February 26, 2023: First Sunday of Lent

We seek to conform ourselves more closely to Christ during these 40 days of Lent, and the liturgy reminds us of His 40 days in the desert on this First Sunday.

Tempted there, He took a decisive stand, which was part of God's plan of salvation to reverse the effects of sin unleashed when Adam and Eve gave in to the serpent's words and ate the fruit that God had forbidden.

That one act brought about sin and its pain and suffering.  Then Christ, by His obedience, had an even more powerful effect of bringing us back to God and sharing in His Life and Grace.

With Jesus as our perfect model, Lent is the time to follow in His ways.  We ground ourselves in the Truth of the Word of God, and see a way to face and overcome temptations, turning away from sin.  We grow closer to God, showing His character, which is what He desired by creating us.

February 22, 2023: Ash Wednesday

We hear the call to repentance once again on this Ash Wednesday, recognizing our sin and need for mercy.

Yet it goes beyond actions to the inner state of our hearts.

God honors those with hearts that are contrite and desire to leave aside what is unrighteous and draw closer to Him, abiding in His ways.

Indeed, God has made possible a way for us back to Himself.  Now is truly the acceptable time, the day of salvation, to turn to a new direction and live in the way God desires for us.

February 19, 2023: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God declares that He is holy, and calls us to holiness, because His Spirit dwells in us, so that we are a temple of God's presence to others. 

We are meant to reflect the character of righteousness He shows to all people, displaying goodwill to others.

Jesus adds new perspective to what the Law of Moses indicated when He declares that we should go beyond loving our neighbors and do good even to those who do harm to us and persecute us, noting that God causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on good and bad alike.  We see in Jesus's words the wisdom of God that is beyond our human understanding: Yet when we live it, we are demonstrating what is truly divine.  

Indeed, by showing to others what they don't deserve, we reflect what is truly holy, and that God is dwelling in us, His temples.

February 12, 2023: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The commandments of God are more than just rules: they are the means by which we enter into the life of God, and then go forth called and equipped to share it with others.  The language in the first reading from Sirach is similar to what Moses tells the people of Israel as recorded in Deuteronomy as they prepare to cross into the Promised Land.  Psalm 119, the longest psalm, says so much about what it means for us to follow the Law as a way of life.  Indeed, the call comes up throughout the Old Testament to choose the Law and so choose life.

Jesus Christ elaborates on this idea further, saying He has come not to abolish, but to fulfill the Law, so that it penetrates deep in our hearts and we live it more fully, as people who care for one another and act with integrity.

This understanding of the Law is akin to what St. Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians, that it demonstrates the wisdom of God revealed to us, showing us the way to the place God has prepared for us.

God has revealed to us the way we can uphold the demands of the Law, through the Spirit that brings the life of the Risen Jesus into us.

Today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, who is esteemed in US history for using his position as president to truly uphold the nation.  And when we think about the power of the Law, what counts is how we use it for a greater good.

Also, today is the anniversary of my Dad's baptism. And it is through baptism that we enter into the life founded upon Jesus Christ, Who fulfilled the Law, and bestowed on us His life, so that we may live what God truly intends for the Law.

February 5, 2023: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we cotninue in Post-Christmas Ordinary Time, now on the 5th Sunday falling on February 5, we once again encounter the theme of Light in the readings.

Isaiah the prophet calls people to move beyond mere fasting and pious acts to offer true worship to God through doing good deeds to serve the needy.  Doing so, he says, will cause their light to shine.  And like the Psalmist proclaims in Psalm 112, the just one does good deeds for others.

Jesus elaborates on this theme further in the next installment of the Sermon on the Mount.  We are meant to be filled with zest for a purpose-filled life, and such a powerful sense of God's presence that we shine forth the Light He has placed into our hearts.

We are not meant to keep the light of faith to ourselves.  We are supposed to shine it, so that through our good deeds, the powerful presence of God is known to others.

As St. Paul humbly states, He came preaching, not with the intention of showing His power, but magnifying God at work in Him, as all of us baptized faithful are called to be.

February 2, 2023: Candlemas Day/Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

God came to His Temple when Jesus was presented 40 days after His birth as the firstborn, and Mary was purified.

In the Temple came a revelation of Who He is and His purpose, as Simeon and Anna proclaimed, since their understanding came through a deep sense of prayer.

Jesus came to identify with His people and purify them to be righteous before God, walking aways in the Light that Christ brought to our world.

In the Light of His Presence, we come to see Who we are, and our purpose, to walk in that Light and bring it to the world, sharing it with others.