[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to Faith Break. Finding God moments in your everyday. Each week on Faith Break, hosts Karen, Luke and Ann Gallagher bring spiritual refreshment to your Daily Life. It's March 30th. As we continue our pilgrimage of hope this Lent, we're reminded that every journey ends with a homecoming. Karen and Ann reflect on how we create home in spiritual community and find our ultimate home in God.
[00:00:38] Speaker B: Hi, everybody.
[00:00:39] Speaker C: Welcome to Faith Break. I am Karen.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: And I'm Anne.
[00:00:43] Speaker C: And we are friends, ministers, co workers, wives, everything, moms.
We are here again. I'm sure you guys have watched our previous ones, but for those who haven't, we are trying to find God moments in our everyday lives and keeping it real of the struggles of being, living.
[00:01:08] Speaker B: Faith in the real world. Yeah, right. In the real world.
[00:01:10] Speaker C: Being a person.
And today, we are out of our three pillars of the.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: We're still in Lent, but we covered the three pillars.
[00:01:20] Speaker C: Yes. Thank you. That's what I was trying to get at. And now we're gonna be talking about returning to God, welcoming us home. And.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: Yeah. So we were looking at some of the scripture readings for this week and just trying to tease out some themes that we might talk about for the rest of this Lenten season that might be of interest. Of interest. So good things to reflect on as we make our way towards Holy Week and Easter. And people talk about returning to God during Lent. I think a lot. Some of the music we listen to in Lent, I think really carries this theme.
But this year, I think it's especially interesting because we are in the Jubilee year, so we're talking also about pilgrimage and hope. Yeah. And being pilgrims of hope. And so I thought that might be kind of an interesting thing to think about, like, returning to God. Because even if we're out on pilgrimage and we're, you know, making a journey through the desert, which we also talk about a lot during Lent. Like, it's important to remember at the end of it. There's a destination at the end of your journey, and it's God. God is where we find our true hope.
[00:02:27] Speaker C: Yep. And we're all on a different journey, and we may end up at different places, but it's all worth it.
[00:02:35] Speaker B: Yep. Every step is God's.
[00:02:37] Speaker C: So our first reading is Joshua and Joshua's leading God's people to the promised Land, right?
[00:02:47] Speaker B: Yep. And so. And I think if I'm in the scripture passage we're reading Sunday the Sunday, it's actually like they've just made it to the promised Land. And so God is not going to Send them the manna anymore that he's been providing for 40 years in the desert.
[00:03:04] Speaker C: Can we just go back up 40 years?
[00:03:09] Speaker B: They took a wrong turn. I don't know, dude.
Yeah. And Moses doesn't even make it. That's why Joshua's taking him in. Remember? That's a whole other thing. We've talked about that in Lent's passed. I'm going to let that one lie. But yeah. So they're in the promised land, and God's like, you know, he's been providing manna for 40 years, but now they can grow their own food and build their own home. And he's given them the land. And so now their task is like, to grow and build, and they're going to enjoy the fruits of the harvest because they don't need to be provided for day by day. But now they have a home where they can build. And, you know, God's graces can continue to grow and overflow.
[00:03:54] Speaker C: I like that, too. Because, you know, when we're thinking about this journey, this pilgrimage, sometimes we're with people, sometimes we're not.
[00:04:02] Speaker B: Right.
[00:04:03] Speaker C: But when we come home, quote, unquote, home to a place, we are in community with others. And each of our gifts are gonna be used in a different way.
So, like, coming.
I don't know. Do you think that they, like, got mad, like, oh, now we actually have to work?
[00:04:21] Speaker B: Well, it's so interesting. It doesn't say I'd have to read more of Joshua, but like. Yeah, it's kind of interesting. Cause it's like. Well, I don't know. They complained about the manna.
[00:04:32] Speaker C: That's right. True.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: And then they wanted quail, remember? And then. So they're probably gonna complain about having to farm. They seem to complain about pretty much everything. Right. God's people are always complaining. Yeah.
[00:04:43] Speaker C: It's not much different.
[00:04:44] Speaker B: So, yeah, I think they probably did complain, but I think that doesn't mean it wasn't a blessing. Right, True. Right.
[00:04:50] Speaker C: Yep. And then we move into our gospel.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Which the Prodigal Son.
[00:04:56] Speaker C: It's not one of my favorites.
[00:04:57] Speaker B: We read it a lot, though.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: Yeah. Well, it's funny because when I put together our reconciliation celebration for our first, you know, second graders, and I always ask Father Rob, I'm like, what gospel story do you want? And he's like, oh, you probably want me to pick the Prodigal Son. I was like, actually, no, let's find something else.
[00:05:18] Speaker B: It's kind of like the default for all the reconciliation services.
[00:05:21] Speaker C: It is. And I don't Know, like, maybe I heard it too much. Maybe I just relate to the older brother too much.
[00:05:29] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I can feel that.
[00:05:30] Speaker C: And it's hard for me to be, like, fairness.
[00:05:34] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:05:35] Speaker C: Right? And, like.
[00:05:37] Speaker B: Well, I mean. Yeah. Cause so it's a parable, right? And so when Jesus told parables, what he was doing was he would always give, like, the ending that his listeners were not expecting to hear. Like, he always flipped the tables on the teaching, and he was like, you think this is gonna happen? Which is. This is gonna happen, which is what.
[00:05:56] Speaker C: We'Re supposed to do.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: Right.
But, like, it's true. Like, it is hard. It can be hard to identify with that, with the prodigal son, Right. Cause he leaves home in defiance, right. Basically telling his father he wishes he was. He'd rather he was dead. Just give me the money now. And returns in shame. Right. And the father.
This is like, I've seen some. A video demonstration of this I probably showed you at some point. But, like, when the father sees him coming from far off and he runs to him. I mean, that's what, like, to me is the kernel of the story is, like, to imagine, like, we might not think we can return to God or make that journey home, but, like, God runs when he sees us coming. God runs to us.
[00:06:45] Speaker C: Yeah, Yeah. I mean, I. As much as I don't wanna be that younger brother.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: Is it the younger brother or the older brother?
[00:06:54] Speaker C: Well, anyway, the younger brother, like, coming home.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah.
[00:06:58] Speaker C: Like, I would want somebody to be that excited, right? But then, like, the first part of it, like, how rude. You know, we're told not to speak to our parents this way. And then the older brother was doing all this stuff because. Extra stuff, you know, So I can see both sides of it, but it's still. I struggle with it. I don't know why. It's just like.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, there's big themes in these readings, and I think, you know, I don't want to talk about, like, politics or anything, but they're even thinking about, like, you know, coming home to the promised land. Like, biblically, it has ramifications that we're even seeing, like, politically continue to play out in that part of the world. Right now. We talk about, like, welcoming people home. How many people in the world right now are looking for a home and how are we treating them? I mean, there's so many ways that our scripture stories relate to, like, so many things in the world today. Like, nothing is simple, right? Nothing is simple. And scripture always challenges us.
[00:08:06] Speaker C: So now you're making me feel bad now. I feel bad for not liking the story and relating to the older brother. But it's true. Like I guess personally in my little blurb, but outside I am the first person to welcome somebody and have that community, you know, so like I am the father, right. And the big brother.
[00:08:35] Speaker B: And that is so Ignatian. Right. Like reading a scripture passage and trying to see yourself in each of the. In all of the characters. And then there's three.
[00:08:43] Speaker C: There's the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Okay, you've turned a little.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: You always go back.
[00:08:49] Speaker C: Turned a little light on me. Okay.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: Anyway, so the topic for today is like, how can we return to God this lent?
And maybe like in what ways have we been wandering or have we been away from home? Or what ways do we need to like turn and face God again?
Rest in God, you know? I don't know.
But yeah, I just think for me the idea of like God being like the place where I feel at home is something that I've been thinking about for a long time and it's kind of just kind of one of my main images.
And it might be because we had. I talked a little bit about this last week, but like we had the experience of losing a house when I was in high school. We didn't, we had to sell it and we had. One of my parents divorced. We had to relocate and it was a very long, very difficult process. And we ended up moving into my mom's new condo the week before I left for college. So I never really like.
It felt like someplace I was visiting for a long time.
But I did a bunch of retreats in college too and really found a community there where I felt at home and was able through some of those prayer experiences to kind of. That's where I kind of started thinking about God as being my ultimate home. So for me this idea is like kind of in my makeup. I don't know. What are your thoughts about this idea?
[00:10:18] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, God has always been for me, but I never really had that like experience of like God is my home.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Right.
How about where, like where have you felt spiritually at home over the years?
[00:10:42] Speaker C: Do you really want me to tell you? Yeah. Up in the Adirondacks, camping, I mean, or at my parents house. Like literally it's. There's just something about the wonder and awe of nature for me. Yeah, that it's just like. It hits me that something bigger had to have done this and.
But I still feel like I'm wandering. Right. I Mean, well, I don't ever like feel settled. Like I've. I've had. I've lived in the house that Jeremy and I bought for almost 19 years and it still doesn't feel like my parents home.
[00:11:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:28] Speaker C: Like I go to my parents house, I kick off my shoes, I like snuggle in the blanket, you know, like I do that at home. But it doesn't, I don't know, it just has a weird.
[00:11:37] Speaker B: What they say it was a quote from Augustine. Like our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Yeah, yeah.
[00:11:43] Speaker C: Like I've. I've.
Like my grandparents were very spiritual. So I remember like feeling like a sense of just calm and peace whenever I was with them.
It's really funny because Connor the other day, he comes home and he's like, mom, what's the meaning of life? And I was like, are you serious? Like, I don't know, bud. I really don't know what the meaning of life is. Like, I'm still looking for it. Right?
But yeah, like the notion that, I guess the symbolism of God being home is something new for me, but I like it.
[00:12:28] Speaker B: Well, and think about like the. So maybe home isn't a place but a community too. Like you were talking about the communities you've been a part of that have made you feel at home. And we've both, as people ministering in the church, been through, cycled through a couple of different churches where we've worked. And to me, each of them has had their own special just like vibe. And it's this just like coming together of the people and the place and the spirit. And like, it's just amazing. Parishes are amazing places.
[00:13:02] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:02] Speaker B: And like the first church I worked at there was a little old school country church on the road that only housed like a hundred people. So they would use it for like daily mass and things like that. And the youth room was in the basement. It was like just basement.
[00:13:20] Speaker C: They're always in the basement couches.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: But the primary worship space was in again, the basement of the school building. Like it was meant to be like a temporary chapel, but it was like, I don't know. So it was a very like unassuming worship space. Like it had kind of like a low crappy ceiling and it did kind of have a higher roof over the altar. But like it was very.
I don't know, it was not grand. It didn't have a ton of art in it. But like. But the people who worshiped in that space were really something. And we had somebody come in to do A Lenten retreat from outside. And he said the nicest thing about that space anybody's ever said. He's like, this is like the family room.
He's like, most churches are like the formal living room where people don't feel comfortable sitting on the couches. He's like, but this space is like the family room. And that whole community was like that. Right. And I just. So cool. And like today with St. Catherine's and transfiguration, like, each of our parishes just has such a great feel to it and, like, great stories and, I don't know, I just feel very grateful to have had the community, the homes that I've had in the faith communities that I've been able to be a part of over the years, too.
[00:14:40] Speaker C: That's awesome. I never thought about that family room and living room thing. I love that. That's cool.
So we didn't even talk about our God moments.
[00:14:54] Speaker B: Oh, shoot. Let's do it at the end. Okay, let's do it at the end. Sorry. Right.
[00:15:00] Speaker C: Let's see where.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, you know what? Since we're thinking about, like, church is home, I didn't think about this before this moment, but we both really. I think for both of us, it's very important that the people coming to our parishes feel like they're at home thousand percent. But I think often people don't feel at home in different faith communities for a lot of different reasons.
So I don't know what I want to say about that other than just like, how can we help welcome people home to the places where we feel at home?
[00:15:38] Speaker C: Right.
[00:15:38] Speaker B: You know?
[00:15:39] Speaker C: Well, I mean, going back to what the priest said about the church being a family room, you know, when I'm doing first communion prep, I talk about the Mass as a celebration, like you would have in your home. Right. So you come into the church, like you would come into somebody's house, and you don't just all of a sudden start eating dinner. You have the conversations and you tell stories just like the parts of the Mass.
So, like, if we.
If we want to be that welcoming and hospitable, instead of coming into Mass and finding your pew and just sitting there and doing your own thing.
Cause you wouldn't do that at your house if you invited people over, right?
You know, you answer the door, you'd.
[00:16:29] Speaker B: Be talking to them.
[00:16:30] Speaker C: You'd be chit chatting, you know, sharing stories. And Jeff, I'm gonna put the man behind the camera on the spot.
But he was telling us, like, when we were talking about prayer and praying for somebody in the moment.
[00:16:46] Speaker B: Right.
[00:16:47] Speaker C: And Jeff shared the story that he's like, I don't. I think one of you said it and we talked about it. He's like, I actually did it. And I was like, whoa. Yeah. Like, how awesome. And so in that moment, we have. We have like this. It's our parish family, right? We're not just parish people.
[00:17:05] Speaker B: Yeah. Yep.
[00:17:07] Speaker C: And we strive to have that community.
And as big or small as it is, you know, we talked about the kids at Search who had this great grand moment of celebrating mass with 16 people.
[00:17:23] Speaker B: So great.
[00:17:25] Speaker C: But how amazing it is to celebrate Mass with three people is just as important as celebrating Mass with 300 or thousands of people.
[00:17:35] Speaker B: Right. And I think what can be so special about those moments? Like on the youth retreat when Father Robinson says Mass with, you know, a group of 16 teens, and he comes right down though, and sits with us and invites us around the altar for the Eucharistic prayer or even, even a daily Mass when it's in like a smaller chapel and people are physically closer together, like, it really makes a difference. But if only every Sunday, people, when people crossed our threshold, yeah, they felt like they were coming home, you know, because think about what you feel like when you, like, you talked about going home to your parents house, right? Like you put on your comfy pants and your slippers and you have your music on that helps you find your groove while you're making dinner and you're talking about your day with people. And like, you, you can rest and you can play and you can be totally yourself.
Yeah, that's a challenge, you know, I.
[00:18:29] Speaker C: Mean, not that I'm tooting our horn, but I'm going to toot toot a lot of the new families or people, I should say, because we've had older couples, we've had singles coming to our parish.
That is one of the first things that they say to us, that they feel at home, that they feel home, or they feel welcomed or they feel a part of something, or they left a parish because they weren't feeling that way. And it's like, it's so amazing not only to work and minister within that community, but how amazing it is to just be a part of that community and knowing that people are coming. Because we all have the same love for God and the same mission, and we want to be a part of.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: Something because we're all on the same pilgrim journey, right? We're all going through the desert together and we're all going towards the ultimate destination together. We're all walking towards God, but none of us does it alone. Right.
[00:19:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
I don't want to.
[00:19:33] Speaker B: No. We have each other. We have each other.
[00:19:36] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:40] Speaker C: You have anything else?
[00:19:41] Speaker B: I mean, this is kind of a broad topic, but. And I think, you know, they're looking at it. Just goes to show you that whatever the readings are any week, you can always get something out of them. Oh, shah. No matter how many times you hear the same cycle repeated over and over again, you're always in a different place than you were last time they came around. And there's always kind of a deeper place you can go with them. No, I would just encourage everybody this week to ask yourself, like, where do you feel at home spiritually with God and how can you return and make God your ultimate home? The place where you can relax and feel like you're yourself.
Okay, so you know what we didn't do today?
[00:20:25] Speaker C: God moment.
[00:20:29] Speaker B: We got so excited about returning home.
[00:20:31] Speaker C: This is what happens when I start the conversation.
[00:20:34] Speaker B: It's okay, I do it too.
[00:20:36] Speaker C: Do you want to share yours?
[00:20:37] Speaker B: Sure. I'm kind of going back and forth between a more specific one and kind of a general one.
[00:20:43] Speaker C: I'll just do both of them.
[00:20:45] Speaker B: Okay. I guess they're kind of related, but. So both of my God moments, my takes on my God moment this week have to do with the idea of coming home and experiencing God as my home. And one of them is that I was actually, I'm just sharing a win, like, successful at going to bed early several nights this week, you. When I've talked over and over, I'm like a night owl by nature, but I'm trying to get more sleep. So, yeah, a couple of times this week I got in bed at 9 o'clock and turned the lights off and fell asleep. And it was like life changing. Did you hear the angels singing? I could feel God's arms around me and I just floated off to sleep. It was fantastic.
But kind of the broader picture of that, it's just I want to share how grateful I am for my actual house because there's a whole story about how I came to be in my house. It was actually owned by my uncle and my aunt, who at the time this was like, we've been in the house eight years now, and at the time we were selling our old house and looking for a new one. My aunt and uncle were also our realtors, and my aunt was dying of cancer at the same time. And it's a very long story, but to get to the end of it.
We sold our house, but we didn't have. She died the week we sold our house, but we didn't have a new place to go yet. And so my uncle was trying to help us find a house, but he's in the middle of all this, and he had a dream, and he said, I think sue wants you to have this house.
And he is not a religious person at all. Like, at all. But this, like. Anyway, so we have our house now, and there was a whole, you know, family was good with everybody in the family. We didn't, like, rush into it or anything, but, like, we. The home I have, I have because it was sold to me by my uncle after my aunt died. And it is. It has been a constant blessing for us to be in this physical space. Like, it's just perfect for us. It was perfect for our family during the pandemic. It's close to work and the school. It's just been, like, a total God moment, and it was a grace that came through other things, through other things that were difficult, but now they feel like they have meaning. So, yeah, I just wanted to share that little bit about my own physical home.
[00:23:03] Speaker C: Love that.
[00:23:05] Speaker B: Yeah. And the gratitude I have for my extended family. Yeah.
[00:23:08] Speaker C: So it's really kind of weird how our God moments seem to be coming similar now.
My God moment was actually. Is actually my mom.
[00:23:19] Speaker B: Aw, Kitty.
[00:23:20] Speaker C: Kitty.
[00:23:21] Speaker B: Three cheers for Kitty.
[00:23:24] Speaker C: She is my biggest cheerleader and my rock and just everything. And I was just having one of those days, and it was between being a mom and a wife and working full time, and I'm just like. I'm just. I was just having a bad day, so I called my mom, obviously, and I was just. She. And she's great. She just lets me go off and rant, and she's like, all right, well, I'll talk to you later. And that was it. And I'm like, okay. And then every hour for, like, the next five hours, I got this text affirmation. Like, you're doing a great. You're doing a great job. Love you to pieces and all this stuff. And it was just like, okay, so awesome. I got this.
[00:24:15] Speaker B: I love that.
[00:24:15] Speaker C: You know, and so, like, my.
It was just. We talked about affirmations at Search and just, you know, those. But it was just one of those moments that I was like, all right.
[00:24:25] Speaker B: Sometimes you just need a pep talk.
[00:24:27] Speaker C: She had, like, this whole thing planned before she even got off the phone with me, and that's why she rushed. She rushed off. She's like, I need, you know, but you know, my mom is my home like it is. It is.
She is such a comfort. She's the first person. Well, I should say Jeremy is the first person. But second, my mom is like always the one I call for good and bad, you know, celebrate celebratory. So. Thanks, Mama.
[00:24:55] Speaker B: All right. That's actually it's a kind of nice to end with our God moments.
[00:24:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:59] Speaker B: Maybe we should think about doing it more often this way.
I guess. Our prayer for you all this week is that you can find your home in community and in God in your prayer time. And we will see you next week. Have a great one, everybody.
[00:25:14] Speaker C: Thanks, everyone.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: Thanks for taking a faith break with us today.
Karen Luke and Ann Gallagher are laymen ministers with the parishes of St. Catherine of Siena in Menden, New York, and Church of the Transfiguration in Pittsford, New York. More about our parishes, including weekly live streamed Sunday Mass, can be
[email protected] or transfigurationpittsford.org Engineering Today is by Jeff Beckett. Join us for new episodes of Faith Break each week in Studio on YouTube app or on your favorite audio podcast or music applied.
