Monday of the Second Week in Lent
The Word made flesh. This is who we believe Jesus is. He, though intangible, entered into tangible reality. The mind that thought up toes could now stub his own! In doing so, Jesus exhibits an extraordinary ability to teach in tangible ways. He can break things down for us and give truly practical analogies. He teaches us both with his words and the way he uses them.
Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Let’s face it, Catholics are odd. We bless nearly anything with holy water. We often retain the bodily remains of our human heroes- the hand of Saint Teresa of Avila or the head of Saint Catherine of Siena to name a few. Even the sign by which we identify ourselves is unmistakably odd- the image of a man subjected to an ancient Roman form of execution. That’s pretty odd! Our oddness only seems to intensify during the current season of Lent. We put ashes on our forehead, we willingly participate in acts of self-denial, and we eat fish- lots and lots of fish. Now, obviously my examples are a bit tongue-in-cheek, as there are good reasons and tremendous beauty behind these practices. But my point remains the same: Catholics are odd.
Friday of the First Week of Lent
I have some clear memories of fighting with my brother when we were kids. We found all kinds of things to fight and argue about--sports, toys, games, chores, food, TV. I would be angry with him just because he won in a game of one-on-one basketball in the driveway. I even remember getting mad because he was looking at me in the morning while we were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast before school (oh how ridiculous that sounds 20+ years later). My own boys have already replicated some great examples, as well, at the ages of 5 and 3. In fact, just last week, my 5-old-year was upset during supper because his brother was looking at him. There is also some intentional antagonizing that happens with it--the 3-year-old began giggling a bit of an evil laugh as his brother was whining for him to “stoooooppp!”.
Thursday of the First Week in Lent
I will start this reflection with a confession. I have, more than once, asked God for a win for the Flyers men’s basketball team. I know. That’s pretty bad on a number of levels.
Wednesday of the First Week in Lent
Lent. As I encounter people, I generally hear three different approaches to it. The most common is “UGH, it’s Lent!” Another is “Lent? What’s that?” Less common is “I’m excited for Lent and all that God has for me!” Where do you find yourself as we enter into the second week of Lent 2020? I appreciate the folks who are honest about how they struggle to get through these 40 days of fasting and sacrifice. For many, it’s a slugfest, a difficult marathon, a daily grind. Perhaps moving into that third category of excitement simply involves a shift of our focus; a change of perspective from viewing the discipline of denial as an end in and of itself to recognizing it as a gateway to transformation in the power of God’s love. Lenten disciplines are a great exchange – an exchange of something of lesser value for something of infinitely greater value. As we are willing to exchange the needs of the body for the needs of our soul, we open ourselves to transformation. That’s what God desires. God desires more of you; God desires more of me. I don’t think God is interested in whether or not we can successfully run the marathon of physical denial. God is interested in us. The Lenten journey can become a pilgrimage of joy and excitement in the midst of denial and repentance as we shift our focus to earnestly desire and seek God’s transforming work within us. Every year in Lent, God presents us with an invitation to transformation. What is your RSVP this year?
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Something happened to me recently that brought out feelings I had not been in touch with for a while. What strikes me about moments like these is how a trauma from the past can be resurrected seemingly from nowhere. The thoughts and feelings that had been swaddled neatly, put into a drawer and forgotten, are fully active in random access memory. Fortunately, a reminder from a wisdom figure in my life helped me put away the anger and file it away.
Monday of the First Week of Lent
How do you expect your day to go? Do you already know who you will spend your day with? Have you already checked off in your mind which encounters you look forward to and which you will try to avoid? It's human to think this way. Neatly anticipating interactions gives us a certain amount of security. But what if we were surprised? What if we put on the mind of Christ—truly—and went on about our day with no preconceptions. What if we saw Jesus in every single person we meet today?
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Most people go to a physician when they are not well, however, there are times when people are encouraged to go for “healthy” check-ups. In the midst of these well visits, the various illnesses (that might be present) are addressed, but the physician also attempts to give guidance for healthy habits and lifestyle to improve long term health. Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that He comes to bring healing to sinners- those that are not well. Today’s first reading shares with us the ways of God that help us become healthier in our relationship with God and others. We need the mercy of God for our sins, and we also need to live lives grounded on the truths of God’s ways. God’s mercy and truth are what lead us closer to God where we find true life and health.
Friday after Ash Wednesday
The prophet Isaiah lets us know fairly clearly what kind of fasting God is desiring from us. And it does not involve bowing our heads “like a reed” and lying in sackcloth and ashes. Although, on Wednesday, beginning the season of Lent, the Church called us to bow our heads in prayer, fast and abstain from meat, and receive ashes in the sign of the cross on our foreheads. We also heard then from Matthew’s gospel on how to pray, fast, and give alms in secret, to not make a show of it. And now today’s reading from Isaiah offers us a different kind of “fasting” that God truly desires from us, in many ways more challenging, but also rewarding.
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Gregory Norbet, a former Benedictine monk at Weston Priory in Vermont, composes music “to introduce a sense of God’s peace and help impart the strength needed to meet life’s challenges.” As we begin our Lenten journey, let us reflect on his words in his hymn “Hosea” more closely.
Ash Wednesday
Welcome to Lent! I pray this season proves to be a deeply formative time in your spiritual journey and for our parish family. As I pray through today’s readings, I find these key action verbs: return (to the Lord), rend (your hearts), be reconciled (to God), give alms, pray, fast. As we reflect on these scriptures, let us ask ourselves: in what areas have I strayed from God? What sin do I recognize in my life, and can I “rend my heart” in contrition? In what way(s) do I need to be reconciled to God? Will I take seriously God’s invitation to give alms, pray, and fast sacrificially? Let us take stock also of where we find ourselves on our spiritual pilgrimage. Are we on course? Have we strayed off the path into the bushes? During his homily at last year’s Ash Wednesday Mass, Pope Francis called Christians to slow down in our fast-paced and often directionless lives and to experience Lent as a wake-up call for the soul. I find our Pope’s points to be a very helpful way in which to focus this reflection.
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Tomorrow Lent begins. Today, Shrove Tuesday or Marti Gras, the Church has given us a powerful reading from James to kick off this penitential season. We begin with the question, “…where do the conflicts among you come from?” This question can inform each of our individual Lenten observances this year. What’s at the root of the conflicts between you and others? What habit, disposition, memory, or belief feeds the conflict? What are we holding onto so tightly that we wish to fight about it?
Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
“Was that wise or foolish?” Those words come out of my mouth several times a week as I talk to my children about the choices they have made. I want to use biblical language that they will be able to connect with when they themselves take up the Scriptures as they get older. I also want to use words that have greater emotional, spiritual, and psychological depth. I don’t know why “smart” doesn’t seem to contain that as much for me, but today’s first reading aligns perfectly with what I’m trying to cultivate in my children. Here James sets forth not a definition of wisdom, but a rubric by which we can seek wisdom and specifically heavenly wisdom.
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
I have recently found myself praying a lot about what comes next - what’s after this life here on earth? I hope and believe that there is salvation to be had - that we are to be united with Christ in his heavenly kingdom. And then I find myself dwelling on the salvation of my children. Laying in bed on Wednesday night, trying to sleep, I found myself pondering how best to guide my children towards a relationship with God and with Jesus - how best to lead them to salvation. I journaled about my questions, I talked to God about it but I admit I still felt unsettled and was still wrestling with questions of how to best meet the spiritual (and physical and social and emotional) needs of all 4 of my children, when I woke up on Thursday.
Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Peanut butter and jelly, thunder and lightning, macaroni and cheese, Bert and Ernie, movies and popcorn, grilled cheese and tomato soup...it’s difficult to have one without the other--some might say impossible. These pairs exemplify powerful relationships that have been forged over time and etched into the fabric of our society (or at least our taste buds). Our first reading today expounds upon another relationship with far greater implications to our salvation: faith and works. We are asked, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” (Jas 2:14) Is it enough to merely believe in One God, the Father Almighty, etc. as we recite together at mass each week in the Nicene Creed? Does our acknowledgment of God’s existence suffice? Is it okay to go through the motions? Today, we get a resounding ‘NO!’--“faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (Jas 2:17).
Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
As Christians, we have to own it. We have to be able to say that we worship a very strange God. He’s the one who sought out lepers and unclean women and orphans and criminals. He’s the one who defied the rulers of the day to such an extent that they had to make an example of him. They didn’t just put him to death. They did so in the worst possible way. This is the guy we worship.
Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
As I reflected on today’s first reading from St. James, Simon & Garfunkle’s epic song, The Sound of Silence came to me. Paul Simon offers a prophetic commentary on our society’s ability to listen – to listen to one another, to our inner wisdom, and to the cry of the poor. This songwriter invites us into the silence; the only space in which to truly listen. St. James calls us into this space, where listening transcends hearing and the Word is made flesh within us.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
It happened again yesterday. My grocery list was clear. Somethings listed were given extra detail like found in a can. Clarity above and beyond, yet I still came home with two things on the list that I thought met the bill. Instead, I overlooked the details and now find myself going back to the store to get the correct product. What made matters worse was my wife had even shown me the product before I left the house.
Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Have you ever been so disappointed or exasperated all you could do was just sigh?
Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
A recent meal with 10 strangers around a common table in the home of an Argentinean couple came to mind when I read today’s gospel reading. Jesus recognizes the significance of food, and He also understands sharing food can be a means to bring unity and blessings. Through the sharing of food and all of our gifts, the reading today reminds us that God calls us to share our gifts with all people, so God’s love will be made known to the world.