March 26, 2023: Fifth Sunday of Lent

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, a sign of how we all experience Resurrection, not just at the End of Time, but even now.

God calls us from death to new life, leaving parts of us in the grave that don't lead us closer to God.  And we take on new perspectives about ourselves, living fully alive as God intended for us, just as He said the people of Israel would rise from the graves of exile to a new existence as His people.  And it is all sustained by the life-giving Spirit of God.

So even if we die physically, we are alive by faith, through the working of the Holy Spirit in us.  Indeed, we can live with new purpose now, because Christ has power over death, and He works this Resurrection power in us now.

March 25, 2023: Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord unto Mary

It's wonderful that we started this week celebrating the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and we end this week celebrating the Blessed Mother Mary, when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would bear the Son of God.

The coming of Christ was foretold by the prophets centuries ago, as one born of a Virgin, and, as Psalm 40 states, One Who would take the next step beyond upholding the Law and its prescribed sacrifices to offering Himself.

It's only fitting then that all His disciples would be called to conform themselves to Christ by offering themselves for continuing to do God's work, and that Mary would be called upon to do so as the first disciple.

Not everything about God's plan was clear to Mary, but she still listened and responded in faith, and then watched as God brought salvation to the world through her Son.  And faith will help us respond to God as we take part in His works and wait upon Him to marvelously unfold them, manifesting the continued advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

March 20, 2023: Solemnity of St. Joseph

Throughout the centuries, God unfolded, little by little, a marvelous plan for the salvation of His people.

He revealed a little bit more of it to St. Joseph in a dream.  God made it clear that the Child to be born would be the Savior, and called upon St. Joseph to care for Him.

Joseph responded in faith: Even if it didn't make sense completely, he took Mary into his home to care for her and the Child she bore to be the Savior of the World.

Let us look to the example of St. Joseph and respond in faith to the promptings of God, as we take our part in His plans for the world.

March 19, 2023: Fourth Sunday of Lent/Laetare Sunday

Let us rejoice that we're now past the midpoint of Lent.

And let us furthermore rejoice that God has come to enlighten us so that we see as He sees.

He sees straight into the heart--just as He tells Samuel when looking to anoint one of Jesse's sons.  And in the heart, He transforms us.

In His light, we come to see God for Who He is, and from seeing, we believe.

The man born blind was healed by Jesus, which was a sign of how he came to believe in Jesus, progressing from seeing Him as a healer, to testifying to Him as a prophet, to worshipping Him as Messiah.  Meanwhile, so many others around him were lost and stuck in the darkness of sin, unwilling to recognize the sign that revealed God was at work.

During this Season of Lent, this time of purification and enlightenment, may God open our eyes to go deeper in our belief in Him, with the Holy Spirit constantly rushing over us to sustain in us that belief, drawing us from darkness and death to light and new life.  As we grow in our relationship with God, may we see the others around us in new ways, as God is at work in them.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis's installation Mass today, and the birthday of Cardinal Cupich, let us give thanks for these leaders who are the presence of the Good Shepherd among us, leading us into the goodness of God and the ways of Eternal Life. And may we be transformed to do the works of light that reveal God to others.

March 12, 2023: Third Sunday of Lent

It's human for us to have physical thirst, and also spiritual thirst, something to give us a sense of grounding in a world with dryness and an apparent lack of meaning.

God meets that thirst through Jesus Christ, Who is all we ever need.  That's why Jesus crossed a cultural barrier to reach out to a woman at the well, because He knew what she needed, even as He started the conversation by requesting a drink, which was a sign of the greater spiritual thirst we experience as humans.  When she acknowledge Him as the Messiah, her needs were met, and she went to tell others.  Jesus ended up staying there, because they welcomed Him truly as God's presence meeting their deep sense of need.

During this Season of Lent, we're called to recognize our needs and reach out to Jesus Christ, not simply wallowing in what we lack, as did the Hebrews.  We are called to a deeper level of trust in the One Who met our greatest need, through pouring out His love for us.  He did so in a powerful way: As St. Paul writes, Jesus demonstrated God's love for us by dying for us sinners.  As saved people, we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, by living in a way that reflects His presence at work in our lives.  And we proclaim the reality of the Messiah Who dwells among us, quenching our thirst, and transforming our lives as we live in the hope we have in Christ.

I think again about how I first visited St. Augustine Misison on the 3rd Sunday of Lent 10 years ago.  It is a ministry that manifests God's presence by meeting the needs of the people there, even as we took part in helping with the ministry during our week there, and opened ourselves to God's working in us.

March 5, 2023: Second Sunday of Lent

The call to repent and turn toward the Gospel is about seeing a new vision for our lives.

God called Abram to a new place, and promised that he would be a blessing to all the world.

Jesus provided HIs close circle of disciples a glimpse of His glory that was to come, after He had accomplished the Paschal Mystery--St. Luke's Gospel account refers to how Jesus talks with Moses and Elijah about "His Exodus" in Jerusalem.

On the mountain, they see Jesus for Who He is, and gain a new understanding who they are in His sight.

The disciples were called, as we are, to go forth from this glorious vision on the mountaintop, listening to the beloved Son of God, so that we may follow in His way to share in His transfiguration as we are conformed more closely to the image of the Son.

Indeed, God calls us to a life of holiness, as St. Paul writes, which is part of the plan He had in mind for ages past, and now made manifest in the Gospel.  God grants us a glimpse of His Glory so that we know He's real, and we can bear hardship to uphold the Gospel and live out our faith.

All this week, I am recalling the trip I had 10 years ago to St. Augustine Mission in Nebraska.  It was a kind of mountaintop experience in the hills of eastern Nebraska, where I gained a new understanding of God and myself through service and spending time with the Native Americans there.