Articles for Lent

  We could hardly imagine a more desperate moment of prayer than the one described in our first reading. Queen Esther representing her entire Jewish people was about to plead her case before the King and the outcome would determine the future existence of her people. She and her maids were preparing for this encounter…

  If there is one thing that seems to drive commercial advertising these days, it seems to be the accepted first principle that every new product must be tagged as “new and improved.” The “new and improved” syndrome may have been at play when the crowds pressured Jesus for more and more miraculous signs. They…

  It would seem that the format for making a promise in times past was a bit more formal than today. It was common for people to say “I give you my word,” or “my word is my bond.” Today, the most likely setting for those words is in the sacrament of marriage where the…

  Have you ever wondered if there is a difference in motivation to follow a posted list of “dos and don’ts” and the motivation to follow a spoken list of “dos and don’ts” by someone you know? Maybe our own childhood experience or raising children can add some insights here. I suggest that our Lenten…

    Isn’t it true everyone loves a story, even if we’ve heard it over and over? It’s easy to remember family get-togethers when someone begins telling stories that trigger other stories about the funny things that happened, or the exciting times with rescues just in time, or the hard times when everyone had to…

  I remember a couple of years ago when my brother got married, he and his wife took a bus around Kansas City to take pictures, while all the guests were waiting on them to arrive. They arrived late because the bus got lost to the reception venue, so all of the guests waited and…

  Today Moses tells us in our first reading, “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving Him, and walking in His ways, and keeping His commandments, statutes, and decrees, you will live and…

    As I read today’s readings, the word that comes to mind is humility. Yesterday we ate, drank, and were merry, but today we hear in our first reading, “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and…

    The summit of the Triduum occurs at the Easter Vigil when we celebrate the core mystery of our faith: that we are saved from sin and death through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These rites are meant not only to remind us of this mystery but also to insert us into…

  This is an unusual day in the Liturgical Calendar. There is no event to commemorate and no Eucharist. However, there is profound meaning in this day and much to ponder. The first Holy Saturday was a day of quiet and rest because it was the Sabbath. Out of respect for the Sabbath, the body…

  The part of the Paschal Mystery that we celebrate on Good Friday is God’s victory over sin and death. By the death of Jesus on the cross, we have access to the Father’s love and forgiveness. How difficult it is to forgive. Especially an intimate friend who has betrayed us or a loved one…

  This evening we enter the Sacred Triduum or “three days” of our Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection—what we call the Paschal Mystery. However, these events in Jesus’ life are one act, one gesture of love by God. Further, they are not separate from the other events in His life. The Triduum contains Jesus’ whole…

  “The teacher says, ‘My appointed time draws near.’” It is good for us to remember that “the teacher” is the Incarnate Word! God’s Word, sent into the world to redeem it, is calling our attention to “the hour” when not just unredeemed humanity but the universe will be created anew in his act of…

  “After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him…. When he had left, Jesus said: ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.” The lavish love of the Trinity pours forth into the universe only through one opening: the human heart of Christ, the Sacred Heart! There is no other…

  “Then she dried his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the ointment’s fragrance” As we continue to gaze upon the central figure of Jesus in this holy week, we come upon an ingredient in the link, which bonds desire for conversion: lavishness. For implicit in the baptismal grace – the…

  As we celebrate Palm Sunday, it is important to notice what Jesus is doing. Jesus is entering Jerusalem to begin the greatest week in all of history. How is he entering the Holy City? By riding on a donkey. That’s an animal of simple country people. And the donkey didn’t even belong to him.…

  Jesus had just raised to life Lazarus, the brother of Mary, a friend of Jesus. This unheard-of act of raising the dead lead people to believe in Jesus. Everyone was witnessing Jesus’ signs and miracles, some of the Jews were believing in Him, but some were resisting belief with every ounce of strength. Since…

  The tension in the readings is tangible, which is setting the stage for the drama that will unfold during Holy Week. Jesus is threatened by being killed by stoning, he is rejected, despised, and like the Prophet Jeremiah, Jesus hears the “whisperings of many” with “terror on every side.” Imagine the hurt, pain, and…

  After years of teaching the Catholic faith, a religious sister emphasized not only the importance of communicating intellectual knowledge of the faith but also teaching people how to pray. Her experience was that she could help others grow in their knowledge of the faith, but it often did not have as strong of an…

  During my junior year in high school, I was preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. My pastor suggested that my two friends and I took the names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (who all appear in today’s first reading from the Book of Daniel). One of my friends really wanted to take the name Shadrach,…

  One of my professors talked about pastoral counseling and ministering to others, and he reminded us that many people will come to us in times of difficulty, and more often than not, the challenges brought to us are not eliminated in any way by a conversation or any of our words of wisdom. However,…

  Transitus of St. Benedict Transferred The monastic community at Conception Abbey will celebrate today the “Transitus (Death) of St. Benedict” as a Solemnity and will take different readings at Mass (this Solemnity is normally celebrated on March 21, but transferred from the Lenten Sunday to Monday this year). This reflection that follows will be…

    Some of the strongest friendships I have today are those I formed with my classmates in college seminary, and I think this is primarily because we had more in common than our interests in playing sports or other games and hobbies—we shared a strong faith in Christ and a desire to serve the…

  Isn’t it true that with the rise of skepticism and doubt in our society, the ‘fact check’ has become the gold standard to determine the truth of what we hear and see? In our first reading, the Prophet Jeremiah could have avoided many false attacks if he could have easily done a fact check…

  In the year 1906, in St. Joseph, Missouri, a railroad bridge was constructed to cross the Missouri River. This bridge is unique. This bridge is able to provide unlimited height to river traffic in both directions because a large section of it can pivot parallel with the river. This is accomplished by balancing the…

  At some point we’ve all heard the expression, “and that made a believer out of me.” It could be about buckling your seatbelts after seeing a terrible accident. It could be about the change in someone’s health as they took up regular exercise and a balanced diet. Or it could be about how a…

  If you were given the assignment to find a gentle loving description of God in the Bible, where would you look? You would probably choose the New Testament, right? Yes, unfortunately, most people imagine God from the Old Testament as the towering mountaintop judge of the 10 Commandments, reducing people to awe and fear.…

  Thirty-eight years is a very long time. In fact, when you think of the paralytic waiting to be healed at the portico of the pools of Bethesda, some questions come to mind. You might wonder if he might have been a professional beggar. You might ask, were there people taking advantage of his handicap…

  Did you notice the upbeat tone in the readings assigned for today’s liturgy? In your imagination, you might hear a great trumpet fanfare sounding out over the Israelite people in exile as the great Prophet Isaiah ascends the watchtower to make a stunning announcement. He proclaims the Good News by reassuring his people that…

    Why is it that light makes such a difference in your life? That might sound like a simple question. First, think about the marvelous power of your eyes. Have you ever stopped to marvel at how your eyes gather light waves and allow your optic nerve to transfer images to your brain? Then,…

  Humility [Jesus said,] “I tell you, this [tax collector] went down to his house justified rather than the [Pharisee]; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14, RSV) A reading from On Humility by St. Basil the Great: “Be on your guard, therefore, and…

  Charity One of the scribes…asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’…

  Repentance O that today you would listen to his voice! “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert…” (Psalm 95:7c-8, Abbey Psalms & Canticles) A reading from a letter To Peter on the Faith by St. Fulgentius of Ruspe: “…no one should continue longer time in…

  Fulfillment [Jesus said,] “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17, RSV) A reading from the Tractates on Matthew by St. Chromatius of Aquileia: “He fulfilled the law and the prophets in this way: He brought…

  Forgiveness Then Peter came up and said to [Jesus], “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22, RSV) A reading from a Commentary on Matthew by…

  Baptism And Elisha sent a messenger to [Naaman], saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10, RSV) A reading from On the Second Book of Kings by St. Ephrem the Syrian: “It was necessary that Naaman, in order to…

    Looking at my Daily Missal for this Third Sunday of Lent, I noticed a blurb at the top in red letters: “On this Sunday is celebrated the first scrutiny in preparation for the Baptism of the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacraments of Christian Initiation at the Easter Vigil, using…

  Today’s Gospel is the very familiar parable of the prodigal son. The word “prodigal” means something like “extraordinarily generous.” That description fits the father in the story more than the younger son. The son had squandered his inheritance in bad ways. Nevertheless, the father welcomed him back home. He forgave him. Not only that,…