Fifth Sunday of Lent

Today's Gospel for the fifth Sunday of Lent, is the well-known story of the Raising of Lazarus.  Every time I hear this Gospel proclaimed or read it I am always struck by something new.   We hear that Jesus receives word that His friend Lazarus is ill – near death.  Jesus sets off at once to go to His friend in his time of need.  Before Jesus arrives Lazarus dies and is place in the tomb.  Lazarus’ grieving sister meets Jesus and says, “If you had been here our brother would not have died.”  Jesus assures her that Lazarus was not dead merely sleeping.

In today's Gospel Jesus responds to our grief. We see Jesus both in his humanity as he grieves for his friend, Lazarus, and as he mourns with his friends Martha and Mary. We also see Jesus' divine power to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus himself shows us that grief is a deep expression of love, not a lack of faith or trust.

How does Jesus respond to our grief? He is with us, comforting us, as he did Martha and Mary. He helps us, as he did them, to grow in our belief that death (or loss of something that we love) is not the end for any of us.  In this most unsettling time Jesus is right there with us, encouraging us and comforting us.

It is hard to believe that it is already the fifth Sunday of Lent.  Time is seemingly flying by.  Each year the Lenten readings seemingly are on target and are what we need to hear.  We can trust in Jesus even when he seems to be absent. Jesus weeps with us. Jesus is fully human. And in that we have hope.  May we take time this day to praise our God for His continuous blessings upon us.

Laetare Sunday

Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday.  It is the fourth Sunday of Lent, in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. Traditionally, this Sunday has been a day of celebration, within the austere period of Lent. This Sunday gets its name from the first few words of the traditional Latin entrance (Introit) for the Mass of the day. "Laetare Jerusalem" ("Rejoice, O Jerusalem") is Latin from Isaiah 66:10 (Rejoice, Jerusalem, all you who love her…) Today the celebrant will wear rose colored vestments and the atmosphere is much more uplifting.  We are at the midpoint of the Lenten journey and today is meant to be one of rejoicing to encourage the faithful for the final push to Easter.

In the Mass readings, Psalm 23 promises us that we will lack nothing with the Lord as our Shepherd. Some of us are at home right now, experiencing still waters for the first time in a long time. We pray God is restoring your soul. Others are serving on the front lines of hospitals and doctors' offices or at home with extra demands. We pray God is giving you everything you need. May we all hold on to the hand of our Good Shepherd.

In the lengthy Gospel we hear the familiar story of the man born blind.  There is much to reflect on in this story – you have the man born blind who is healed by Jesus, the Pharisees who are eager to condemn Jesus for healing him, the man’s parents who are too afraid to get involved and Jesus.  Who do you see yourself relating to in this story?  Which person is God calling you to be?

We are living through a rather dark time right now as we embrace our new normal -- living through the restrictions of the coronavirus.  Now is the time to turn to our faith knowing that our God of love and compassion is walking with us.  As we continue to live the journey toward what promises to be a different Easter let us remember that our God desires us to be filled with light, love and peace.

The Woman at the Well

Today’s Gospel, I believe is one of my favorites.  I love the story of the Woman at the Well.  In this story Jesus goes to the well during the day and discovers the woman who is there drawing water.  There are many things wrong with this scene.  First the woman should never have been at the well during the day, she was supposed to go to the well in the early morning or the early evening.  No woman was to be out alone during the day.  Secondly, Jesus should never have spoken to this particular woman for she was a Samaritan – the enemy of the Jewish people at that time.  It was an encounter that never should have taken place yet it changed a woman forever.

Jesus invited this woman to talk. She finds Him engaging all right, but this man shouldn’t be talking to her.  The woman knew what was at stake and probably thought that Jesus had no idea of what was wrong with this picture.  She tried to get Him to leave and not speak to her but Jesus had another plan.  Jesus knew what truly mattered and was determined to help her to see His perspective.  Ultimately she drops her agenda and begins to listen to Him.  For some reason she was not threatened by Jesus and begs Him to give her the life giving water He spoke of. 

She doesn’t cower in fear rather she listens to Him as He reveals her life in detail.  He gently stripped way all that held her back from feeling like a valued person.  As Jesus revealed her life she experienced His healing touch. 

As I think about this Gospel during Lent I think about what is Jesus desiring for me?  What do I need to let go of to receive His healing touch?  Can I let go of the things that hold me back from receiving His healing touch?  May we always try to be open to the amazing grace of our God.

International Women's Day

Women’s rights and gender equality are taking center stage in 2020.  The UN observance of International Women’s Day is Sunday, March 8, 2020.  Twenty-five years have passed since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—a progressive roadmap for gender equality. 

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day (8 March) is, “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”.  The Generation Equality campaign is bringing together people of every gender, age, ethnicity, race, religion and country, to drive actions that will create the gender-equal world we all deserve.

Together, we want to mobilize to end gender-based violence; we are calling for economic justice and rights for all; bodily autonomy, sexual and reproductive health and rights; and feminist action for climate justice. We want technology and innovation for gender equality; and feminist leadership.

Around the world and through the decades, we have all shared in the global struggle for gender equality. Regardless of our age, country, background or gender, the fight for equal rights has collectively defined our lives and we must take action together to achieve it. This International Women’s Day, UN Women’s multi-generational campaign, Generation Equality, brings together past and present advocates to demand gender equality in this generation.

Let us give thanks for the countless women who have gone before us and may we always treasure those who have directly impacted our lives.  Take some time today go give thanks for those women and celebrate their lives in a special way.  May we never take for granted our abilities and talents as women of faith, hope and abundant love.