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Lenten Reflection Series
Week 2: March 7 - 13, 2004
Click on the date in order to read the Scriptural texts on which the reflections are based.
March 7, 2004 - Second Sunday of Lent
The Transfiguration account in the Gospel of Luke represents for us one of the many epiphany or manifestation accounts found in the Gospels. Jesus’ glorified state, that state that he will attain after his Ascension, is pre-figured and manifested to the apostles Peter, John, and James on Mount Tabor. It reminds us, as St. Paul states in today’s second reading, that “our citizenship is in heaven” with this being achieved by Jesus changing “our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.”
The season of Lent focuses, among its many themes, on actively living out the commandment of Jesus to “love one another as I have loved you.” This is made possible through the grace of Jesus Christ in a two-fold epiphany. In the spiritual traditions of Blessed Mother Teresa, Blessed Louis Guanella, and St. Vincent DePaul, recognizing or perceiving Jesus as "epiphanized" or manifested in the poor and needy (a first epiphany) is a necessary condition for the charity that Jesus calls us to in serving others. With this foundational reality of Jesus being manifested to us in and through our brothers and sisters in need, when we respond by serving Jesus in them a second epiphany begins to take place—a conformation of our lowly bodies into the glorified and mystical body of Jesus Christ. This conformation, of course, will not reach full fruition until our “citizenship in heaven” is attained.
During this Lenten season and beyond, we have the great opportunity to experience the epiphany of Jesus as we serve Him in the person of those in need, and also to be “epiphanized” through the grace of Jesus Christ as we await our hoped for citizenship in heaven.
Fr. Dennis Weber, S.C.
Don Guanella Village - CSS Mental Retardation Services Division
Monday, March 8, 2004
Both readings today focus on God’s mercy. The scripture writers often spoke of God’s mercy. In Psalm 136, for example, the refrain “... for his mercy endures forever” is repeated twenty-six times!
By dictionary definition, mercy is “refraining from harming or punishing offenders” and “kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness.” Isn’t the repetitive phrase of God’s mercy a valuable reminder for us of the countless times God has welcomed us back after we have wandered on our own and broken our covenant of love with our Lord?
Perhaps today we can reflect back on the mistakes, sins, and poor judgments that we have made that have hurt ourselves and others. After reflecting on each step backward, we can thank God for His breath of forgiveness and say with confidence “for His mercy endures forever.” We can then ask the Lord for the strength and grace to be forgiving and merciful to those who have hurt us – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
By doing so, we can begin to see our whole life as a psalm praising the mercy, kindness and forgiveness of a God who extends his merciful presence to us at every moment of our lives.
Kevin Barr
Senior Adult Services - CSS Family Services Division
In the first chapter of Isaiah, we are challenged not only to hear the word of the Lord but to listen to His instruction. The advice is very practical and action-oriented. We are challenged to cease doing evil but it doesn’t stop there. We must also learn to do good. Likewise, we are called to redress the wronged, work for justice, hear the orphan and defend the widow. They are all activities that call us out of ourselves and make us mindful of the needs of those around us—whether it is the widow, the wronged or the orphan. What better time than the Lenten season to keep the needs of others always before us and work to meet those needs.
The theme of reaching out to others found in Isaiah continues in chapter 23 of Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus calls us to be a servant to others by working on their behalf. We must not simply talk about what should be done, but rather we should go out and do it. Rather than cluttering our minds with concerns about titles and places of honor for ourselves, we should strive to be true servants always mindful of the needs and concerns of those in our care.
This Lent, let us quietly and without fanfare look for opportunities to serve. It is always tempting to do our good works where they will be seen. However, they are always seen by Jesus, our teacher and God, our Father.
Anne Ayella
Nutritional Development Services
Today’s Lenten readings tell about two ministers answering the two invitations or callings offered to everyone who is seeking the will of God. We are reminded that those who strive to build a relationship with the Lord are called to union with Him and are invited to a life of service. Both callings are risky yet encouraging. They also can be rewarding but a contradiction to our beliefs.
In the first reading Jeremiah seized the opportunity of his invitation to speak God’s Word to the people of Israel and to encourage them to turn from their evil lifestyles. At some point in his ministry, this great prophet realized that he had not influenced everyone. Some people were plotting against Jeremiah. Others were devising ways to use his own words to destroy him. After pleading his cause to God, Jeremiah with great courage, pursued his service to others and walked the risky path to which he had been invited.
Matthew’s Gospel gives emphasis to Jesus’ teaching concerning service – a belief that in serving others we also serve our Creator. Jesus taught that greatness in His Kingdom means one thing ….SERVICE. “The Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus, grant us the strength and courage to be Your Presence in our daily encounters. Amen.
Sr. Marie Peter Conboy
St. Francis Country House, Catholic Health Care Services
More tortuous than all else is the human heart; who can understand it?
The Lord alone probes the mind and tests the heart. Drought, famine and days of disaster have been prophesied for God's people. Sin requires judgment. Sin can distort judgment of good and evil. God calls us to repent and to have moral outrage for violations of his holiness.
Where is our sense of moral outrage? Perhaps our moral sensibilities have been dulled because of today's dazzling system of instant communications. We sit mesmerized in front of our TVs and computers unable to turn this machinery off. So we turn off our minds instead. Over time, so much trash is heaped upon us that we come to expect and accept it. The bizarre becomes commonplace. Morally exhausted, we lose our capacity to discern good from evil. Moral blindness of this caliber requires practice. It has to be learned.
In a culture with moral deficiencies, words lose all meaning or they are manipulated to obscure meaning. However, when words lose their meaning, it is nearly impossible for the Word of God to be received. If sin and repentance mean nothing, then God's grace is irrelevant and God’s Word has fallen on deaf ears. This moral deafness leads to disaster. When the people of Israel accepted King Ahab's gross evils as "trivial," fearsome judgment befell the kingdom of ancient Israel. Certainly, evil is to be expected in a fallen world. What is not expected is for a holy people to accept it. If Christ is Lord of all, we must recapture a sense of moral outrage.
How have our views about sin have softened so much that many sinful actions are now thought acceptable even among Christians? What areas of life has trend this affected? Male-female relationships? Social responsibilities? Family life? We must not allow ourselves to be drawn in by the world's standards. We need to be morally pure in our lives. To be bold in keeping a high standard. We cannot allow sin to wear down our defenses.
Elizabeth H. Beltley
Divine Providence Village – CSS Mental Retardation Services
Today's readings call to mind several messages relevant in today's world. The plot to kill Joseph or to sell him for profit shows little value for human life, a fact evident in society today with more than 43 million abortions performed since the Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion in 1973. Some think it is easier to kill a child than to live with the inconvenience or problems that giving birth would entail.
Still another message is found in Joseph's faith in God's providence. In the story of Joseph, this same faith in God's providential care is shown in references to dreams. In the bible, dreams symbolize one of the ways in which God's plan comes to human consciousness. Through his dreams, Joseph experiences a profound belief in God's continuous love. We too should feel peace and strength in knowing that God's providence is taking effective control of our lives.
We should acquire serenity even in the face of problems by opening our hearts to God's will and trusting in His love. The message from Matthew is related to this theme in that it encourages us to do the best we can with the gifts that God has given to each one of us. In both readings God's gifts were rejected. Although difficult in today's society, it is our duty to be constantly aware of what is being offered to us by God, and most especially, to accept the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist and make His presence a part of our daily lives.
Helen T. Belcher
St. Francis Country House - Catholic Health Care Services
I think the prophet Micah is trying to tell us in today’s reading just how wonderful God is and how lucky we are to be His people. He tells us about the God who takes away sin and guilt, and does not remain angry at all, when we know he has every right to. No matter what, we can trust God’s love and care for us.
In Luke’s Gospel today Jesus is found defending himself because he is eating and associating with sinners. He is defending himself to people who see themselves as righteous and do not know that they are sinners, too. He tells them the story of the son who left his father and family and squandered his inheritance. During a famine, the son returns to his father feeling that his sin is too bad to be forgiven – but hoping he can at least be one of his father’s servants. Unbelievably, his father forgives him and returns him to his position in the family. He is “son” again.
When the father’s faithful older son gets jealous, the father explains to him that his younger son, who was dead to him through sin, is now alive again and part of the family. This connects with the first reading in telling us that we are loved and can be forgiven if only we are able to express that we are sorry.
Luther Young
St. Gabriel’s Hall - CSS Juvenile Justice Services Division
