A Journey of Story Catching!
"Sloughing Towards Galilee!"
"A Journey of Story Catching!"
?? " A 'story catcher' is someone who actively listens to the stories of others and oneself"(Christina Baldwin).
30th Anniversary
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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time!"
"To Whom Shall We Go!
"Jesus said: 'I am the bread of life!'.....
"Simon Peter replied, 'Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that have eternal life." John 6:70.
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??? As a young boy through the deaths in my family, the killing of a friend in an auto accident, of another of suicide, these words of Jesus, brought comfort, and encountering Him, having my heart "strangely warmed" being called to ministry, and the experiences of the years to come made these words real. The presence of Jesus became an ever-present reality. He is always an ever-growing presence in these years of being hurt, threatened, and rejected!
??? As an adolescent, I read and still read,? Taylor Caldwell's novel: "No One Hears But Him" which tells of a beautiful house left to the city, in which individuals would enter to share their problems in a room with an opening covered with a blue hanging, and as each spoke, they found resolution. Each ended up seeing God behind the curtains in the silence; through Carl Rogers, and graduate school, but most of all my own experience, I have found being a "story catcher", simply listening, allows us to come to our resolution in feeling heard and loved.
??? I have found through the years that in the words of one of our greatest mystics, Julian of Norwich,? God is one with us, we are each loved and cared for, and in our story, we seek to help us see that love and care.
??? Jacob, in our photo above, I have known for nearly all of my time here, since he was a teen, and he is dressed up, trying to encourage himself to quit speed, which has crippled him. He says he has been clean for ten days, and I congratulate him. We meet him and catch his story of struggle, triumphs, and pain.
??? With humor Shane needed support with his social worker; the social worker, a young woman, kept talking, telling him what he "needed to do!" Finally, she looked in my direction and said, "I have been working with him, for a while, but he really like most street kids is "feral!". Being "feral" is being "wild", unable to work within the system.
??? LOL, I laughed, and replied, "You know one of the reasons I hate diagnoses is that we label individuals, is that we limit them in one category, and limits us in being unable to simply hear their story, and allow them to find their way, with a little guidance. I have had all sorts of "labels", and one of them has been "feral",(LOL) which frankly I am still "feral", and proud of it."
Jesus equates the bread in our Scripture with his flesh because he put his body on the line to ensure everyone has access to bread. When we gnaw on his flesh we too commit ourselves to the same cause, providing for a world of equality. We live because of him, continuing his legacy. ????Jesus initiates a synbiotic relationship placing demands on all who follow Jesus. This is a difficult invitation; like the disciples, we grumble and question and fear, and like Peter, our answer will be "Lord to whom shall we go? You have? the words of eternal life."
??? We become the Eucharist, the presence of Jesus to the world, living in active solidarity with the most vulnerable and providing an alternative outward sign of grace and good news. These demands of Eucharistic practice help us to "fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel"(Ephesians 6:19).
??? May we become "Story Catchers" and:
May the work of
“figuring people out”
Never replace the work of knowing people
And loving people
And giving them room
To confound
And inspire
And surprise me
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30th Anniversary Celebration
Victor’s Pizza
6 p.m.
November 9, 2024
WE ARE BEGGARS! WE REALLY NEED MONEY--Really Badly At the moment!
FOR FOOD, SOCKS, HARM REDUCTION AND OTHER SERVICES!
P.O. Box 642656
415-305-2124
pay pal
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(Temenos and Dr. River seek to remain accessible to everyone. We do not endorse particular causes, political parties, or candidates, or take part in public controversies, whether religious, political or social--Our pastoral ministry is to everyone!
Temenos Catholic Worker
P.O. Box 642656
San Francisco, CA 94164
Dr. River Sims, D.Min, D.S.T.
Prayer:
Jesus of Nazareth
You were born in the home of people
Whose names history has forgotten.
Presumably they lent? cloths and clothes
To your internally displaced parents.
We bless and honor all
Who show hospitality
They make the message of belonging
Relevant for everyday
People in shelters, refuges,
People in the welcome centers at prisons,
In the waiting rooms of health centers.
People on the streets whose door is always open
For the neighbor who needs a tea and hospitality.
We bless and honor them.
We bless and honor them.
Because this is where? you are
And are every day.
And you
Bless and honor them
The ones who give and the ones who receive.
Amen.
May the work of
“figuring people out”
Never replace the work of knowing people
And loving people
And giving them room
To confound
And inspire
And surprise me. Amen.
#spirituality#homelessness;#LGBTQ;#Jesus