Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Reflecting on today’s gospel reading (John 8: 51-59), I realize that we have the post-resurrection perspective on it. Jesus is accused of being possessed or insane and his life is at risk because what he is saying not only doesn’t make sense, it’s considered blasphemous too. I think about whether or not I would have believed this man, Jesus, if I had heard him saying what he was saying then. Of course, we understand that Jesus was referring to a spiritual death, not a physical death when he said “Whoever keeps my word will never see death.” But it also means eternal life and the eventual resurrection of the body. This past Sunday we heard the gospel reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and next week we will be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. And his is a bodily resurrection, not just a spiritual resurrection.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
What if someone else could look at our lives from a vantage point outside of ourselves? Let’s say they could video tape our every move and our every word. What would they find? Would they hear us bad mouthing our neighbor? Would they see us worshiping something other than our Triune God? They might be able to help us realize that our golden statue is something more like materialism. Or maybe it is winning a battle at all costs with little regard for larger outcomes.
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
As a father I often think of my role in promoting the faith of my children. I am delighted when I see my children grow and learning. I want my children to see themselves in relation to God, other people, and all of creation. The scriptures for today talk of the role of St Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the early life of Jesus. They also speak of the role of his faith in his story.
Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Several years ago my wife came into the possession of her great-grandfather's bible. Recently seeing it on the shelf of our office, it caught my attention as I suddenly found myself curious of the translation type and the exact publication date. Although I've looked through this nearly 100-year-old bible before, this time I became drawn to all the personal notes and highlights that my wife's great-grandfather had made. On many of the worn, yellowed pages, his fine penmanship filled in the margins on all sides. I found numerous notes, quotations, personal prayers, and even a piece of handwritten music complete with scales and time signatures entitled "My Mother's Bible." I read much of it. From the handwritten inscription on the inside cover to a 5-part definition of what the word "catholic" meant, I saw an unbreakable link between his story and the story of his God. With generations between us, I felt a connection with him founded on a common love of the Lord. And without ever having met him, I felt like I knew him.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Just this last week, I celebrated the last sacraments with six different families and presided at three funerals. So when at the Theology on Tap session last Thursday the young adults asked me to share the best part of my life as a priest, it did not take me too long to answer. The most meaningful aspect of my ministry is also the hardest – praying with those nearing death and their families. Funerals take their toll on me but funerals are also the most hope-filled experience. In spite of the grief, the lifelessness, and the absence that death causes, thanks be to our faith in Jesus Christ, there is a meaning and blessedness in death that cannot be compared to any other experience.
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
In the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah, we hear the emphasis on God as the one who knows all: “I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings” (Jer 11:18). Even as a prophet—one who speaks for God—however, Jeremiah struggles to understand what God is telling him. This is especially true when Jeremiah’s expectations contrast with what God tells him. Often, too, the word that God expects Jeremiah to deliver contrasts sharply with the expectations of the people to whom he is called to deliver it. This made for some difficult trials for Jeremiah!
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Like so many Catholics, the last part of this week has been filled with the excitement about the election of the new pope. Habemus papam! I was at work, in a meeting when a colleague knocked on the door and said, "White smoke!" And we all went trotting out to watch Vatican TV on someone's computer. When the name and the man were finally announced, there was a kind of jubilant wonder.
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Here we are, four weeks into Lent, four weeks into the liturgical time of desert and we have a reading from Exodus (32: 7-14) about the Israelites in the desert. In this reading, they have grown impatient waiting for Moses who has gone up Mount Sinai awaiting God’s instructions. In their impatience they make a golden calf to worship. They were not pleased with God, the God of Moses, so they created an idol to make their god.
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Recently an archeologist unearthed the “Cylinder of Cyrus”. This artifact is an ancient Persian treasure. This artifact also tell us by what is written upon it that Cyrus, though conqueror, was a benevolent King. On the “Cylinder”, an edict stated, (paraphrase) as your King I want you to know peace. You are no longer slaves and you are free to worship the religion of your ancestors.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
At this point in the season of Lent, I often find myself wishing for a little bit of encouragement. I find myself asking, why am I going through this? What purpose is it serving? How much longer is it going to be before life can return to ‘normal’? The scriptures for today, especially the gospel reading, provide some of this needed encouragement.
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Do you ever get tired of seeing the news stories about the Catholic Church? I find I have gotten into the habit of cringing involuntarily each time I see a headline. What new crisis or scandal will it be? Then there are the conversations with fellow Catholics and the interesting conversations with people outside the Church. Even worse is the temptation to discouragement and feeling as though things cannot possibly get better. It can become difficult to see the big picture and navigate these matters from a truthful perspective.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
(I have chosen to depart from my regular style of homilies to adopt a more Ignatian imaginative reflection method. I have tried to put myself in place of the blind man to experience what it must have meant for him to be set free. Please be sure the read the gospel reading before you continue to read.)
I remember this as clearly as the day I first saw light – my parents had taken me to a wise man in my village. I was so nervous. Even my parents were afraid. His voice was gruff. He did not even ask my name. He seemed distant. I could feel the coldness of his hands… and his heart. He touched my eyes and mumbled. His touch felt like dry wood. “It a punishment for sin,” he said. “But we are good people,” my parents protested. “We follow the law and the prophets.” “Go your way, now!” he said, dismissing us. “God does not do this to righteous people. If you did not sin then your ancestors probably did. Don’t waste your time over this blind boy. Sit him down in the market place to beg. May be someone will have mercy on him. And remember to make him look more miserable than he is. He will have a better chance.”
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
The great Catholic fiction writer Flannery O’Connor wrote a short story entitled “Revelation” in which the main character, Mrs. Turpin is a Southern white farmer, who is social, keeps up a nice appearance, and is well-respected. However, a glimpse into Mrs. Turpin’s head shows a different picture:
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
“Listen to my voice,” is God’s command to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading (Jeremiah 7: 23-28) Similarly, we heard a couple of weeks ago in the gospel reading about the Transfiguration of Jesus, God spoke to the disciples on the mountain top about Jesus, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” We hear from Jeremiah that the people did not listen; instead they “walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces” to God. It sounds to me like they were being stubborn, something I’ve found myself being with God at times. Sometimes, like a little kid who wants her own way, not what the parent wants, I have found myself hardening my heart to God and to other people. Sometimes it’s a matter of pride and not wanting to forgive a wrong, other times it’s a matter of thinking that what I want is better than what I hear God trying to tell me about my life.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Today we are challenged to focus on living what our faith teaches. The first reading from Deuteronomy is a prologue of Moses to the people of Israel before he gives them the law. Moses told the people to observe carefully “the statues and decrees” of the Lord. (Dt 4:5) He does this in part to remind the people of Israel what happened to those who had built and worshiped the golden calf. Moses wanted to send God’s chosen ones into the promise land knowing that they would be exposed to people, cultures, and gods that would be foreign to them. He knew they would be tested. Consider the culture to which we ourselves are exposed? How are we being tested? What is our response to those tests? Do we find ourselves praising God and trying harder to more diligently live our mission of faithful discipleship?
Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
At times Lent can feel like a burning fire. It’s not always pleasant to give things up—in fact it can be painful. Yet we also hope that giving up material things can have a purifying role in our lives and that it can help lead us closer to God. At other times, we can find ourselves, during Lent, feeling like it is difficult to connect with God. We can be brought face to face with our own weaknesses and lack of holiness. Lent helps us to renounce the control that we sometimes think that we have in our spiritual lives. This is especially true if we think that what we give up for Lent is what gives us favor in God’s eyes. It forces us to remember that we are already loved by God, and nothing we do can make God love us more. Both of these aspects of Lent are present in Azariah’s prayer in the first reading for today.
Monday of the Third Week of Lent
Oftentimes as I read about the lives of the saints or current day holy people like Mother Teresa, I find myself thinking, “If only I could have such amazing God experiences in my life.” I think that today’s readings remind us that God’s grace is found in the ordinary experiences of our lives, and sometimes it is our hardheartedness that prevents us from seeing God right in our midst. Being grateful is one way that we can become more aware of God’s presence in our lives.
Third Sunday of Lent
The story of the Samaritan woman is so dramatic and powerful that we could draw multiple themes from it. Add to it the very powerful story of the water from the rock in the first reading, these readings give us the possibility of an entire day’s retreat. I have chosen to focus on the second half of the story of the Samaritan woman as the theme of today’s homily. The common word that unites my homily is the word ‘story.”
Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Today’s gospel might initially wash over us as the story we’ve heard many, many times of the “Prodigal Son” who lavishly spends his inheritance on pleasures and is left tending the swine and desiring their food. He then returns to his father to beg for mercy.