Monday 1st week of Lent
Mt 25:40-46 And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Meditation In my youth Lent was about giving up meat, Friday devotions and stations of the Cross, prayer and penance (confession). These were good things but they now seem to be ends in themselves rather than means to an end. Duty but no real conversion of heart. Kind of like going to Mass without participating in the Mass. Imagine on the day of judgement finding ourselves on the Lord's left (goats) despite following all of the above. Why? Because we failed to feed the hungry and satisfy the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the imprisoned. We did not welcome the stranger but built walls instead. I imagine the conversation might be somewhat like this. 'But Lord...' we will argue...'there were dogmas, anethemas, rules to follow...they didn't believe in you...we were fighting for you'. And He replies: 'Did I ask you to fight for me or to love for me?' (love one another as I have loved you). Lent invites us to pause, maybe think less ABOUT Jesus and think more LIKE Jesus. Holy Spirit give us the wisdom to know the difference. Peace.
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1st Sunday of Lent
Gn 2:1-7; 3:1-9 Rom 5:12-19 Mt. 4:1-11 Our Lenten journey on this 1st Sunday of Lent unites us with Jesus in the desert or wilderness. The Scriptures today call us to focus on the themes of temptation, sin and redemption. Temptation: The 1st reading from Genesis attempts to explain the entry of sin into the human condition and we're introduced to the tempter. He's a seducer and he enrapts Adam and Eve with that most appealing of desires: to be like God, to take God's place, to surpass God. Lent calls us to look inward at what seduces us other than what is godly. Sin: There was a famous 70s comedian named Flip Wilson. He has a famous line - "the devil made me do it". Funny stuff, bad theology. Sin is a choice we make, it is a choice that separates us from God. The temptation was strong for Adam and Eve for sure but the choice was theirs. The choice is ours, despite our preference to always blame someone or something else. Lent calls us to look at the sinful choices we make. Redemption: The tempter was successful in bring down the fall. He enticed them to sin and paradise was lost. But we never lost the love of God. He would love us back through his Son. But the tempter was there in the desert, just as he was in the garden, to try Jesus with his allurements. Starting at the base level he wanted Jesus to satisfy his hunger after his fasting. This is the temptation we face; satisfying our material or physical wants. Jesus said no and instead gave himself as the 'bread of life' for all of us. The second temptation Jesus faced was to seek approval and adulation of the people by performing a great feat to prove he was the Son of God. In my hubris I have often asked God to 'prove it' only to be reminded today "you shall not put the Lord, your God to the test". The third temptation is to worship the devil in order to receive all worldly power. Wow. Firstly the devil is a liar, not a purveyor of 'alternate facts'. He has nothing to give, all belongs to God, secondly the devil is not God's equal, he is a creature, made by God, hence Jesus response to worship God alone. Failing then the devil left. Jesus shows us the proper response to the tempter. In the second reading St. Paul sums it up: "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous." Temptation, sin and redemption. Peace. Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Reading 1 IS 58:9B-14 Gospel LK 5:27-32 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." Meditation: There is a tendency to look at others, to seek a flaw in them in order to feel better about ourselves, superior even. Pharisees and scribes: they are nearly always mentioned in ominous tones. Clearly not friends with Jesus. Their piety is marked by a showy pretentiousness and a marked observance to the letter of the law but alas, not to the spirit of the law. The heart is not aligned at all. God sees only sinners; there is no differentiation. "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." Jesus was extending the invitation to them as well, after all who can be 'righteous' before God? They missed it, blinded by their self-delusion. This Lent let us try to look with the eyes of Jesus as he hung on the cross. Believers weeping, leaders cursing and oppressing soldiers mocking. No differentiation: all sinners, and he died for ALL, including you and me. This deacon is humbled by this vivid image of Jesus on the cross looking at me. I need to put the Pharisee in me to rest as I continue this Lenten journey. Lord have mercy. Peace. Friday after Ash Wednesday
Isaiah 58:5b-9a "Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. 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!" Meditation: Ashes on the forehead, Bible in our hand, and verses spewing from our mouth are NOTHING if the heart isn't aligned to seek justice, apply mercy or act charitably. Calvary Hill is a lot steeper than it seems. Seek justice, apply mercy, act kindly and the Lord God will hear our cry and answer: "here I am!" Let us press on our Lenten journey and learn. Peace. Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Gospel Lk 9:22-25 Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?" Meditation: To a society of 'spin', 'fake news' and 'alternative facts' comes a gospel message whose truth is designed to challenge and make uncomfortable. Christianity is more than saying the name 'Jesus' as some would have us believe. It is witnessed through lives of denial and the cross: daily. This Lent let us strive to practice self denial and accept the cross we must bear. Christianity is what Christ does. Everything else is hollow. Peace. ASH Wednesday
Gospel Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you." The Gospel of the Lord. Meditation: "Do not be like the hypocrites"...three references are made to them as a warning in the practice of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Why? For the hypocrites it's all vainglorious show that says "look at me" instead of "I'm looking at God". 'The best, the biggest, the greatest' are words that constantly pour out from their mouth. How many times can you abuse the letter 'I' with incessant repetition? We have to allow our Lenten works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving be secret between God and us. He sees in secret and he sees all; he is not fooled or impressed by our words or empty show. God cannot be conned, people can easily be. Lenten works are for the salvation of our souls not the stoking of our egos. As we begin this journey together let us humbly recognize through the ashes that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Peace. |
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