3rd Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent are:

1. Exodus 20: 1-17
2. Psalms 19: 8, 9. 10, 11
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25
4. John 2: 13-25

• Times and seasons
• Our Catholic calendar is a who's who of feast days, solemnities,  and seasons, each meant to remind us, among other things, that all time is holy, all time belongs to God.
• How successful are you at setting aside time faithfully to relax in God?
• If you suddenly had nothing urgent demanding your attention on Sunday afternoons, what would you do with all of that time?
• How do you define urgent?

• Where is that written down?
• My father-in-law sums up the Catholicism of his day as "pay, pray, and obey".
• If someone were to ask you what defines the Catholic experience, what would you tell them?
• If someone asked you what they had to believe in order to be Catholic, what would you tell them?
• By that definition, how Catholic are you?

• God arrives clothed in weakness
• Jesus came as a poor, humble man.  You can argue that God disguised His divinity, that the Incarnation was a colossal concession on God's part to reach us.
• But what if that poverty is a reflection of at least a part of God's nature?  Does that change the way that you look at those less fortunate, those who are at the margins?
• Have you ever been brushed aside, taken advantage of, robbed of your voice?
• Can you find Jesus in the midst of that?

• Purification
• Do you feel that your life has too many distractions in it, that you are pulled in too many ways?
• What are you doing to simplify?
• How will you know when you are done?
• What blessings have you already received from that simplification?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What in my life belongs to God alone?
2. What am I doing to nourish the essentials of my faith?
3. How can I embrace weakness within and without?
4. Is there anything that can/should be pruned from my life to give me sharper focus?

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday of Lent are:

1. Genesis 22: 1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
2. Psalms 116: 15, 16-17, 18-19
3. Romans 8: 31b-34
4. Mark 9:2-10

• Making all things new
• Do you ever wonder how the relationship between Abraham and Isaac might have changed after their experience on Mt. Moriah?
• Think of a time when something, someone, somewhere was restored to you.  It might be regaining your health after an illness, getting a job after unemployment, restoring a relationship, ...
• How did that transform your attitude toward that restored blessing?
• What was the same?
• What do you wish that you had done differently? 

• Embracing death
• Death comes to us in many ways.  It might be having to give up on some cherished dream, letting a relationship grow beyond its present form, letting a loved one pursue a different path of life.
• What have been some death moments in your life?
• How did you grow through them?
• If you were giving advice to someone contemplating such a death moment, what would you tell them?

• My God my all
• It is perhaps a delicate distinction to say that God provides us all of our needs versus God is the answer to all of our needs.
• Do you think that God's answer is "wait, it's coming?"
• Or maybe "you just think that you need that, but I have something far better?"
• Or "you already have all that you need, just open your eyes?"
• All of the above?
• None of the above?
• Come on, it is just a multiple choice question ;-)

• It's all connected
• Our liturgical year reminds us of our salvation journey as the people of God, coming to a climax in the 7 readings of the Easter Vigil.
• Do you think that we need regular reminders of God's actions since the time of Jesus?
• How might we make those blessings more present to us?
• What about the wonderful things that God has done in our midst in just the past few decades, years, months, days?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What is God making new in my life today?
2. Where is death offering me an opportunity for growth?
3. Where is God answering prayer right now in my life?
4. Where is God answering prayer right now in my life?  (No, that's not just a cut/paste error, I meant that!)

Shalom!

1st Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 1st Sunday of Lent are:

1. Genesis 9: 8-15
2. Psalms 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
3. 1 Peter 3: 18-22
4. Mark 1: 12-15

• Making all things new
• As devastating as the Flood was, God could have simply started from scratch.  But He saved a remnant of His children.  By emerging from the waters, Noah and his family point us toward Easter.
• Think back to some past events in your life that were really tough at the time.  Did you come to see those in a different light later in life?
• What good did you eventually find in those circumstances?
• How did that goodness eventually come to light?
• Do you think that resurrection experience is over yet? 

• Lessons in humility
• In some circles, it's fashionable to pray for humility as though it's the same as humiliation.
• How would you define true humility?
• How do you think that God has taught you humility?
• Once you learn humility, how do you stay in that state of grace?

• Looking for a clear conscience
• Do you ever have something come back to mind that you've done, said, or thought, and it makes you cringe all over again?
• Where do you think those memories come from?
• Is it worthwhile to bring those random memories to confession?
• What if you've already confessed that very sin, either specifically or in general?

• Living the eternal "now"
• If you had to describe Mark in one word, that word might be "urgent".
• Do you think that this present day in age, this year, this day are all times of fulfillment?
• Just what is it that is coming to fulfillment right now?
• Do you believe that repentance is strictly an individual matter, or do we need to repent as families, communities, nations?
• Who is there to lead us in such repentance?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What is God renewing in my life today?
2. What am I doing with the second chances that God has given me?
3. Where is my conscience before God?
4. Where is God waiting for me to repent?

Shalom!

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Leviticus 13: 1-2, 44-46
2. Psalms 32: 1-2, 5, 11
3. 1 Corinthians 10: 31-11:1
4. Mark 1: 40-45

• You're different
• What are some things about people that makes them different from "us"?
• What is it that really defines "us"?
• What benefit is there to keeping outsiders outside and insiders inside?
• Do you think that Jesus was an outsider or an insider? 

• Sin, sins, and faults
• At one time, it was common to have the "laundry list" confession, with individual sins carefully categorized and numbered, like some sort of inventory.
• Do you think confessing those makes anything better?
• How can you get behind some of your sins to the underlying sinfullness?
• How do you think that Jesus would want to heal us of our sin, sins, and faults?

• Who are you working for?
• I've talked before about Matthew Kelly's study of great athletes, great musicians, and other folks who have contributed so much to humanity.  All of them have a singular focus in their lives, an ultimate center point.
• If you were going to be known for just one thing, what would you want that to be?
• What have you done towards that notoriety this week?
• Do you think that its really possible to lead a focused life these days?

• Our part in the healing
• In this Gospel, Jesus asks the leper to show himself to the priests, as the Law requires.
• Do we always have some role to play, some action needed on our part to accept healing and restoration?
• Why do you think that we have to own a healing at all?
• Or
• Jesus touched that leper, in violation of Jewish law and custom.
• Who has touched you in your life, and restored you in some way large or small?
• How did that touch make you feel (worthy, not forgotten, part of the community)?
• How can we touch others more effectively as a family and parish community?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I doing to be more welcoming?
2. Do I honestly believe that Jesus can help me with my sinfulness?
3. Am I living the real purpose in my life?
4. Who am I touching with my life?

Shalom!