Laetare Sunday The Fourth Sunday of Lent

 

Laetare is the first word in the entrance antiphon — meaning “rejoice” — in the Latin text. On Laetare Sunday (as similarly with the Third Sunday of Advent’s Gaudete Sunday) the Church expresses hope and joy in the midst of our Lenten fasts and penances. Call it pink — or, more fittingly, rose — this change in color indicates a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter, just before we enter into the somber days of Passiontide. 

This Sunday we hear the story of the Prodigal Son. The most familiar parable Jesus ever told. It is a story that we all know. The younger son hurts his father and the family, he gets his inheritance and throws it all away. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. The older son is the one we most often identify with – we recognize his pain, his feelings were hurt, he feels neglected. This parable reminds us that the one thing that can separate us from God is ourselves. We can separate ourselves from God. God is always there waiting to celebrate our lives, welcoming us home. The younger son came to his senses once he was hungry while his brother ranted and raved at his father. Yet the father only shows them compassion and concern.

The father treated his sons very much the way God cares for each of us. God’s love is always present. The love God has for each one of us is not dependent on how good we are or if we do everything right. No matter what God keeps loving us. God is there for us in good times, difficult times, no matter what. Let us always remember that God’s love and care are always present. Let us take some time today or at some point during the remainder of Lent to take some time to be present to God and be open to God’s love.

Third Sunday of Lent

 

In today’s Gospel, we hear about suffering, repentance, and bearing fruit. To an outsider, these three things may seem to have nothing in common, but for us disciples, we learn an important lesson about living the Christian life.  The parable of the Fig Tree calls us to trust in God who always offers us a “second chance.” God waits for us with patience and mercy. Looking at the image of fig tree we see a tree that has gone barren, lost its fruitfulness, is bitter and thorny. There are times when I can be like this too. Jesus says give it a little more time. Allow it to be nourished and it will grow. In many ways this is what God wants to give me during this Lenten season. God wants to nourish me and help me to grow.

Lent is that time for us to come back to God with all our hearts. Like the fig tree we will grow if we allow ourselves to be nourished and pruned by God. Lent is the time where we confront our frailty, our weaknesses, and our struggles as we continue the journey to the cross with Jesus. We are invited to look at our lives through the lens of faith, trusting that God will be with us through it all.

What is God calling me to this Lent? Am I being invited to look at my own limitations, my own brokenness and surrender them to God? Am I being called like the fig tree to allow myself to be pruned and nurtured by God to be transformed at Easter? How can I cultivate this new life that is open to me? Loving God, during this Lenten season give me the grace to trust, grow and cultivate new life.

International Women's Day

Yesterday we celebrated International Women's Day (March 8) a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

Yesterday five of our sisters gathered at the March in Hastings, NY. It was a peaceful informative experience. One of the most impressive sights was the number of families that were present. One woman was there with her daughter and the first thing on the sign she was holding was “Be Kind!” As I reflected on the experience that was one of my strongest takeaways. We need to be kind to one another in our world today. Right now, our world is very divided and rather that just being angry we need to look at taking a more positive stance by being kind. May we heed that child’s sign and put kindness in front of everything else.

Lent

Lent means “springtime” – coming to new life after winter.  It marks the forty days before Easter, commemorating Jesus’ forty days in the desert and the Israelites forty years in the desert wilderness.  The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday when we recieve ashes on our foreheads. Ashes are a symbol of repentence.

Pope Francis reminds us that “Lent is a favorable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ.”  We are called not just to abstain from sin during Lent, but to true conversion of our hearts and minds as followers of Christ. We recall those waters in which we were baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.

Lent is an experience. We are urged to pray, to do penance, and to sacrifice.  With Jesus we make the passage from death to life.  Our weaknesses and sinfulness are not the focus, but a catalyst for growth.  Lent can be a challenge for us; a time to invite Jesus into some area in our lives in need of growth.

During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by  giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ's will more faithfully. We recall the waters of baptism in which we were also baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.

May this Lenten season be filled with many blessings for each one.

Prayer for Pope Francis

Today on this Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time our thoughts and prayers turn to Pope Francis as he remains hospitalized with double pneumonia and anemia. He continues to be treated at Gemelli hospital in Rome and had a restful night but is still in critical condition.

In our Gospel today we are called by Jesus to love our neighbor and pray for those who persecute us. In our world today so much is happening that sometimes it is hard to remember to pray for all we need to. Our loving God hears our prayers and knows our needs. We need to trust that our God is always with us. Let us continue to pray for our world, one another, and ourselves that we might be Christ for one another.

Prayer for Pope Francis

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,
look favorably on your servant Francis,
whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

Grant, we pray, that by word and example
he may be of service to those over whom he presides
so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,
he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

Beatitudes

 

In today’s gospel reading from Luke, we hear the reading of what is often called the Sermon on the Plain. The parallel to this passage if found in Matthew’s gospel and is often called the Sermon on the Mount. As these titles suggest, there are differences and similarities between these gospel readings.

In Matthew’s gospel we hear Jesus deliver the Beatitudes from the mountaintop. Jesus spoke with the authority and voice of God. The mountaintop is a symbol of closeness to God. As Luke introduces the location of Jesus' teaching, Jesus teaches on level ground, alongside the disciples and the crowd. Luke presents Jesus' authority in a different light. He is God among us.

Matthew uses eight Beatitudes to deliver Jesus’ message, and Luke uses four followed by woes. Beatitudes were not unique to Jesus. Beatitudes are found in the Old Testament, such as in the Psalms and in Wisdom literature. They are a way to teach about who will find favor with God. The word blessed in this context might be translated as “happy,” “fortunate,” or “favored.”

The Beatitudes invite us to trust and are often described as a framework for Christian living. By living the Beatitudes, we live our lives focused on the Kingdom of God. May the Beatitudes guide us in our living and give us the strength we need to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and mercy.

Give Us Hearts

Today we celebrate the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In our Gospel we hear the familiar story of Jesus telling the disciples to put out into the deep and lower their nets. The disciples are tired and discouraged as they hadn’t caught anything during their first time out. On their second trip out, they caught many fish, and their nets were almost breaking. Jesus showed compassion for His disciples, and they responded.

A prayer that I have found helpful during these times is one by Fr. Dan Harnett – Give Us Hearts. May we have hearts full of hope and reach out with compassion for all.

Give Us Hearts       

God of love and compassion: may we always recognize your spirit:

· in the refugee family, seeking safety from violence;

· in the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables;

· in the asylum-seekers, seeking justice for their families;

· in the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world.

Give us hearts that break open whenever our brothers and sisters turn to us.

Give us hearts that no longer turn deaf to their voices in times of need.

Give us eyes to recognize a moment for grace instead of a threat.

Give us voices that fail to remain silent, but which decide instead to advocate prophetically.

Give us hands that reach out in welcome, but also in work, for a world of justice until all homelands are safe and secure. Amen
            - Fr. Dan Hartnett S.J.