Fifth Sunday of Lent
Let’s take a deep breath, shall we? How are we doing on our Lenten observances? Have we been doing good and moving forward? Or have we sort of fallen off course after… Ash Wednesday? Sadly, for me it is the latter. But I am not going to be too hard on myself because, as the prophet St. Joel says today, “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful.”
The Lord wants us to turn to him daily, even if it is a small act. If we give God just a little he can work wonders! A great example of that is our gospel story today of the woman caught in adultery. “Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She replied, ‘No one, sir.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.’” The woman gave just enough to Jesus, her trust and her love for him that her sin was washed clean! Jesus wants to do the same for us! He wants to wash us clean in the great sacrament of reconciliation!
As our second reading says today, “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” Everything else in the world shouldn’t matter except knowing Jesus! Let us finish this Lenten season strong, pick up our crosses, and follow him because we are his priceless works of art!
Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections