"Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, 'All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.'” Mt 4; 9-10
The devil can be very clever and appear to us in an infinite variety of ways. His encounter with Jesus in the desert is revealing and demanding. Addressed to the first disciples and to us, it forces us to answer hard questions. What kind of temptations are we most prone to, and how do we usually respond?
The first followers of Jesus struggled with this passage. There was little wiggle room for them. If they thought they would gain a new temporal power after Jesus chased the occupying Romans from Jerusalem, they would be disappointed. If they hoped they would have all the food and drink they wanted, they missed Jesus' message, and if they believed they would be miracle workers, able to heal anyone who came to them, they were sadly mistaken.
Though he was hungry after forty days in the desert, Jesus message is clear. We must rely on God to be our strength, our power, our food, our savior and our healing friend. For some disciples, no doubt, then and now, this was not enough and they wandered away looking for a different Messiah.
The promises of Jesus are simple and transforming, but they are not magic. Unless we work at letting go each day and relying on him and his Spirit for the courage to live our faith authentically, we too will be disappointed. Lent is not a panacea, but a path we walk slowly and with faith. We may not know where the road will take us, but we do know that Christ is our companion every step of the way.
Today, ask God for the patience to walk gently along the way of Christ.
What are your hopes for Lent this year?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
New Life
"God will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails."
It is endlessly fascinating to watch gardeners water their plants and vegetables. Often, only moments after watering, the plants which were droopy and lifeless, come back to life, stand tall and invite admiration. How important water is to life and to us, and God promises to be our gardener if only we will stand still long enough for the water of Christ's life to take effect, to pick us up and send us forth.
One of the important tasks of Lent is to accompany candidates and catechumens as they walk the last days of preparation for their Baptism at Easter. Usually nurtured by a few parishioners though the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), we meet those seeking entrance to our church at Mass, and wonder what or who it is that is calling them to faith. Are some of them preparing to marry Catholics? Are others seeking a new way of life? Whatever it is that they hear, we are happy to be among them, especially at a time in the life of the U.S. church when there is so much scandal. Clearly, God's grace will not be stopped by our sins.
Those preparing for Baptism and entry into our church are the water for our Gardens. Though we may be dry and tired, our catechumens and candidates drench us in their goodness and desire and renew us in faith and hope. Our only obligation is to receive and treasure those who come to us as new life.
Today, pray for all those preparing for Baptism or to make a profession of faith in our church.
Why do you think people still seek Christ through baptism in the Catholic church?
It is endlessly fascinating to watch gardeners water their plants and vegetables. Often, only moments after watering, the plants which were droopy and lifeless, come back to life, stand tall and invite admiration. How important water is to life and to us, and God promises to be our gardener if only we will stand still long enough for the water of Christ's life to take effect, to pick us up and send us forth.
One of the important tasks of Lent is to accompany candidates and catechumens as they walk the last days of preparation for their Baptism at Easter. Usually nurtured by a few parishioners though the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), we meet those seeking entrance to our church at Mass, and wonder what or who it is that is calling them to faith. Are some of them preparing to marry Catholics? Are others seeking a new way of life? Whatever it is that they hear, we are happy to be among them, especially at a time in the life of the U.S. church when there is so much scandal. Clearly, God's grace will not be stopped by our sins.
Those preparing for Baptism and entry into our church are the water for our Gardens. Though we may be dry and tired, our catechumens and candidates drench us in their goodness and desire and renew us in faith and hope. Our only obligation is to receive and treasure those who come to us as new life.
Today, pray for all those preparing for Baptism or to make a profession of faith in our church.
Why do you think people still seek Christ through baptism in the Catholic church?
Thursday, March 6, 2014
God's Justice
"This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own." Is 58: 6-8
If anyone has been slow to enter Lent, Isaiah pushes hard. Only two days after we have begun the journey towards Easter and asked for the grace of transformation, the prophet's instruction is clear and demanding. We must be just and compassionate. Otherwise, Lent will be a futile exercise of self discipline that has nothing to do with God or God's desires for the world.
Being just is an attitude, a way of looking at the world. It does not begin with wondering whether someone deserves our care, but with fulfilling God's challenge to help those in need without regard to social class, race, religion or culture. People without a voice, a job or a position of power need to know that God cares about and for them, and we, God's people, are the way God shows this to the them and to the world. We are God's face, ears and hands, gazing upon, listening to and reaching out for anyone, but especially for those bound unjustly.
Hearing God's challenge and responding is not the work of a single day, week or month, but of a lifetime. When we make time and take time to listen to the world as it is, we cannot not hear and see those in need. More important, over time we learn to respond with compassion and humility. Most of us are only two paychecks a way from poverty.
Today, pray for the homeless wherever they live, but especially for those in your own city or town.
What is your attitude towards the chronically needy?
If anyone has been slow to enter Lent, Isaiah pushes hard. Only two days after we have begun the journey towards Easter and asked for the grace of transformation, the prophet's instruction is clear and demanding. We must be just and compassionate. Otherwise, Lent will be a futile exercise of self discipline that has nothing to do with God or God's desires for the world.
Being just is an attitude, a way of looking at the world. It does not begin with wondering whether someone deserves our care, but with fulfilling God's challenge to help those in need without regard to social class, race, religion or culture. People without a voice, a job or a position of power need to know that God cares about and for them, and we, God's people, are the way God shows this to the them and to the world. We are God's face, ears and hands, gazing upon, listening to and reaching out for anyone, but especially for those bound unjustly.
Hearing God's challenge and responding is not the work of a single day, week or month, but of a lifetime. When we make time and take time to listen to the world as it is, we cannot not hear and see those in need. More important, over time we learn to respond with compassion and humility. Most of us are only two paychecks a way from poverty.
Today, pray for the homeless wherever they live, but especially for those in your own city or town.
What is your attitude towards the chronically needy?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Crosses Big and Small
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Lk 9:23
Crosses come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, none of them easy but all of them real and important. Some carry a paralyzing fear, others an impenetrable darkness. Still others suffer addictions that terrorize them and their families, but most of us have simpler, if not less heavy, crosses. We talk or eat too much, we don't listen to our friends or God and we wonder whether our lives have impacted anyone or anything. These are heavy crosses indeed.
Following Jesus means accepting who we are, what we've done and what we have failed to do, while at the same time praying to be free of our self absorption and fear. Knowing the Lord will guide and lead us to places, situations and people that will allow him to be known and loved makes this possible and desirable.
Discipleship, Lent teaches us, is not first of all about doing penance or growing in faith, but about following Jesus. The Lord is more concerned about our willingness to repent and begin again each day than about our faults. When our humility deepens we begin to realize that Jesus can even use our weaknesses for the good of others and the announcement of the Gospel.
Today, carry the first cross you encounter without grumbling.
What are your most difficult crosses?
Crosses come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, none of them easy but all of them real and important. Some carry a paralyzing fear, others an impenetrable darkness. Still others suffer addictions that terrorize them and their families, but most of us have simpler, if not less heavy, crosses. We talk or eat too much, we don't listen to our friends or God and we wonder whether our lives have impacted anyone or anything. These are heavy crosses indeed.
Following Jesus means accepting who we are, what we've done and what we have failed to do, while at the same time praying to be free of our self absorption and fear. Knowing the Lord will guide and lead us to places, situations and people that will allow him to be known and loved makes this possible and desirable.
Discipleship, Lent teaches us, is not first of all about doing penance or growing in faith, but about following Jesus. The Lord is more concerned about our willingness to repent and begin again each day than about our faults. When our humility deepens we begin to realize that Jesus can even use our weaknesses for the good of others and the announcement of the Gospel.
Today, carry the first cross you encounter without grumbling.
What are your most difficult crosses?
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