Articles for Lent
If we look back over our lives, most of us will find something or other that we very much regret. We might remember speaking or acting in ways that hurt others. Sometimes these experiences of personal failure leave us very burdened. In today’s Gospel, Peter asks Jesus, “How often must I forgive?” Jesus answers,…
Today at Conception Abbey, we take a break from our regular observance of Lent. Instead, we celebrate a solemnity to honor St. Benedict. Tradition holds that this is the day he died. St. Benedict is one of my favorite saints. After Jesus and maybe St. Paul, he has been a big influence in my…
In today’s first reading, we are called to identify with the Chosen People, especially their experience of the Exodus. The Bible says that God led His people by day with a cloud and by night with a pillar of fire, feeding the people on their journey through the desert with Manna and bringing…
Working in our seminary, I see how greatly the relationships between fathers affect the lives of their sons. So important is the father’s relationship that it influences the adult practice of faith, self-discipline, self-worth, and identity. Nearly every psychological study on this issue has born out that a father who is present, caring, and…
O my Lord, what you had to endure! O my Lord, what you must still endure from us, your wayward children! The parable of the Wicked Tenants is a strong indictment. The Jewish religious leaders apparently did not realize Jesus was using it to speak about them. They did, however, understand clearly that He…
In his new book Things Worth Dying For, Archbishop Charles Chaput shares a common image to describe both heaven and hell: a lavish banquet. The difference between the two, however, is vast. In heaven, guests use long utensils to feed one another. Conversely in hell, each soul feeds himself but starves! We can see…
Why is Lent forty days? Why do we celebrate Lent every year? Because it takes a lifetime to be conformed to Christ. Perseverance and constancy are hard. Those who become martyrs were frequently not last-minute zealous disciples. Rather, their choice each day to place the Father’s will first allowed them to make the ultimate…
Have you gotten to the point in your life where you think: “Observing nine out of the Ten Commandments isn’t bad, right? Let me have one.” We should know that God is merciful but he is not nice. He will not abide any cooperation with evil or settle for anything less than holiness. Will…
If someone needs to gather within himself the confidence to have a job interview or speak in front of a large audience, there is a simple thing one can do. For two to five minutes before the event one stands up straight, plants his feet wide, and raises hands high and broadly above the…
Each Lent, we hear about the Transfiguration. It is a sign of hope in the glory to come in the Resurrection despite the Cross. Yet, there is much more to draw from it. This particular account from Luke begins as so many of his do: with prayer. And given that prayer is one…
We believe that God truly speaks to us in times of peace but even more in times of turmoil, violence, and the brutality of war. We desperately need to know how to respond in this particular moment of history. The prophet Moses presented God’s covenant with instructions attached. God was promising to be their…
“Black Lives Matter” is a phrase that not only catches our attention because of recent history but also speaks to a universal truth about human nature. It resonates at the core of a thoughtful person. Being a member of the human race is based on the fact that our very existence is a gift.…
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…
Jesus said to The Pharisees, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” St. Isidore of Seville says, “Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in confession; in confession, there is a…
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 reading from Genesis today is lengthy, and yet it cuts out a very key section in the liturgy. The underlying issue in this passage is that Abraham’s wife is dead and he has no more descendants for the covenant. He only has the promised son Isaac. Isaac is distraught at the loss of…
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…