Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Growing up, I was among “the unchurched.” My parents stopped taking me to church before I was six. So, I had no training in the Bible. I knew nothing. And I mean nothing. Had you stumbled upon me in elementary school and asked me to tell you about any of the major (and rather dramatic) highlights of the Bible, I would have responded with a baffled look. I would not have been able to tell you about the Creation, Fall, Flood, Ten Commandments, burning bush, parting of the Red Sea. You get the idea.
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
As we journey through Lent, the path begins to lead us from repentance into promise, from sorrow into joy, from death to Resurrection. Today’s readings are chock full of evidence of God’s extravagant love and fidelity to us, God’s beloveds. I summarize what the readings pour out in a simple bulleted list. I pray that simply seeing the list, in addition to praying the full readings bowls you over with gratitude and brings you into deeper intimacy with the One who knows you better than you know yourself and who loves you with an unfathomable love.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
One of the debates we encounter throughout John's Gospel, for example in today's reading, is the issue of what constitutes work on the Sabbath. In the case of these readings, the question revolves around healing. Can one heal on the Sabbath? Jesus' answer would clearly be yes, one can heal on the Sabbath. But there is far more than simply the first century Jewish debate about what constitutes working on the Sabbath at issue here in today's Gospel text. Notice that the man who is ill is trying to get physical healing from special waters in the pool of Bethesda. The man has been unable to get into the water because of his illness. Jesus does not place the man in the water, rather He heals him on the spot. Notice also that Jesus never makes any claim like, "your faith has healed you." Often when Jesus heals someone He makes this claim, but not here.
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Here comes the sun. It's been a long cold lonely winter. Here comes the sun. It seems like years since its been here. Here comes the sun. I feel that ice is slowly melting. Here comes the sun. It seems like years since it's been clear. Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun. It's all right.-The Beatles.
George Harrison's lyrics echo today's sun burst of a message from Trito-Isaiah: “There shall be joy and happiness...I will exalt in my people. No more weeping or the sound of crying...I create joy and a people to be a delight...” (Isaiah 65:17-21)
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Being humble is a challenging mindset, but it is essential in our relationship with God. When we practice humility, we acknowledge that we do not know everything, we can and will make mistakes, we need others to survive, and we are not in control. Today’s readings remind us that God desires a relationship based on humility and love. When we understand our great need for God’s love and mercy, and allow God’s love to direct our lives, then we are able to give to God what is most desired- a humble and contrite heart. It is from this foundation that God sends us forth to be God’s presence to the world.
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
I’m not sure why it seems to catch me by surprise, celebrating the Annunciation in Lent rather than in Advent. But of course we know Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus had to be about nine months, so it makes sense that we celebrate it today. I have previously written about the annunciation during Advent since the Church does give us those readings in the liturgical cycle as well. But today, it appears differently to me. With the liturgical perspective of Lent, Mary’s “yes” to the angel's annunciation carries the weight of the cross, the cross that the infant being formed in her womb will one day carry and be hung on. Could Mary have guessed this?
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Today’s scripture readings pose a challenge to us by presenting a choice or warning. The powerful passage from Jeremiah the prophet describes how the people of Israel have failed in following the LORD their God. “They walked in the hardness of their hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me” (Jer. 7:24b). And they did this after all that God had done for them, saving them from Egypt so they could be God’s people. In the gospel passage Jesus responds to those who believe him to receive his power from Satan. How could this be, asks Jesus: if I were a demon, why would I cast out demons? Such a suggestion seems to indicate a certain hardness of heart. The people seek out any explanation for Jesus’ power other than that Jesus is the Incarnation of God, their God in their midst, walking among them. It’s possible to be too heard on those who encountered Jesus. After all, God in their midst in this tangible way must have seemed inconceivable.Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
I’m thinking about relationships as I pray today’s readings. I am in covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and I have many kinds of relationships with other people. God teaches me through God’s word how I am to relate to God and how I am to behave within this covenant relationship. My relationships with other people should reflect who I am in my relationship with God. It should be obvious to others that I belong to God and that I seek to make the Kingdom of Heaven a reality here on earth. I pray today that my life is a testimony to the power and presence of God. I invite you into this prayer with me.
Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
The line between being forgiving and letting anything go is a difficult line to walk. It is often blurry and uncertain. It’s not easy to know when to “put your foot down,” and when to forgive someone who sins against you. This may not, at first, seem in line with today’s Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35) – after all, Jesus’ telling Peter to forgive his brother seventy seven times, when Peter only wants to forgive him seven, is pretty universally understood to mean “just keep forgiving people.”
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This rank of “solemnity” is the highest celebration of the Church. So why is Joseph so important? Our readings for the day provide some explanation. In the first reading from 2 Samuel, we hear God’s promise to David of an everlasting kingdom. The psalm complements this message with the response “The Son of David will live forever” (Ps. 89:37). St. Joseph, who we celebrate today, is said in the gospel passage to be the son of David. But of course, the “Son of David” who will live forever and whose kingdom never ends is Jesus—who was known as the son of Joseph.
Monday of the Third Week of Lent
“Little Yeshu bar Yosef is a bit too big for his britches!”
The above is not a direct quote from today's Gospel but it might have been. It's been said that “you can never go home again.” Jesus certainly finds this to be true. Neighbors in Nazareth remember Yosef & Maryam's boy. They knew Yeshu as a toddler needing a diaper change. They knew him as an awkward, gawky adolescent. They recall him sitting in the front section of the local synagogue every Shabbat with Yosef and the other men.
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Reading today’s riveting and tragic stories from Genesis and Matthew, I can’t help but feel anger. Anger at these stories of greed, violence, cruelty, and injustice. Joseph’s brothers consider killing him or leaving him to die in a cistern, before finally deciding to sell him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver and then Jesus tells a parable about a landowner’s tenants who seize and kill two groups of servants and eventually the landowner’s own son. There is a large part of me that wants to agree with the chief priests and elders of the people who respond that the tenant should “put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants…” (Mt 21:41). Of course Jesus’ response shifts the focus and calls us to remember Psalm 118 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.” Turning to consider the victim, the rejected stone, is not only a good reminder spiritually, but also a best practice in bystander intervention. If you witness a problem as a bystander, one option is to create a “distraction” where you approach the victim with a reason for them to leave the situation, perhaps acting like you know them and creating an excuse to get them away to safety. Obviously, there are a lot of factors in potentially dangerous situations, but I wonder what would have happened if someone had intervened for Joseph or the landowner’s servants or son. We know the end of Joseph’s story. We know how God used his brothers’ horrible act of greed and selfishness so that Joseph could save people from famine. We also hear Jesus calling us to be a people that will produce fruit for the Kingdom of God. (Mt 21:43)
Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
Her sign read, “Homeless but not hopeless.” I dug into my wallet and pulled out some singles. Should I have pulled out a twenty instead? Bill reached out the car window to give them to her. And she gave us such a beautiful smile. Her eyes were bright and soft. Her expression of gratitude for our tiny gift was heartfelt. I was humbled by her and her response.
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
In an interesting way, today’s Gospel calls me to consider the way I most closely identify with Christ and the attitudes and actions that flow from that identification. I might ask myself; do I most closely identify with Christ in his earthly ministry, with his suffering and death on the Cross, with his Resurrection, or with his Ascension and eternal reign? From that, what are the implications for my attitudes and actions? Today’s Gospel calls all of this into question. Will I approach Jesus like James and John, or will I approach our Lord in greater humility, desiring that the motivation, attitude, and actions of Christ might become my own?
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Let’s set a scene
You arrive at your doctor’s office, check in with the receptionist, and sit in the waiting room, awaiting your annual checkup. Eventually, your name is called, and you go into the back. A kind nurse takes your temperature, blood pressure, height, weight, and all the other medical stuff that they do. Eventually your doctor comes in, and you have a nice chat about all the things you probably should be doing - maybe he refers you to a specialist for some aches and pains, or perhaps he tells you to improve your diet and exercise so you can lose the “Covid Nineteen” that you picked up over the last two years. Regardless, eventually you leave, talk to the receptionist, and head out the door. On your way to your car, you see your doctor in the parking lot, lighting a cigarette on his break.
Do you still listen to your doctor, knowing that he smokes?
Monday of the Second Week in Lent
You'll find this scripture citation held up on signs and banners at televised athletic events. It's spray painted on underpasses and imprinted on coffee mugs. No, it's not John 3:16, “God so loved the world that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It's Luke 6:37, “Judge not, lest you be judged.”
Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Every Lent I try to discern what God asks of me during the season ahead. This year through a confluence of resources- a conversation with a friend, a Catholic magazine, and a Disney movie- God directed me to this theme: Let Go and Let God! This will be a challenging undertaking, but a great opportunity for conversion. One of the greatest challenges I have is my push to always be doing something, trying to do this with perfection, and believing that if things do not go as planned, I am the responsible party. This drive leads to worry, fear, and great frustration, since I am not God, and I am not in charge. Today’s readings gives me an opportunity to reflect on what God might be calling me to do with this Lenten focus. Jesus’ call for us to be perfect as our heavenly Father does not imply that we should strive to be everything to everyone, but I think that Jesus is calling us to allow love to be the purpose and foundation of all that we do. Since God is love, when we surrender our will to God and God’s love, God’s love and perfection begin to shine through us and our lives.
Friday of the First Week of Lent
“Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?” (Ezekiel 18:23a) Although the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel tells us this was God’s rhetorical-like question, I found myself asking myself that question as I read today’s first reading. If I’m completely honest, I have (like most people, I suspect), enjoyed an occasional Good vs Evil movie or novel in which the wicked character dies, especially if their death involves what we perceive to be much deserved suffering. And I’m sure I have been tempted to rejoice at the actual death of a seemingly evil or wicked person. Whether or not we derive any pleasure from the death of a wicked person, thankfully our God does not.
Thursday of the First Week in Lent
In today’s first reading we meet a Jewish woman named Esther who is Queen of Persia. After learning her people were to be killed, she prepared to enter the presence of the king without permission —a move that risked her own life. Before she did this, she prayed to God to protect His people and to help give her courage to address the King. She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids, from morning until evening knowing that her fate and the fate of her people were totally in God’s hands. She ultimately convinced the King to let her people defend themselves and the Jewish people survived.
Wednesday of the First Week in Lent
During Lent, the Church invites us to focus on repentance. We pray, fast, give alms, and practice other penitential disciplines as a means of humbling ourselves before God. We repent of our sins, turn towards God, and seek God’s mercy. I’m pondering today what motivates us to repent. What leads us to true contrition for our sins? The psalmist sings, “A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” What motivates us, what leads us to that state of heart?