Tuesday, April 1, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Ezekiel 47:1-9.12; John 5:1-16)

The walls of the grotto at Lourdes feature crutches, canes, and wheelchairs.  These abandoned aids of the infirmed testify to the spring water’s healing effects.  Or is it the faith of the sick brought to the water that heals them?  The same question may be asked of both readings today.

In the first the prophet Ezekiel displays the water from Jerusalem’s reconstructed Temple.  Its high quality nourishes life wherever it flows.  The invalid in today’s gospel waits for the Temple’s water to be cured.  All he needs to do is access the pool, a task more easily said than done.  Jesus comes along to heal the man so that he might believe in him. 

Asking which comes first, faith or healing, is the famous “chicken or egg” question.  God has blessed us continually.  Still, we must trust in Him when the blessing we now seek is not forthcoming.  We must believe that Jesus is always here to give us life.

Monday, March 31, 2025

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Isaiah 65:17-21; John 4:43-54)

All human life has dignity.  Ergo, euthanasia is wrong.  But letting live only begins to respect life.  Life must be assisted so that it may develop and prosper.  This is the whole point of Easter as the readings during this second half of Lent will testify.

In today’s first reading the prophet promises a new earth.  It will be a place of joy.  There will be no premature death.  Indeed, at a hundred years old, a person will be considered young.  The gospel shows Jesus enabling the dying son of the royal official to live.  His miraculous cure is called a “sign.”  It signifies that Jesus has come to give eternal life to those who believe in him.

We should note a very different tenor in the mass readings of the second half of Lent.  They no longer call for repentance and penance.  Rather, they emphasize the fullness of life God bestows through His Son.  Easter will soon be here.  We will leave behind our sins and worries.  It is almost time for us to rejoice. 

Sunday, March 30, 2025

 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

(Joshua 5:9, 10-12; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)

Today we reach the middle of Lent.  Hopefully, we are having success in the struggle to deny ourselves for the good of others. We probably don't find it as hard as we imagined. Now, in this second part of the season, the focus shifts. The Church no longer dwells on our sins of the past. Rather, she looks forward to the saving events of Holy Week.

The first reading from the Book of Joshua portrays the last Passover before entering the Promised Land. The Passover Supper to this day has reminded the Israelites of two marvelous happenings. First, it speaks of their escape from Egypt by the arm of the Lord. Second, it emphasizes the strange but nutritious manna they received from His hand.  Both events summon participants of the meal to give thanks to God. This is what we do in the Eucharist, which Jesus established while celebrating the Passover. Every Sunday (really, every day), and with more fervor than ever on Holy Thursday, we repeat this memorial of divine love.

A phrase from the second reading surprises us like a flash of lightning in the night. “God made him sin” (with “him” referring to Christ). It sounds almost blasphemous. But it has to do with Christ's Sacrifice on the cross on Good Friday. He “became sin” by redeeming the sins of the world with his sacrificial death. In this act of supreme love, the purpose of his becoming human is revealed. He certainly deserves our thanks.

The Gospel has perhaps the best-known of all Jesus’ parables. Yet it seems not fully appreciated. Many focus almost exclusively on the repentance of the younger brother. To them his story overshadows that of the older brother. But Jesus tells the parable to the Pharisees to illustrate the hardness of their hearts. He is comparing them to the older brother. Just as the man quarrels with his father for never having given him a party, the Pharisees complain about Jesus’ eating with sinners.

Some of us who attend Mass every Sunday probably sometimes feel like the older brother. I do. We resent it when others are recognized by name, and we are overlooked. We think “That's not fair" and want to register a complaint. However, it may be that our concept of justice, like that of the older brother, is lacking. We think of justice as something static. If one person receives a three-inch piece of cake, everyone must receive the same three inches. We don't want to admit special needs. As the father says, "It was fitting that we should celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life..."

Now we see the true protagonist of the story. The father shows great love for both sons. For the younger son, the father looked for his figure on the horizon every day. For the elder, he interrupts the welcoming of his guests at the feast to persuade him to enter. His love recognizes a time for worry and a time for rejoicing. He represents God giving everyone what they need so that they may be united with Him. We will hear more of His wonderful deeds on behalf of men and women at the Easter Vigil.

Whether we are like the older brother harboring resentment or the brother squandering his life, the heavenly Father invites us to his banquet. Here we repent with other sinners. Here we thank Him for our redeemer. Here we feed on Jesus Christ himself so that we may do what it takes to have eternal life.  Yes, it will require effort on our part. But empowered by Jesus and supported by one another, we will reach our goal.

Friday, March 28, 2025

 

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

(Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34)

In today’s first reading God speaks to a proud people that has been severely humbled.  Israel, the Northern Kingdom, was prosperous and arrogant.  It departed from holiness to follow the ways of the world.  Then it met catastrophe when the powerful Assyrian kingdom swallowed it like a bear eating fish in preparation for winter. 

God shows no disdain for Israel.  Rather he extends a hand of mercy.  As the people of Israel look for a helping hand in their need, God offers His.  He says that He will reestablish Israel’s prosperity if its people recommit themselves to His ways of holiness.

Some of us have succumbed to the ways of the world as had Israel.  We have given up on prayer and regular attendance of Mass.  We seek above all material prosperity and recognition of others.  Hopefully, we too may repent of our abandonment of the Lord’s ways.  Hopefully, our God -- the only God -- will welcome us back.

Thursday, March 27, 2025

 

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11:14-23)

It is not that Jesus rejects the value of signs that he refuses the people’s request for one in today’s gospel.  Rather, it’s that a sign at this point would be redundant.  He has just enabled a mute man to speak.  This act of mercy should have been accepted as a sign that he is an agent of God.  Still the people ask for more.

Signs refer to something else.  But they do not prove that their referent exists.  One must assume that it does on faith.  A smashed car is a sign that there has been an accident.  But it is possible that someone took a sludge hammer to the vehicle.  Still, it is a good bet that the wreck got that way in an accident, so we believe it.

We see signs of God’s love for us often enough.  We need a parking space, say a prayer, and are not surprised that on the next block there is an empty space.  We see people sleeping on the streets and feel blessed by the Lord.  Rather than continue seeking signs, we must commit ourselves to God in faith.  The decision will bring us happiness.

Wednesday, March 26, 202

 

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19)

After almost two hundred fifty years the United States is no longer a young country.   What has allowed its government to function so long?  Many would argue with its second president that the country is a “nation of laws, not of men.” The United States government has always followed its constitutional processes even if they seemed unwise or inadequate.  The Book of Deuteronomy likewise values the law as today’s first reading proclaims.  Jesus in the gospel says that he is not about to do away with it.

To this day Jews hold the Mosaic law in the utmost esteem.  For centuries some of their wisest people have studiously applied it to new contexts.  Especially in Matthew’s gospel Jesus is seen as a wise man interpreting the law for his disciples.  He makes several emendations but never presents a new constitution.

We sometimes dismiss Jewish law as outdated.  That was not Jesus’ intent.  If we examine the law closely, we will find it observed by the Church in different ways.  Its liturgical laws have been assumed into our liturgy.  Its moral laws form the basis of Christian morality along with the teachings of the Lord Jesus.  Only the sacrificial laws have been completely replaced by Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

(Isaiah 7:10-14.8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38)

St. Paul critiques the seeking of signs in I Corinthians.  He calls the practice typically Jewish.  In today’s first reading and in the gospel two Jews are presented with signs.  One ignores his; the other follows up on hers.

King Ahaz refuses to ask God for a sign as Isaiah advises.  He claims that he does not wish to tempt God.  But that is a religious pretense.  He does not want to admit the possibility of Isaiah’s warning that an alliance with Syria will bring about disaster.  The Virgin Mary graciously accepts her sign.  She does not hesitate to confirm the sign that she will give birth to God’s Son.  Directly from the place of the annunciation, she visits Elizabeth now pregnant in old age.  

Beyond attesting that Mary would conceive by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth’s pregnancy signifies that “nothing will be impossible for God.” He can make people as simple as we bearers of the gospel.  Like Mary we can be servants of the Lord ready to act according to His word.

Monday, March 24, 2025

 

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

(II Kings 5:1-15ab; Luke 4:24-30)

Prophetic truth is almost by definition unpopular.  When Upton Sinclair played the role of prophet denouncing miserable working conditions in Chicago stockyards, he was shunned.  Only when he revealed food contamination did the public listen to his outcry.  Today’s readings report other instances of dismissal of prophetic judgment.

In the first reading General Naaman dismisses the prophet Elisha’s advice.  Expecting a sophisticated treatment for his leprosy, he considers the prophet mad for recommending baths in the River Jordan.  Likewise, Jesus’ townspeople are ready to stone him for criticizing their desire to see him work miracles.

Lent is time for reconsideration.  We should be thinking about what prophets keep telling us.  President Trump’s endorsement of in vitro fertilization has stirred up interest in this technological intrusion into human procreation.  Prophets rightly point out that IVF is leading the public into a crisis of identity as well as a mechanistic mindset.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

 

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

(Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9)

As always during Lent, the readings today spark our interest. The first is the famous story of Moses' initial encounter with the Lord God. Curiously, God speaks to his chosen liberator from a bush that burns without being consumed. The Gospel sounds like the daily news. It reports two catastrophes as if they happened yesterday. What is not clear is how these readings interrelate, as is always the case at Sunday Mass.

To resolve this question, we must extend our perspective to next Sunday's Gospel. This contains the touching parable of the "prodigal son."  The story highlights the compassionate father who graciously receives back the son who abandoned him. The father certainly represents God. Some may think that this compassion is so improbable that the God it supposedly describes is but a figment of imagination. That's what Freud thought. However, we know that God truly exists when He identifies Himself to Moses as "I am."  He is not a myth like the gods of the Egyptians or the Greeks. Nor is His mercy fictitious as His intention to rescue His people indicates.

This is interesting, but what does it have to do with today's gospel? In the gospel, Jesus uses catastrophes to call the world to repentance. He speaks of the northern Galileans in the report of Pilate mixing the blood of his victims with that of animals. Then he mentions the inhabitants of Jerusalem in southern Israel crushed by the collapse of a tower. North and south: in other words, the whole world. Jesus is insisting that everyone change their ways to conform to God's. If they don't, he warns, they will be lost.

The reason for repentance is not to appease an irate God. Rather, it is the opposite. As Jesus makes clear in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we should return to God because He is kind and merciful. He wants to help us achieve true happiness. God’s motive here is like the mother who forbade her daughter from running around with a group of wild friends. The mother doesn't care if her daughter resents her judgment. She just wants her to have a happy life. Thus, God wants us to repent for our own good.

Sometimes we have difficulty recognizing our sins. As if we were near-sighted, we can't see other sins than the most obvious ones, like missing Mass or viewing pornography. Somehow, we must go beyond obligations and prohibitions in our examination of conscience. We might ask ourselves if we are generous both in the judgments of our peers and in our donations to the needy. We might question whether our prayers are merely repeating words or if they communicate to God our actual fears and hopes.

Lent is to prepare us to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection with renewed minds and hearts. This renewal seems incomplete without a good confession of sins. In it, we strive to achieve what Pope Saint John Paul II called "purification of memory." This experience of truth and repentance, along with the reparation of any debts owed and the absolution of the confessor, calms our anxiety. We can go forward at peace with God and with neighbor. In a world burdened by sin, we can live anew as brothers and sisters of Christ carrying out the will of the Father.

Friday, March 21, 2025

 

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

(Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)

Envy is said to be “sorrow over another’s good.”   Since it lacks charity, it is a sin.  It is said to be a capital sin because it readily gives rise to others.  The derivative sins may be graver than envy. In today’s first reading, envy causes Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery.  In the gospel parable of the vineyard, it moves the tenants to murder.

Most people experience envy at some time.  We may resent the fact that others score better on tests or that they make more money for less work.  Envy can be contravened by effort to be content with what we have.  Jesus tells us not to worry about what we lack, but to ask the Father for what we need.  Another wise man, the Dalai Lama or chief priest of Buddhism, has other good advice.  He says, “We need to learn how to want what we have, not to have what we want in order to get steady and stable happiness.”

 

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:9-31)

A dozen or so years ago sociologist Charles Murray published a book that received national attention. Coming Apart marshaled massive evidence demonstrating that the United States was becoming increasingly stratified economically and socially.  Although the liberal rich are criticized as having an elitist disregard for religion and for wanton living, Murray showed the opposite.  His evidence revealed that the rich were much more likely to go to church and have intact families than the poor.  So do the rich in the United States act like the rich man in the gospel parable today, or do they follow Christ?

Of course, the answer is, “that depends.” In the parable the rich man's sin is not that he is wealthy but that he overlooks poor Lazarus lying at his door.  He probably is well-known in the community, but interestingly in the hereafter he goes unnamed.  Meanwhile, Lazarus dies in misery but is remembered by name in eternal bliss. 

Some rich, no doubt, faithfully follow the Lord.  However, there is a striking parallel between the rich in America and the rich man who ignores Lazarus.  With gated communities, first-class accommodations, and high-cost private schools, the rich are not likely to see the poor struggling close by. They must make special effort on behalf of the needy to be remembered in eternal life.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

 

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(2 Samuel 7:4-5a.12-14a.16; Romans 4:13.16-18.22; Matthew 1:16.18-21.24a)

One innovation of Pope Francis has been to include St. Joseph in the very often used Second and Third Eucharistic Prayers.  For awhile waning in the popular eye, Joseph’s role in the economy of salvation has been reemphasized.  After all, he not only gave Jesus royal lineage; he most likely taught his divine son godly justice.

In today’s gospel Joseph manifests how justice is a virtue that requires more than a literal enactment of law but also love and prudence.  The Law allows Joseph to publicly expose Mary as having sexual relations outside marriage.  Of course, that is not true, but her pregnancy indicates it.  However, Joseph, being truly just, cares about Mary and adeptly decides to divorce her in secret.  In the end he does not have to do it, but his plan reveals a man of good character.  Raising Jesus as his own son, he likely passes on to him godly virtues.

Although contemporary artists often picture Joseph touching Mary, in classical art there is almost always a separation between the two.  Joseph was a chaste man who would not let proximity lapse into sexual intimacy.  It is one more virtue that we can learn from this wise and holy man.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Isaiah 1:10.16-20; Matthew 23:1-12)

 In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus wages a war on hypocrisy.  He emphasized it in the Sermon on the Mount where he warned his disciples not to fast, pray, or give alms for show.  In today’s passage he critiques the Pharisees for not practicing what they preach, a sign of hypocrisy. 

Then Jesus tells his disciples that they are brothers and sisters to one another.  As such, no is to assume greater respect or honor than anyone else.  He becomes specific when he says that they are not to call one another, “Rabbi,” “teacher,” “master,” or “father.”  These titles are used among the Pharisees to covet honor. 

We in the Church have not taken Jesus literally here.  Teachers inside the Church abound.  Priests are almost universally called “Father.”  Because these transgressions have a long tradition and often give comfort to those who seek spiritual wisdom, they may be readily forgiven.  But clericalism – the pretension that priests are better and more deserving of honor than lay persons – remains a tragic sin.  It is tragic because Orders is a sacrament of service, not of domination.  It is a sin because it subverts the unity Jesus intends among his disciples.

 

Monday, March 17, 2025

Monday of the Second Week of Lent

(Daniel 9:4b-10; Luke 6:36-38)

Preparing for the Jubilee Year 2000 Pope Saint John Paul II called upon the Church to make a “purification of memory.” This term sounds strange.  Memories may not be accurate and in need of correction.  But how is this a “purification”?  It turns out that the saintly pope had in mind first a communal acknowledgement of past sins of the Church.  He wanted Catholics to own the sins of racism, intolerance of credal difference, marginalization of women, and other such social abuses that have compromised the Church’s holiness.  Second, as part of the process of purification St. John Paul wanted the faithful to remember how they and their ancestors were sinned against.  Here, however, instead of seeking an apology, they were to offer forgiveness.  In these ways the Church was to renew itself to carry out the work of the gospel more effectively.

Daniel’s lament of Israel’s sins against God in today’s first reading demonstrates a “purification of memory.”  The prophet, hoping for forgiveness, acknowledges the many sins that brought about the anguish of the Babylonian exile.  With God’s mercy the nation could be reborn, as it were, to make a fresh start at modeling the Lord’s ways.

Each Lent we are called upon to enact a “purification of memory.” We should call to mind our sins, especially the most grievous ones, and pray that God will give us the strength never to commit them again.  We also want to remember the times in which we have been sinned against and to pray for our persecutors.  Doing so, at Easter we will emerge from our Lenten retreat to serve better God and humans.

Sunday, March 16, 2025

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

(Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28b-36)

As on every Second Sunday of Lent, the gospel today focuses on Jesus being mysteriously transfigured. The story astounds the reader. The narrative from the beginning recounts Jesus’ formation as a prophet with some strange experiences, but nothing unimaginable. Then, we come to this passage. Jesus is on the mountain with three disciples. They get a glimpse of him in glory. What does it all mean?

Rather than try to explain the story’s development and apply its meaning to our lives, we are going to employ another strategy today. We will examine three components of the story that seem particularly revealing. Then we will ask ourselves what they indicate for our Lenten journey.

First, Jesus is transformed while he is praying. In his dialogue with the Father, he is seen as united with Him in such a way that he assumes the Father’s glory. As the Creed says, Jesus is “light from light, true God from true God.” The event shows the purpose of prayer as uniting us with God the Father. It is a moment of truth because God knows our heart. We cannot deceive Him with pretenses. This is a grace.  We don’t have to put on a mask when asking the Father for what is necessary to live happily.

Only this narrative according to Saint Luke reveals the theme of the conversation between Jesus, Moses and Elijah. They speak of the “exodus” that Jesus is going to suffer in Jerusalem. The Greek says literally “exodus” although some translations have “departure” or “death.” The evangelist’s purpose is to say that the violent death that awaits Jesus in the holy city will bring about liberation like the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt liberated them from slavery.  As horrible as the crucifixion will be for Jesus, it will also be transformative. By his death on the cross Jesus will redeem the world from its sins. As the sinless Son of God, he alone can offer a sacrifice that will justify all humans. The first reading says that by faith the Lord credited Abram with righteousness. St. Paul developed this concept by declaring that through faith in Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected, we have been justified.

Finally, it is worth reflecting on the cloud that envelops the disciples and the voice that emanates from it. As something that obscures one’s sight, the cloud invokes fear. But as something refreshing and peculiar, the cloud attracts attention. Thus, the cloud becomes a symbol of the Divine, at once fearful and fascinating. People today take out their phones to take photos of anything unusual. Similarly, Peter wants to make three huts to freeze in time the appearance of Jesus in glory. But the voice of the cloud urges him and his companions to seize the moment, not try to replicate it. They (and we too) should listen to Jesus. He is not only God’s “Son” but also his “chosen” one.  The term comes from Second Isaiah where it is used to describe the Suffering Servant. This mysterious figure bore the sins of many. Because he has no referents in the Isaiah narrative Mark, Matthew, and Luke assumed that he uniquely anticipates Jesus Christ.

The Transfiguration of the Lord should not move us to quick action. Rather, its strangeness indicates that we are to pause and contemplate. We might ask ourselves: What is our destiny as followers of Jesus if his was the cross and resurrection from the dead? Could it be anything other than to suffer and receive glory like him? In the second reading St. Paul promises the Philippians that Jesus will transform their bodies into glorious bodies like his. It is our purpose for Lent to be transfigured like Christ by our acts of sacrifice.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Friday of the First Week of Lent

(Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26)

Children in parochial schools often had problems with today’s first reading.  They reasoned that it is wrong to condemn someone who has lived his whole life doing good and then makes a small error.  Perhaps they did not understand what is at the basis of the good and bad behavior.

God calls all people to a relationship with himself.  With each good deed and with each prayer the relationship deepens if the prayer or deed is done to please God and not just to look good.  After years of such activity, the person should have little difficulty in achieving goodness since God is working with her or him. At this point a corrupt action or prayer is more than a misdeed.  It is an affront to a longtime friend.

Graciously God offers the offender opportunity to makes amends.  But if that is refused out of pride or disdain, God cannot be called unjust for condemning the person.  It is not always easy to commit a sin.  The more we develop a relationship with God by doing what is right, the less likely we are to offend Him.

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Thursday of the First Week of Lent

(Esther C:12.14-16.23-25; Matthew 7:7-12)

Esther was literally a beauty queen.  King Ahasuerus (Xerxes in Greek history) called for a contest to find the most beautiful woman to replace his wife who refused to heed his command.  Like young women today, it seems that Esther cared more about a sweet life than a righteous one.  In today’s reading she admits that as a child she heard of the power of prayer as if she hasn’t prayed recently.

Yet Esther gives herself completely to prayer when it becomes her only hope.  She prostrated herself an entire day beseeching God’s mercy for her people as well as for herself.  It is the same heartfelt prayer that Jesus recommends to his disciples in the today’s gospel.

We likewise should pray hard and often that we may be delivered from evil to do good.  God loves us and will provide our needs.  He wants us to pray so that our hearts might be expanded to have mercy on others.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Wednesday of the First Week in Lent

(Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11:29-32)

There is an intriguing development in the Passion narrative of St. Luke’s Gospel.  The crowd following Jesus from the Roman praetorium to Calvary changes its attitude.  In front of Pilate it was insistent that Jesus should be crucified.  However, the crowd leaves the scene of crucifixion beating their breasts in remorse.  The crowd’s repentance is like that of the Ninevites in today’s first reading.

In Ninevah the prophet’s moral preaching turned the hearts of the people.  On Calvary it was the nobility Jesus showed in dying praying for the forgiveness of his executioners and promising Paradise to the “good thief.”  In today’s gospel passage Jesus calls for such a response from all who hear him proclaimed.

Certainly, we want to make individual acts of penance during Lent.  We should also encourage others to recognize their sins and to make amends.  Lent is a time of communal penance when everyone is to renounce and make up for social as well as personal sins.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

(Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15)

Today’s famous passage from Second Isaiah assures that God’s word is efficacious.  It always achieves its purpose.  As God is altogether good, His word only brings about benefits.

In the gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to pray for forgiveness of their sins.  Being God with power to effect what he wills, Jesus is assuring them that their guilt will be abolished.  However, he makes one proviso.  Sins will be forgiven on request as long as the sinners involved willingly forgive their offenders.

We long to be forgiven for mistakes we have made and for full-blown sins that we have committed.  There is no need to fret.  All that is necessary is to ask for pardon and to show willingness to forgive others.  We still may not receive the desired forgiveness from other humans.  But God’s forgiveness, which counts the most, is guaranteed.

Monday, March 10, 2025

Monday of the First Week in Lent

(Leviticus 19:1-2.11-18; Matthew 25:31-46)

The Scripture readings today strike a balance between negative and positive actions.  Leviticus emphasizes the former with a list of “You shall not(s).”  The gospel, on the other hand, accentuates the positive.  It predicts Jesus reminding the nations at the end of time that they are being judged on what they did for the little people of the world.  If they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and visited the imprisoned, they will be judged worthy of salvation.

We might ask which is more important, to avoid doing what is wrong or to do what is right?  In medicine, at least, an answer to this question seems to emerge.  The Hippocratic Oath, which physicians have taken for centuries, clearly sides with the need to avoid evil.  After promising to offer dietetic measures to heal the sick, budding physicians swear not to do a series of evils: hasten death, induce abortion, and molest patients or householders whom they visit. 

It is fair to conclude that avoiding harm is essential but insufficient.  If love is the supreme virtue, it entails that we act positively toward others.  If we cannot do anything directly to support them, then we should at least pray that their needs be met.  During Lent we redouble efforts to examine our lives daily with two questions in mind.  We ask ourselves, “What evil have I done today?” and “What good have I failed to do?”

Sunday, March 9, 2025

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT, March 9, 2025

(Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13)

We began Lent last Wednesday with the reception of ashes, fasting, and abstaining from meat. But it seems to me that this week we begin it in earnest. Lent is more than a one-day performance to put us into the spirit of humility but an extended time to achieve it. The season proposes that we become more willing to love God with our whole heart.

The readings of each Mass during Lent usually focus on one aspect of the paschal mystery. Today they emphasize trust in God. Let's deal with the first reading quickly and give more attention to the gospel.  There we will observe not only Jesus' success over the distorted desires of the human heart but also his solidarity with humanity. Finally, we will see how the reading from the Letter to the Romans signals the accessibility of salvation to the entire world.

The first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy gives the striking phrase: “My father was a wandering Aramean…” It refers to Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, who left his homeland to seek refuge in Egypt. Without land to protect them from both hunger and enemies, Jacob’s descendants lived in precarious conditions for centuries. However, God blessed them so that they grew into a great nation. In time, God freed them from Pharaoh’s tyranny and established them in the land of Canaan.

As great as freedom and land are, God eventually gave Israel nation a far greater gift. He sent his only begotten Son to fulfill the nation’s destiny to be a “light to the nations,” the source of salvation for the world. In the gospel, Jesus arrives in the desert “filled with the Holy Spirit,” which he received through his baptism in the Jordan River. It was a gratuitous act of solidarity with humans since having never sinned, Jesus did not need baptism.

Again, like other human beings Jesus suffers temptations engineered by the devil. In preparation for his ministry, Jesus faces the great desires of the human heart. First, he must overcome sensual longings represented by the temptation to break his forty-day fast. Second, he must subdue the ambition for power and glory in the devil's offer of lordship over the kingdoms of the world. Finally, Jesus must master the human will to manipulate God for its own benefit. At each turn he dismisses temptation with a phrase from Scripture. Jesus proves himself consistent with his teaching throughout the gospel that humans are on earth to serve the Lord God, not to be served.

Jesus' solidarity with humans here at the beginning of the gospel will continue to its end. On the cross he will show its depth when he suffers death as the sacrifice of the sinless for sinners. Only such self-giving can redeem humans from their offenses of doing their own will rather than God's.  Having left behind all earthly ambition, Jesús can truly say, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.”

In the second reading, St. Paul assures us that being included among those redeemed by Jesus Christ is not reserved for a few. We have only to submit ourselves to Christ with an act of faith. We ask, “What about those who have never had the opportunity to know Christ?” Vatican II teaches that all who seek God’s will with a sincere heart will not be abandoned. God will not allow non-Christians who do His will to be lost. But they, like us, must humble themselves before Him.

Friday, March 7, 2025

Friday after Ash Wednesday

(Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15)

Needless to say, today’s readings involve fasting.  The first calls into question the fasting of Israel in the sixth century before Christ.  The gospel questions the purpose of fasting with the supreme call to joy present.

Fasting is an outward sign of an interior disposition of humility.  It indicates one’s willingness to do God’s will and not one’s own.  Trito-Isaiah chastises the nation of Israel for putting on a show as if they intended to keep God’s commandments.  In reality, however, they mean “business as usual” with just lip service to justice as God commands.

We say Lent is a forty-day fast.  In most years, however, there are only thirty-eight or thirty-nine days of fasting.  The difference is accounted to a suspension of fasting on March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation.  Both days call for celebration, not signs of humility.  Besides Sundays, on the other days of Lent we should not only fast but make up for the times in which we have not rendered full justice to God or neighbor.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

(Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 9:22-25)

In a “Faustian bargain” one sells his or her eternal soul to the devil in exchange for temporal goods.  The term originates from a legendary man who bargained with the devil for unlimited knowledge and possessions.  Unfortunately, many people forfeit their souls at a much lesser price.  The readings today exhort us to avoid all such arrangements.

 Moses is speaking to the people just before they enter the Promised Land.  He says that God will give them “life,” i.e., prosperity for them and their descendants.  They only have to keep to His ways.  In the gospel Jesus offers an even greater life.  His followers can secure an eternal reward by focusing on him rather than their own desires.  They are to live without complaints doing good for others. 

 The purpose of Lent is to reinforce the habits of self-denying love in order to have fullness of life.  Like any exercise worth our while, it takes effort.  But we share the experience with one another in the Church and with Christ.  The burden becomes, paradoxically, a joy in such good company.

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Ash Wednesday

(Joel 2:12-18; II Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6.16-18)

People should not come forward to receive ashes today to show the world they are Catholics.  Not only would this reason indicate an unholy pride, but also an increasing number of Protestant communities serve ashes.  Christians wear ashes on their foreheads today not to show they are different than other humans but to show that they are the same.  Like every human being alive today a Christian is a sinner.  He or she has loved God’s creation more than God Himself.  Ashes also indicate that, as in the case of the first human beings, sinners are bound to return to the earth where they decompose into dirt.

Except for one thing, the fact that Jesus Christ also was human.  For sure, he was the one exception to the rule that all humans sin.  (Mary will not be considered here as she was conceived and maintained herself without sin by virtue of being the mother of Jesus.)  Yet Jesus did not shirk from identifying with sinful humans.  He was baptized in solidarity with sinners as the second reading today points out: he who did not know sin was made sin.  Indeed, he took all human sins upon himself so that he might redeem humans by his horrifically unjust Passion and Death.

Ashes should not remain only a sign of our sinfulness.  Rather, they should say something of our intention to rise from our sinfulness as the phoenix of Greek mythology rises from the ashes of its predecessors.  We do this not by our own efforts, but by faith in Jesus Christ.  Our works of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are but ways of joining Christ, who became like us.  He will lift us up to glory.

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 35:1-12; Mark 10:28-31)

The phrase “giving up” in today’s gospel reminds one that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  Christians will be giving up some of the pleasures of life for the sake of Jesus and the for the gospel.  Is this still good practice?

For years some preachers have recommended not to give up anything for Lent but to enter the spirit of the season with a commitment to “do something positive.”   It seems that they have the issue half-right.  Christians should strive to help others during Lent.  But self-denial complements charity in Jesus’ call to promote him and the gospel.

“Giving up” something for the sake of the other is a heartful expression of love.  We might say that we love another, but giving up a meal while acknowledging the other more forcefully shows that love.  Jesus is not with us in person so that we might do something unambiguously for him.  Nevertheless, we recognize his spiritual presence by denying ourselves a pleasure for his sake.  And if others should hear of it, will they not ask themselves what in the gospel makes us do so?

Monday, March 3, 2025

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 17:20-24; Mark 10:17-27)

A recovering drug addict wrote from prison about how it feels to have fallen from grace.  He said that sin causes deep and constant remorse in the addict.  The sinner knows that he has failed not only God but also his family and himself.  Confession indicates the sinner’s desire to be understood not so much as bad but as weak.  He longs to be part of everyday society whose members are much les dependent.

Today’s first reading addresses the situation of the sinner.  It begins by saying that “God provides a way back” from sin.  The way “encourages those who are losing hope” by offering them the truth that human beings are not alone in the struggle against evil.  More than having one another, God is at hand to assist them.  God supplies the essential difference to live with the sin purged and in peace with all.

Catholics have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to bring about the desired transformation. It provides sinners opportunities to recognize their offenses.  The priest-minister of the sacrament allows them to petition support from both God and community.  It also affords the sinner a sense of participation in his redemption as it requires sinners to make amends.  Finally, it pronounces the words of freedom, “I absolve you from your sins…”