March 9, 2025: First Sunday of Lent

We journey into the desert with Jesus, led by the Spirit as He was to face our human weakness. There, we encounter the power of God at work.

The Hebrews journeyed through the desert, which was a call for them to wait upon God to provide for them.  They weren't so faithful.

Jesus, the Word of God, withstood temptation because He spoke the Word that is Truth and Life, showing us an example of how to be faithful.

In this Lenten journey, we strive to be faithful to God, with Jesus as our example, as we abide by and internalize the Word of God, knowing that God's brings us Abundant Life to us in Christ. We call upon Him, professing our faith and belief in the One Who, by the Paschal Mystery, has brought us to life.

I answered the call to live out belief during a week of service at St. Augustine Mission, a trip which concluded 12 years ago with my arrival home.  I continued to put faith into action a year later as I met with the Confirmation group as they continued to prepare for the sacrament.

In these experiences, I pondered deeply what it means to have a relationship with God and how I could be transformed to live it more fully as a profession of faith I have in God.

March 5, 2025: Ash Wednesday

We hear the pressing call to repent.  We must recognize our sinfulness and call upon God, for He is just and merciful.

We call upon Him in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving not to bring attention to ourselves but to honor Him, because we know that He is good to us, even when we are unfaithful.  He responds to people when they call out to Him and turn to Him anew.

As St. Paul bodly writes, now is the acceptable time and the day of salvation, by which we can be transformed anew to be holy before God Who has saved us.

March 2, 2025: 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Approaching the end of the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel according to St. Luke, Jesus calls His disciples not to fixate on the imperfections of others, but to turn inwardly and examine ourselves.  Because no one is perfect, we draw upon God to fill us so that we can bear good fruit.  No one is above our Teacher, and we should turn to Him so He can fill us to live His way.

We can persist in the good work of displaying righteousness in this world because Jesus has conquered death victoriously.  We live with great hope and purpose because of the newness of Life we have in our Savior.

Lent starts soon, and we go with hope, like in the spirit of this Jubilee Year, because we know that our God is alive in us and we have purpose.  It was that sense of purpose that motivated me as I traveled 500 miles with a group to serve in Nebraska 12 years ago this week as it inspires me to keep serving, especially as I accompany young people in my parish community to the sacrament of Confirmation so Christ may be alive in them.