An Image to Reflect on to Start Lent

Many of you know that I am a huge fan of Bishop Robert Barron.  Well, he is posting a reflection each day during Lent on this site.  

While I love his commentary, it was actually this image that I found quite moving:

 Why?

I have never seen this painting of our Savior before.  He looks like ... well .... He looks like he has been fasting in the desert for 40 days.

I don't know about you, but every time I hear this weekend's Gospel from Mark, I envision Jesus triumphantly beating temptation in the desert in all His glorious Holiness.   Which is a nice visual, of course, but I think it minimizes what He went through to prepare for His Ministry for us.

Rarely, do I picture Him as this image does ... as Someone who is also fully human and showing the signs of 40 days of fasting in harsh surroundings.

I hope you are as moved by this image as I am.

A Blessed and Holy Lent to all of you!

Looking at Lazaruz Through A Different Lens

When I get to a Gospel reading that I have heard many, many times - especially one that has a pretty clear message like today's Lazarus story - I try and find a new perspective.  

I usually look at the Lazarus story as a microcosm of our larger Faith story.  Jesus raises a man from the dead, much like He will be raised from the dead shortly thereafter.   His Apostles and other followers start to believe even more after watching the unthinkable happen right before their eyes... much like millions more will over the centuries that follow. Jesus talks about walking in the Light - a metaphor for all of us to follow the path that He illuminates for us.

And so on and so forth. 

Today I looked at this passage through a different lens - time.  

One of the things that struck me today was that both Martha and Mary say the same thing to Jesus ... basically that "if only You had been here our brother would be alive".  

In their view of the world, Jesus was not there when they wanted Him to be.  He was "late" by their clock.  Likewise the near-term outcome was not what they wanted either.  In their all-too-human plan, Jesus is with them when Lazarus falls ill and prevents him from dying. 

(On a side note, twice in this reading John tells us that Jesus was "perturbed".  That word really struck me.)

Jesus knew that not only were they going to get the outcome they wanted, but because it happened on HIS time, and not theirs, there would be an even greater good. They - like us - were thinking much too myopically.

In God's plan, this was a moment in time that could not only bring those present closer to Him, but one that would resonate for eternity.  

I hope you are having a Blessed Lent.


 

The Lifeless Body of the Son She Bore

(Continuing to share the short Stations of the Cross reflections we had at my church...
The style of these reflections is that we imagine what Jesus might say at each station, and then reply with what we should say.  The following is the reflection that accompanied Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross:)


Jesus says:

The sacrifice is done.

Yes, my Mass is complete;
but not my mother's
and not yours, my other self.

My mother still must cradle in her arms
the lifeless body of the son she bore.

You, too, must part from those you love,
and grief will come to you.

In your bereavements think of this:
A multitude of souls were saved
by Mary's sharing in my Calvary.
Your grief can also be the price of souls.


I reply:

I beg you, Lord,
help me accept the partings that must come -
from friends who go away,
children leaving home,
and most of all, 
my dear ones
when you shall call them to yourself.

Then, give me grace to say:
"As it has pleased you, Lord,
to take them home,
I bow to your most holy will.
And if by just one word
I might restore their lives
against your will,
I would not speak."

Grant them eternal joy.



I hope you have a Blessed Triduum.

 

Is My Soul Worth This Much?

(Continuing to share the short Stations of the Cross reflections we had at my church...
The style of these reflections is that we imagine what Jesus might say at each station, and then reply with what we should say.  The following is the reflection that accompanied Jesus is Crucified:)


Jesus Says:

Can you imagine what a crucifixion is like?

My executioners stretch my arms;
they hold my hands and wrist against the wood
and press the nail until is stabs my flesh.
Then, with one heavy hammer smash,
they drive it through - and pain bursts like a bomb of fire in my brain.

They seize the other arm;
and agony again explodes.

Then, raising up my knees 
so that my feet are flat against the wood, 
they hammer them fast, too.


I reply:

My God,
I look at you and think:
Is my soul worth this much?

What can I give you in return?

I here and now accept for all my life
whatever sickness, torment, agony may come. 
To every cross I touch my lips.

O blessed cross that lets me be -
with you -
a co-redeemer of humanity.


I hope you are all having a Blessed Lent ...
 

I, Too, Must Stand and Watch

(Continuing to share the short Stations of the Cross reflections we had at my church...
The style of these reflections is that we imagine what Jesus might say at each station, and then reply with what we should say.  The following is the reflection that accompanied Jesus Meets His Mother:)


Jesus says:

My mother sees me whipped.

She sees me kicked and driven like a beast.

She counts my every wound.

But though her soul cries out in agony,
no protest or complaint escapes her lips
or even enters her thoughts.

She shares my martyrdom - and I share hers.

We hide no pain, 
no sorrow,
from each other's eyes.

This is my Father's will.


I Reply

My Jesus, Lord,
I know what you are telling me.

To watch the pain of those we love
is harder than to bear our own.

To carry my cross after you,
I, too, must stand and watch
the sufferings of my dear ones - 
the heartaches, sicknesses and grief
of those I love.

And I must let them watch mine, too.

I do believe - 
for those who love you
all things work together unto good.


I hope you are all having a Blessed Lent.


 

A Sliver of Cross

We had some beautiful, short reflections at the Stations of the Cross this week, and I will share some of them with you over the next few weeks as we near the Triduum.  

The style of these reflections is that we imagine what Jesus might say at each station, and then reply with what we should say.

Here is the reflection that accompanied Jesus Taking His Cross:

Jesus says:

This cross, this chunk of tree, is what my Father chose for me.

The crosses you must bear are largely products of your daily life.
And yet, my Father chose them, too, for you.

Receive them from His hands.

Take heart, my other self, I will not let your burdens grow one ounce too heavy for your strength.

I reply: 

My Jesus, Lord, I take my daily cross.

I welcome the monotony that often marks my day, discomforts of all kinds, the summer's heat, the winter's cold, my disappointments, tensions, setbacks, cares.

Remind me often that in carrying my cross, I carry yours with you.  

And though I bear only a sliver of your cross,
You carry all of mine, except a sliver, in return.  


I hope you are all having a blessed Lent.


 

A Modern Day Apostle

"Go and proclaim the good news of the Gospel."

And with that, our priest made the sign of the cross in ashes on my forehead.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, the archbishop there asked his followers to "Unleash the Gospel".  He urged them to move from just maintaining the status quo to spreading God's word.  
  
They are lovely phrases, especially this time of year.  But what does all of that look like, exactly?  

I have one example from my own church.  

Last weekend I was chatting with an elderly man after mass.  He told me that during the week, he sat next to a young woman on a bench in town, and invited her to come to church with him.  

She accepted.

He was coming back to a mass later that day to meet her, and no doubt encourage her to do it again the following week.

When I asked him what made him take action, he turned and said "I just let the Lord work through me."

I then noticed he was holding three large jugs of water.

"Thirsty?", I questioned.

"No, this is holy water.  I am taking it with me to bless those I come across."

"How long will that last, 6 months?", I asked curiously.

"Maybe until next week," he smiled, "If I'm lucky."

He is truly a modern day apostle, and is a wonderful inspiration for me (and hopefully you!) this Holy season.

A Blessed Lent to you and your families.

The Perplexing Passion of Palm Sunday

I'll admit ... I've always been confused on Palm Sunday.

It is a happy day? A sad day?  Neither?  Both?

The name itself ... Palm Sunday.  It sounds happy to me.  (At the very least, neutral, right?)

Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem and people rejoice, shouting "Hosanna!".  In my mind, that is a beautiful scene.  I mean, wouldn't you smile if people rejoiced when you entered your town?

Then I think of the image of Jesus, our Savior, atop a foal. What a sad image that must have been to see our King riding such a meek animal.  Imagine a government official, or very important person, entering a town today riding a small bike with training wheels instead of a caravan of impressive limousines.  It would look awkward, silly, and a certainly not have the pomp and circumstance representative of that person's status.

And while the people are shouting praises at Him, Our Lord must be thinking about his upcoming death.  

In fact, that scene itself is pure irony on many levels.   

The people that are blind to the story are the happiest, even though their desired storyline pales in comparison to what God will give them. Meanwhile, the One who knows all must have have been carrying the weight of reality on His shoulders - despite knowing what a Glorious story He was about to write.  

So, like most days in Lent, I chalk it up as a mostly sad day leading up to the happiest day in the history of mankind.   

Except when I think of it as a mostly happy day that led to the saddest day in the history of mankind. 

Which, of course, then led to a really, really happy day...

God Bless you, and hope you have a very spiritual Holy Week!

Poor Numbers

Once again, I am an idiot

As I circled the church on Ash Wednesday, I was getting more and more frustrated.  

There was not a parking spot to be found - in the Church parking lot or the street - and I was not a happy camper.  I mumbled to my dashboard, "Who are all these people?  Ash Wednesday is never this crowded!"  

After finally finding a spot way down the street, I trudged through the snow to the Church to find ...no seats anywhere.  In fact, there was barely any room in the narthex to stand.  

Plus, I was now late.

To say I was not in the right state of mind to start the Blessed season of Lent would be an understatement.  

In fact, it wasn't until the second reading that it hit me.  

I had been given exactly what I asked for.

Those of you that read this blog regularly know that every Christmas and Easter, I pray that all of those people that pack the church on those two Holy Days return for our "normal" masses.  

And there, right in front of me, was a full Church.  In the past, Ash Wednesday ... if we were lucky ... filled the main part of the church.  But it is normally 1/2 to 3/4 full and never standing room only.  

Yet God had called others to this mass - maybe even those I prayed for.  And instead of immediately thanking Him, and praising His work, I was selfishly frustrated because I couldn't find a parking spot.

What an idiot I am.

God must have had His head in His hands watching me.  I am just lucky He is so forgiving.

I hope you are all having a Blessed Lent.  Please join me in praying that God will continue to call people to His church.  (And open the eyes of those that already go!)  God Bless.

Musings on the Transfiguration

The Transfiguration is such a complex event, that I always have random thoughts going through my head while I read it.  Some are serious, some less so.  Rather than try to weave them into one coherent post, I thought I'd just jot a few of them down in short form.

• One question I always ask myself ... how did Peter, James and John know what Moses and Elijah looked like?  (Nametags? Did Jesus tell them afterwards?  Did they have divine inspiration?) 
• Someone once pointed out to me the contrasts between this event and the Crucifixion. They are eery.  Transfiguration: Jesus is up on a mountain, bathed in light, with His apostles around Him, and the voice of God praising Him.  Crucifixion:  Jesus is without clothes, nailed to a cross, with Peter and James nowhere to be found, two thiefs next to Him, and silence from God.
• We all lovingly smile at Peter's comment during this scene, but what often gets overlooked is that God cuts him off.  Matthew tells us that "while he was still speaking" God speaks. 
• Scholars argue whether the Transfiguration occured on Mt. Tabor or Mt. Hernon.  This might not matter to the casual reader, but to the apostles it would have.  Mt. Tabor is 1,886 feet high, while Mt. Hernon is almost 5x higher at 9,232 feet high!  
• Matthew does not mention this, but Luke does - the apostles were sleeping during part of this, and awoke to see the splendor.  It is a lovely thought with much symbolism ... the beauty we can see when God awakens us.
• Jesus asks Peter, James and John not to say anything to anyone until after He is risen.  How hard must that have been for them!  

I hope you are all having a Blessed Lent! 

Double worry

I once participated in a seminar where the leader spent a great deal of time trying to remind us what is in our control vs. what is out of our control.  

First, he started with "the past", and reminded us that not one person in the room could change it, no matter how hard we all try.  Therefore, we should not waste time worrying about it. 

Then he moved to "the future", and told us it was nothing more than a theory.  Not one of us could actually guarantee it would even arrive.  Therefore, again, we should not waste time worrying about it.  

His goal of the seminar was to teach us about "the present" and how we react to it.  When something happens - it happens.  It is already in the past.  Therefore the only thing we can control is the present - which is how we react to it.  We can choose to be positive or negative. Etc etc.  

Of course, it sounded so easy when he said it.  On paper it looks as simple as 1+1=2.  

Putting it into practice in real life is much harder, of course.  

In this week's Gospel, Jesus is trying to give us a similar message. He points out how useless our worries are - especially those regarding the future - and that God will provide for us the same way He does for all living things.  My favorite line in this passage has always been:

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life?

That is such a powerful line.   

But this week, I spent time thinking about Matthew's last line in this reading:  

Sufficient for a day is its own evil

In that phrase, Jesus is basically telling us that each day brings with it particular cares, worries, issues, problems, etc. To worry about the things of tomorrow is basically doubling the worry we face today.  

And with everything going on in our lives, who needs that??

God Bless you. 

Lent Meme

Leave it to Victor @ Time for Reflections to give us all a kick in the pants to do something good for Lent.  He has created a Lent Meme, and here are the rules:

RULES

1   Copy paste this post on your Blog.

2   Contact as many other Bloggers as you like and leave them this comment: "You have been tagged for the LENT MEME on my Blog".

3   And now the difficult bit: Do someone a good deed. Anyone. Relative, friend or stranger. Any good deed. Saying a prayer for someone in need. Helping an old person with shopping, transport, gardening. Visiting a sick person. Giving some money to charity.

Just use your imagination and do any good deed.

If you are greedy you can do more than one good deed. To more than one person. You can do a good deed every day of Lent if you wish. The minimum is just one good deed.

4   That's it. I can't think of any other rules.

5   Thanx. God bless.  (Thank YOU, Victor!)

Six Hours

I enter each Holy Week wondering if God will share something new with me.  


If He will move me even more than He did the year before. 


If, despite reading the same passages multiple times, year after year, He will open my eyes to something I've missed.


By now, I should know the answer.


Of course He will ... assuming I'm ready to listen.


This year while listening to Mark's Gospel, I realized how little attention I've paid to Jesus' time on the cross.


I've written before about the suffering Our Savior endured during his beatings, and how unbearable it must have been to watch.  (Especially knowing our sins did that to Him.)


But two phrases from Mark popped out at me this weekend.  


Nine o'clock.  And three o'clock.


That is how long Christ suffered on the cross.  


It goes by so fast when we read it the Gospels, doesn't it?  Our Lord moves from Crucifixion to turning down wine to death in a few short sentences, while our minds quickly move to the Resurrection and endless Thank Yous.  


But those six hours must have been brutal.  There are plenty of resources that explain the pain of crucifixion, but a common phrase used to describe it is "unending, excruciating, agonizing pain."


For six hours.


That is the length of two baseball games.  Or six Masses.  Or twelve, half-hour sitcoms.  Heck it's almost a full work day.


It's such a powerful example of His love for us.  


And I've been shortchanging it for years.


I hope each of you has a similar, eye-opening, Blessed Holy Week.


P.S.  Bonus Exercise:  Check the clock right now.  Set an alarm for six hours from now.  Then think of everything you did during that time, and imagine that instead, you were nailed in one spot ... in more pain than you have ever felt for every second of it.


(Note: There are 21,600 of them)

Do We Point To Him Enough

In listening to the Gospel today, especially the part where Jesus tells us that a grain of wheat can produce much fruit after it dies, one word kept ringing in my mind ...

Legacy.

Obviously Jesus left the greatest legacy of all - Salvation.

But what about us?  

What is the "right amount" of legacy for us to leave?  What is realistic for us mere mortals?  What should we be aiming for?

Deep questions, I know.  It feels almost too big to wrap my simple mind around.

But there is a song by Nichole Nordeman, appropriately titled Legacy, where she asks:

Legacy (Woven & Spun Album Version)

How will they remember me?  

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? 

Maybe it is as "simple" as those two questions.  

When people look back on our lives, will they say we followed God's greatest commandment and loved? 

And will they say we pointed to God, not just once in a while, but consistently enough so that we made a difference?

While those might not be the only two things we want to be remembered for, they are certainly excellent starting points.  

And what better time than this Lent to start working towards that goal.

God Bless.

The Extra Coat in Your Closet isn't Yours

I came across this quote that I think is super timely given we are knee-deep in Lent.


"When someone steals another's clothes, we call them a thief. 
Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? 
The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor."   - St. Basil the Great


How many of us have a shirt in our closet we never wear, but are keeping "just in case"? 

A 10 year old jacket we hold on to for sentimental reasons?

A pair of pants we wear twice a year?  

Before reading that quote, I categorized the act of hanging onto those things as - at the worst - hoarding.  That the only victim was the hoarder, right?  The poor sentimental sap's only punishment was an overcrowded closet, yes?  

But St. Basil gave me a whole new perspective.  

Those things don't belong to us.  They belong to the poor that need them.  By keeping those items we are depriving the needy.

Instead of wearing that shirt once a year, someone else might wear it 52 times.  Those shoes we wear only when we find ourselves at a mud-filled sporting event might become someone's daily pair.  That jacket we hang onto "just because" might keep someone warm all winter.   

Our "just in cases" and "extras" are their necessities.  

(Michael disappears off screen, headed to his closet with bag in hand ....)

Wondering about Wandering

"At once the Spirit drove Him out into the desert, and He remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.  He was among the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him."


I wonder what it was like in that desert.   By Himself.


Which one of these hills was He in?  

I wonder how hot it got.  How dry it was.  


How did He decide where to walk?  Which hill to climb?  Where to sleep? Did he entertain Himself with stories?  Jokes?  Did He talk to His father the entire time?


I wonder if he saw this tree. 

Did He lean on it out of exhaustion?  Did He sit under it for shade?  Did He kneel under it to pray?


I wonder how many wild animals crossed His path?  

Were they peaceful in His presence?  Did they startle Him in the night?  Were they His companions in a sea of nothingness?


I wonder how He handled the temptations.

Did He shrug them off as child's play?  Did He work harder than He ever had to stay focused on the goal?   Did He stare off that mountain, and instead of wishing He ruled over the land, prayed for its forgiveness?


I wonder if He came out stronger.  Exhausted?  More focused?  Sadder?


I wonder if those forty days felt like forty years.


I wonder why He did that for us.


God Bless you.

Tiniest of Glimpses ...

My church has a 10ft+, 150+ pound Cross that we all kiss during Mass on Good Friday.  One by one, each member of the congregation walks up and pays homage to the sacrifice our Savior made for us.

Today, after the last person kissed it, four ushers walked up to the cross, lifted it up, and started walking it to the left rear of the church.  Awkwardly and slowly, they maneuvered the cross down two stairs and around the pews.  When they finally shuffled to their destination, they slowly lowered the cross and held it - with shaking arms - low enough so one of the handicapped members could kiss it. 

Then they slowly picked up the cross again, and awkwardly made their way to the center-rear of the church so an elderly man could kiss it.  

This went on a few more times, and I have to admit, I was quite moved by the gesture.   Here were four men bringing the cross to those that couldn't get to it themselves - ironically almost 2000 years after our Savior carried His away from us.

But I was also moved by the physical labor it took to do it.  It took them 15 minutes to cover about 50 feet.  

And then I realized God was sending us another message.   He was giving us a small glimpse at the physical pain His Son went through ....

The cross Jesus carried probably weighed close to 300 pounds, and was probably at least 8 feet high.  (And even if He only carried the crossbeam, that still had to be at least 7 feet and 100 pounds.)


Yet Jesus carried it hundreds of feet - part of that by himself.


After being brutally beaten.


And he wasn't walking on carpet either.


I don't know if I will ever be able to comprehend everything He did for us.  But today I feel like I got the tiniest of glimpses.

I hope you are having a Blessed Triduum.

Would *You* Go?

If you are reading this right now, there is a good chance you are home.

And if you are home, there is a good chance you are safe and sound.  

Maybe even comfortable.

It's nice isn't it?  

Now imagine you were reading this post, and your CNN or BBC news feed popped up and warned of a terrible, terrible event happening in the town right next to you. 

Imagine a group of men had roadblocked the entrances to that town and were killing folks one-by-one as they entered.   And another group of men was going door to door in that town torturing people.

Would you get up from your chair, grab your car keys, and drive towards that town? 

Of course not.  

As horrible as it sounds, you'd be fine because you'd be safe and sound in your town.  In your comfy home.  

But what if you later found out that one of your loved ones was in that town?

Would you do it then?  

How long would you have to think about it before you nervously gathered up the strength to drive into danger?   How sick would your stomach be?

Would you put your own safety aside and risk death to save a loved one?

--------------------------------------------------

I used to think of Palm Sunday as a glorious day.  I imagined Jesus riding peacefully into a palm-branch-lined Jerusalem.  The sun was shining.  Puffy white clouds were in the air.  People were overjoyed to see Him.  

Then I looked at it from our Savior's point of view.

He basically chose to ride into a town where people were ready to kill Him.  

And He knew it.

But He did it to save His loved ones.

Us.

I hope you are having a Blessed Lent.

The 2011 Bible

Do you ever find yourself shaking your head at people in the Bible?

I do all the time.

I shake my head at the people around Jesus for taking so long to realize who He was and what He was sent to do ... even though He gave them all the answers. 

I shake my head at the people who condemned Jesus despite all the good He was doing among them.

I shake my head at those who refused to believe Him - like some of those in today's Gospel that did not believe He gave sight to the blind man.

I shake my head at those who did not listen to Him, those that did not thank Him, and those that just couldn't be bothered with Him.

And then I remind myself that the Bible is a compilation of specific events that are pulled - and highlighted - from the rest of daily life.  

So I can only imagine what the 2011 Bible would look like, had the Evangelists written about specific events from my life and the world we live in now ...

John 148:29   "Despite the poor and suffering in his own town, Michael sat on his couch and watched a mindless FBI TV drama.  Others watched a show about twenty somethings worrying about how good their tan looked.  And still others, a show about rich women arguing over what to serve at their cocktail party."

Mark 79:1  "The Bible sat on Michael's coffee table while he read the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.  Worse yet (but not much), many people in that town did not even own a copy of this Blessed book.  The Word of God was among them to read, and they looked the other way."

Luke 100:3-8  "... Jesus suffered greatly so that sinners could be forgiven.  And yet Michael grumbled through one day of fasting, and was only half focused as he prayed the Rosary ...."

I can just imagine how badly future generations will be shaking their head at me...

God Bless.