March 1, 1998First Sunday of Lent |
JUDGE NOT!
God: Why did Jesus tell the disciples to be compassionate
and not to judge?
Me: He wanted us to recognize that as humans we make mistakes in the process of settling scores.
God: Exactly! When you, personally or as a society, take
justice into your own hands, there is always the
possibility it will become revenge. Revenge begets
violence, not peace.
MORE ON LENT...
A brief look at the four phases of lent:
1. Ash Wednesday and the next three days form a solemn prelude
to the season. Over these days, the scriptures and other
liturgical texts announce the major aspects of the observance
and call all to enter in. The sense of Sunday as a "beginning"
day is expressed in the placement of the Rite of (Sending) and
Election and of the penitential procession on the First Sunday
of Lent.
2. The 28 days from the First Sunday (March 10 until the
Saturday of the Fourth Week (March 28) receive much of their
direction from the flow of scripture readings and from
penitential practices: particularly, reconciliation services,
and the first two scrutiny rites for the elect. The feast of
St. Joseph breaks this "purple pattern" in 1998. The Fourth or
"Laetare" ("Rejoice") Sunday (March 22 brings its own nuance to
this time.
3. From the Fifth Sunday (March 29) on, attention becomes
focused on the passion of Christ.
4. The last days, called Holy Week, are an intensification of
the third phase of Lent. These days are given the highest
liturgical precedence so the church will not to be distracted
from the final preparations for the Triduum (the "Three Days" -
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday).
...PLUS A LOOK AT THE TRIDUUM
Lent does not end on Holy Saturday; it ends on Holy Thursday,
late afternoon. Lent brings us to the Triduum, not to Easter
Sunday. It is important that the whole of the Triduum to be
celebrated in its internal unity - as a three-day season unto
itself and not as the final three days of Lent.
These are our High Holy Days filled with complex liturgies
and rituals used only once a year. They are meant to overwhelm
us with the love of God for us. They offer us the opportunity
to be overwhelmed by the power of God at work in our midst,
the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. They offer us
the chance to experience anew the very death and resurrection
of the Lord as our own death and new life. They immerse us
each year in the waters from which we draw both our identity
and our life. If we allow these days to have their effect on
us, we will inevitably to be changed, renewed and reoriented,
just as those who have just been baptized, confirmed and
brought to the Eucharist for the first time.
These three days are so central to our life as church that
nothing should rank more important. They ask us to live for
three days in near total contradiction to the world around us,
breaking all our routines and revamping our schedules. They
call for fasting and listening and lingering, for silence and
singing, for reconciling and rejoicing.
First Sunday of Lent
Ash Wednesday has opened the Season of Lent with the
blessing of ashes and a call to conversion: "Turn away
from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." The Church sets
aside Lent as a time to remind us of God's saving love. This
is the Gospel story. The Good News. Each time we respond to
the Good News, we are evangelized.
Evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into
every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and
society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. Each week,
we experience the Good News by listening to the Scripture
readings and in a very tangible way by gathering around the
table and receiving Jesus in the form of bread and wine. What
happens when the Good News is really heard and taken to heart?
We change! Life changes! The world changes!
The Good News can touch and change everything in our
experience. It speaks and continues to speak to every one of
us. So we are all involved in evangelization, not just a few.
When we hear the Good News, we experience ongoing conversion and
renewal. When our children hear the Good News, they are formed
in their faith. when we hear Good News with our non-Catholic
brothers and sisters, we are drawn to unity. When non-
practicing Catholics hear the Good News, they are reconciled.
When non-believers hear the Good News, they are drawn to
conversion.
So, Evangelization is all around us! We should get used
to the word because a whole new era of bringing Good News is
just beginning. Here are some ways that you can experience the
Good News this week.
Reflection
Consider how Jesus, battling Satan in the desert, insists
that we must live "by every word that comes from the mouth
of God." What would it mean if I lived that way? What would
it mean if everyone lived that way?
Action
As Lent begins, instead of just thinking, "What am
I going to give up?", try this: What can I do to
experience the Good News of God more directly in my life? How
can I, during this season, hear the voice of God more clearly?
Prayer
Lord, you have spoken your Good News to me. It is
Good News of life, love, and salvation. Let me hear it more
clearly. Live it more fully. And bring it to the world.
CONFESSION
Christianity is a religion framed by a confession, a
set of core convictions that shapes and reflects the
commitment of its adherents. Today's readings remind
us of the confessional nature of our faith. Moses
recounts the wondrous events of the Passover covenant
and settlement in Canaan. The psalmist tells us that
anyone who calls upon God will be answered and
delivered from distress.
Romans similarly describes the Christian confession,
the core belief that Jesus is Lord, raised from the
dead by God. Paul assures us that "Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Luke's gospel describes Jesus struggle with
post-baptismal temptation. Like the ancient
Israelites, Jesus has been in the wilderness for a long
time and, like they, He is tired and hungry. Unlike
the Israelites, however, Jesus avoids both complaints
and easy surrender, choosing instead to "confess" His
faith through His actions and responses.
From Our Pastor's Desk
It appears that we will not have much genuine winter weather this year. Just rain, more rain, and still more rain! Perhaps it's a good reminder to us that there can be "too much of a good thing." It may be true that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," but what happens if I eat 20 apples in one day?
It's easy to think of Lent as a time to look at the negatives in my life. What am I doing wrong? What words do I use that should not be part of my vocabulary? What obligations have I failed to fulfill? What attitudes of mine are contrary to the mind and heart of Christ?
Lent is also an opportunity to focus on "the good things" in my life. For example, if I want to improve my prayer life, I first need to ask how prayer has already helped me grow closer to God. Prayer is a good thing, but have I used it to escape my responsibilities (Lord, help me pass this test even though I didn't study!) or solely to petition God without praising and thanking Him for what He has already done? Merely adding to the quantity of prayer may not accomplish much without first asking how I use prayer and how it has worked effectively.
Almsgiving and helping the needy is also a good thing, but why do I do it? Is my motivation compassion and justice or merely the desire to look good to others or feel good about myself? Do I help those whom I find it easy to assist while ignoring people I'd rather avoid? Again, merely doing more may not be nearly as helpful to my growth in holiness as doing it for better reasons.
When I am preparing for the sacrament of Reconciliation, I should think about how I have already improved since my last confession. How has the grace of the sacrament helped me to be a better person, more loving, more sensitive, more caring, less self-centered? Sacramental reconciliation is certainly a good thing, but how much it helps me does not depend nearly as much on how often I go as it does on how I go to confession.
Reflections from Fr. Gene
On February 16, a friend underwent successful surgery in
another part of the country. Today, February 22, I celebrated
a baptism at St. Joseph's Parish in Lebanon. The Godmother
was a young woman who seems to be doing well following bone
marrow transplant surgery for cancer. But before the Mass for
the baptism, a young man that I grew up with told me that his
mother had a heart attack and will have open heart surgery on
Monday.
Health is such a precious gift! I believe that we don't
really realize how valuable it is until we begin to lose it.
Whether it's an ingrown toe nail, a broken arm, or cancer; a
heart attack, sprained ankle or cold; weakening muscles, poor
hearing, or failing eyesight -- we take our body for granted
until it no longer, for some reason, allows us to do what we
want when we want to.
Health -- what is it? Does health include just the
physical parts of the body? When the "parts" are working well
then I am "healthy?" What about our emotions and psycological
make up? My emotions are a part of me. If I am "down"
emotionally and psychologically, I certainly cannot say that I
am healthy. I don't feel good.
And what about the Spirit? Am I spiritually healthy? What
does it mean to be spiritually healthy? Many gerontologists
agree that the spiritually healthy one is the one who lives in
such a way as to affirm life by maintaining strong
relationships with God, others, their community - both faith
and civic community, their environment and themselves.
What about you? Would you say you are healthy? Are you
healthy physically, emotionally, psychologically and
spiritually? What is the most important?
First Sunday of Lent, 1 March, 1998
Dear people of St. Pius,
Why ashes? A catechumen (a person who is seeking baptism) recently asked
this question in our Sunday Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
"Remember, that you are dust and unto dust you shall return." Ashes are a sign
of our mortality, a sign that we, ultimately, are not in control. Like all
natural things, we decay and die. Ashes are a reminder of that harsh truth.
Ashes are also worthless, good for nothing, "but to trampled underfoot."
However, even ashes can be beautiful, within God's power for re-composition.
The other saying when ashes are applied is: "Repent and believe in the gospel."
It proclaims that we are meant, not for sin and death, but for life and love.
Lent is the annual penitential Season of the Church. It is a time to turn
away from, or, at least, seriously question our attachment to, cultural idols
of addiction and security, like smoking, drinking, TV, harsh language, worrying,
sniping at sibs, buying unneeded consumer items, etc. Lent is the time for
deeper prayer, carving out quality time for God. Lent is the season for giving
our time, talent and treasure to the poor in our midst. Lent is the time to
examine ourselves, confess sin, and come clean before God and the community.
Lent calls us to trust anew in God's mercy, pardon, forgiveness and
acceptance. "For gracious and merciful is God, slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment." Lent proclaims: "Now is the acceptable time! Now
is the day of salvation! Finally, Lent is not meant for us to focus so much on
our sins and defects, as to focus on God's loving kindness.
A Blessed Lent to all of you, Fr. Mike
Lent and Confession...All Catholics
associate Lent with the Sacrament of Penance,
Reconciliation and Confession. Sometimes they
"put off" going to Confession until the last
minute depriving themselves of a much richer
Lent, indeed a much richer life. Sometimes
they put off going because it has been too long
since they last sought the direct, personal
forgiveness of Christ made tangible in the
Sacrament; thus it only gets more difficult
because of the procrastination. Everyone is
urged to make the Lent confession early, during
these first few weeks of Lent. In that way the
richness of God's Lenten mercy may develop the
full root and stem to blossom into a hardy and
brilliant Easter joy.
A Special Responsibility...is incumbent on
every Catholic during Lent. The Church directs
each and every Catholic "to go to Communion
worthily" (and hence confession) during the
paschal time, the period extending from the
beginning of Lent to Pentecost. It stands as
an invitation that cannot be ignored, namely
that we must not let any estrangement from God
or from the Church or from each other in the
Church to continue. Consequently, there are
many for whom the days of Lent occasion a kind
of struggle between conscience and the
invitation of God on the one hand and on the
other hand the pattern of living without or
apart from God. Every Catholic in obedience to
the solidarity that we share in Christ from
baptism must pray for his brothers and sisters
who are presently struggling within themselves
to return through "confession" to the Lord and
the whole Church. That prayer will be heard
and the struggle will be won.
First Sunday of Lent
Throughout this liturgical year our focus is
on the Gospel of Luke in this third or "C" year of
a three-year circle of scripture readings.
When we use the Gospel according to St.
Matthew in Cycle "A," the theme for Lent is
baptism. When we use the Gospel according to St.
Mark in the "B" Cycle, the Lenten topic is
"covenant."
In this "C" Cycle, when we use the Gospel
according to St. Luke, the particular emphasis for
the season of Lent is reconciliation.
Let's briefly review what reconciliation is:
-ATION = a state of being or a process of
becoming. -CILI- = walking or traveling. -CON- = together with. RE- = again.
Reconciliation, then, is the ongoing
process of walking together again with God, with
others, with our own honest self, with all of
creation.
As we begin this sacred time of Lent at St.
Anthony's, this call to reconciliation is most
pertinent and most needed.
We are a faith community longing for
reconciliation: forgiveness for our personal and
corporate sins, healing of our rifts between one
another, freedom from fear in our neighborhood,
togetherness in the family, lessening of stress in
our personal lives.
So, during this Lent we as a parish launch a
"mission of reconciliation" and make a special
effort to come to union with God, harmony with
others, integrity within ourselves, and kinship
with creation.
We begin, on this First Sunday of Lent, by
focusing on three prevalent temptations in our
world: pride, possessions, and power
(Gospel).
We also highlight two ways of warding off
those temptations and maintaining an experience of
togetherness with God and others: loyalty and
perseverance in our relationship with God
(First Reading) and an eager willingness
to give testimony to the priority of God in our
lives (Second Reading).
So, the question for this first week is:
What are you explicitly doing to overcome
the tendency toward pride and possessions and
power in your life by your faithful practice of
the faith and your authentic witness in word and
action in order to reconcile yourself with God and
others?
--Father Benet OFM
TO HELP PREPARE FOR GOD'S WORD
Readings for next week,
March 8, 1998
Second Sunday of Lent:
Copyright © 1998 Liturgical Publications of St. Louis, Inc.
Last modified: 2/24/98 12:10:16 PM