In striving, there is stretching, In learning, there is growth. How high, how low, How hot, how cold, And with what power, Shows, and says, so much. The direction of travel? Mattering so far less, Than the Way, And impact of approach.
“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. – John 10:14-16
To get somewhere, one needs to know where they are in relation to where they want to be and then to come up with a travel plan. However, oftentimes the path or trajectory shifts or ends up being different due to changing circumstances such as weather, terrain, and/or other unexpected issues. And while there are rules of navigation, the ability to adapt and adjust is crucial just as much as precision is.
One way to consider the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent is not only as tools, but precision tools for navigation. In the first reading (Jeremiah 31:31-34), the prophet reveals that God is making some adjustments. This is not a change in commitment level or objective, but rather a change in approach.
“I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the Lord!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—oracle of the Lord—for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin.” (verses 33-34)
God’s communication is going to be directed straight to God’s people (not requiring a “go-between” or a 3rd person account), making it more personal and approachable as well as accepting and forgiving—all hallmarks of a healthy relationship.
In the responsorial psalm (Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15), the psalmist expresses a desire for God to wash away their wrongdoing and states:
“A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.” (verses 12-13)
Since a heart cannot be clean or pure when it’s holding onto transgressions, resentments, or cold feelings toward oneself or others, the psalmist first asks for God’s mercy (for these things holding them back to be lifted from them). Once the obstacle(s) is removed, the way toward a heart that is unwavering in faithfulness to God is opened because the heart is better able to receive the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In the Letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul uses two words, in the passage for the second reading (Hebrews 5:7-9), that are sometimes received less enthusiastically than words like mercy and compassion. They are “reverence” and “obedience.” St. Paul writes of Jesus: “…he was heard because of his reverence” and “…he learned obedience from what he suffered”. Jesus’s relationship with God was open and honest; it was sacred. Jesus walked this earth, rooted in a desire to do God’s will and always seeking God as his source of strength and wisdom to face what he needed to face. When taken in the light of Jesus’ example, these words, “reverence” and “obedience”, when chosen with one’s free will express an attitude of humility and faithfulness to God, and of God to us.
Coming to the Gospel (John 12:20-33), Jesus’s words here strike at the heart of navigating. That is, holding onto or maintaining focus on the end goal despite the challenges that arise along the way.
It is written:
“Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (verse 23-24).
If one is going to get to their destination, they can’t stay in one place or state of being. A change, shift or movement toward what one desires is necessary.
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” (verse 27)
Jesus knows his purpose or mission through his relationship with God. What are you and God aiming for as you navigate? (If unsure, consider what is fulfilling or rings true with the soul, bringing a sense of peace.)
“Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” (verse 28)
When two wills move together, there is resonance in words and actions. However, there can only be one pilot.
“Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.” (verse 31)
Jesus knows who’s leading the way and encourages us toward awareness as well.
May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us, may the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us. Be always ours this day and for evermore. – St. Patrick
On this 4th Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday, the readings invite us to consider the depth of God’s steadfastness and love. Focusing on the second reading, take some time to reflect on the qualities of God (rich in mercy, great love, etc.).
Brothers and sisters: God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —, raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. – Ephesians 2:4-10
How do you experience these qualities in your life? In your relationship with God and others, where do you give? and where do you withhold? Take some time to ponder being God’s handiwork.
“You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.” The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.” – Kahlil Gibran
The readings for the Third Sunday of Lent can be seen as a call to pay attention to the nature of relationships and what they lead or point to. In the First Reading (Exodus 20:1-17), God delivers the commandments, which are seemingly clear instructions, and by adhering to them, the people will prosper. Notice how God’s mercy far outweighs any punishment.
For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but showing love down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Ex 20:5-6)
Also, notice that punishment is reserved for “those who hate me,” and their children. Hate is a pretty strong word and one can imagine some sort of pattern or learned behavior to reach that point or designation. In that light, perhaps this passage can be viewed as a Lenten invitation to be mindful of one’s actions, the sentiments from which they come, and what they might teach.
Looking at the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 19:8-11), the response is “Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.” (Jn 6:68c). Again, drawing us to God’s words as priceless and wrapping up by trying to convey just how valuable they are: They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb. (Ps 19:11).
As for verses 8-10 of the Psalm, the first part of each line refers to the Lord’s “rules”—laws, decrees, precepts, commands, reverence, and ordinances. The second part of each phrase or sentence provides guidance by giving indicators that one can use to try to determine if they are obeying and honoring the Lord. How? By evaluating the situation and answering the question: Do I experience or have a sense of a refreshed soul/peace, wisdom, a rejoicing heart, enlightenment, endurance/inner strength, truth, or justice?
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.
In the Second Reading (1 Corinthians 1:22-25), St. Paul is encouraging the Corinthians, and us, to be careful about the way we go about seeking signs and wisdom. God certainly uses people, situations, and things to accomplish tasks and impart wisdom, however, as St. Paul says, “we proclaim Christ crucified.” That means, there is no substituting human thoughts, ideas, goals, etc. for God’s will and wisdom as the source or root that one allows to resonate with and guide their soul. Ultimately, things come down to what happens between each person and God, and one is not to blindly follow others thus giving what belongs to or originates with God (one’s soul and will) to another human being and/or their agenda.
In what ways do you take each situation to prayer with an openness to the fact that what is right and just in one situation may not be right and just or the best way in another situation? What’s it like to consider that the “rules” and their application are shaped by God’s love and mercy, and that this is by God’s design? In what ways do you leave room for love and mercy in situations and decisions?
Turning to the Gospel passage referred to as the Cleansing of the Temple (John 2:13-25), we can see Jesus’ disavowal of the perversion of the Temple and the rules and practices around and within it. The focus has become all about transactions and status. Jesus drives everyone out, saying to those profiting at the expense of the poor—those selling doves, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” (Jn 2:16). In the verses that follow, Jesus refers to his body as the temple and foreshadows his crucifixion and resurrection. The passage ends with:
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well. (Jn 2:24-25)
Envision Jesus, who is the source of salvation and redemption, entering the temple area of your life—your heart. Imagine yourself receiving the peace, inner strength, and wisdom of Jesus as you sit together. What would you share? And, what would He who understands human nature well, impart to you in terms of what to drive out and what to keep?
The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent take us on a journey from sacrifice or letting go to service, embracing identity, and finally becoming one with it. In the first reading, Abraham shows a willingness to sacrifice or let go of whatever his ideas or plans might have been to listen to God and do as God asks (Genesis 22:1-18). Remember, Sarah and Abraham, in their more senior years and against all odds, had their son Isaac after having been barren. Imagine what it must have been like for Abraham to then be asked to sacrifice or let go of his and Sarah’s long-awaited arrival. Yet, Abraham exemplifies a faith that places trust in God (and God alone) above all. He proceeds to take steps toward what God has asked of him. As they left the servants behind and walked along, Isaac asks his father where the sheep is for their offering. Abraham replies, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.” Once they finish building an altar and placing the wood, Abraham moves toward sacrificing his and Sarah’s only child. However, the angel stops him as Isaac’s demise is not what God wills. As Abraham said, God does provide the sheep for sacrifice: “Abraham looked up and saw a single ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.” And the wisdom of his response to God’s requests and promptings shows that being faithful is to nurture a will that is open to and guided by God. For it is this kind of will that does not lead to demise or destruction.
Continuing to look to what it is to be faithful to God, the response for the Psalm is “I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living” (Psalm 116:9). How do you feel motivated by Abraham’s example of striving to serve God with a united heart and mind? Try to envision or embody the spirit of walking before God in all that you say and do this week.
Turning to the second reading (Romans 8:31b-34), St. Paul encourages us to remember and embrace our identity when he writes: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” When one is operating with a desire to do God’s will and in the scope of being part of creation in God’s image, there is a sense of inner strength, awareness, and reverence for what is good and just while at the same time a sense of lightness and freedom or free will. It is important to pause every so often to examine what’s going on internally and from where one’s words and actions are flowing. Invite Jesus to the conversation and ask the Lord for the grace to be aligned compatibly with God in each situation you face.
In this week’s Gospel, we read about the Transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:2-10), the ultimate image of embracing one’s identity and becoming one with it for the greater good.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. – Mark 9:2-10
Recall a time where you felt affirmed or reaffirmed and had a sense of confidence in who you are as God’s beloved, leading to spiritual growth or renewal. Ask the Lord for the grace of that experience to extend to today, offering you wisdom, insight, and openness to whatever you may need.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary there are around 170,000 words currently used in the English language. In addition, there are around 47,000 words that are now considered outdated or obsolete. In preparing for, and during Lent, there is often a great focus on actions and what one will do or perhaps not do over the course of these forty days. However, Lent is also a great time to consider the importance and weight or impact of words, and how they are used.
The Gospel Acclamation for the First Sunday of Lent is “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4b).
Consider things you have heard over the past week or so. How did you receive them? What words impacted you most? Now consider things you have said over the past week or so. What effects do you imagine your words have had? Invite the Lord into this process of remembering and discerning.
Whether in words heard or spoken over the past week, how did you experience God or characteristics of God’s word through the exchanges you had, words involved. and/or information received or given out?
In the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, it is written:
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:12-15
In what ways would you like the Lord to help you when it comes to the word of God as you go about each day?
Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant. – cf. Psalm 25:10
Sometimes due to the weather or one’s location, for example in the snow, on the sand at a beach, or stepping out of a pool, the impact of where one has traveled can be clearly seen. Most often though, we tread without leaving any physical indications at all.
The response for today’s Psalm is derived from Psalm 86, verse 11ab: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
The text for the complete verse is as follows:
Teach me, Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name. – Psalm 86:11
Reflect on the places to which you have traveled and/or spent time over the past few days, or the past week. As you remember where you have been, what comes to mind?
In what ways would you say that you experienced walking in God’s truth, single-hearted and revering God’s name? Were there places or situations where you were more grounded and fully present to the moment?
As you allow yourself to imagine revisiting these places, take time to notice or re-notice things.
Next, have a conversation with the Lord and share whatever thoughts and feelings arise within you. Ask to be shown what the Lord sees in these experiences and wants you to see as you continue striving in discipleship.
When your conversation is completed, pray:
Teach me, Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name. – Ps 86:11
It can be easy at times to focus so much on a plan or a routine that one might fall away from the point of having it in the first place. Without even realizing it, the point or the goal can be supplanted by a step(s) laid out to achieve it. This can be especially true during Lent when there’s a tendency to make greater efforts to be intentional about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
The scripture passages for today can be taken as an invitation to consider what one’s prayer, fasting, almsgiving, etc. leads them to. For example, in the first reading (Isaiah 58:1-9a), the Prophet Isaiah tells the people what the Lord has said with regards to fasting. The Lord wants to share thoughts and let the people know the attitude and approach that is desired.
Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!” – Isaiah 58:6-9a
Spend some time contemplating these verses and current events or situations from a broader perspective (e.g. the world, your country) to a more personal one (e.g. your community, family, individual). As you contemplate each area, share your thoughts with the Lord and bring to prayer whatever comes to mind.
Closing prayer: Lord, grant me, and all your people, the grace to know when our steps are leading us away from the goal—You. Draw us closer and provide us with the wisdom and the strength to let go of whatever may be holding us back. Help us to change course when we’ve gone astray, and to be re-directed so that You and Your ways may always be our foundation and guiding light. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The mark is made, The season begins, From one to forty, Days, one at a time, As if turning pages We make our way, From start to end, Through these Lenten days.
Giving up, giving in, letting go, Yet not one thing for another, As if a game of swapping. No. Not at all. Some thing, or things, for One. The point remains on focus, In the here and now, Not here and there Or scattered about, But brought together.
Body and soul, Front and center, Sorted out or broken down, But always built back up, From one desire to another, According to Thine will, Heart and mind become one, Drawn closer, e’er closer, To the image of One.
A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. – Psalm 51:12
In a few days, it will be Valentine’s Day, the holiday synonymous with hearts and love. It will also be Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season, known by its call for prayer, almsgiving and fasting, all aimed at drawing closer to Jesus, growing in awareness of falsities that hold one back, and trying to shed them. Both occasions, despite the differences in how they are celebrated, come down to love, whose source is God, and the ways in which it is expressed, received, nurtured within, and responded to.
While one might associate Valentine’s Day more with romantic love, there’s no denying that it, as true love in any variation, often extends and ripples outward in positive ways, affecting those beyond the initial recipient. With Ash Wednesday and during Lent, a more concerted effort is made to strive to recognize and overcome, through God’s grace, whatever may be interfering or holding back the love one has received from flowing more fully and freely so as to make them more Christlike in their way of being.
The Gospel passage for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time provides an opportunity to reflect on what might be referred to as the beginning of love—kindness. If love is an open door to the heart, kindness is the door cracked open, just enough to check it out and consider the other, allowing the heart and soul to be moved into action that shows care.
In the following Gospel passage, we read about Jesus curing a leper. Again, as in other passages where he heals and cures people, we see the kindness of Jesus, who is “moved with pity”.
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere. – Mark 1:40-45
Keep in mind that the man with leprosy would have been living away from others, perhaps as part of a leper colony. It seems he would have felt like and been treated as an outcast. What else do you think a leper or outcast might experience?
Upon being healed, the leper could once again join the fold. Imagine his thoughts and feelings over now being allowed to be part of and engage with a broader community. What would that be like? How would you feel and react, given a similar experience?
Spend some time reflecting on the kindness of Jesus. What would Jesus remember most about the leper, his condition, and the way He was approached by him? What do you imagine Jesus’ response or reaction would be to the leper telling everyone and anyone about Jesus healing him, leading to Jesus having to remain “outside in deserted places”?
As the days of Lent draw closer, are there areas in your life where you feel challenged when it comes to receiving or giving with a heart full of kindness rather than a sense of obligation, duty, etc.? When it comes to this, in what ways do you desire to experience the kindness of Jesus? How might your kindness, or inclination toward it, remain balanced while also continuing to evolve more fully into love?
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