Now you can be guided and nourished each day of Lent not only by giving up something but rather by reading these wonderful daily reflections followed by action thoughts. We hope these reflections can help each of us to begin again during the days of Lent, as we make our way “up to Jerusalem” to be with the Lord as He suffers, dies and rises again- bringing us to new life.
Yesterday we prayed for an open heart and spirit; today’s liturgy reminds us that hearts can be fickle. During the liturgy, we move in a matter of minutes– days in historical time– from waving palms, shouting Hosanna! to yelling Crucify Him!” Like Pilate, we want to wash our hands, prove our innocence, but it is not water that saves, but Jesus, Jesus, who declared himself the Way, Truth and Life. Phrases of his teaching come to mind, clearer now: take up your cross and follow me; you will drink the cup that I will drink; whoever would be first must be last. Like the centurion, we affirm: “This is the Son of God.” This is perfect love, pain, triumphant, freely given. What detail of the Passion most touches your heart? Spend some time discussing that moment with Jesus. Listen to Jesus say, “This is for you. I am always with you.”
“I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.”
Holy week begins with the Palm Sunday liturgy when we will turn our focus from our own lives and our ongoing conversion to the words, actions and experiences of Jesus. The gospel acclamation prepares us for this shift of attention: “Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the Lord, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit” (Ex. 18:31). Casting away our crimes means more than not sinning again; it means letting go of any shame or recriminations we have against ourselves or others. Our past shapes us, but if we are open-hearted, God’s love will renew us. Let us ask God for this grace of openness. Let us also pray for the Franciscan Friars and for the ongoing work of the St. Anthony Guild that supports the Friars’ ministries and has gathered us together for these reflections.
Witnesses are important. Accused of blasphemy, Jesus says “Believe the works.” Jesus’ miracles proved he had power over nature, illness and, finally, over death. However, as Jesus indicates, humans play a part in carrying out God’s work. Jesus makes one more pitch to convince the crowd that if he does the works of the Father, then he and the Father are one. Someone in the crowd recall another witness, John the Baptist whose testimony about Jesus proved true. As Christians, we are all called to be witnesses to Christ, a mission most of us will carry out through prayer and good works. Spend some time reflecting on the ways you give witness to Christ. Are there times you hesitated to affirm your faith? Are there times you should have adjusted not your message, but the style of your delivery? Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you in your work as Christ’s disciple.
Today’s readings remind us of how God cared for us throughout the ages, beginning with the covenant designating Abraham as father of many nations. In the gospel, Jesus states that his work is part of that covenant. Some people attempt to stone Jesus for what they believe is blasphemy, but he leaves the temple area because his hour–the glory of his passion, death and resurrection– has not yet come. God’s fidelity continues in each and all of our lives. I invite you to pray (perhaps write or sketch if you find it helpful) your own psalm or prayer of praise today, remembering God’s faithful presence in good times and hard times. You might build on a line from today’s psalm response: “Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered” (Ps. 105:4-5).
As we move to Holy Week, we celebrate the announcement of God’s plan to show God’s love through the Incarnation. As a virgin, Mary had asked the angel how she might become a mother. Surely, as tension mounted against Jesus, Mary, wondering how people could reject Jesus, must have recalled the angel’s assurance: “Nothing is impossible with God.” How often events in our lives, our communities, our nation, our world can cause us to ask, how can this be? The angel’s answer remains true: “Nothing is impossible with God.” Through Jesus we have the gift of the Holy Spirit and the mission to spread God’s love by living the beatitudes. Let us pray for ourselves and for everyone sharing these reflections that we like Mary understand and accomplish what God wants us to do.
In today’s gospel, Jesus promises, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own,…” (Jn. 8:28). Jesus’ claim that he does what pleases the Father causes many to believe in him. The phrase “lifted up” anticipates Jesus’ crucifixion and echoes the first reading in which God directed a bronze serpent be made and lifted up on a pole so that anyone who had been bitten by a snake could be healed by looking at the image. God’s healing mercy can reach us through surprising, even shocking means. Graven images, like that of the serpent, had been forbidden by Jewish law and crucifixion was considered so shameful that Roman citizens were executed by other means, but God used these for our good. What needs turning around in your life? Nothing is too small, too large for God’s grace.
Rather than debate the punishment for adultery, Jesus writes in the sand. Pressed to answer, Jesus invites the sinless person to throw the first stone. Again, writing in the sand, Jesus does not watch and shame the elders as they walk away. Jesus refuses to condemn the woman, but tells her not to sin anymore. Jesus’ words remind us not to be self-righteous or judgmental, to turn from our sin, assured of God’s love and mercy. As I prayed with this gospel, I found myself focusing on Jesus’ two acts of writing: first, a diversion that paused any initial interaction, then, a humble act that preserved the elders’ dignity. What strategies—what other topics or shared experiences, can avoid pointless arguments about policies and positions? Am I gracious and humble regardless of success or failure in proving my point? Pray for the last person with whom you had a disagreement.
How necessary, how difficult this journey to Bethany after Lazarus’ death. When Martha, Lazarus’ sister, meets Jesus as he approaches the house, Jesus identifies himself as “the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25). At the tomb, Jesus weeps, then asks that the tomb be unsealed and prays aloud, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me” (Jn. 11:41-42). At Jesus’ command, Lazarus walks out of the tomb, still bound in the burial cloths, which Jesus directs someone to untie him. We are shaped by our experiences, binding and freeing; bring these to prayer, offering thanks to God who accepts all of us and for friends who have helped us on our way. If someone you know is in a bind, reach out before Holy Week.
Tensions mount as the public interest in Jesus grows. Some label him a prophet; others think he is the messiah. Jesus does not match the expectations and predictions of where the Messiah will come from. Surely, he will not come from Galilee. The guards do not bring Jesus to the priests and Pharisees because “Never before has anyone spoken like this man” (Jn. 7:46). We know who Jesus is, but the debate among Jesus’ contemporaries calls us to consider how we witness our faith. On most days, our witness consists of living the beatitudes, but if asked, how do we describe Jesus and our relationship with him? Do we identify a particular teaching or event? In our day-to-day exchanges, do we judge one another by neighborhood, profession, ethnicity, or class? Let us pray for one another, that our words and our lives speak of Christ’s love.
As we move toward and into Holy Week, we read that a righteous person might be rejected because He claims a relationship with and knowledge of God and “Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways. He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure” (Wisdom 2:15-16). Some of these arguments are leveled against Jesus, although Jesus never held himself aloof from those generally avoided, like the Samaritan woman, sinners, and tax collectors. Throughout his preaching, Jesus referred to himself as the good shepherd, the physician, the gate, ready to welcome the lost. Spend some time considering the late Pope Francis’ statement that “Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.” Give thanks for mercies received and ask God to help you become more compassionate.
On this feast, consider Joseph’s courage and God’s dreams. We have a choice of two gospel readings, the first being Joseph’s dream, which leads to the fulfillment of God’s longstanding dream of sending his Son into the world to share our experience. The other gospel tells of Mary and Joseph returning to the temple when they discovered he was not among the travelers returning from the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Joseph is silent, but he must have been proud of his son’s ability to engage with the scholars. He probably experienced dismay at seeing his son on the cusp of manhood. What trust and hope God placed in Joseph! What talents and responsibilities have God entrusted to you? What dreams does God have for you? At day’s end, pray for the dreams, safety, and growth of children who have been fostered, adopted, or abandoned.
Today’s readings focus on identity, longing, and belonging. Jesus proclaims that He and the Father are one in power and love. As a child, I was taught a morning offering, pledging myself, my thoughts, and my deeds to God. My adult version is often a quick word of praise and a request for God’s help. At some time today, offer yourself to God, remembering those people and events (good, bad, and ugly, as the saying goes) that have shaped your life and give thanks to God for sustaining you. Acknowledging our heritage of sorrow and joy, failure and success, we can be more understanding of others’ experiences in our service as “a covenant to the people, to restore the land and allot the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners: Come out! To those in darkness: Show yourselves!” (Is. 49:8-9).
Today’s gospel and the remembrance of St. Patrick caution us against limiting God’s work through our narrow expectations. Lamenting his inability to reach the pool when the waters could heal, the paralyzed man is cured by Jesus’ command. St. Patrick’s first trip to Ireland was as a teenager, captured and sold into slavery, working as an unpaid shepherd for six years until he escaped, returning to Britain where he became a priest and spent ten years in a monastery. There, he dreamt of people calling him back to Ireland. Serving as bishop and missionary to Ireland, St. Patrick spread the good news of Jesus’ peace, freedom, and compassion throughout the land where he himself had been held captive. Let’s join in prayer today for all who are struggling to be free, including those in prisons and detention centers, victims of trafficking and domestic abuse, and those suffering from war and poverty.
Because Jesus called himself the Way, Truth, and Life, early Christians were called people of the Way. As travelers, we know the importance of signs, so halfway through our Lenten journey, let’s reflect on the signs we read and the signals we send. Jesus is always signaling Come Ahead, Road Clear, but is there another message? Yield, Rest Stop, Refuel. What signals do we give to God and to our traveling companions? Curve, Caution, Merge, Work Ahead. Perhaps a variation on the country road sign: Deer Crossing, calling attention to God’s Dear Ones, working through life’s transitions. Conclude your reflection by asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom and courage to respond to the signs of our times as we, in Jesus’ name, become ever clearer signs of God’s compassion and mercy.
There are many kinds of blindness. Today’s gospel focuses on a man born blind. There is a blindness to faith, to people and situations we don’t want to see, blind obedience to customs, blinding busyness that obscures beauty. One sabbath day Jesus applies clay to the man’s eyes and instructs him to wash in a pool, where he receives his sight. When the man insists God would not let a sinner effect such a cure, the Pharisees throw him out of the synagogue. Christ calls us to see, to wonder, to worship. Be aware of today’s sights and sounds; spend some time with a photo, picture, window view or listen to some music that moves you. Give thanks for the human creators and God’s beauty and inspiration. As evening approaches, say a prayer for the often unseen, including: the homeless, the incarcerated, operators of snowplows and sanitation trucks, maintenance staff.
Like any great storyteller, Jesus assesses his audience. Jesus’ audience expect the Pharisee to be the hero, but the Pharisee “spoke this prayer to himself” (Lk. 18:11). His prayer is an extended brag. In contrast, the tax collector acknowledges his sin and asks God to be merciful and so he is justified. Jesus stresses the need for humility, but how do we live that? Each of us can truly say we are not like anyone else—shaped as we are by family, friends, travel, work, personality and talents. We are also like everyone else, imaged in God’s likeness, as Genesis says, and, in Jesus’ words, we are friends, branches, sheep that sometimes stray. As we move through Lent, give thanks to God for creating and sustaining you and ask God to help you identify and share one gift, talent or strength and to change one attitude or behavior.
Curious about the new preacher, a scribe asks Jesus to name the first commandment. In answer, Jesus recites the Shema, the prayer that begins with God’s praise and continues with the proclamation of the commandment to love God with mind, heart, soul and strength. Jesus also recites the second great commandment, to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Commending Jesus, the scribe repeats the two great commandments and adds that keeping these commandments “is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mk. 12:33). Jesus says to the scribe: “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mk. 12:34). Jesus speaks with such authority that no one questions him. Give thanks for the traditions that have nourished your faith: the law and prophets, the Church, your family. Pray for people who experience prejudice, discrimination or persecution because of their faith.
Enacting God’s gracious mercy, Jesus casts out a demon, enabling a mute man to speak. Some onlookers demand a sign that Jesus’ power is not demonic. Jesus responds with logic: demons casting out demons would be self-defeating. Jesus presents a different scenario: “But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk. 11:20). Is God’s presence too much? Too mysterious or hidden? Mystics write about experiencing mountaintop moments and dark soul nights; most of us have some brief experiences of sunny high hill moments and soul twilights. Identify one or two high and low moments of your faith journey. How did you feel then? How have those experiences shaped you? Conclude with the Our Father; ask God to aid you in identifying ways you can help bring abut God’s kingdom.
“Your words, Lord, are spirit and life,” (Jn. 6:63) we pray before today’s gospel reading. Moses equated following the commandments with choosing life. Jesus declares he has come to fulfil not to abolish the law or the prophets (Mt. 5:17). This pledge of fulfilment follows a declaration of the beatitudes where Jesus ranks the marginalized among the blessed: the poor in spirit, the mourners, the seekers of righteousness, dispensers of mercy, those who will be insulted or persecuted for following Jesus. Calling his followers, including us, “salt of the earth” and “light of the world,” Jesus commands: “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (Mt. 5:3-16). Talk with Jesus about your light display–bright, filtered or flickering. What are the challenges of being a Catholic Christian? Ask Jesus to help your reviews and offer suggestions.
More than doubling what was the customary practice of offering someone forgiveness three times, Peter probably thought he was being generous suggesting he might forgive someone seven times. Jesus’ jaw-dropping answer came: seventy-seven times. Who could keep count? That, of course, is the point, reiterated when Jesus demands that forgiveness takes place “in your heart.” This forgiveness is not the adult-initiated, “I’m sorry” children say through gritted teeth before retreating to their corners, each still convinced the other was wrong. Heart forgiveness can reconcile, repair, sometimes transform either or both the pardoner and the pardoned. It can require instruction, if the harm was not only not intended but not recognized as hurtful by the other person. Give thanks for the times you’ve received forgiveness and the times you’ve offered forgiveness. Conclude your prayer by asking God to heal any hurt or anger or grudge you’re still carrying.
Who are the people who inspire and challenge you to do the serving, healing, companioning works Christ commands in the Beatitudes? Are there prophetic people you find difficult to listen to or people you find difficult to serve because of appearance, language, class or style? Jesus upsets some in the Nazareth synagogue first by announcing the messianic prophesies are being fulfilled in their hearing and then by recalling that God’s expansive love also blessed non-Israelites like the widow at Zarephath and Naaman, the Syrian leper. To the people in the synagogue, it was shocking that Jesus, a hometown boy, the son of Joseph, spoke with authority, and honored the experience of outsiders. Ask God to help you pray for and be open to someone whose manner or style or story “gets under your skin” where your heart lives and opens you to love and be as you are, God’s beloved.
Avoiding the stares of the other women, she comes to the well at noon. Surprised and emboldened when Jesus asks her for a drink of water, she asks why a Jewish man would request a drink of water from a Samaritan woman. Jesus responds that if she knew who he was, she would ask him for living water. She asks for that gift and, as the conversation unfolds, Jesus tells her that she has had several husbands and is now living with a man to whom she is not married. Astonished, the woman who has been avoiding her neighbors, hurries to tell them she has met the messiah, God’s anointed, who told her everything she has ever done. How Jesus can turn our expectations and experiences around! Is the living water, the Holy Spirit that sparked you into life and into the Christ life at Baptism calling you to something new?
Rather than arguing against the Pharisees’ objections to Jesus’ welcoming sinners and eating with them, Jesus tells the parable of the Prodigal Son. A clear reminder of God’s willingness to forgive sins, the story also invites us to consider the relationship between the older brother and his father and our relationship with God. The older brother seems not to have felt his father’s love and generosity. How do you experience God? Creator, father, judge, friend? How do you respond? If I find myself overthinking or reflecting more on my sins and virtues than our relationship, I imagine what game most resembles my interactions with God– Tag, Hide and Seek, I Spy, Tug of War. This approach helps me read my mind and heart and invite God’s response, suggesting, perhaps, a new move or a new game or just keeping on.
Lent is part of the never-ending love story between us and God who first loved us into being. Later, because “God so loved the world, He gave us his only-begotten Son;…” (Jn. 3:16). In today’s gospel Jesus foreshadows his suffering and his ultimate victory. After telling the parable of the greedy tenants who try to become wealthy by killing the vineyard owner’s only son, Jesus invites his listeners to recall Ps. 122: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes” (Mt. 21:42). After Easter we will be reminded that we have become living stones in the Church, founded by and in Christ. Consider your role as this living stone, give thanks for gifts received and ask God’s help in identifying any attitudes or actions that need changing or strengthening.
Today’s readings tell us that with the help God provides, including Moses, the prophets and Jesus, the person who trusts in God thrives in spite of trial or adversity. Adopted as our national motto in 1956, In God We Trust was first printed on the 1864 two-cent piece during the Civil War. I invite you to two responses today. First, pray for unity, health and healing of our nation. In my religious community before our profession, we choose a motto—a short phrase from scripture or aspiration –that anchors us. On easy days my motto, Choose Life, moves me to gratitude; when things go awry, my motto moves me from a dismayed, “Really, Lord?” to a more trusting, “Recalibrating. Lord, guide my path.” I invite you to either reflect on your motto or choose a motto for this Lent, if not for life, that affirms your faith and trust in God.
Parents! Imagine what James and John thought when their mother asked Jesus to promise to give them places of honor when he came into his power. And when Jesus asked if they would be capable of drinking of the chalice he would drink, did they say yes, remembering the water that became wine at the Cana wedding? It would be a while before they knew the chalice of abundant love would also involve tasting deep sorrow. How did they react to the other apostles’ jealousy? How did they react to Jesus when he once again said the person who would be the greatest must be the servant? Let us serve one another today by praying for all who are using these reflections and for the Franciscan Friars and their many works.
In our Lenten and lifelong task of continuing conversion God remains our faithful companion. Calling the notoriously sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to reform, the prophet Isaiah proclaims the Lord’s words of encouragement, “Come now, let us set things right…” (Is. 1:18). Jesus warns us not to make a show of our good deeds to gain admiration or titles, but to be humble brothers and sisters, children of one God, followers of Christ who showed his mastery through service. Ask Jesus to remind you of your gifts: people, possessions, strengths of character, personality and talents. After giving thanks, consider how you share your gifts. In all stages of life, we are called to holiness and service. If you can no longer sing a choir solo, hum a hymn, smile at a passerby, pray for the first person you see through your window.
As a young sister, I was shocked when on Shrove Tuesday an older sister gave each of us a hard candy “For a sweet Lent and easy fast.” Seeing my dismay, Bappy explained: “When you let God get close, there’s a sweet hope and peace even in the hard stuff.” Today’s call to be godlike in showing mercy and refraining from judgment can seem daunting until we are reminded that giving and receiving in full measure are often part of the same experience. How many times have you helped someone and felt you received than you gave? Recall your relief when you forgave someone and the grudge you had carried disappeared. How often have our first impressions of a person or situation proved wrong? Take your measure today—what do you need to take on or give up being closer to God and God’s people?
In today’s epistle, we are encouraged to persevere since God “…called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,…” (Tim. 1:9). God’s design—more intricate and intimate than anything we could imagine resulted in the incarnation and all that followed. In the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus. Audible to Peter, James and John who had accompanied Jesus, “a voice from a bright cloud announces: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him’” (Mt. 17:5). A hint of Easter glory! We have all experienced less flashy, but real experiences of God’s presence. Recall one time when you were particularly aware of God. What stirred you? What stirs you now? Give thanks and ask God to make you more aware of God’s presence.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus further defines the work of discipleship. “…love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Mt. 5:44-45). This seems like and is a high bar. Jesus concludes his teaching: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). When we say the Our Father, we pray for those who have hurt us. Supplying sun and rain needed for life, God extends care to all; we are commanded to do the same. This compassion does not negate a legal system for securing justice and maintaining order. Let’s pray for all whose lives have been affected by crimes or violence—perpetrators and victims, peacekeepers, judges and juries.
Jesus reminds us that knowing the law, even observing the externals is not enough. Noting that murder is obviously wrong, Jesus condemns harboring anger and name-calling. Experience has taught us that holding anger or grudges harms the grudge holder. Jesus instructs us that if we have hurt someone we should reconcile with that person before we offer prayers and gifts to God. We know from observation and history that name-calling on a playground, in cyberspace or in war dehumanizes the targeted victim, makes hurtful behavior seem inconsequential. Our public discourse has become increasingly coarse and negative. How do we respond when we hear such language from friends or family? From celebrities or civic leaders? Do we find ourselves moving from shock and outrage to adapting similar language or unspoken attitudes? Consider trying to break the cycle: interrupt demeaning conversations, contact public figures, keep watch over your heart and your words.
In today’s gospel, Jesus urges us to bring our needs to God. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt. 7:7-8). Praying for God’s help is an act of praise, trust and faith, admitting we are vulnerable and in need, acknowledging that God is good and attentive to us. As with Jonah, sometimes God says no or not yet or there is something different and better that I have in mind. My first response is often a dismayed “Really, God? I thought I discerned your signals.” Later, sometimes much later, I see the blessing God designed for me. This experience often prompts me to address God as God of Surprise. Recall a time when God’s answer to your prayer was a surprise and disguised blessing. Give thanks for God’s constancy and providence.
One week into our Lenten journey! I want measures of growth like childhood’s gold stars. Instead, both of today’s readings point to Jonah, the reluctant prophet who after three days in a whale’s belly was spat out on the shores of Nineveh, where he preached as God had originally directed him. The people repented, perhaps because of Jonah’s words, but just as likely, knowing Jonah’s story, they understood God is a persistent, forgiving, merciful God. Jesus tells his listeners they have the sign of Jonah and the greater sign of himself though they do not recognize who Jesus is. Spend some time with Jesus today, talking about your relationship. What name do you call Jesus? Brother, friend, teacher? What does he call you? Does he have a nickname for you? Do you share personality traits or circumstances with people Jesus met? Give Jesus time to respond to you.
Vatican II restored the ancient practice of receiving adults into the Catholic Church at the Easter vigil. One of the rites in the formation of our catechumens is the presentation of the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus gave all of his followers. Take some time to reflect on the prayer. Our Father…personal experience may make father a difficult term, but the word Jesus used, Abba is an informal and affectionate term like daddy. We praise God, commit ourselves to help in bringing about God’s will, pray for our needs and promise to forgive others as God forgives us. The last phrase, sometimes translated as do not put us the test asks God to stand with us in hardship, fear or temptation and help us through difficult situations. What phrase of the Our Father most caught your attention today and how will you respond? Conclude by praying for all who will come into our church this Easter.
Today’s gospel demonstrates what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus teaches that the ultimate judgment of our lives and conduct will be based on how we treat others. Through the incarnation God became one with us; therefore, the cup of water, the kind word, the patient listening to old stories are as much part of our Christian life and mission as our prayer time. The quarrelsome neighbor, the screaming child, even our very selves may not always seem Christ-like, but as the hymn says, “we walk by faith.” Recall times when others have welcomed you, shared a meal, listened to your troubles, celebrated your achievements. Pray for those people and ask the Spirit to help you identify someone you can reach out to today with a text, phone call or a kind word to the bus driver, store clerk, maintenance staff at work or in your residence.
A priest friend used to say that being Christian means knowing who we are and whose we are. Under pressure of fatigue, hunger and Satan’s temptations, Jesus remains steadfast to his identity and mission as “the Father’s Beloved Son” (Mt. 3:16-17). The temptations Jesus faces are familiar. We can become possessed by our possessions. We can be hard-hearted in the power of our social position, profession or ego and we can worship at an idol of our own making–money, prestige, popularity. At our creation and again at baptism God called us good, God’s beloved son or daughter, and God never withdraws God’s love. Spend some prayer time focusing on your identity as God’s beloved child. When God looks at you, what goodness does our loving God see? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify what you need to change to be more open to receiving and sharing God’s love.
In today’s gospel, we hear Jesus call Levi to follow him. Levi leaves his tax counting table immediately and becomes a follower of Jesus. Celebrating his new call, Levi throws a party. Several of the guests, Pharisees and scribes, ask Jesus’ disciples why Jesus would eat with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus answers for himself: “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” (Lk. 5:31-32). While we take comfort in Jesus’ words, we must ask ourselves if we share the attitudes and speech of the Pharisees and scribes, belittling other people. Are there groups of people we automatically dismiss? When we oppose someone’s opinion do we demean the person? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify attitudes and patterns of speech and behavior that need to be changed.
On this first of our Lenten meatless Fridays, how are you doing with our traditional seasonal practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving? These practices are not meant to be a test of our will but a help to make us more mindful of and faithful to our relationship with God and one another. In today’s first reading, Isaiah says the fasting God desires is service, like freeing the oppressed and feeding the hungry. If you have decided to spend less time engaging in some leisure activity or if you have given up a favorite beverage or food, you might use the time or money saved to support food pantry o to help a friend. Whatever we take on or give up, Lent is a retreat for all Christians, centering ourselves in Christ who never gives up on us.
Lent calls us to reflect on our relationships with God and one another. Try this threefold prayer, praising God and praying for people who have made an impression on you. Begin by thanking Jesus for calling you to be his follower and friend. Next pray for someone who has inspired or helped you directly or indirectly — a relative or friend or a public figure; give thanks for them and ask God’s blessing on them. Finally, pray for someone whose ways or views you find difficult; again identify one person, personal acquaintance or public figure. Ask God to bless that person and to give you wisdom and peace in your response to them. Praying this prayer periodically helps me appreciate how many good people have blessed my life. The prayer also helps guide me to a calm, faith-filled response to opposite views or sometimes to offer forgiveness or an apology.
The liturgical seasons call us to reflect on the seasons of our lives. Marked with ashes–the burnt remnants of the palms we raised last year in memory of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem–we consider the highs and lows of our journey with Christ and one another. The church’s practices of fasting and abstinence remind us that our discipleship graces our lives: eating meals, buying a sandwich for a homeless person, receiving Holy Communion; reading a child a bedtime story, studying God’s word in scripture; sending a friend a belated birthday greeting, offering someone an apology, celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In today’s responsorial psalm we pray “Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me” (Ps. 51:14). Review the events of your day, giving thanks for graced encounters and asking God’s wisdom and love to guide your Lenten practices.
Ash Wednesday Peom By Fran McManus, RSM
Marked
Ashes, ashes
we all fall…
Fell
for you once, Jesus.
Now
down-
fallen
we come to be
cross-marked
the ashes– last year’s charred palms–
we wear as we did baptism’s watermark
hoping the cold collected embers
will somehow ignite the old spark
designing once again my forty day plan:
what work to take on
what sweet, what time,
what grief, what rage,
what grudge to give up,
to give up not
giving in,
opening up to
the one who never
gives up on us.
Reflections By Fran McManus, RSM
Fran McManus, RSM, is a member of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. She teaches literature and poetry writing in the Adult Education Program of St. Francis of Assisi Church.
Her poems have appeared in Re: A Journal of Ideas https://reideasjournal.com/sisterfranpoems and in The New York Writers Coalition Journal https://nywriterscoalition.org/journal/11357/12.
