Ordinarily my family and I would be looking forward to receiving our blessed palm branches tomorrow at Mass as we celebrated the beginning of Holy Week. This year is going to be a little different. I find myself disappointed to be missing out on this great liturgical celebration and I feel let down that I cannot be in the presence of Jesus at such a a poignant time.
Today’s scriptural selection, Ezekiel 37: 21-28, gave me some reassurance. Line 27 says, ” My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.” God is everywhere. Jesus Christ is sacrificed on the altar every single Mass and is made physically present to us in the words of the consecration. And while the priest places Him into the tabernacle after communion, He does not stay there. Having received Jesus sacramentally we bear Him out into the world wherever we go. We are the body of Christ. “My dwelling shall be with them.” God reassures us that we are never abandoned, never too far from His loving and watchful eye.
Reflecting on this reality afforded me the realization that I don’t have to be physically in front of the altar for God to be with me. He knows I deeply desire to be with Him there but He’s reminding me, reminding us, that He cannot be contained. As receivers of the sacraments we belong to Him. As long as we desire to be close to Him, He will not abandon us. If anything, He is closer to us now more than ever as He works to console us during our time of incredible need.
Let us not give in to the anxiety and fear swirling around us right now. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the joy of this season. Let us not forget the words of Jesus, “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” MT 28:20.
Are you a person who thrives by them? Are you someone who prefers to “see” how something is done before you attempt it yourself? Are you someone who enjoys creating ‘How to’s’ for others? I am definitely dependent upon examples in my life. I find that I generally feel more confident beginning anything unfamiliar if I can see an example of how to do it first. From cooking or baking something unfamiliar, to installing a household appliance, the more examples I can get my hands on the better convinced I become that I can do it too.
I feel like if we have learned anything from history it’s that people tend to be really good at giving examples, whether by their instruction, their actions, or their lives. As children most of us were brought up very similarly to how our own parents were raised. Though we didn’t realize it at the time, we were learning how to act, behave, speak and think, molded around the examples our parents had been given.
Somewhere down the road of adulthood we find ourselves shell-shocked when we utter a familiar phrase or react or behave a certain way, recognizing that word or attitude to belong to someone else from the past. You may even catch yourself uttering, “Oh, no, I sound just like my ___.” Our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, neighbors, classmates, roommates, boyfriends/girlfriends, etc. all taught us things by way of their examples. Much of how we live our lives comes from the influence of others and what they taught us, from how to fold our laundry to what political party we should vote for. What we chose to do with the examples of others has shaped who we are as individuals.
Do you know who else is really good at giving examples? God. Throughout the old testament He lead His followers through all sorts of calamities and sorrow by the example of His holy and chosen people. Great prophets who fearlessly led God’s people, often blindly at times, trusting their faith in God to see them through. Their example of faithfulness and fidelity to God inspired others to follow suit.
God gave us a more tangible example of His great love of us when He sent His son Jesus Christ. Everything about Jesus was meant to be our example. From His humble and lowly birth, through to His miraculous healings, miracles and ministry, and finally His death and resurrection. These were all examples of how we are to live our lives, with humility, trust in God, complete abandonment to the will of God, and commitment to follow God even through the biggest trials of our lives. Jesus’s resurrection furthered the example as to the reward God bestows on His beloved.
Our sphere of influence has always included God, even if some of us only ever knew Him as our conscience. Every Bible story, every Mass attended, every family rosary, every charitable activity, these were all the examples of God, working to inspire and influence us into deeper relationship with Him. Have we worked to cultivate these practices of attending Mass, praying, reading the Bible and performing charitable acts this Lent? Have we led anyone closer to Jesus by the examples of our lives? There’s still time, friends. We have just under 2 weeks left to close out this years Lenten journey. Let us open our hearts to God and invite Him to work through us for His greater glory.
REFLECTION: “Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.” Pope St. Gregory the Great.
I love stories about treasure hunting. I especially love watching them in movies and on television. I am easily swept away by the adventure, uncertainty, danger, exotic locations, and of course, the treasure. One of my favorite TV shows is Expedition Unknown. The host of the show is an archaeologist who travels all over the world in search of various treasures. He is very energetic and charismatic and therefore entertaining to watch.
He has dove to incredible depths, in frigid cold waters as well as tropical, in search of pirate treasure. He has climbed multiple mountains, including Everest, looking for treasure. He has traveled to Central American in search of Incan and Mayan treasures. He has followed alongside Dr. Zahi Hawass, famed Egyptologist, where they unearthed the remains of an Egyptian priest near the Valley of the Kings. Name a place and he’s been there! I often dream about how amazing it would be to get to travel to some of these locations to look for precious ancient artifacts. How exciting it would be to have your hard work rewarded and to be credited with an historically significant find! But what are the chances I will EVER find real treasure? And how much of it could really be out there to discover in a world that feels so transparent? Perhaps treasures have been closer to us then we may have realized. Maybe this year we might discover or rediscover them.
During Lent we make use of the sacraments, especially that of reconciliation and communion. These help us to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus on Easter Sunday. When we partake in the Holy Eucharist, we indeed receive the greatest treasure on earth. For many of us, the journey to the Eucharist can feel uncertain, as we have to wrestle with our fears of going to confession and asking for God’s forgiveness. We may even find we don’t know the way and depend on someone to guide us there. For others, they may know the way but somehow find themselves lost and on a different path. But once we move past the stumbling blocks and back onto the clearly marked path, we rejoice in the finding of that treasure so deeply longed for, Jesus Christ, in the Eucharist.
Perhaps you have been on a treasure hunt this Lent. Seeking to find the treasure your heart and soul longs for. Could it be reconciliation with a loved one? Establishing peace within your homes? Coming back to Jesus fully through the sacraments of the church? Deepening and strengthening your relationship with your spouse? Overcoming a personal struggle? Wherever it is we find ourselves, whatever the problem or need may be, God is the answer. Through Him all good things come. With Him peace will be found. In Him our souls will find the answer to their longing. May we all come to value the treasures we have in our lives, especially that of our faith and of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Eucharist.
My mom and dad brought over some groceries for my family today. Despite my protests of them being out and about during this time, they insisted. As soon as they pulled into the driveway we went out to greet them, within 6 feet of distance of course. The first thing my mom hands me is a beautiful hydrangea plant, springtime pink, in full bloom. “To brighten things up in the midst of all this crazy,” she said. I was moved. It wasn’t enough to drive to the store in the early morning hours, battle the rain storm, gear up in makeshift hazmat attire, weed through people and heavily picked-through grocery shelves, check off items on a list, gather items, drive to our home and deliver them, she also wanted to add her special touch, her something extra, just to make us smile.
Have you ever been blown away by a sunrise or sunset? Do you enjoy the melodious sounds of birds singing in the trees as they greet the new day? Have you ever laughed out loud at something funny your kids have said? Your spouse? A friend? Have you ever been greeted with a warm hello from a neighbor or wished a sincere “take care” from a complete stranger? These are all “something extra” given to us freely in order to make our day brighter. These things happen to us more often then not if we only pay attention. A text message that lifts our mood, the front parking space close to the store entrance, your favorite song playing on the radio, the something extras.
What ‘extra’ has God blessed you with today? My beautiful plant was one of them, but I received many others. When we mentally recall our day, it should be easy to see multiple “somethings” were all around us.
God’s love cannot be contained. He pours it out for you and I every minute of every day. Our health, our possessions, our family, our earth, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, etc., etc. On top of all that, He sends out reminders for those of us able to stop and acknowledge His handiwork.
CHALLENGE: Spend a few moments tonight before you fall asleep recalling the events of your day. Is there a moment you can recall where you were in the presence of God via His “something extra”? Did He send you a messenger, like He sent me, delivered joy, hope, laughter, support, peace today? Was there a moment you were taken aback by the beauty of our natural world that you experienced today? Thank God for it and ask Him to help you be able to identify His presence in your life more and more each day.
Today I am reminded of a famous Catholic hymn and responsorial psalm, psalm 104 “Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.” As I continue to try and wrap my head around how our world has changed over the past two weeks, I find myself humming this tune, “Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.”
Not to downplay the virus or to make light the sacrifice and sufferings of those afflicted, I can’t help but be encouraged by what I see and hear around me. With the amount of good coming out of this dark time it is hard to dismiss God at work.
Families are able to spend more time together doing basic things that would not have been done before social distancing and quarantining. Family dinners are now a ‘thing’, as is family game night, family outdoor play, family worship of the Lord on Sundays, overall togetherness. Could this be the spirit of God working to renew our families, i.e. His domestic church?
The environment has begun to heal itself as the air quality improves around the globe. Major industrial cities are now breathing air cleaner than they have since the 1950’s. National parks are reporting air quality data showing, in some cases, more than a 50% ozone clearing. The waterways around the world are beginning to transition back to their original brilliance, and sea creatures are returning to their abandoned homes since human pollution is down. Could this be God’s spirit renewing our battered earth?
Something wonderful and profound is happening to mankind as well. Isolation has somehow filled us with more kindness, charity, love and understanding than even the greatest natural disasters of the last 20 years. Companies and small businesses are banning together to problem solve and offer solutions in real time. Could this be God’s spirit renewing the human spirit by way of His own?
We are witnessing God at work all around us. He has removed all of our normal distractions and is asking if we are paying attention to Him? He demands and deserves our undivided attention. We have no excuses, my friends. The time is now. God wants to renew us now. He wants us to share so deeply in His death and resurrection this year like never before. Let us heed His call and allow our spirits to be moved and molded by His. Let us take the opportunity of these next two weeks to pray more, to listen more, and to seek God’s forgiveness and friendship. May His spirit of renewal fill you and your families with the hope of the resurrection.
Happy Passiontide! We are celebrating the 5th Sunday of Lent today. We had a very moving Gospel reading today to jump start us in our two week lead-up to Easter.
Today’s reading comes from JN 11:1-45. In this selection we really get to see the awesomeness of Jesus being both God and man. When he hears of his friend Lazarus’s death he is deeply moved. He travels to Martha and Mary’s house, sisters of Lazarus, in order to be with them in their grief, as well as to work a miracle so that those present would come to believe he was the Christ. We are told that Jesus “wept” and that he was “deeply troubled.” Can you imagine our God shedding tears over the loss of a loved one? Don’t you know he becomes deeply troubled when we fall into sin and lead a life far from Him, choosing to exclude Him from our daily lives. Jesus weeps along with Mary, the sister of Lazarus. He weeps alongside us too. When we experience hardship and loss he walks that journey alongside us too, sharing in our sorrow and grief.
Martha and Mary both greet Jesus in the street proclaiming “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus tells them “your brother will rise.” He then illicits from them their testimony of who He really is. Martha tells him, ” I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” Mary affirms her belief in him as Christ by her sorrowful exclamation. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It is after their profession of faith that Jesus is moved to act out of love for his friends. He speaks words of thanksgiving to God for having his prayer heard and then speaks those powerful words “Lazarus, come out.” We are told that Lazarus walks out of the tomb, alive, and restored to his sisters, thus ending their grief. Who among us would have been able to witness this and NOT believe that Jesus was the Christ, the messiah, “the one who is coming into the world”? Our God did not want to remain a faceless, formless, all-powerful deity as in the old testament. He wished to be seen, to be relatable and like us. To share in our humanity enabled him to connect with us intimately in our physical pain, joy, grief, happiness and sadness.
Now in the home stretch of Lent, may we pause today to give thanks to God for sharing in our human condition. May we be bold like Martha and Mary, proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. And in so doing be counted as one of God’s friends, like Lazarus, to be raised to glory.
When our ears and heart are open to God, he often times speaks to us in the least likely of situations. Today I experienced such a moment. After finishing a workout session on YouTube, the trainer concluded the session by stating “progression not perfection.” While this isn’t the first time I’ve ever heard this motto, I received it a little differently today. Progression not perfection. It is the perfect anecdote for Christian life.
God knows that as humans we are destined to make mistakes. He knows of our frailties and weaknesses as well as our innate desires to want to do the right thing as often as possible. God desires our will. He wants us to have the courage and the resolve to greet each day with a sense of purpose. He wants to be that purpose.
Lent gives us time to reflect interiorly and ask ourselves some tough questions. Are we striving to better ourselves by deepening our relationship with God? Are we making every effort or every excuse to spend time in prayer or quiet reflection getting to know God? Are we making every effort or every excuse to spend time in prayer or quiet reflection getting to know God? If we have been lax in our zeal for the Lord, why? Can we forgive ourselves and ask for God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. It is there that He waits to greet us and give us His grace to continue making progress on our journey to Heaven. None of us are perfect and that’s how God intended. He wants to be needed by us.
Progression not perfection. A beautiful challenge and reminder to always press ahead, never give up, and always move forward. It reminds us that we do not need to attain perfection to have worth, or to be valued or desired by God.
We, as humans, are fickle creatures. We are easily swayed by our passions, good or bad, and are so easily led astray. The daily readings of the past few days have shed light on this reality.
It is a strange feeling identifying with the peoples of Moses’s time. When they cried out in the desert, hungry for food and longing to end their journey, frustrated in following a god they could not see. How often I have felt these same feelings, searching through the overgrown foot paths of my life for a well-marked trail. Struggling to keep faith when I am experiencing what feels like God’s absence in my life.
Today we read in Exodus of the people making the molten calf and worshiping it, and how it angered God. I think of the times I have failed to put God in his proper place within my own life. Instead choosing to worship other things (the gods of wealth, the gods of entertainment/frivolity, the gods of earthly pleasures). But the biblical teachings do not end in despair, rather, God sends messengers- ministers, if you will, to lead the people and to be the voice of reason, guiding them to the straight and narrow path. Often times these prophetic individuals pleaded with God on behalf of mankind and were able to relinquish deserved punishment (EX 32: 7-14).
God in his mercy has been sending his prophets to the world throughout the history of time. In every age, in every culture, his love for us moves him to send his holy spirit among us to draw us closer to Him and avert our own punishment. These messengers, like Moses in Exodus, are even able to reason with God to steady His hand in enacting judgement.
It is as mentioned before, we humans are a stubborn and pigheaded lot. We often time think we have all the answers and are self-sufficient, relying on ourselves for everything. Excluding God in such a way that we are incapable of recognizing the signs around us and too busy to listen to the messengers He sends.
Luke 5: 19-31 has one of the most scandalizing lines in scripture. Jesus gives a sobering lesson on ignoring the teachings of God and the messages brought to His people through the prophets.
He tells the story of a rich man who dies having ignored a poor beggar that lived close to his home. The beggar dies on the same day. Upon death, the rich man finds himself in hell and from hell he sees the beggar enjoying heaven. Abraham is also there in heaven and corresponds with the man who begs to be allowed to visit his family to warn them of the reality of hell, so that they can amend their lives. Abraham says, “IF they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”
In over two thousand years, not much has changed. We still tend to ignore the men and women God sends us, we tend to turn a blind eye to the waywardness of the world as if not acknowledging such evils somehow releases us from the share in their sinfulness. Our world is suffering and experiencing unprecedented times. As we examine ourselves this Lent, let us not be afraid to look around a little. We are to be God’s light to the world, a beacon for others to guide them onto the right path. Let us not find ourselves like the rich man, where it is too late to save ourselves, rather, let us be God’s messengers, bringing His people back to Him, and inspiring a new generation of believers.
Water. For the past several weeks the daily scriptural readings have mentioned water. It seems pretty basic, hardly profound, and yet it is being mentioned over and over again. Water, as we know, is essential to sustain life. Our own human bodies are made up of over 50% water and our planet is 97% water. If we lose even as little as 10% of the water within our bodies, we begin to experience immediate health problems such as low blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, unconsciousness, all of which can and will prompt serious medical decline. When our earth becomes parched and various areas experience drought the foliage begins to wither and fade, animals migrate if they can or become sick and die, crops and vegetation become disturbed, which threatens commerce and incites fear amongst us. Water is vital to our existence and with it we have the opportunity to flourish and blossom. Water is life-giving. Over the past week we have read about Jesus’s encounter with the woman at the well. In his thirst he asks her for a drink. They engage in dialogue and Jesus tells her those that drink the water He gives will never thirst. We have read about Jesus meeting the ill man at the pool of Bethesda. He asks the man if he wishes to be made well and he is physically unable to get his body into the pool. Jesus heals him immediately. We also read of Jesus curing the blind man with his spittle and dirt where the man’s physical healing was only complete after he washed himself with water. What is the takeaway? We are transformed by water. It began at our baptisms. Our souls were cleansed by the sacramental waters and we were given God’s sanctifying grace, thus being invited into a closer relationship with God as His son or daughter. This Lenten season gives us a chance to renew that baptismal promise of belonging to the Lord. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, He wishes to give us water that will quench our thirst forever. If we abide in the Lord He sustains us. He gives us His life-giving grace, through the waters of Baptism, and this grace helps to sustain us until we reach our heavenly home. AS the waters of biblical time healed, refreshed, cleansed, and gave life, may it continue to do so in our present time. May the life-giving waters of God heal our brokenness, refresh our spirits, cleanse us from sin and help us to gain eternal life, where we shall thirst no more. REFLECTION: Consider acquiring a holy water font for your home. Put it in a place easily accessible to everyone in the home. Get into the practice of blessing yourself daily (maybe before leaving for the day, or before bed) as a way of renewing your own baptismal vows. Blessings to You and Yours!
