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28/2/2023

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, March 5th, 2023:
The Second Sunday of Lent

Genesis
12.1-4

The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.

I recently discovered the hobby of genealogy and researching family history.

This past week, I unearthed a link that helped me understand where part of my paternal line originates. In the early 1800s, young men, likely poor enough to have nothing to lose, gambled on crossing the Atlantic to fish off the isolated southwest shores of Newfoundland. I can’t confirm what inspired that decision, but the idea of creating a better future resonates with me. Part of the draw of genealogy is seeing in hindsight how the choices of our ancestors impact us today.

Ours is not the first generation to find familial history fascinating or useful. Accounting for said history was a tool used by previous generations to pass down important stories and information about who they were, how they arrived and what they believed. The bible itself contains the entire account of Jesus’ lineage, of which Abraham was a significant part.

In Genesis 12, however, Abraham isn’t asked to look back on his line to inform his next move. In this chapter, Abraham, then Abram, is being asked by God to live very much in the present moment. God has a promise for future generations that depend on his role today. God asks him to leave his country for a place He has yet to show him. From there, God promises a great nation, where generations upon generations are blessed, by God, through Abraham’s life.

“So Abram went.” God asks him to go – so he does. Maybe he feels uncertain, but the text reads as though the move is logical, secure and calm. Further in Genesis, Abraham shows the same resolve whenever God requests something. Moreover, despite waiting what must seem an abnormally long time for the offspring God promises him, Abraham doesn’t seem to falter in this pattern until the conception of Ishmael.

It’s not an everyday event for God to ask us to move a large geographical distance. Most people may never experience that type of call. But that whispered command “Go” is offered to us at different points in our lives, in different ways. Our best response is dependent on acting in the present moment and trusting God, without thinking too hard about the cost or future outcome. The amazing thing is that God always wills to bless us through our obedience, and further, to bless the next generation, and the next, and the next through whatever we choose today. Even when we struggle with relinquishing our own will to His, He still wants continually to bless through whatever situation now exists (case in point: the blessing of Ishmael in Genesis 21:18).

“Go”-ing could be as simple as inviting that friend to Alpha or reconciling with a family member, changing familial relations for decades to come. It could mean making a doctor’s appointment to check on that unusual finding. It might result in a big mission trip, changing jobs, choosing new schools, or stepping into one’s vocation. It could mean summoning the courage for that first therapy appointment or going to confession for the first time in 30 years. It could be as small as putting down a phone and listening to a child share about their day. It could mean slowing down to rest or getting up 5 minutes earlier to pray.

Godly legacies are born of trust and sensitivity to the soft whispers of the Holy Spirit, telling us to “go.” They are constructed by bigger and smaller decisions made in the present, for a future that God holds in His hands.

Michelynne Gomez

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The Strength of the Word

24/2/2023

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A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:
The First Sunday of Lent

Matthew
4.1-11

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his Angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

Then the devil left him, and suddenly Angels came and waited on him.

It is now the time to begin our Lenten pilgrimage, walking through the desert for 40 days with Jesus. Today’s Gospel passage is such a beautiful and rich part of God’s word, and there has been so much good teaching on the meaning of the three temptations Jesus faces in the desert. In my reflection on this passage, I was struck by the power of the Sacred Scriptures. Jesus is victorious against the temptations of the devil by proclaiming the truth in the face of Satan’s subtle lies. In fact, in Jesus’ response to the devil’s first temptation, we recall that man lives not by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Reflecting on Jesus’ responses, we may be led to ask ourselves: do we keep God’s words in our minds? Are the Scriptures readily on our lips when temptation comes our way?

Jesus compares Scripture with the food of the body. While food becomes the physical strength that our body needs to flourish, the Word of God is nourishment for our minds, hearts, and souls. It is what we need in order to live the Gospel. There is a common saying: “You are what you eat.” The saints point us to the truth that “you become what you contemplate.” Setting the gaze of our souls on the face of God, we gaze into the truth itself and become more and more like Him. While the saints were still human beings with faults and weaknesses, they became more and more like the One they contemplated. We can imagine many of the saints battling the temptations of the devil faithfully – as Jesus did, whom they contemplated in the Gospel.

As we set out at the beginning of this season of Lent, let us remember to nourish ourselves every single day at the banquet table of the Word of God. Whatever forms of prayer, fasting, or almsgiving we have taken up, we are going to need the strength that comes from contemplation of God through His word. His word is not only healing and guidance for us, but is a protection against temptation, and the strength we need to reach the glory of Easter at the end of these 40 days.

Sr. Angela Burnham

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Grace Above Human Weakness

23/2/2023

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A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:
The First Sunday of Lent

Romans
5.12, 17-19

Brothers and sisters: Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, so death spread to all people, because all have sinned.

If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all people, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all people. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

This passage from Romans reminded me that our imperfections are made perfect again through Jesus who died for us. It’s a liberating reminder to lessen how hard we tend to be on ourselves, knowing that Jesus has the power to transform our hearts. I have many times in my life fallen victim to self-criticism and the tendency to be overly hard towards myself. It can be a temptation to live your life in a mindset where we consider ourselves constantly coming up short – but we must realize the grace and beauty that come in a life with Christ and the sanctifying grace of reconciliation.

I, like so many people, found confession to be largely unpleasant when I was younger. You must be so vulnerable and so open – especially when talking with a man (priest). However, I have had some beautiful experiences in confession that remind me of the power of this sacrament and how it can bring us into heightened intimacy with Jesus.

I have learned in time that vulnerability in confession is a gift, and priests who have devoted their lives to serve the Church don’t need to be feared.

There have been instances where priests have become untrustworthy and betrayed the trust and vows they took at their ordination. In those instances, we must act justly and expunge the sin and hurt they have caused; however, we need to not let the pain impact how we see the beauty of the sacraments.

This passage from Romans reminds me that the pain does not dilute the fact that the battle is already won and Jesus reigns above all. I have all my faith in Jesus and His ability to heal hearts and redeem the world.

Praying for you all.

Theresa Langley

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Shell Game

22/2/2023

7 Comments

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:
The First Sunday of Lent

Psalm 51

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
According to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

I can play quite a shell game with myself. This desire to protect my ego from my own failure runs deep. Wait. That isn’t quite right; that’s another shade of the shell game. These aren’t failures I’m hiding; they are sins. It’s not the good I’ve tried to grow and failed to make thrive that’s the pea under the walnut shifting from my inner eye in a blur of movement. It’s the good that I hadn’t the courage to start, where I’ve chosen my own self-preservation, or even comfort, over loving my neighbour. Love costs, and I wasn’t willing to pay the price. Sin. It’s the evil I hadn’t the trust to stop, where I’ve chosen to provide a way to meet my needs that wasn’t mine to take, rather than rely on God alone. The fruit reveals the tree, and my actions spoke for themselves. Sin. This is the pea knocking inside the walnut that I want to lose sight of.

Lent. It’s time to slow the shells down. Lift up the walnut. Show Him the dry and desiccated pea. Time to learn I don’t need the pea or the shell that hid it. Leave them behind and feast with Him. The beauty of the fast of Lent isn’t in the self-denial, it’s in the invitation to feast on His presence. Stillness is chosen and sin is surrendered to create space to soak up His Holy Spirit.

And the bounty at the banquet before me!
   Creation
   Clean heart
   Newness
   Right spirit
   Restoration
   Joy
   Salvation
   Willingness
   Openness
   Praises lifted
   His presence

I’ve been sitting on the floor under the table, skittering my walnut shells in the dust. I’m tired of wasting energy hiding my sin from myself. My spirit is getting a charley horse from holding the cramped position my rationalizations have placed me in. From down here I can’t see the feast, just the gum under the table. And here He comes – Jesus kneeling down, moving the chairs that block my exit, pushing aside the hanging table cloth and peeking in. He holds out His hand for mine and says, “Are you coming?”

Mercy Himself, extending mercy in a hand marked by love.

Miserere mei, Deus,
Secundum magnam misericordiam tuam,
Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum,
Dele iniquitatem meam.

Have mercy on me, God,
According to Your great mercy,
According to the multitude of Your mercies,
Take away my sins.

Miserere Mei – Antonio Lotti

Noreen Smith

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Go

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, March 5th, 2023:The Second Sunday of Lent

The Strength of the Word

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:The First Sunday of Lent

Grace Above Human Weakness

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:​The First Sunday of Lent

Shell Game

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:The First Sunday of Lent

Archives

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, March 5th, 2023:
The Second Sunday of Lent

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:
The First Sunday of Lent

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:
The First Sunday of Lent

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, February 26th, 2023:
The First Sunday of Lent