First Sunday of Lent: A Prayer Tool for Lent and Beyond
"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert." So begins the gospel on this First Sunday of Lent. Jesus' adventure of 40 days in the desert was Spirit-led. It happened right after his Baptism. It led to the beginning of his public ministry for the good of all.
So we, as baptized persons, are Spirit-led into this desert-like Lenten time. Here is a Lenten prayer tool. It is called an examen of consciousness. Consider praying it daily. It will bear the fruit of a richer awareness of God's Spirit leading you each day to greater faith, hope, and love. This prayerful exercise has five steps.
1. Reflective Thanksgiving. Start by prayerfully asking yourself for whom and for what you are particularly grateful this day.
2. Prayer for Enlightenment. Pray that the light of Christ may help you to see yourself as God sees you.
3. Review of the Day. Prayerfully review your experiences of the day with God. See if you can notice deeper movements beneath your experiences -- a need for nurturance, a tug to forgive someone, a need to let go of something, a desire to trust God more deeply.
4. Contrition or Sorrow. Allow yourself to feel sorrow for sins and failures. Remember that you are a loved sinner. Acknowledge God's power and desire to forgive.
5. Hopeful Resolve for the Future. Name something specific you can do that is reflective of your desire to change and grow in holiness. It may involve a behavior, attitude, or relationship. Allow yourself to feel a sense of freedom and newness. God is calling you forward into deeper conversion and interior freedom.
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Five Cs
Today's Liturgy is an appropriate prelude to Lent. The reading from Isaiah reminds us that God has power to wipe out our offenses and remember our sins no more. (For God, forgiving and forgetting are interwoven.) In the gospel, Jesus offers healing and forgiveness to a person who is paralyzed.
There are five Cs that are steps to restoring a relationship where reconciliation is needed. The same steps are part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Conviction: awareness and self-admission of wrong-doing.
Confession: telling the one offended about what I did or failed to do.
Contrition: expressing regret for one's sin or transgression.
Compensation: doing something to repair the relationship and express good will.
Correction: the steps taken, with God's help, to avoid repeating the harmful behavior.
Lent is at our doorstep. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. It is a good time to think about where reconciliation and restoration are needed in our relationships. This includes our relationship with God as well as our relationships with other people.
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Breaking the Barriers
In today's Liturgy the plight of lepers in ancient times takes center stage. "Leprosy" in Biblical times included more than what we call Hanson's disease today. Any deep skin infection or affliction was considered leprosy. It was double trouble for such people. Not only did they have an affliction that was hard to treat. They were also expected to live outside of the community or city, often in caves, to protect the rest of the community. Read chapter 13 of Leviticus to get a sense of the implications of leprosy for an individual and for the community.
Lepers were considered "the living dead." They were to avoid contact with healthy people. That is why the gospel story is so stunning. Not only does a leper approach Jesus and beg for healing. Jesus' heart goes out to him, He touches him, and heals him. The barrier is broken. The traditional boundary is transcended. The person is restored to health and is restored to the community. He can once again work, worship, and enjoy the company of family and friends.
Like Jesus, we are called to help transcend barriers that keep people from community resources of healing and wholeness and holiness.
Think about a time you felt like an outcast. Thank God for drawing you back into the circle of belonging and care. Pray for the insight to understand why you might hold some people at a distance. Ask God for the courage to open your heart to them.First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Growing In Faith
After celebrating the wonderful Christmas season we are back in Ordinary Time. During this time our focus is not on a specific aspect of the mystery of Christ, like the incarnation or the resurrection, but on the mystery of Christ in all its aspects.
Today we hear two wonderful stories about coming to spiritual maturity. Surely this is an important part of living the mystery of Christ. Young Samuel is coached by Eli to discern the voice of God and to respond with a posture of faith: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." In the gospel two disciples of John the Baptist begin to trail Jesus when he asks them: "What are you looking for?" This leads to a shift from trailing Jesus to staying with him for a day to faithfully following him.
Sometimes people like Eli or John the Baptist come into our lives. They are mentors or intermediaries who point us to Christ. Sometimes we are called upon to be these intermediaries who point others to Christ. There is always an invitation here to mature in faith, to connect directly with Christ, to be in his company.
What stages can you identity in your journey of faith? Who have been your mentors? When have you been invited to be a mentor for others?
Christmas: Allowing Ourselves To Be Led
Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Monday we conclude the Christmas season with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Next Sunday we will be back in Ordinary Time until Lent starts on Ash Wednesday.
At the heart of the Liturgy today stand the magi. They arrived in Jerusalem from the East with its emphasis on mystery, contemplation, and wisdom. They combined astronomy and astrology to discern religious insights from the stars. They were pilgrims. Today we might call them religious seekers.
The magi allowed themselves to be led to Christ through several means. They were intrigued by something in nature -- a bright star rising in the sky. They learned something about the Christ from the Sacred Scriptures through the interpretations of the chief priests and scribes. After their encounter with Christ they paid attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in a dream not to return to King Herod. And they went back home by another way. Their journey was different after this profound religious experience.
The magi teach us something about allowing our selves to be led by what is of God. It might be through nature, the Bible, particular experiences, conversations with people, or an epiphany moment.
How does the light of Christ intrigue and attract you? In what ways have you allowed yourself to led by what is of God? How is life a pilgrimage or religious quest for you?Christmas: A Wonderful Exchange
On Christmas Day our large family will exchange Christmas gifts. Years ago each of us would purchase a gift for everyone else. But it became too cumbersome, too busy, too commercial (and expensive). So now we draw names and each person brings a gift for one other person. This year I happened to draw my mother's name.
An exchange of gifts is one way to think of the meaning of our celebration of the Christmas season as followers of the Risen Christ. An antiphon on January 1st names it this way: "O marvelous exchange! Humanity's Creator has become human, born of a virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity."
What a wonderful exchange of gifts! God shares in our human life so that we can share in God's divine and eternal life. During this Christmas season I hope that you can take time to recognize and cherish the gift of human life and the gift of divine life.
I pray that you will experience many blessings as you gather with family and friends to celebrate these holy days. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!