Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent - March 18

 Isaiah 1:10, 16-20  Matthew 23:1-12

I am not one to lead prayers or scripture, and I suspect many of you feel that way. Our scripture for today says not to follow in the example of those who “preach but they do not practice.” Practicing our faith is vastly more challenging and rewarding.

Jesus wears many faces for many people and circumstances, but to me, His greatest role is as a teacher and role model. If we serve with our hearts, as well as our hands, and with His teachings and example in mind, we can be assured of being on the right path.

Our parish and community give us a kaleidoscope of opportunities for service, which we may select according to what speaks to our hearts and is served by our talents. For most people, a loving heart is our greatest Christian talent. Never underestimate the importance of that. In working with our sister parish in El Salvador I have seen so many people say, “I don’t know what I have to offer.” Yet when they take the leap of faith and join a ministry, they learn their heart is the greatest gift they can give. Simply walking with others on their journey, understanding them as a person, and letting loose of our need to “fix”everything, opens our hearts up to receive the love others have to give.

Lent is always a great time to open our hearts to the opportunities before us. Listen to others without judgment or trying to “fix” them. Find areas of service where our hearts can be open to the love from others, and our hands can make a difference, even with a simple handshake or embrace.

In what specific ways are my faith and my skills needed in the world?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday of Holy Week - April 14

Isaiah 42:1-7 John 12:1-11 These readings are a great reminder to us all during Lent and Holy Week that we are called by God to spread His word. We are called to listen to Jesus in our daily lives, follow his example, and spread his teachings in our daily lives. The readings and Gospel first help us remember gratitude for all the beauty around us. As a parish, we are so blessed with the wonderful leadership of our parish, the beautiful church in which we celebrate Mass and the Sacraments, the amazing choir that shares its angelic voices, and a wonderful Catholic community. God has provided the very breath in our bodies, allowing us to share Jesus’s teachings by acting Christlike in our daily lives, living out Jesus’s example for our community and beyond. And when we are called to more overtly spread Jesus’s teachings – we are given instruction on HOW to share the Good News - humbly and quietly. The Gospel gives us a reminder of what is to come during Holy Week. While Mary anoints Jesus...
Read more

Palm Sunday - April 13

Luke 19:28-40 Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 On this day, we pack into the narthex bearing our palms and listen to a Gospel reading recounting Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with his disciples before processing into the sanctuary. In recent years, these exclamations have troubled me; after all, not long after this moment of praise, we hear (or say) the words, “Crucify him!” It can feel vaguely uneasy to join in triumphal exclamations knowing that we’ll soon be meditating on the disciples who betrayed Jesus - betrayals mirrored in our own lives. Does that sense of unease miss the point of Palm Sunday’s opening rite? Turning to Luke, we learn that those who cry out are a “multitude” of his “disciples” - that is, a veritable crowd of outsiders who gradually joined Jesus as pilgrims on his journey from Galilee up to Jerusalem. They exclaim, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” The first sentence is shar...
Read more

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent - March 12

 Jonah 3:1-10.   Luke 11:29-32 My first reaction to the first reading was one of fearfulness. God is proclaiming to Jonah that he would destroy an entire city and its people. I had to read it several times before I started to realize that there was a different message, not one of anger and wrath, but a message to listen, and a call to action. Jonah was given a message, and he was called to spread that message in order to save the people of that city.  I have been guilty of not making enough time for God. Some days I feel like I am just bouncing from one activity to another. By the end of it I find I am so tired I turn to my cell phone or the television to “zone out.” Many days are filled with thousands of decision points, and not each decision is the “right” decision. Worst of all, in some of those decisions I commit sin. In some of those decisions, consciously or not, I do not make an attempt to include God or listen.  Jonah listened to God‘s message first and then ...
Read more