Our Lenten sacrifices should lead us to serve those in our midst who need our assistance.

"Lord, help me to make time today to serve you in those who are most in need of encouragement or assistance."  St. Vincent de Paul

May God Be Praised!

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity provides us with a powerful insight into our life in Christ, our Christian life.

 "And let me make it quite clear that when Christians say the Christ-life is in them, they do not mean simply something mental or moral. When they speak of being ‘in Christ’ or of Christ being ‘in them’, this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts—that we are His fingers and muscles, the cells of His body.

And perhaps that explains one or two things. It explains why this new life is spread not only by purely mental acts like belief, but by bodily acts like baptism and Holy Communion. It is not merely the spreading of an idea; it is more like evolution—a biological or superbiological fact.

There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it."   

[C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 64]

May God Be Praised!

As we begin Holy Week, let’s take a few minutes after reading and hearing the Passion to reflect on these words: Homily Cycle C 4-14-19

Saint Leonie Aviat wrote, “When Jesus died on the cross He was thinking of you!

When He rose from the dead He was thinking of you.

Now in the Kingdom He is thinking of you!

You are precious to Him!

So, Let us work for the happiness of others.” 

As we begin Holy Week, may each one of us,

offer our lives to Our Lord Jesus Christ who wants to be with us each step we take, 
each word we utter, 
each action we take.

May God Be Praised!

Lent reminds us to do God’s will all the time, easy to say, but hard to do regularly.  Reflect on the insight from Francis de Sales’ Treatise on the Love of God.

 “Yes, Lord, Your will be done on earth, where we have no pleasure without pain, no roses without thorns, no day without a night to follow, no spring without a winter that preceded it.  

Here consolations are rare and trials are countless.  

Still, O God, Your will be done.”  

(St. Francis de Sales Treatise on the Love of God)

May God Be Praised!

Lent reminds us to TRUST in God for the purpose of our life, our suffering and our joy.  Only in God do we find answers.

A Flyer and a Catcher enter the circus ring and greet the audience with smiles and movement that causes their wide silver capes to swirl about them.  

        

They pull themselves up into the large net and start to climb rope ladders to positions high up in the big tent. 

        

As the Flyer swings away from the pedestal board, she somersaults and turns freely in the air, only to be safely grasped by the Catcher.   

The secret is for the Flyer to trust the Catcher to grasp them.    

So it is with God and us, we need to trust that the Lord will grasp us each time we fly into His arms.  God longs for us to fly to His loving embrace, fly now, fly tomorrow and one day fly into eternity with the Lord.

For the rest of Lent allow the Lord to catch you.

May God Be Praised!

Homily Cycle C 04/07/19
Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040719-yearc.cfm
Let me share this short poem with you: "How I wish that there was some wonderful place Called the Land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes and all out heartaches And all our poor selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door,
And never put on again."      [Barclay Commentary John 8:1-11]


That is really the essential message of Lent, having the courage to enter the “ Land of Beginning Again”.  We begin this 5^th week of Lent with ?s
Jesus asked the woman, “…where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”   
Jesus asks us this Lent to look at our lives and to review them in terms of living His Gospel Message. 
“Jesus really means what He said at the Last Supper: ‘Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where Thou art going, and how can we know the way?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.’”  [Meditations Before Mass, Romano Guardini, p.147]
Lent is the call, the reminder that Jesus is the “Way, the Truth and the Life.”

In 1967 Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty starred in the movie, “Bonnie & Clyde”, about two robbers & killers.  This famous criminal couple faced death together when the police caught them in 1934.

In our Gospel today only one adulterer is brought to justice, where is her partner? 

The scribes and the Pharisees were not seeking justice and they were certainly not interested in mercy.

They wanted to trap Jesus either for abrogating the Law of Moses or running afoul of the Romans by condemning her to death.  As you know Jesus declared that the one without sin may cast the first stone, the crowd dwindles and goes away.

Today’s first reading reminds us that the Lord will put His spirit in us, that is our Purpose in Life!  St. Paul tells us that our life should be focused on and centered on Jesus Christ!  The purpose of our existence is to discover that and put it into practice.

St. Francis de Sales said it this way, “What is the prize if it is not Jesus Christ?  How can you take hold of Him if you do not know Him?”

Think about the 10 Commandments, the Two Great Commandments and the Beatitudes; are they the foundation of your life?  Are they the center of all you say and do?

In the Gospel Jesus never ?s the charges against the woman, He doesn’t ask for the man involved to be brought to Him.  Jesus sent her off, BUT with this extremely important instruction, “Go and from now on do not sin any more.”

Lent challenges us to seek Forgiveness, and invites us to the sacrament of Reconciliation so we can hear, “Go your sins are forgiven and do not sin any more.” 

Jesus wants us to know He will hold us accountable, He offers mercy and justice.

Reflect on the Last Judgment in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats.  When you helped (physically, emotionally, spiritually or financially) one of the least - you did it for me.  When you did not help one of the least, you did not help me.  You know the rest of that story!

Lent is a time for us to examine our lives.  Jesus gives us the grace to be His faithful disciples, we need to accept that grace and let it form us.

For a few minutes, in silence, think about the “Land of Beginning Again” - you can there by attending our Penance Service next week & receiving the graces of the Sacrament of Reconciliation; maybe it is your time to “Begin Again!”

May God Be Praised! 

Lent provides us an opportunity to reflect on the great gift of the Eucharist, today spend some time in Thanksgiving.

“Jesus really means what He said at the Last Supper: ‘Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where Thou art going, and how can we know the way?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.’”  [Meditations Before Mass, Romano Guardini, p.147]

This Lent renew your commitment to follow the Lord, and like Thomas proclaim, “My Lord and my God”, proclaim it by your life.

May God Be Praised!