Tag: Lent

“He will save his people from their sins.” | Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the responsorial psalm: “The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness, For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. The son of David will live for ever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (1:16, 18-21, 24a, today’s readings)

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew follows his genealogy of Jesus with the story of the birth of Jesus. As he learns that Mary is pregnant, Joseph, a righteous man, decides to divorce Mary quietly. But an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream to reassure him that the child conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit. Just as Elizabeth and Zechariah learn from an angel that their son will be named John, an angel of the Lord tells Joseph that the child is to be named Jesus. In his righteousness and obedience, Joseph is able to respond to God in a way that is similar to Mary’s fiat. Putting aside his own plan, Joseph says yes to God’s plan for him and for the salvation of humanity. Joseph’s example invites us to reflect on how we can say yes to God in our daily lives, trusting his will with faith and courage.

God, thank you for the opportunity a new day brings to say yes to you. I have in Joseph a faultless example of one who hears your will and obeys, opening up a great expanse of possibilities I can’t perceive here and now in the midst of uncertainty. Help the little faith and foresight I have, given to you in trust, and let it be a means of giving all glory to you for sending us a savior, the Messiah, to enter into the world to destroy death. You are, as Saint Paul says, the one “who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.” Give me the grace, Lord, to be attentive to your will and carry it through.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Serving, not seeking. | Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes. He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.” To the upright I will show the saving power of God.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 23:1-12, today’s readings)

“They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.'”

Jesus teaches the crowds and the disciples about the behavior and attitudes of the religious leaders of his time, especially the scribes and Pharisees. He instructs the people to observe the teachings of the Pharisees and scribes in their teaching of the law. But he criticizes them because they perform their religious duties to be seen by others, seeking honor and recognition rather than serving God sincerely. “All their works are performed to be seen.” Jesus guides those who hear him to the authority of the Father in heaven and the one master, Christ. He invites us away from the false honor of those who exalt themselves and into a relationship of genuine humility and service to others—the way to true greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

Father in heaven, help me recognize that as an adopted son I call you Father through the obedience of Jesus Christ, your Son. Because of your loving-kindness, we are able to do this, as Saint Cyril says, “having been translated from servitude to adoption as sons, by the grace of the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Give me ample opportunity today to follow the example of Christ in true humility and service to others for the sake of your glory. In your kingdom, the first will be last and the last will be first. Be with me, Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Give and gifts will be given to you.” | Monday of the Second Week in Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:36-38, today’s readings)

“Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

Jesus teaches the disciples about mercy and judgment. He calls us to be merciful, just as our Father is merciful and emphasizes that we should not judge and condemn others, and in doing so, we will not be judged ourselves. Instead of condemning, he commands us to forgive, and God will forgive us in return. Jesus also teaches us to give generously and that it will be given back to us in good measure. “Give and gifts will be given to you?” But what is there to give when you are on the receiving end of recurrent hurt or continual re-injury? Prayer, the ongoing work of forgiveness, and a firm assertion of mutual dignity ensure that when you give these things, God’s gift of mercy will be yours.

God, show me how to forgive as you forgive me. Guide me to grow in my ability to forgive little hurts but even more in my resolve to forgive others who have hurt me repeatedly but show no acknowledgment of wrongdoing. Help me call to mind throughout the day but especially during Mass that my hurts are not my burden to bear but to lay down on the altar for Jesus Christ your Son to receive. Strengthen my resolve to pray for those I forgive, to keep on the path of forgiveness, and to offer to you the care of their souls. Grant me your wisdom and strength to persevere in forgiveness, trusting in the divine mercy and justice that is yours. Yours, O Lord, are compassion and forgiveness. Saint Patrick, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” | Second Sunday of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:28b-36, today’s readings)

As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray, where they are witnesses to the Lord’s Transfiguration. During that time, Moses and Elijah appear, speaking with Jesus and revealing through their presence that he is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Peter wants to remain in that place, making three tents for them. But the mission of Jesus and the disciples lay ahead of them. Even as Peter speaks, a cloud overshadows them, and they hear the Father’s voice declare, “This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.” Just as God makes a covenant with Abraham, revealing his divine plan through a mysterious vision, God’s glory is revealed in the Transfiguration. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise, strengthening the disciples for the suffering to come. Like Peter, we want to hold onto moments of spiritual consolation, but discipleship calls us to bring Christ’s light into the world.

God, you call me to move forward in faith even in those moments when I sit quietly with you after receiving the Eucharist or before you in the Blessed Sacrament. Give me the courage to follow you, even when the path leads through trials and uncertainty. Strengthen me with your gifts of grace so that I can bring your light to the world and trust in the glory yet to come. Help me to listen to you and embrace the mission you have given me. Jesus, I trust in you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Father’s perfect love. | Saturday of the First Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:43-48, today’s readings)

“For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Jesus teaches the disciples that loving only those who love us is not enough. He calls all who follow him to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. This reflects the perfect love of the Father, who gives sunlight and rain to both the just and the unjust. If we love only those who love us, there is nothing extraordinary in that. Jesus calls us to a higher, seemingly impossible, standard of holiness, to love as God loves. He teaches us to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” inviting us to strive for divine love in all our relationships. Although sinners, we are transformed by God’s grace, making it possible to love even our enemies through him and not by our own strength.

God, help me love as you love even when I see it as an impossible command. Teach me to see others as you see them with the gift of your mercy and compassion. Strengthen my heart to forgive, to pray for those who have hurt me, and to trust in your grace to perfect my love. I know that on my own, I will fall short but you make all things are possible. Jesus, I trust in You.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Go first and be reconciled with your brother.” | Friday of the First Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “I trust in the LORD; my soul trusts in his word. My soul waits for the LORD more than sentinels wait for the dawn. Let Israel wait for the LORD. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:20-26, today’s readings)

“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.”

Jesus teaches the disciples about internal righteousness over mere external compliance with the law, which the scribes and Pharisees especially sought. Because no one is capable of perfect righteousness, Jesus brings the law, particularly the sixth commandment, into focus as a way to point to our reliance on God as the source of our mercy. Jesus speaks in terms of gifts brought to the altar—a holy place—and that those gifts are to be brought to the altar only after the soul is purified in reconciliation once the soul is set free to give. While reconciliation is ordinarily possible, it may for a time or season not be an option. Forgiveness is key, but it doesn’t mean being caught in a cycle that does harm to relationships. While we are all called to forgive, reconciliation needs to be done in a way that expresses mutual compassion for one another and a desire for healing.

God, teach me from your being, which is love and mercy itself, to be merciful and forgiving. Show me how to respond in relationships where forgiveness is necessary and life-giving but reconciliation is for a time, out of reach. Help me recognize that you have the answers and I do not. You alone are merciful as the giver of all good gifts. Give me the grace to recognize when reconciliation is not possible but also when it is, and to act on it while guarding dignity and well-being. Guide me, Lord, in the way of wisdom and discernment in receiving the gift of your mercy to give that gift to others in need of it. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“To the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” | Thursday of the First Week in Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 7:7-12, today’s readings)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Jesus goes on to ask the disciples how they would respond to the son who asks for a loaf of bread or a fish. He asks whether instead they would give them a stone or a snake instead. “If you then, who are wicked,” Jesus says, “know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” Jesus then commands that the disciples follow what has become known as the Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” In the first reading, Queen Esther pleaded for help from the Lord from a place of anguish and desperation. God hears our cry and gives graces to those who ask for them. We bring God’s grace to others whenever we give generously to others who ask in need.

God, thank you for the good gifts you give me, providing for every need, great and small. Hear my prayers and care for me even when I don’t know what it is I need. Help me be attentive to the needs of others and provide for them just as you respond to those who seek, ask, and knock. Open wide the door of your mercy so that with the psalmist all will come to give you thanks and praise, saying with the psalmist: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Something greater than Solomon here.” | Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (11:29-32, today’s readings)

“At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

As Jesus speaks to the crowd, he tells them that his generation is evil, seeking a sign, but no sign will be given to it. He refers to Solomon from the Old Testament. The Queen of the South, Sheba, had heard of the wisdom of Solomon and traveled far to seek out his wisdom and understanding. In contrast to her thirst for the truth, the people of Jesus’ time demonstrate lack of faith and fail to recognize the author of wisdom present in him. In the time of Jonah, the king of Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes, decreeing that all throughout Nineveh should fast from food and water. Jesus makes the same call for repentance, giving all who hear him to return to him with their whole heart.

“A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.” In the psalms, I see a refrain for me to take to heart and commit to throughout the day. “A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” The Gospel acclamation answers who it is I return to. “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful.” Give me the grace, Lord, to see “something greater than Solomon here” in the living presence of Jesus Christ, your Son.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Your Father knows what you need.” | Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. From all their distress God rescues the just.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (6:7-15, today’s readings)

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer. Today’s Gospel follows Jesus’ teaching about almsgiving, in which, he says, “And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” In teaching the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us to take God the Father as our own in the certainty that he knows what we need before we ask him. After he prays with the disciples, he commands them to forgive others’ transgressions just as our heavenly Father forgives them. Forgiving others does not mean being a doormat or accepting continual mistreatment; instead, it is direct participation in the Father who forgives our sins and in Jesus Christ his Son, who said while hanging on the cross: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

God, help me be at peace today in knowing you take care of my needs even as I ask for what I do not need. Help me understand that you know me better than I know myself and that I can trust you without limitations. In praying, give me the grace to recognize when I ask for something out of fear or discomfort, assured that you hear my cry. Guide me in faith to be a bearer of your limitless love. During the Mass, after the Lord’s Prayer, the priest prays for what you desire for us, that we are “free from sin and safe from all distress.” From all their distress God rescues the just. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I was hungry and you gave me food.” | Monday of the First Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (25:31-46, today’s readings)

“‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'”

Jesus describes when he will come again in glory, accompanied by angels, in the final judgment. Separating people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats, Jesus will place the righteous on his right but the unrighteous on his left. Actions in this life matter now and in the second coming of Christ. More specifically, in performing corporal works of mercy in this life, what is held in the balance are life and death. Jesus says of the unrighteous “these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” To feed the hungry goes beyond simply providing physical sustenance. Jesus calls us to true mercy, which addresses the whole person. By contrast, to withhold food from “one of these least ones,” is to do the same to Jesus, to gravely wound the Body of Christ. As he speaks to the disciples, Jesus speaks to all of us, inviting us into the Spirit and life of compassion and service to others.

God, help me hear and respond to you. “The law of the LORD is perfect,” the psalmist writes. And you say through Moses, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” Give me the grace to recognize the corporal works of mercy as gifts first given by you to give away to others in need. Today I won’t likely clothe the naked or visit prisoners, but I am free to take your gift of mercy and bestow it on someone who feels vulnerable or ashamed. I can freely choose to receive your mercy and give it to others who are bound by circumstances they do not choose and can’t control. Let me remember, Lord, the final judgment. Let me be able to answer that whatever I did for one of these least brothers of mine, I did for you. Help me recognize my own dignity and worth in your eyes so that I can extend that same recognition to others.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.