Be Neither Deterred Nor a Deterrent

Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

By Colleen O’Sullivan

The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright: “Let us beset the just one.” (Wisdom 2:1a, 12a)

When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. (Psalm 34:18)

But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.  Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? (John 7: 10, 25)

Piety

Many are the troubles of the just man,

But out of them all the Lord delivers him. (Psalm 34:20)

Study

In the depths of the muddy cistern, the prophet Jeremiah knew it.  Having barely escaped death at the hands of his brothers and finding himself the captive of a group of Ishmaelite traders, Joseph knew it.  The just man referred to in today’s reading from the Book of Wisdom knew it.  Jesus, as he traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with his disciples, knew it.  If we are truly living lives of faith, you and I know it as well.   Leading a life pleasing to God doesn’t guarantee the admiration or approval of family or friends or anyone else, for that matter.  In fact, Jesus had warned the disciples that following in his footsteps would likely result in persecution, suffering, and maybe even death.

There was never anyone more faithful to the Father than Jesus.  He had many friends and followers, to be sure.  But, ultimately, his preaching, teaching, and healing won him a humiliating death on a cross, the same fate meted out to the worst of criminals in Jesus’ day.

Why is it that the just man in the first reading is so despised?  You’d think he’d be held in high esteem.  But remember the evil spirit is always hard at work.  The evil one desires nothing more than to destroy all that is good and of God.

So, the evil spirit whispers a sort of siren song in our ears: Stick with me.  I’ll keep you happy in this life.  Look into that pool of water.  What do you see there?  That’s right, it’s you, and you are the most important person in the world. These so-called just and righteous people are a pain.   They don’t want your light to shine.  They disapprove of your lifestyle. They call themselves children of God.  How arrogant!  Their holiness is nauseating; it makes you look bad, and no one should be allowed to do that.  Those people are different from you.  You should stick with your own kind and work against these despicable do-gooders.  Stand your ground.  Don’t give an inch.

Jeremiah spoke the words God gave him, but no one wanted to hear that they were courting disaster with their sinful ways.  His words frightened them.  People don’t like being afraid, so they became angry instead and tried to kill him.

Joseph was a silly young boy, who probably didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He naively related his dreams to his siblings.  He was the apple of his father Jacob’s eye, and his brothers resented him for that.

Jesus wanted only to capture people’s hearts for God.  But the Pharisees’ hearts were full of fear that they might be knocked off their lofty pedestals as the keepers of the Law.  They were willing to do anything to protect their power, including seeing that this upstart from Nazareth was executed.

Action

If we’re following in Jesus’ footsteps, the goal is to keep on keeping on.  It’s not always easy.  I’m sure we all have friends and family members who aren’t supportive of our journey in Christ.  They think we’re Pollyanna’s when we persist in believing the Light will overcome the darkness in our world.  They tempt us to give up spiritual practices such as abstinence from meat on Fridays in Lent.  (Do you think a lightning bolt will strike you if you eat a piece of meat?)  They come up with all sorts of weekend activities that would leave no time for Mass.  (Why do you have to go every Sunday?  Just pray at home.)  Our society as a whole hasn’t got much time for faith.

Where do you encounter resistance – in your family, among friends, at work?  Share the bumps in the road with your Cursillo group.   They’ll support you.  Spend some time sitting with Jesus asking for perseverance when the journey becomes difficult.

As I read today’s Scripture readings, I thought, too, how easy it is for any of us to demonize what we don’t understand and to find ourselves deriding others. The unbelievers in the first reading had no idea what faithful living was all about.  They felt threatened.  The Pharisees in the Gospel didn’t want things to change.  They were afraid that life would change and they wouldn’t be the powerful keepers of the Law anymore. They never once allowed for the possibility that Jesus might actually have Good News for them as well, something that would be much better than anything else they knew.  It’s good to listen and learn before we criticize someone or dismiss their beliefs and practices out of hand.

Testify to God in All You Do

Found on Facebook

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

By Beth DeCristofaro

The LORD said to Moses, "I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation." But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, "Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? … So the LORD relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people. (Exodus 32:9-11, 14)

Jesus said to the Jews: "If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. … "I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? (John 5:31:41-44)

Piety

O God, help me to turn away from my own molten calves, formed and forged through sin, inattention, and the hardness of my heart. Help me to loosen my stiff neck and soften my heart that I might hear, see and reflect the presence and will of God around me. On you, Brother Jesus, I rely and I follow, that by your testimony I might be a true daughter/son of the Father.

Study

Jesus deliberately continues his Father’s work, through teaching, through Jerusalem and the temple leaders, through the cross. We, in Lent, try to accompany him with the wisdom of centuries to help us. In the Gospel he speaks to the leaders using their norms – two witnesses were needed to prove that someone is telling the truth. Jesus challenges them that John as his first witness was unheeded and now the witness of God Himself as seen through Jesus’ actions and teachings are likewise discounted, ignored, put aside. Jesus warns them that as they claim to follow Moses he knows that, in fact, they want acclaim for themselves. The leaders force regulations on the Jews, wear special clothing, pray and donate publicly in order to be praised. He put their hardened hearts and limited hearing of the words of the prophets next to their blindness at recognizing the hand of God in their midst.

But God is merciful and full of kindness. Even as the Israelites worshiped a molten calf – at the foot of the holy mountain where Moses was convening with God – Moses advocates successfully for Divine mercy. Jesus, too, in action and word, is filled with mercy which the leaders of the temple cannot accept. In these last weeks of Lent, as we practice penance, fasting and tithing, have we also found new wells of mercy and love within ourselves?

Every day I skirmish with my own lack of mercy, so quickly and easily criticizing others. Recently I read a bio of St Aloysius Orione. An Italian priest, he dedicated himself to the physical and spiritual support of those in need (whom Jesus would have called the anawim in ancient Palestine.) St Aloysius was known to have prayed “Lord, set me down at the gates of hell so that by your mercy I may keep them shut against all comers.”[i] His words humble and dumbfound me. May my Lenten journey bring me one trembling footstep closer to such unconditional love.

Action

How might I put away “right practice” and “accepted cultural norm” today in order to open my heart and ears to the Word on my own interior mountain of God placed within by the Spirit. Help me to rely on my brother Jesus, walking ahead of me and all peoples who seek God?

---

[i] “Blessed Among Us: St. Aloysius Orione, Give Us This Day. Liturgical Press, March 2017, p. 138.

Testify to God in All You Do

Found on Facebook

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

By Beth DeCristofaro

The LORD said to Moses, "I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation." But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, "Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? … So the LORD relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people. (Exodus 32:9-11, 14)

Jesus said to the Jews: "If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. … "I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? (John 5:31:41-44)

Piety

O God, help me to turn away from my own molten calves, formed and forged through sin, inattention, and the hardness of my heart. Help me to loosen my stiff neck and soften my heart that I might hear, see and reflect the presence and will of God around me. On you, Brother Jesus, I rely and I follow, that by your testimony I might be a true daughter/son of the Father.

Study

Jesus deliberately continues his Father’s work, through teaching, through Jerusalem and the temple leaders, through the cross. We, in Lent, try to accompany him with the wisdom of centuries to help us. In the Gospel he speaks to the leaders using their norms – two witnesses were needed to prove that someone is telling the truth. Jesus challenges them that John as his first witness was unheeded and now the witness of God Himself as seen through Jesus’ actions and teachings are likewise discounted, ignored, put aside. Jesus warns them that as they claim to follow Moses he knows that, in fact, they want acclaim for themselves. The leaders force regulations on the Jews, wear special clothing, pray and donate publicly in order to be praised. He put their hardened hearts and limited hearing of the words of the prophets next to their blindness at recognizing the hand of God in their midst.

But God is merciful and full of kindness. Even as the Israelites worshiped a molten calf – at the foot of the holy mountain where Moses was convening with God – Moses advocates successfully for Divine mercy. Jesus, too, in action and word, is filled with mercy which the leaders of the temple cannot accept. In these last weeks of Lent, as we practice penance, fasting and tithing, have we also found new wells of mercy and love within ourselves?

Every day I skirmish with my own lack of mercy, so quickly and easily criticizing others. Recently I read a bio of St Aloysius Orione. An Italian priest, he dedicated himself to the physical and spiritual support of those in need (whom Jesus would have called the anawim in ancient Palestine.) St Aloysius was known to have prayed “Lord, set me down at the gates of hell so that by your mercy I may keep them shut against all comers.”[i] His words humble and dumbfound me. May my Lenten journey bring me one trembling footstep closer to such unconditional love.

Action

How might I put away “right practice” and “accepted cultural norm” today in order to open my heart and ears to the Word on my own interior mountain of God placed within by the Spirit. Help me to rely on my brother Jesus, walking ahead of me and all peoples who seek God?

---

[i] “Blessed Among Us: St. Aloysius Orione, Give Us This Day. Liturgical Press, March 2017, p. 138.

Do You Want to Be Well?

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

By Melanie Rigney

Along each bank of the river, every kind of fruit tree will grow; their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fresh fruit because the waters of the river flow out from the sanctuary. Their fruit is used for food, and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47:12)

The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. (Psalm 46:8)

Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me." (John 5:2-6)

Piety

Lord, give me the faith and courage to arise from my own pity party… and be the person You desire me to be.

Study

“Do you want to be well?” Jesus asks the sick man. Pretty simple question, right? Pretty obvious answer, right?

But the man’s answer has nothing to do with the question. Instead, he provides excuses for the reasons he hasn’t gone to the pool, excuses having to do with a lack of support and consideration.

Yes, this Gospel reading goes on to address the matter of cures on the Sabbath. But there also is a lesson, a valuable lesson, to be learned in thinking about Jesus’s initial question. The man didn’t respond with “Yes, of course” or even “If it is Your will.” One wonders if he actually heard the question, or if he answered the question he expected: Why aren’t you at the pool?

“Do you want to be well?” Jesus asks each of us. It’s interesting; He asks that so often, even though truly if we want to be well, we know how. But instead, like the sick man, we often answer other questions instead: No, I don’t want to forgive the person who harmed me or my loved ones. No, I don’t want to give up behavior I know is harmful to me and displeasing to You. No, I don’t want to put God first, ahead of myself.

It’s easier to wallow in our sickness and blame others for it. But the road to eternal life begins with a desire and a will to accept the cure the Lord so freely offers, even though it may sting here on earth.

Action

Answer with a resounding yes when you’re asked today if you want to be well. Do one thing that with the Lord’s help improves your spiritual health.

Unless You People See Signs and Wonders

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. John 4:48-50

Piety

See, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; The former things shall not be remembered nor come to mind. Instead, shout for joy and be glad forever in what I am creating. Indeed, I am creating Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. Isaiah 65:17-19B

Study

Readings from the prophet Isaiah play an interesting role in the Masses throughout Lent. As we enter our fourth week of Lent, we have several readings this week from the end of the book. However, it is good to remind ourselves of the themes Isaiah laid out from the very start – because he comes back to those at the end.

All is not well in Jerusalem when Isaiah begins his story. Your country is waste, your cities burnt with fire; Your land—before your eyes strangers devour it, a waste, like the devastation of Sodom. (Isaiah 1:7)

Into this wasteland, the Lord asks his people to get their house in order both personally and through justice for the vulnerable. Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right. (16-18A)

The deal is simple: if we change, we get to share in the benefits of the Lord’s bountiful feast. If we do not change our evil ways, then we will not share in the bounty promised by the Lord. If you are willing and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, you shall be eaten by the sword: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! (19-20)

In essence, Isaiah is a perfect book to reflect upon throughout Lent. As the notes in the New American Bible point out: “For Isaiah, the vision of God’s majesty was so overwhelming that military and political power faded into insignificance. He constantly called his people back to a reliance on God’s promises and away from vain attempts to find security in human plans and intrigues. This vision also led him to insist on the ethical behavior that was required of human beings who wished to live in the presence of such a holy God.”

Today, if the first reading offers up the warning of a Lent without change, the Good News is truly that – good news. In it, John shows us what happens when we change. In fact, the new creation described with such apocalyptic exuberance is shared with the royal official and his dying son. The former events of the son’s illness are forgotten when the “new creation” of life restored is granted.

If Isaiah is the poetic promise, John comes along and shows us through the example of the royal official, the way to get there. Faith in action. The royal official shows through his faith how his household will share in the promise of new life.

The irony is that his son will live while we know that the Son of God will have to give up his body and mortal life at the end of the period of preparation.

Action

Even if it hasn't been easy to get really engaged with Lent so far, we can still make a new beginning. Perhaps Jesus also was admonishing us -- “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

What will it take? Even now in the fourth of five weeks, the key is for us to be open and desire to change into the obedient and humble servants Jess seeks. Last week, we saw the examples of Mary and Joseph held up. This week starts out with the man born blind from birth (Sunday) and the royal official’s son. They were healed – restored – to the new Jerusalem. Much delight must have eventually ensued.

If we can feel any attraction, any sign that the Lord is possibly drawing us closer, then the Lord can work with us - no matter what resistance or fear we might also be experiencing. Christ is counting on that if we but count on Christ. 

My Shepherd

Fourth Sunday Lent

By Phil Russell

Piety

"The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want." Psalm 23

Study

"You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." Ephesians 5:8

Action

"Go wash in the Pool of Siloam." John 9:1-41

It's all about contrasts. Darkness/Light. Sleep/Awake. Blindness/Sight. Clay made with Saliva/dirt. Staying/Going. 

And Jesus declares, "While I AM in the world, I AM the light of the world." In this time of preparation for the Easter Sacraments, we look at the symbols that are used in the application of Grace for the Elect. Last Sunday, it was WATER; today is OIL.

From David's anointing as King to this very base application of SACRED saliva and dirt.

We, by virtue of our Baptism, are called to walk as Children of Light. The Lord is our Shepherd. 

I learned a wonderful story from a Scottish shepherd. He told of the shepherd's action of "tabling'" a hurt or sick sheep. The Shepherd, on finding a hurt or sick sheep, would take his rod and staff, along with his cloak or outer garment and build a makeshift "lean to". This would act as a protection from the elements of wind or rain, while the shepherd worked to restore the sheep to its' feet. Isn't that what Jesus does for each and all of us. He "tables" us with his rod and staff, as he anoints us with His Grace and Healing care. 

CONTRAST. SICK/RESTORED!

In contrast, read and pray this beautiful Psalm 23 Antithesis by Marcia K. Hornok, which appeared earlier this month in the Daily Tripod.

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression.
It hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done,
For my ideal is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.

They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines,
My in-basket overflows.

Surely fatigue and time pressures shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration
Forever

--Marcia K. Hornok, Discipleship Journal (Issue 60, 1990), 23.

ACTION. "GO...CHRIST IS COUNTING ON YOU."

“Hail, Favored One! The Lord Is with You”

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us!" Isaiah 7:13-14, 8:10C

First, he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law. Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second. By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.  Hebrews 10:8-10

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." Luke 1:26-28

Piety

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. (Psalm 40:8-9)

Study

Our March liturgical calendar has been a sea of Lenten purple squares except for two white squares this week.  Monday, we celebrated the humility and obedience of Joseph.  Today, we shift our focus to the humility and obedience of Mary.

Imagine how today’s media-obsessed world would cover today’s readings…

BREAKING NEWS:  Today, at the temple, the head Rabbi announced that no longer are sacrifices and offering’s required.  This has started a chaotic scene of protest among the Pharisees as well as the pigeon, dove and lamb sellers in and near Jerusalem. Elsewhere, in Bethlehem, a teenager got pregnant and almost broke her engagement to the local carpenter. We go now to our reporter, Geraldo Rivera who is interviewing the Pharisee Nicodemus at the turbulent scene outside the temple. 

For ages, the Jews were awaiting a sign from God about the future.  They were expecting an extraordinary or miraculous sign that would prove God’s firm will to save the royal house of David from its oppressors be they the Syrians, the Egyptians or the Romans.  Maybe it would be a great storm.  Or a plague.  Or another invasion of locusts. Little did they expect a teenage girl getting pregnant in Nazareth would fulfill that prophecy. Yet that is exactly what is predicted in the lines from Isaiah.

When the announcement came to Mary – before anyone else knew -- the angel had to repeat it to Mary a significant three times. The really important things in the Bible get repeated.  And the exceptionally important things get repeated three times.

"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28)

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (30)

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. (35)

Action

Imagine if the angel was addressing you.

How can the obedience and humility of Joseph and Mary help you through your last two weeks of preparation for Easter?  Their attitude points us toward the attitude that Jesus will live out on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. 

Consider making the words of Psalm 40 guide your path:  Here I am Lord.  I come to do your will.

(Photo credit: The Annunciation, (1898), Henry Ossawa Tanner. from the Philadelphia Museum of Art,)

Return to God

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

By Colleen O’Sullivan

Thus says the Lord: Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt… I will heal their defection, says the Lord, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like dew for Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. (Hosea 14:2, 5-8)

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Piety

In distress you called, and I rescued you.

(Psalm 81:8a)

Study

The Hand of God,, photo by Molinovski, Wikimedia Commons,
Public Domain

We pray to you, O Lord. We sing your praises. With all our being, we proclaim our love for you, O God.

Then, in the twinkling of an eye, or so it seems, something or someone comes along and diverts our attention. Soon you become a distant memory. We’ve been lured to that far away country. The idols we have come to fancy demand our adoration. And, we confess, we begin to bow down and sing hymns to these, our false gods.

What are their names? you ask. Wealth, power, prestige. The reflection we see as we lean over the pool. We really haven’t changed that much since you created the first man and woman. We still listen to the whisperings of the evil spirit, because we want to be like you. We want to be all knowing, all powerful. Some of us even dare to believe that we are.

Until it all crashes down around us. Our spouse deserts our marriage. Our children go astray. We go to work as usual and come home with a pink slip. We are diagnosed with a serious or even terminal illness. The person we hold dearest dies and leaves us grieving. In any of a myriad of ways, the worlds we have so carefully constructed collapse around us. We are not in control and the illusion that we ever were breaks into a million pieces.

Is it possible that the hand of God is outstretched toward us? No, we hurriedly think. It can’t be. The shame of the distance we have strayed from God weighs us down.

But the Good News is that God is reaching out, calling to us. We may be as unfaithful as the prophet Hosea’s wife, but God still loves us. Come back to me, God pleads. It’s your sin that has you in a state of collapse. Come back to me. I forgive you. I will always be your God and you will always be my people. I will be dew for you that you might blossom once again. It’s not too late, and you haven’t journeyed too far to come back. Let me love you, lift the burden of your guilt and give you a fresh start.

Action

An honest self-examination is good any time of the year, but Lent is the season when we particularly focus on our sins, on what Jesus took upon himself on the Cross. Spend some time letting the light of day shine on even the darkest places in the innermost recesses of your being. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge your sins and failings. God is not out to get us. Just as we saw in the first reading, God is begging us to return. God wants our friendship, not our fear. The Lord is ready to forgive us whatever we sincerely confess and to start afresh.

The Kingdom of God Has Come Upon You (March 23)

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

By Beth DeCristofaro

Thus says the LORD: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. (Jeremiah 7:23)

But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? … But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. (Luke 11:17-18, 20)

Piety

God's Garden, http://www.carmelites.net/blog/gods-garden-march-13-2017/

Study

In today’s Gospel Jesus performs a miracle which astounds the witnesses and prompts his disclosure that “the Kingdom of God has come upon you.”  The Gospels do not focus solely on miracles but we – today as in ancient Palestine – are still astounded and pray for miracles when tragedy strikes or sorrow and hardship surround us.  Jesus’ teachings go beyond the surface of miracles.  He continues and deepens God’s promise to the Chosen People “I will be your God and you shall be my people” but with a twist.

Through Jesus who was literally God’s fingers, toes, voice box, blood, knees, integrity, passion, divinity and covenant, the Kingdom has come upon us.  Not only are we tasked, as Jesus’ disciples were tasked, to continue the building of the Kingdom, but we are challenged to recognize and rejoice in it.

How do we interpret the many miracles around us?  Do we see them? The widow carries on, raising five children after the death of her husband, making the best life possible for them after the end of her marriage dream?  Volunteers care for countless shelter animals, clean up stream beds when trash could damage the ecosystem, visit the sick and dying.  Lay leaders manage RCIA, Alcoholics Anonymous, religious education, mentoring programs, and maintain sacristies and administrative needs of parishes around the country.  Civil servants stand firm to bring justice to their country’s citizens.  Random Cursillistas form spiritual communities that serve and evangelize other random Babe Chicks resulting in new friendships and new resolutions for life in Christ. There are countless more examples of God’s fingers at work in small, unnoticed ways that are miraculous, effecting healing and growth of humanity.  And they build the kingdom.

Action

In this Lenten Journey, take a moment of prayer and silence to recognize and rejoice in the miracles around you.  Thank someone for their efforts and pray for them.  What miracle can you perform today?  Keep the Women’s 149^th in your prayers.

The Kingdom of God Has Come Upon You

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

By Beth DeCristofaro

Thus says the LORD: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. (Jeremiah 7:23)

But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? … But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. (Luke 11:17-18, 20)

Piety

God's Garden, http://www.carmelites.net/blog/gods-garden-march-13-2017/

Study

In today’s Gospel Jesus performs a miracle which astounds the witnesses and prompts his disclosure that “the Kingdom of God has come upon you.”  The Gospels do not focus solely on miracles but we – today as in ancient Palestine – are still astounded and pray for miracles when tragedy strikes or sorrow and hardship surround us.  Jesus’ teachings go beyond the surface of miracles.  He continues and deepens God’s promise to the Chosen People “I will be your God and you shall be my people” but with a twist.

Through Jesus who was literally God’s fingers, toes, voice box, blood, knees, integrity, passion, divinity and covenant, the Kingdom has come upon us.  Not only are we tasked, as Jesus’ disciples were tasked, to continue the building of the Kingdom, but we are challenged to recognize and rejoice in it.

How do we interpret the many miracles around us?  Do we see them? The widow carries on, raising five children after the death of her husband, making the best life possible for them after the end of her marriage dream?  Volunteers care for countless shelter animals, clean up stream beds when trash could damage the ecosystem, visit the sick and dying.  Lay leaders manage RCIA, Alcoholics Anonymous, religious education, mentoring programs, and maintain sacristies and administrative needs of parishes around the country.  Civil servants stand firm to bring justice to their country’s citizens.  Random Cursillistas form spiritual communities that serve and evangelize other random Babe Chicks resulting in new friendships and new resolutions for life in Christ. There are countless more examples of God’s fingers at work in small, unnoticed ways that are miraculous, effecting healing and growth of humanity.  And they build the kingdom.

Action

In this Lenten Journey, take a moment of prayer and silence to recognize and rejoice in the miracles around you.  Thank someone for their efforts and pray for them.  What miracle can you perform today?  Keep the Women’s 149^th in your prayers.

To Fulfill

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

"However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children's children." Deuteronomy 4:9

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place. Matthew 5:17-18

Piety

[W]e give thanks to God the Father for the many blessings of creation, and to our Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of salvation. We raise our prayer to the Holy Spirit to strengthen and guide us in carrying out all that the Lord has commanded us. In discerning the signs of the times, we note the greatly increased migration among the peoples of the Americas, and we see in this but one manifestation of a worldwide phenomenon–often called globalization–which brings with it great promises along with multiple challenges. Please enlighten us to recognize that Jesus the Son, who was called out of exile in Egypt to be our Savior.  Help us to recognize the strangers among us and welcome them as commanded. Amen.

Study

Imagine being a disciple of Jesus two thousand years ago.  How in the world would you make any sense of what was happening around you? 

An itinerant Jewish carpenter from Nazareth (where nothing good comes from) is walking around, preaching in parables, sometimes curing the sick, and getting into quite public confrontations with the local authorities (at both the temple and from Rome).  Surely, he must be here to overturn Mosaic law as we know it, right?  However, Jesus tries to clarify how his Word and works fit into the world-view that the people in ancient, Roman-occupied Palestine know.

According to the notes from the New American Bible to explain this passage from Matthew:

The “turning of the ages” comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of “new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus’ ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come.

Jesus is admitting that he is not coming to break the old laws but to fulfill the prophecies which many have preached before him.  He does not want them to forget the things they have learned.  However, he wants them to remember those lessons and pass them on with the new chapter he is about to write with the Easter mystery. In the coming section, Jesus does not break the old laws but he extends their application to new situations.  Jesus goes above and beyond the traditional way of viewing things.

Action

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich used a nationally televised forum to pledge solidarity with immigrants living in the United States and reinforce that Catholic Social Teaching reminds us all to welcome strangers and have a preferential option for the poor.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago is pictured after a prayer service
at which he took possession of his titular church of
St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island in Rome Nov. 20.
(CNS photo/Paul Haring)

“The principle that every human being, documented or undocumented, is made in the image of God and deserving of dignity and respect is at the core of our faith,” the Chicago archbishop said in Spanish during a town hall-style event broadcast on Telemundo on March 19.

“Because of that principle,” he continued, “I am here today to assure you that we stand with those made fearful by the hatred expressed and threats made during the past year toward immigrants and refugees.”

“Today, we pledge to carry on the church’s commitment to the dignity of our neighbors. As the church was there for my grandparents in the 1900’s, the church is here for you,” he said. “We will speak out against prejudice and discrimination, provide you the services and comfort we can offer and work for justice until it is achieved.”

Cardinal Cupich’s statement is in following with the letter of the USCCB’s position on immigration. 

The Most Reverend Joe S. Vásquez, Bishop of Austin and Chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, says that the latest Executive Order on immigration still puts vulnerable populations around the world at risk. In a statement issued after the announcement of the latest travel suspension, Bishop Vásquez says that while we seek to maintain our values and safety, we must also exercise compassion in assisting and continuing to welcome the stranger. He said, “We remain deeply troubled by the human consequences of the revised executive order on refugee admissions and the travel ban. While we note the Administration’s efforts to modify the Executive Order in light of various legal concerns, the revised Order still leaves many innocent lives at risk.”

The U.S. Catholic Bishops have long recognized the importance of ensuring public safety and would welcome reasonable and necessary steps to accomplish that goal.

However, based on the knowledge that refugees are already subjected to the most vigorous vetting process of anyone who enters the United States, there is no merit to pausing the refugee resettlement program while considering a further improvement to that vetting process.

Use this time to familiarize yourself with Catholic Social Teaching on immigration reform found here: http://www.usccb.org/about/migration-policy/justice-for-immigrants.cfm

With Our Whole Heart

By Scan by NYPL [Public domain], 

via Wikimedia Commons

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

By Melanie Rigney

So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. (Daniel 3:40-42)

Remember your mercies, O Lord. (Psalm 25:6a)

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Piety

Jesus, You showed us how to die—and how to live. Hold my hand and guide my way, so that I am afraid of neither.

Study

It was an unusual conversation to have at 5:30 in the morning, which made it all the more of a gift.

I’d been up for an hour, preparing for a weekend getaway, when I received a group email from a friend and business associate. What was she doing up that early? She’d left me a phone message the evening before, so I shot her a note to see if we could chat. And so we did.

One of the topics was our recent diocesan women’s conference at which Imaculee Ilibagiza was the speaker. You likely know her story, even if you don’t remember her name: she’s written and spoken extensively about the Rwandan genocide when she spent three months in a tiny bathroom with seven other women… only to find out when she emerged that all nearly her entire immediate family had been killed. Imaculee eventually found the faith to forgive her family’s murderers.

“Someone told me, ‘I couldn’t do what she did,’” my friend said. “And I told her maybe you’re not called to. Maybe if you’re 90 percent there, that’s enough for right now. Or maybe if you’re 10 percent there, that’s enough for right now.”

It got me to thinking. Could I spend three months in a tiny bathroom with seven other people? I hope I never have to find out. Could I forgive people who destroyed people I love? I hope so. Which is the greater death of self? Maybe that depends on who you are.

It’s been said that few of us are called to martyrdom in the traditional sense. But aren’t we all called to it every day, as we struggle to set aside our reservations about people and situations… and follow with our whole hearts? For in Him, we will always find mercy, regardless of what the world dishes out. Imaculee knows that. She lives it, and so do countless others we know—including those with whom we have deep conversations at 5:30 in the morning—though perhaps not in as public ways.

Action

Journal about an attitude or reaction you desire the Lord’s help in letting die.

With Great Anxiety

Intricate woodworking from the central
wood screen inside Abu Sarga, the
oldest church in Coptic Cairo where
St. Joseph took Mary and Jesus to stay for
about three weeks during their sojourn in
Egypt to escape King Herod.
2010 Photo from a family trip to Egypt.

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“…when your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom.  He it is who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever.  I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.” 2 Samuel 7:12-14A

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."  Luke 2:46-48

Piety

Seek Ye First (The Kingdom of God) 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Allelu, alleluia

Man shall not live by bread alone
But by every word
That proceeds from the mouth of God
Allelu, alleluia

Ask and it shall be given unto you
Seek and ye shall find
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you
Allelu, alleluia

Study

Joseph could have quietly broken up with Mary and we would be celebrating a different saint today.  But he did not.  Rather than seeking his own righteousness, Joseph sacrifices his own pride and ego and puts God’s plan above his.  In the end, Joseph overcame his fears about what people might say and accepted the words of the angel which were delivered to him.

In the alternative Gospel reading for today, Jesus gives his Mother another seemingly flippant answer.  I think I for one would have preferred if he answered he more like he answered the disciples in Matthew’s Good News:

Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them. (Matthew 6:26-29)

However, Jesus got across the message of the primacy that needed to be devoted to God’s plan.

Action

We are just hours away from the start of the Women’s 149^th Cursillo Weekend (with two more weekend experiences to follow in early spring).  Mary’s words on this day are strikingly significant.  She could be a candidate at Missionhurst Friday night. 

“[We] have been looking for [Jesus] with great anxiety."

This might be a comment made Thursday night as the candidates gather with the team for the first time.  Or it might come out in Table/Group discussions Friday morning.  The candidates approach the weekend like Mary seeking Jesus and like we did…with anxiety. 

What will the Lord have planned for them?

How will their families cope with their absence?  And how will they cope with the changed presence after Sunday night’s closing ceremony?

How will their workplace, school or volunteer organization fare without their services for the extended period?

The candidates are coming to the weekend in search of something…hopefully, that includes a closer walk with Jesus.  Yet, they do not know what will be delivered.  Thus, their anxiety over the future.

Let us support these three upcoming teams – especially the weekend starting Thursday night.