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Imperative, Interrogative, or Declarative.

29/2/2024

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024:
Third Sunday of Lent

1 Corinthians
1:18, 22-25

Brothers and sisters: The message about the Cross is foolishness to those who’re perishing, but to us, who are being saved it is the power of God.

For Jews demand signs
and Greeks desire wisdom,
   but we proclaim Christ crucified,

a stumbling block to Jews
and foolishness to Gentiles,
   but to those who are the called,
   both Jews and Greeks,
       Christ the power of God
       and the wisdom of God.

For God’s foolishness
   is wiser than human wisdom,
and God’s weakness
   is stronger than human strength.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Why does this poem that St. Paul gives to his brothers and sisters make me cry?

I’m very good at hiding. One of my adult kids recently helped me see that I can quite effectively put up a screen that lets me see only what’s good, or what’s beautiful, and not what’s hard, or what’s ugly. And that this is not a virtue, it’s a vice. It’s a roadblock to things getting better. And God helped me see it’s a matter of trust. “You can look at it, you can feel it, the pain really is there,” He says, “but so am I."

The opening part of the poem has three actors, three actions, three results.

Jews, Greeks, us.
Demand, desire, declare.
Miracles, reasons, the Cross.

Look at it. Not the empty cross, but Christ crucified.
Here is the dynamism of God.
Here is the clarity of God.

“This is the display of authority?” say the Jews. “This is the reasoned answer?" say the Greeks. “Where’s my screen or pillar?” say I.

I started off loving Jesus, His mission, and His ecclesia—His called-out-ones—in churches with empty crosses. Then a few years ago He called me home to the church of my baptism, where the cross is not empty. And I didn’t know where to look. Why would we commemorate His suffering over his victory? Singing alto in the choir meant I had a structural pillar that I could hide behind. I had no clear line of sight of Him hanging there, until I came up to receive Him.

And then there He is. No screen. No pillar. I start with eyes down and a voice says, “Body of Christ,” and there He is, in my hand. His image of suffering, hanging on the wall, visible over the shoulder of the person to whom I lift my head and say, “Amen.” And then I bring Him in. I receive. All of Him. All of this.

When I’m confronted with pain—my own or someone else’s—I want a reason. I want a resolution. I meet the problem of pain with the interrogative, ‘WHY?” Or the imperative, “MAKE IT STOP!’ My God meets me with the declarative, “I AM HERE.” Period. Full stop. Look at the Cross.

One of the songs we sing in the choir is called "Silence." It’s based on a Charlie Hayden jazz instrumental, a slow progression of chords changing only one note at a time—an effect that communicates so much space to exist in. We sing with the pulses of the chords these simple syllables, added by musician Peter Togni:

I am with you.
I am with you.
He is with you.
Says the Lord.

One pulse for each word, except “Lord”. He gets two. Makes sense. It’s all about Him. Joining us. In it all.

Here’s a Lenten invitation to take some time to pray with the pulses, and hear when He says, “I am with you.” 

Silence.

Noreen Smith

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The Words of Eternal Life

28/2/2024

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A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024:
Third Sunday of Lent

Psalm 19

R: Lord, you have the words of eternal life.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple.

R: Lord, you have the words of eternal life.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes.

R: Lord, you have the words of eternal life.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

R: Lord, you have the words of eternal life.

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.

R: Lord, you have the words of eternal life.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Before I gave my life to Christ, my relation to God’s word did not reflect the words of the Psalmist. It wasn’t sweeter than honey or finer than gold. Reading the words of the Scripture certainly didn’t rejoice my heart. I did love the Old Testament as a kid — a source of endless trivia. I approached it the same way I approached the Lord of the Rings, with fascination for all the names, battles, and drama. But fascination isn’t the same thing as joy.

When I read the Scriptures as a kid, I often skipped over the Psalms. The poetry was beautiful but struck me as repetitive. When we sang them in Church, that reinforced my opinions. When it came to the Gospel, I read about Jesus the same way I read about other good men and women of history — there was something to be learned so that I could be inspired to achieve big things or fight against injustice. But again, there was nothing I could see that made this book that special.

That was of course compounded by how I heard and experienced the Scriptures outside of Church. Some people quoted it out of context. Other people shared it with me earnestly. Both misuse and genuine attempts at evangelization fell on deaf ears. I was numb to the words and to the Word speaking through the Scripture.

After I gave my life to Christ, everything changed. Whatever barrier had been in my heart crumbled. I returned to the Scriptures, which I had read so many times before my conversion seeking meaning, and found in it not some trite life lessons, but a true encounter with God through these words of eternal life.

I saw and understood something about the Bible as a whole that had eluded me when I only read it with the eyes of my heart closed. The Scriptures contain the story of God’s boundless love and mercy for His people. And the Psalms are the movement of the heart of David, a microcosmic view of God’s love at work. David fails. David is flawed. But God works in and through him. When David says the Lord has the words of eternal life, he says that with the experience of a person who has had the love story of the Scriptures breathed into his life. The Psalms, which I had always skipped before, became a place of refuge for me as I worked to let God move in every part of my life.

In the words of Scripture, I encounter the Word who is Jesus. His breath moves in and through these precious words. As I read this Psalm, I encounter Him again and am reminded to keep seeking Him where He may be found. His Words in the Scripture fill my lungs with His Spirit. Now that I have the eyes to see it, all I can see is that they are finer than gold, sweeter than honey, and always working to enlighten my eyes.

Stéphanie Potter

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Consider the Commandments

27/2/2024

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A Reflection on the First Reading for March 3rd, 2024:
Third Sunday of Lent

Exodus
20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17
(Shorter — For the longer version, see the print edition of Living with Christ.)

God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.

Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

At first glance, these commandments do not seem difficult. I am a believer and have faith—certainly there are no other gods other than our God. It makes sense to allot some time to worship Him by my attendance at Sunday services, which is part of my weekend routine. Neither will I steal or murder. I am faithful to my spouse.

However, the easy part stops there. When I consider what those commandments involve, do I realize the challenges that they bring about, especially if I factor in the temptations to do otherwise.

The decision to attend Sunday services for instance, when another event like a wedding happens at the same time, can be a challenge. The temptation is to rationalize that there will be another Sunday service next week, but the wedding happens only once. Another example is when I choose to ignore my parents’ advice even if I know that it is the right thing to do. I am after all old enough to think for myself, and my parents do not really know my circumstances. The little white lies that I say to make people think well of me, or just because it makes my life easier somehow, is another example. When I think that someone has better things than me and I wish that I had the same things—add this to the list… and I could go on and on. All of these are nuances of the commandments given to us by God and these pose challenges to truly following the commandments.

I realize that I have a loving and caring God. He always answers my prayers even if they are not answered in the ways I was hoping for. However, my acceptance of that is an answered prayer in itself. With Him by my side, I continue aspire to live a saintly life. My commitment to my faith is my part of the bargain. God will help me, but I too have to help myself!

Sometimes all I need is to stretch myself a little bit. If I do not want to miss my Sunday service, I can actually go to the services held at other times in other churches. In this time of the pandemic, I can choose to attend online services in any part of the world. It is not really much of a stretch as technology makes it so much easier for me. When my parents were alive, I gave them the respect of delaying or postponing difficult conversations so I could respectfully give them my views. I cannot discount the experience and the wisdom that my parents had which was certainly helpful to my inexperience.

God loves me, undeserving though I may be. The little that I can do to show Him my love increases my intimacy with Him.

Liz Venezuela
Repost from March 7, 2021

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Seeing God as He Truly Is

23/2/2024

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A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, February 25th, 2024:
Second Sunday of Lent

Mark
9.2-10

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.

And there appeared to them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

The Gospel for this Sunday is the Transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James ,and John up a mountain, and there Jesus is transfigured and they see Moses and Elijah, who represent the law and the prophets. We know that Jesus is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets, so the three of them in one place would be indescribable indeed!

Faith teaches us that there is a great difference between heavenly reality and earthly reality, and this Gospel is a prime example of that truth. Who on earth would believe you if you said you went up on a mountain and saw a man speaking to two dead people? IF you did see such a thing, would you not want to stay there in the midst of so much holiness? Maybe build some shelters to stay in and simply be in the presence of holiness? This entire experience is extraordinary, perhaps second only to the resurrection of Jesus, and yet it is temporary. It occurs as a brief moment in the Gospel – important, yes but brief. Why?

In my own experience, it is brief because the extraordinary events in life that may be compared to this are brief! My life is made up of small, seemingly inconsequential daily events. My life has its share of sadness, difficulties, struggles, and hardships that reveal to me the true depth of my love for and faith in Jesus Christ! It is easy for me to love God in the good times or “mountaintop experiences,” but what is my relationship with Jesus like when I am struggling, anxious, confused, angry, or sad? I may not want to build a tent and remain there in those difficulties but it is exactly in those moments that I see God’s love, mercy, care, and salvation! I only see them if I am trusting in Him and observing Him. I can honestly say, my instinct in those moments is to get through the struggle and then forget about it, but in doing so I miss the time I can spend in union with Jesus, growing in faith and experiencing His presence.

Can I examine my past difficulties to see His work? In this examination, I may open myself to future challenges in a way that will keep me united to Him and be open to recognizing the heavenly reality of God present and at work in my daily joys AND struggles.

Sister Teresa MacDonald

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Imperative, Interrogative, or Declarative.

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024:Third Sunday of Lent

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

The Words of Eternal Life

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024:Third Sunday of Lent

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Consider the Commandments

A Reflection on the First Reading for March 3rd, 2024:Third Sunday of Lent

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Seeing God as He Truly Is

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, February 25th, 2024:Second Sunday of Lent

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Archives

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024:
Third Sunday of Lent

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024:
Third Sunday of Lent

A Reflection on the First Reading for March 3rd, 2024:
Third Sunday of Lent

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, February 25th, 2024:
Second Sunday of Lent