitudes has nearly 100 groups and activities taking place right now, and if per chance not a one of those is your passion, let us know and we will make it happen and bet others will want to be part of it too.  We will get you the list if the Beatitudes Calendar does not have something calling out to you today.

Plan the use of your time.  Rob Pascale, a psychologist and the co-author of “The Retirement Maze,” cautions that “without adequate planning, you have a lack of structure, and that can make you feel you have little personal control over your life.”  Write out your goals for each day, week or month.  Plan out your participation with a good number of those over 100 groups and activities.

The article concludes with something that all of us know and that is, if we create the expectations for happiness and joy the more likely we will meet or exceed them.

So let’s plan on it. Make life good, beginning today and every day.

When God is Too Good

Sun, July 9, 2017 Published by

We are half way through our bible study on the Book of Jonah, which most know a bit about as the man who got swallowed by a whale for three days, but the rest of his story isn’t so well known.  Jonah is one of my favorites out of the minor prophets.  (Minor meaning it’s a small book with four chapters but it’s no less important than Isaiah with 66 chapters).  Jonah is a story that speaks of the meaning of grace and God’s purposes and our motivations.  Jonah is called to go to preach repentance to the Ninevites—the hated foreigners, the religiously incorrect, the racially impure, the decidedly unchosen.  And frankly, Jonah was angry about taking a message of hope and deliverance for them.  Frederick Buechner says that at the moment God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, the expression on Jonah’s face was that of a man who has just gotten a whiff of trouble in his septic tank.  “Anywhere, Lord, anywhere, but Nineveh!” Far from wanting the Ninevites to get saved, nothing would have pleased him more than to see them get what they deserved, what they had coming to them.  So Jonah decides to book it out of there and gets on a boat to go literally to the farthest reaches of the sea.  Fast forward, and a little meditation time in the belly of the fish provides the motivation for Jonah to reconsider.

Jonah still reluctantly goes and preaches his sermon of eight words, shortest sermon ever (we all love a good short sermon don’t we?!), “Yet, forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”  In the depths of his soul, Jonah believes that the Ninevites won’t change and he relishes the thought of their destruction, but he was surprised when the entire city repented from the king down to the lowest peasant and even the animals!  They promise to shape up and God decides to be gracious to them and bless them and Jonah is furious; he is seething.  He lets God have it: “You see God!  I knew all along you wouldn’t go through with it.  I knew you’d go soft, you’re too good—all gracious and merciful.  You think they’re really going to change?!  I’d rather die than live so take my life!”  History tells us the Assyrians (Ninevites) were brutal and violent.  Despite this, God sends them a word of redemption and grace through Jonah.  God counters their torturous behavior with grace and mercy.  How do we respond to acts of violence—with grace and mercy?  The lesson of the “wideness of God’s mercy” is a lesson most of us, most of the world, most of the church, has yet to learn.  We want God to be merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love when it comes to our own sins, but God don’t be too good to those others.  They deserve to get theirs!  God has an awesome sense of forgiveness.  There is more to God than we can or ever will understand.  To me there is great hope and promise in believing that.

Moveable Feast

Mon, February 1, 2016 Published by

Not so long ago back in Britain, I was rushing along the road when I passed a food truck which made me chuckle—it was called ‘A Moveable Feast’. Its marketing worked, and I pulled off the road and enjoyed an unexpectedly delicious meal of Fish-&-Chips and a cup of tea. Perhaps, I began to ponder as I sat there enjoying my typically British roadside snack, the owners were especially well versed in the terminology of religious calendars, where certain festivals such as celebrations of Passover and Easter are ‘moveable’, and that is how this van got its clever liturgically based name. It was at that point I realized I was being quite ridiculous, but it was nice to daydream for a moment.

This year our ‘movable feasts’ of Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Passover and Easter occur earlier than usual in our calendar. Ash Wednesday is on February 10th and marks the beginning of the season of Lent. For centuries, Ash Wednesday has been a day for Christians to have our foreheads marked with ashes as an acknowledgement of our mortality, and to reflect in penitence on our mistakes. Residents and staff are welcome to receive the ashes and spend some time in prayer and contemplation in the Life Center, 9:00AM-1:00PM, or at the regular Rosary gathering held at 10:00AM in the Plaza View Lounge. The forty days (excluding Sundays) which follow Ash Wednesday are known as the season of Lent. During this time many people make a conscious effort to focus on turning their hearts and minds back towards God. Sometimes people do this by practicing a little self-denial, perhaps by giving up a favorite food or treat (something I’m not very good at!) as a reminder to focus instead on our spiritual nourishment. Rather than giving something up for Lent you might like to undertake something new and will join us for our next Bible Study, looking at the ‘I am’ statements of Jesus found in John’s Gospel, beginning on Wednesday February 17, 1:00PM in the Boardrooms, led by Chaplain Peggy and myself.

Also during Lent we will be holding our next Taizé Service on Saturday, February 20th, at 5:00PM. This style of worship offers an opportunity for reflective prayer and contemplation set amongst beautiful music, and so please join us as we gather together at that time amidst the beauty of holiness. It has been wonderful to see how the Jewish Prayer Service here on Campus has grown into such a wonderful gathering of faith and fellowship, and all are welcome to join that group as they continue to gather on the Second Monday of each month at 11:00AM in the West Boardroom.

Keep a look out for more information in the coming weeks as we tell you about our exciting plans for this year’s Passover Seder meal, Holy Week and Easter celebrations.
During these months of ‘movable feasts’ there are many opportunities here at the Campus to find some spiritual nourishment. All we have to do is remind ourselves of the need to sometimes pull off the roads that we rush along to pause for a moment and be fed. *

The Lenten Journey

Mon, February 16, 2015 Published by

On Wednesday, the season of Lent begins, and we are invited again on a journey to refocus our spiritual selves for inner renewal and reconciliation with God and others. The Lenten journey is a time of self-examination when we are encouraged to slow down, take a deep breath, and take stock of things. In the words of Pope Francis, “The purpose of Lent is to adjust your life.” We often associate Lent with giving up something, however, why not do something positive, too, instead of just removing the negative? Maybe this year resolve to spend more time volunteering, take time with your family, or write a letter to a dear friend.

lent wordThe 40 days begins this Ash Wednesday as you are invited to come and receive the imposition of ashes upon your forehead—a sign of humility that we all are in need of God’s grace. There are two opportunities to receive the ashes: Rosary and Communion in the Plaza View Lounge at 10:00AM, or anytime between 10:00AM—3:00PM, the Life Center will be available as a space for prayer and reflection with your Campus Chaplains offering the opportunity to be marked with ashes. Throughout the Sundays in Lent, worship opportunities are Catholic Mass at 10AM and the campus Vespers services at 3 and 4PM when the Chaplains will be preaching on the theme of “Characters of the Cross.”

There was Peter who denied Jesus three times, Judas who betrayed him, Pontius Pilate, the judge at Jesus’ trial, Barabbus, whom the crowd chose to be released instead of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene, who experienced the power of forgiveness. Or perhaps you might hear a reflection on one of the soldiers who mocked Jesus and took his clothes, or the two thieves who hung on the cross beside Jesus at the crucifixion. Then we come to Holy Week which will be marked by special services on Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday. On Good Friday, the Life Center will be beautifully set up with the Stations of the Cross. And the culmination of it all, of course, is Easter Sunday, which celebrates the promise of the empty tomb as we meet our Risen Lord once again! Our Sunrise Service is at 7:00AM on the west walkway outside the Plaza Bistro, followed by a continental breakfast Catholic Mass is at 10:00AM, and there is a service led by the Chaplains at 3:00PM in Plaza View. Join us in this journey of Lent as we take time to be holy!