Scripture: Lectionary 223. Feb.24. 2012. Isaiah 58:9-14. Psalm 86:1-2.3-4.5-6. Luke 5:27-32:

Reversal, renewal, and compassion are put before us this day.  The reversal is seen in the fact that Levi invites Jesus to a dinner and others come who do not meet the standards of the religious minded lawyers of the Law. Then Jesus invites the sinners, the unrighteous, and those who are spiritually sick.  They have need of a doctor and Jesus is that healer and savior for the friends of Levi.  Renewal is seen in the continuing message of Isaiah who keeps telling us to DO God’s will and not just think and pray about it. He spells out for us what that is so we need not ask that interminable question what is God’s will for me. His is an outgoing spirituality not merely looking inwardly at our sinfulness.  By actually doing good to our neighbor and loving our enemies we eradicate our inward and hidden sins. We have started Lent with enthusiasm and some practices and this start is half of the Lenten journey. (Well begun is half done!).

Jesus loves all of us. This is shown in the calling of Levi who represents us before we really loved and experienced Jesus as the most important person in our lives. Levi shows us how much we are loved when he responds to the call of Jesus.  No wonder he throws a party and invites those who are like himself to it. Some were very worldly or impure; others were cheaters and liars.  But they were called. Some were just waiting to be called. Levi broke through by answering the call of Jesus and we are to do that during this Lent.

Jesus is looking for an openness of heart and a desire to change and to follow him in the calls we receive through others. Jesus is our best counselor and doctor who makes us whole again in the image and likeness of God. He whispers in our ears and says, “The healthy do not need a doctor, sick people do.”

This Lenten season offers us the opportunity to change. The first step is to slow down and to listen to the living voice of Jesus beckoning us: “Come follow me.! Amen.”

Scripture: Lectionary 222 (Friday, Feb.24. Isaiah 58:1-9. Psalm 51:3-4.5-6.18-19. Matthew 9:14-15:

Fasting is the theme for today, the second day of our Lenten Journey with Jesus.  Matthew gives us the perspective about fasting both in this passage and what is narrated in the Sermon on the Mount.  This Sermon is the bigger picture of what Jesus asks of us and should frame our Lent with this more universal perspective.  Fasting is not done by Jesus disciples for as long as he, the bridegroom is among them. Thus there is a theme of the presence of Jesus working with his disciples in the plan of God we call salvation history.  But what about us who during Lent? We seem to think fasting is the toughest thing to do among the three proposed actions of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving? The Scriptures tell us otherwise and give us a new way of looking at fasting.

Isaiah does this by showing that fasting is seen more as freeing captives, helping the poor, visiting the sick.  We recognize his list as close to what we call the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. These are in front of us as works to be done all throughout Lent.   Our Lenten fasting and abstinence has been reduced to yesterday, Ash Wednesday. So we have only Good Friday left for the stricter and limited concept of fasting.  Jesus is dying on the cross and is not going to be with his disciples till his resurrection.  The bridegroom is being taken away  from the disciples of Jesus, so we fast on Good Friday and abstain in memory of this on the other Fridays. We are probably eating healthier on these Fridays in Lent!

Creative fasting is what the prophet is calling for and this too is the thought of Jesus who is concerned with healing people and bringing the Good News of the Kingdom to all who will listen.  Fasting is not one of his preoccupations in his ministry.  The Scriptures push us to think of fasting in doing good works for others as we frequently see in Isaiah, Psalm 51, and in Jesus’ teachings.  Paying attention to these works is a form of fasting from our distractions, our personal gratifications, and turning to the other.  What are the corporal works of mercy? Can you enumerate them?  The Catechism both old and new  tell us they are the following: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, and bury the dead.  

These acts are quite specific and practical and some of them can be carried out during this Lent as an act of fasting from our own preferences.  We are not the disciples of John the Baptist who fasted often, but disciples of the Lord the bridegroom among us in the person of others.  We can be creative and more in touch with the spirit of fasting by being generous with our time, by listening carefully to others and allowing them to speak when they are shy, to be patient,  and keep doing “random acts of kindness.” We join with the reasonableness of Jesus, the guidance of the Holy Spirit helping us to think creatively and to do these corporal works of mercy.  Lent is not “giving up” but rather “giving out and going out of ourselves.”   Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary 221, Feb 23. Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Psalm 1:1-2.3.4.6. Luke 9:22-25.

Choices and decisions are important in our lives. This includes those choices that deal with our relationship with God and neighbor as well as some of the personal choices that are within the secrecy of our hearts.  Today’s Scriptures help us to think about and reflect upon how to make good choices and decisions.  Reason, sound judgment, and discernment through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit are part of the decision making process both in our spiritual lives and our ordinary ways of living out life.

Deuteronomy is an I –Thou book of Scripture. Like the Gospel of John it involves making a decision about how we relate to God.  This covenant book is a pure gift from God that can help us through this season of Lent.  We listen to God’s voice through Moses, the great leader and law giver of Israel: “Choose life…by loving the Lord your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.” These are motivational and emotional words that go straight to the heart. We are receiving clear advice from this great book of the Scriptures. 

Jesus also offers advice for leading the life of love and commitment to God.  We follow him by taking up our cross, denying ourselves so that we may experience God in our minds and hearts. What profit is there in gaining everything this world has to offer and then losing the life that God created us for and proved through the example of his Son Jesus who gave himself totally to the will of the Father and showed us the way of the Cross.  The question posed in the last verse of the Gospel is one that we could meditate upon each day of this Lenten journey with our brothers and sisters. 

The framework of our making the right decisions and choice is seen in Psalm 1 which opens up the whole book of psalms for us.  We are to choose the right path and know it through its flowing waters that nurture the trees that never fail in producing fruit nor losing their leaves.  It is a wisdom psalm that has as its context making the right choice by taking the right path in life under God’s guidance in and through the Holy Spirit.

We have the Divine Indwelling within our hearts that we received at our Baptism. Through developing our baptismal gifts of the Spirit and of faith, hope, and love, we are choosing life.  It is a life of abundance that leads us to everlasting life.  Jesus is there with us when we make such decisions as these Scriptures advise. Our Lenten Journey has begun, let us choose life! Amen.

Prayer and added reflection:   Luke intensifies our call to embrace the life God wishes us to live on a daily basis.  We lose our lives in order to gain them through our following of the Son of God. Here is where we find the true meaning of the gift of life God has given us. This is a paradox. Yet, life is full of paradoxes. Jesus doesn’t make it easier for us in using paradoxes but he does force us to think through our choices and decisions.

We pray: We pray, Lord, to help us take up the cross you have given us each day. May we choose life over death so that as we approach the goal and final celebration of this sacred season in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, we may continue each of these Lenten days with the help of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary for Ash Wed. #220. Feb.22. Joel 2:12-18. Psalm 51: 3-4.5-6,12-13.14.17.  II Corinthians 5:20-6:2. Matthew 6:1-6,16-18:

Each year we hear or read the same Lenten readings. They are part of the long tradition of the Church to keep them the same. Yet, we find ourselves ready to accept them in a new way as we begin this Lent.  Our desire to be better and to change some of our patterns in behavior are part of our inner acceptance of this season of renewal and denial of some of our selfishness.  The symbol of ashes helps us call to mind that we are created in the love of God and are redeemed in that love. “There is a time for being born and a time for dying.” 

Lent calls us to be open to some creative ways of changing ourselves for the good of others and for our own progress in the spiritual life. Joel is the alarm which wakes us up to looking at fasting while realizing the blessings of God: “Rend your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” From Psalm 51—one of the greatest of psalms—we are helped to pray our repentance and to enter into Lent with a new desire within our hearts.  From Paul we hear another clarion cry:”Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation.”

Matthew’s image of Jesus is that of a great teacher just like Moses was. We learn much about how to observe Lent from passages taken from the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7).  Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are seen within the bigger picture of the sermon and the context of Matthew’s spirit of teacher-disciple. We do not take the three actions of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting lightly, nor do we display our good works and prayers to be seen by others.  We do Lent quietly and without ostentation.

Meditating and rereading the Sermon on the Mount gets us into the spirit of Lent and helps us to change and to become disciples of Jesus our Master Teacher.  We may wish to meditate on this sermon while reading it attentively and slowly in these opening days of Lent. We will find ourselves enjoying the blessings and graces of God while making our daily activity, ministry, and work more enjoyable. Amen.

Lenten Meditation 2:

Blessed William Joseph Chaminade (1761-1850) had a saying that can motivate our forty days of Lent.  He said, “The essential is the interior.” The liturgical readings are about the essential and go to the heart of each of us who are eager to follow Jesus more closely during this sacred season.  All of today’s liturgical readings go directly to the human heart.  Joel encourages us to return to the Lord with all our heart.  The powerful expression in Joel for doing this is “Theshuvah” from the verb Shuv which means to turn completely around (and thus to face God).  The word is associated with confessing our faults and sins on the Day of Atonement and in our Christian and Catholic religion it means that Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the closest we come to the Jewish celebration of Yom Kippur. 

Jesus in the most Jewish of Gospels, that of Matthew, is encouraging us in his sermon to look deeply into our hearts and to do penance by fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. 

Paul tells us to become ambassadors of God’s reconciliation and God’s love for all of us.  Everything thus starts this Lent from a change of heart that is shown in our love for one another and our sincerity in good works.  Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary 342. Tue. Feb.21. James 4:1-10. Psalm 55:7-8.9-10.10-11.23. Mark 9:30-37:

James’ words prepare us for tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, our traditional way of starting the Lenten season.  James gives us this advice: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you…cleanse your hands…purify your hearts.”

Our Psalm also helps us to prepare for this season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (generosity in all its forms not only giving financially). Our refrain is “Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.” (Psalm 55:23). Our Psalm 55, like our prayer, is filled with crying out to God who alone seems to be our friend. Only God is able to bring us through. Verse 23 helps us put our trust in God with the simple phrase, “I will trust in you.”  We will find that our solution through prayer is not so different from the psalmist’s.

Jesus helps prepare us for the holy season of Lent by telling us the same thing he tells his disciples.  We must bear our own cross and follow after him up to Jerusalem and then to Calvary where we are crucified with him. This is the second of three predictions Jesus makes in Mark’s Gospel. We see them in the second part of Mark’s Gospel beginning with 8:31, then 9:35-37, and finally in 10:42-45.

We can make efforts at understanding Jesus’ predictions and not be like the disciples who misunderstood the way Jesus points out to them.  They misinterpret him in the first part of this Gospel but will soon be confronted with the reality of his sufferings, death, and resurrection which was mentioned in all three predictions! 

Mark is able to help us this Lent for as an evangelist is revealing the cost of discipleship and the meaning of the cross. We could make our prayer the slow and reflective reading of this first Gospel during this season. Thus we will be led through the mysteries of Christ (called the Paschal Mysteries).  Since this is the liturgical year dedicated to Mark we do well to read the entire Gospel and learn more about the cost of discipleship. 

As today’s gospel ends we see that we need to be humble like the child Jesus is holding in his arms.  We are not to be selfish with our gifts of grace and nature but to share them with whoever comes to us during these days of Lent. This would be the ideal of our fasting and our almsgiving.  “Jesus was one of the first to see how essentially precious any person is, particularly a young child. A concern for children was not invented by the welfare state: it goes back to the teaching of Jesus. (see also Mark 10:13-16).” (Moule, Mark, page 75) Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary 341. Feb.20. James 3:13-18. Psalm 19:8.9.10.15.Mark 9:14-29:

Lent is just two days away. Today’s passage from Mark is applicable to our getting ready for Ash Wednesday where we will have different Gospel selections for each day.  We will leave Mark’s Gospel and prepare ourselves for listening attentively to the daily readings that have been traditional for the Lenten season.

Three of the great actions of Lent are central to Judaism and Islam as well as to Christians.  They are essential to our relationship with God and neighbor thus they are connected to the universal theme of the Golden Rule. This foundational principle helps us to put it more intensely and consistently into practice. The three practices are prayer, fasting, and generous giving of our talents and resources to others.  The latter is called almsgiving and it is emphasized in the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, and the Qur’an (Koran). The Koran has these three as pillars of their belief practices.

The exorcism that Jesus accomplishes over the son or child of a father who comes to believe and trust that Jesus can perform this miracle.  The dialogue between Jesus and the father is at the center of the encounter of Jesus with others in on the scene—the disciples and the scribes (lawyers of the Mosaic Law). The skill of Mark’s lively thick description makes this one of the most colorful and lively of the miracles of Jesus. Mark is at his best as a narrator, evangelist, and writer. All in the story is dynamic in its presentation.

Jesus has the power over the most overwhelming demonic evil. This has already been displayed in another exorcism that we heard in chapter five. The disciples gather with the crowd which is interested in the dispute and dialogue they have with the scribes. Jesus appears on the scene and things start to happen in rapid succession.  The disciples realize that they have not succeeding in their attempts at exorcism so that must be part of the lively conversation of the scribes and disciples; the crowd is the audience and Jesus is the one who will bring the event to a climax of healing the son of the one seeking help.  He manifests what is necessary for Jesus to help him and cure his son by expelling the evil power within him.  The father cries out, “I have faith, help me where faith falls short.” (Mark 9:24).  The demon also gives his best efforts to overcome what Jesus intends to do, but he falls short and after the convulsions of the young man cease, he is healed and the evil demon is expelled and gone.  We see the reactions of the crowd which is described as their awe at what Jesus has done and will do; the scribes are present to confront the disciples with their questions and doubts.  Only Jesus is calm and is able to achieve what the disciples cannot. He also amazes the crowd and overcomes the doubts and questions of the scribes.

The reason why the disciples could not expel the demon is given in the last word of the passage—prayer.  They had not prayed and therefore could do nothing against the evil power of the demon. Their faith in Jesus was not supported by one of the greatest essentials of religion—prayer.  They had forgotten to remember that Jesus prayed and Jesus had taught them how to pray and when to pray.  This incident is fortuitous for us as we approach another Lenten season. We are encouraged by the Scriptures and the Church to pray more intensely, intentionally, and frequently.  Yet, there is more to it. We need to fast in new ways, and to be more generous of our time for others, our talents used for others, and our resources given to those in need.  Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving have to take on a more intense and intentionally meaning in this new Lent.

Even though only prayer is mentioned in the text, we know that glosses or additions to the word for prayer have been found in the lesser important manuscripts which add fasting.  We know well that almsgiving or generosity and hospitality have to be added to our modern way of observing Lent.  Another important fact is that the Hebrew Scriptures and Judaism practice all three.  Islam considers the three among their five pillars of their religion. Thus we can join in the practices with them as a way of solidarity that would make this world better. They are in agreement with these three practices and those who are not against us are for us as Jesus has taught.  This can be the intentionality that we can add to our practices this coming Lent which is only two days away. 

Whatever wavering faith the father had, needed to be met and reinforced by Jesus’ own complete and trustful reliance on God—his confident, believing prayer. (C.F.D. Moule). Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary 85. Feb. 19, 2012. Isaiah 43:18-19.21-22.24-25. Psalm 41:2-3.4-5.13-14. Mark 2:1-12:

When was the last time you heard a sermon or homily about sin?  The topic is rarely treated and yet the Scriptures present it quite often. Today’s Scriptures are addressing the issue of sin. The Scriptures give us the living voice of Jesus and of the patriarchs and prophets.  They are the divine U-Tube for attracting our attention and making us think and do something.  We are to begin anew and this can start as the Psalm says by singing a new song.  God is doing something within us when we deal with the confrontation of our sins.

Some are haunted by the sins and mistakes of the past. The new song is that through spiritual guidance and the sacrament of reconciliation these sins are forgiven and there is no need to turn back to them or remember them out of fear of punishment. The chapter of that book of our life is written and is closed.  We are to realize that God wants us to do new things with our lives and to let the past go.  That part of our story in our personal book is closed; we move on with a new song to the Lord.

Our psalm today is similar to a sung act of contrition. When we are finished with the singing of the psalm we move on to the new chapters in our book of life with God and Jesus.

In the healing of the paralytic we see that Jesus has the power not only to heal the man of his affliction but also to forgive sins.  His healing is a confirmation that Jesus does forgive sins and saves us from sinning again if we focus on his presence in our lives at the present moment.

The beautiful passage from St. Paul shows us Jesus always singing a new song that begins with YES and ends with Yes.  There is neither a “no” a  “maybe” in his song. God’s word is always a Yes in Jesus. Conversion and repentance are a Yes that helps us prepare for the season of Lent.  We realize that Jesus learned how to say YES to the Father from his earliest years and carries it through the rest of his life. The last book of the New Testament encases that YES in Jesus’ being the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of a new song. His mother’s first mention in the Scriptures is  her YES to the Lord in the Annunciation.( Luke 1: 38). No wonder Jesus learned how to say YES at an early age and continued to sing it in the new song of his life.  We can come to new life this Lent and learn how to sing the new song of YES to God.  Amen.

Scripture for Feb.18 Lect. 340:  James 3:1-10. Psalm 12:2-3.4-5.7-8. Mark 9: 2-13.

Transition is important in Mark’s Gospel. Today we experience it in the narrative about the Transfiguration of Jesus. Three of his first disciples are with him on the mount (Tabor is the traditional spot). Peter, James, and John are to experience his being transfigured in brilliant light while speaking and dialoguing with Elijah and Moses.  They may represent the Prophetic and the Torah theme of the Bible.  As we listen to Mark we discover that they are questioning Jesus about the meaning of “rising from the dead.”  Resurrection was not a common theme in the Hebrew Scriptures but it did develop after the prophetic writings come to an end. Here we look at it from a Christian perspective.  In fact, some scholars believe it may be a resurrection account that Mark rewrites into the event of the Transfiguration.  But let us always take the viewpoint that the story narrator gives us his story and he means it to happen during the days of Jesus’ active ministry.  Perhaps, the first verse should not have been omitted in the liturgical reading of the Gospel for today for it specifically mentions that this happened after six days. 

Moses, Elijah, and Jesus are formidable figures in the covenant love God has for all of us and they do lead us to contemplate this mystery with more attentiveness than usual.  John Paul II place it as the fourth mystery of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary which cover important historical happenings in the life of Jesus’ public ministry before going up to Jerusalem for the last time.

Jesus has stressed elsewhere that God is the God of the living in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He is that living God for Moses, Elijah, himself and us!  We, as members of the Mystical Body and the Communion of Saints, are believers in the Resurrection.  Jesus’ words and his actual resurrection are the mainstay and foundation for our participation in this overwhelming mystery of our faith. God has told us in the Transfiguration that Jesus is his Beloved.  Mark says it this way, “This is my Son, my Beloved; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7).

A cloud overshadows the three disciples and they realize that they are now alone with Jesus. Elijah and Moses are gone.   He answers their question about Elijah while remaining faithful to the fact that it would be Elijah who brings in the Messiah.  Elijah is said to be John the Baptist in the words of Jesus, meaning that the historical person to usher in the Messiah is John the Baptist during the time of Jesus. “Yes, Elijah does come first to set everything right.” (Mark 9: 12).  C.F.D. Moule has commented upon these verses about Elijah and Jesus’ answer: “As for Elijah, if he is expected to be the forerunner—the first to come— the most realistic interpretation of that, Jesus tells them, is not the terrific vision they have just seen, but the hard facts of the martyrdom of John the Baptist, his forerunner in actual history. So the vision is ‘brought down to earth’, not by denying its reality but by showing what it means: devoted toil, suffering, death.”

Thus together with the three disciples we have experienced a glimpse of the resurrection. We learn from our omniscient Evangelist that the way to resurrection is to follow Jesus up to Jerusalem and then to Calvary. This is the only path to Resurrection.

The Transfiguration calls us to personal conformity to Christ and a transformation and a transition in our believing that we are united to Christ in all of his mysteries.  The mystery of rising from the dead is essential to the life, death, and resurrection.  We are helped by these two passages of Paul: “Adapt yourselves no longer to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed.” (Romans 12:2).  ‘…we all reflect as in a mirror the splendor of the Lord; thus we are transfigured into his likeness…’ (II Corinthians 3:18 ).  Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary 339: James 2:14-24,26. Psalm 112:1-2,3-4,5-6. Mark 8:34-9:1.

“Faith without practice is thoroughly useless.” St. James, the Apostle, uses these strong words to awaken us from our lethargy today.  He continues,“without works faith is idle.”  We also know that “all is grace” when it comes to who we are in relationship to our Creator and Redeemer.  This grace in our history of salvation has to be responded to with our human mind, heart, and will.   We have learned time and time again that we are created in the image and likeness of God according to the words of Genesis in chapter one. Rabbi Leonard Kenecki says we are given the image of God as pure gift and what we do with it is the “likeness”.  This seems very close to what St. James is trying to imprint in our hearts and minds.   James then tells us, “A person is justified by his works and not by faith alone.” 

Without arguing or without polemic we are people who seek wholesomeness and integrity.  In the Scriptures these are frequently brought together by faith, acts, and grace.  All three are necessary and are like “love and marriage going together like a horse and carriage” as a classic old song put it. We are called to be creative agents of God’s redeeming love and grace.  That is quite a call and a lifelong commitment.

The Psalm Response and its verses bring out clearly in a prayer genre what James is talking about. “Blessed are those who do what the Lord commands.” (Psalm 112:1).

Jesus in the Gospel calls us to the active following of him on the way to Calvary. This is a central message of the first Gospel and is repeated dramatically three times after the Transfiguration.  This requires our active response to the grace and call to discipleship.  “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross and follow in my footsteps.” This is a call to action as well as a belief in Jesus’ words.  Faith must be active each day in us to do whatever Jesus is telling us. His own mother Mary is one of the best models for doing this. She understood through her faith in her son and thus tells not only the steward and the waiters at Cana “to do whatever (Jesus) tells us. She also means we are to do whatever Jesus tells us. Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary 339: James 2:14-24,26. Psalm 112:1-2,3-4,5-6. Mark 8:34-9:1.

“Faith without practice is thoroughly useless.” St. James, the Apostle, uses these strong words to awaken us from our lethargy today.  He continues,“without works faith is idle.”  We also know that “all is grace” when it comes to who we are in relationship to our Creator and Redeemer.  This grace in our history of salvation has to be responded to with our human mind, heart, and will.   We have learned time and time again that we are created in the image and likeness of God according to the words of Genesis in chapter one. Rabbi Leonard Kenecki says we are given the image of God as pure gift and what we do with it is the “likeness”.  This seems very close to what St. James is trying to imprint in our hearts and minds.   James then tells us, “A person is justified by his works and not by faith alone.” 

Without arguing or without polemic we are people who seek wholesomeness and integrity.  In the Scriptures these are frequently brought together by faith, acts, and grace.  All three are necessary and are like “love and marriage going together like a horse and carriage” as a classic old song put it. We are called to be creative agents of God’s redeeming love and grace.  That is quite a call and a lifelong commitment.

The Psalm Response and its verses bring out clearly in a prayer genre what James is talking about. “Blessed are those who do what the Lord commands.” (Psalm 112:1).

Jesus in the Gospel calls us to the active following of him on the way to Calvary. This is a central message of the first Gospel and is repeated dramatically three times after the Transfiguration.  This requires our active response to the grace and call to discipleship.  “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross and follow in my footsteps.” This is a call to action as well as a belief in Jesus’ words.  Faith must be active each day in us to do whatever Jesus is telling us. His own mother Mary is one of the best models for doing this. She understood through her faith in her son and thus tells not only the steward and the waiters at Cana “to do whatever (Jesus) tells us. She also means we are to do whatever Jesus tells us. Amen.