February 25, 2018: Second Sunday of Lent

God shows the measure of His Love for us in giving of His Son, so that we might have Life in Him.

This giving of the Son is prefigured in the story of when God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but then stopped him right as the knife was to go down, because He saw how devoted he was to God, to the point of not even withholding his son.  And so Abraham became the Father of the people of God.  All the nations of the Earth find blessing in Abraham's descendents, which included Jesus.

We have hope because this man Jesus was the Son of God.  We see in Him that God is truly for us, because He did not spare even His own Son.  God gave a glimpse of the glory of His Son in the Transfiguration, so we could see Jesus as God does, and acknowledge Him as the One.  As His people, we find our identity in Him, and see ourselves as God sees us.  We turn from our own ways, mired in sin, toward God, listening to Him as He directs our ways to Eternal Life in Him.

February 18, 2018: First Sunday of Lent

In the early days of the Church, someone desiring to join would go through a lengthy process of preparation, which would intensify in a 40-day period before Easter, at which the initiation sacraments would happen.

This 40-day period of time has since become the liturgical season of Lent, and the reading and symbols often speak to baptism and what it means to be in relationship with God.

We see baptism as a major theme in the readings.  After flooding the Earth, God establishes a covenant between Himself and all living beings and even the Earth itself, promising never to destroy the Earth again.  St. Peter in the 2nd reading writes about how the flood prefigures baptism, which is not removing dirt from the body physically, "but an appeal to God for a clear conscience."

Lent is our opportunity in the desert space, where we come to understand who we are, to turn away from what is wrong and toward what is right, and what brings us closer to relationship with the God Who loves us.  Even Jesus gives us an example in the temptations He faces in the desert to turn away from sin and toward a right relationship with God.  It's fitting that His first proclamation after finishing His time in the wilderness is a call to turn toward God and grow closer in a relationship to which He invites us with Himself.

February 14, 2018: Ash Wednesday

There have been many news stories this week about death, leading much credence to the statement, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return."

In faith, though, we know that God allows us to live life abundantly, so we don't have to resign ourselves to a meaningless existence and simply becoming dust.

As Ash Wednesday coincides with St. Valentine's Day, we remember how God poured out His Love for us in Jesus Christ, Who died, so we could live that abundant life.

Lent is our opportunity to respond to that Love from our hearts, turning toward Him, and seeking to grow in relationship with Him.

Now is our chance, now is our time, because God is here before us, inviting us into the way of salvation and new life.

February 11, 2018: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus shows a new way by reaching out to heal a leper, who was otherwise cast out of society as one unclean, according to stipulations laid out in the Mosaic law, which we hear in the 1st reading.  Lepers also were under a cloud that somehow their conditions was a sign of punishment by God.

Jesus cleanses all of us from sin and what holds us down so that we can live life vibrantly and abundantly.  And He extends to us a share in His mission, being imitators of Him as we reach out to include others, too, and allow them to experience His vibrant healing touch.

February 4, 2018: 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Job expresses a reality that we all encounter at one time or another, that life is full of drudgery, miserable and restless.

But God has stepped into that reality in Jesus Christ, showing us that God has come to heal the brokenhearted, as He heals many people in the Gospel reading.  One commentary I read noted that He was not afraid to touch Simon's mother-in-law, even though she was sick, and once He helped her up, the fever left her and she served them.  God raises us up from what holds us down, and gives us purpose in life, to serve others in His Name.  St. Paul speaks of living out this purpose, being devoted to proclaiming the Gospel as a means of service to others.

I couldn't help but think about this as I watched the latest episode of the Masterpiece program Victoria, entitled "Faith, Hope, and Charity".  The Irish people suffered greatly because of the famine that overtook the land due to the potato crop failure, and many people wanted them to languish and die in this miserable existence, largely because they were Roman Catholic.  But many, including Dr. Traill and Queen Victoria herself, showed great courage in wanting to look past denominational divides and help them.  This is truly our call, to show love in service to one another, regardless of who they are, as God has so loved us.

February 2, 2018: Candlemas

This Feast hearkens back to 40 days ago when we celebrated the Nativity of the Lord.

At the Temple, Mary was purified and Jesus was presented as her firstborn son, dedicated to the Lord--just as He was dedicated to the Lord as the Messiah.

Simeon praises God for allowing him to see the Messiah, and lauds this child as the One Who shall be Light and Glory for Israel and all the world, since, as Messiah, He is the One chosen to be the sacrifice to bring salvation.

He is the One we look to for salvation, the One Who brings the Light of God's presence to our world and our hearts.