The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. – Mark 1:12 Lent has arrived. We began our journey on Ash Wednesday, and we continue it today in the desert with Christ. The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert to fast and be tempted. We go out with Him into the desert of Lent, fasting, praying, and giving alms. We also will be…
Our journey through the desert of Lent has brought us to this point: Holy Week and the cross. On this Palm Sunday, we walk along beside Christ as He lays down His life for us. Imagine you are there with the Blessed Mother, St. John, and the Magdalen as they walk with Jesus through His passion. Helplessly, you watch Jesus suffer as He is beaten, mocked, spat on, and crowned with thorns. Imagine yourself there,…
Our world is facing an unprecedented threat from the Coronavirus outbreak. We are facing our own mortality; we are witnessing how fragile we truly are. We are facing the possibility of death itself. We have been forced to let go of our own plans and instead trust in the Lord (Psalm 130: 5-6). It’s easy to hear frightening news and despair, and it’s natural to be afraid. But as Christians, we have hope in Christ.…
In today’s Gospel reading, we hear how Jesus restored the sight of the man born blind. Just as David was anointed with oil and received the spirit of the Lord in our first reading (1 Samuel 16:13), Jesus anointed the blind man with clay, a combination of the earth and Jesus’s spit: “…he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes…(John 9:6). Recall that God formed…
Here in the desert of Lent, the Lord brings us to the oasis of Jacob’s well. The Samaritan woman came at noon to fill her water jar. Had she been without water all morning? Perhaps she came at noon to avoid people who gossiped about her and her five husbands. We can use our Gospel imagination and suppose that she came to the well dry, thirsty, and ashamed. But something amazing happened: she had an…
Spring is so close! If you look closely, you’ll start to see plants poking up through the late-winter ground: crocuses, daffodil and tulip greens, and garden mums coming to life anew. Gardeners sometimes call this time of year the “greening of the gardens.” It’s exciting to see spring changes, like longer days, the warmer sun, birdsongs returning, and signs of growth all around us. Lent is a wonderful time for our own spiritual change and…
Our readings for this Sunday lay out the reason for this penitential season of Lent: sin, repentance, and salvation. Our first reading reminds us of mankind’s first sin: the disobedience of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3: 1-7). In our Psalm, we acknowledge our sinfulness and cry out for God’s mercy: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned” (cf Psalm 51: 3). In our second reading, St. Paul explains that our plea for mercy has…
Every year on Ash Wednesday, you bow your head and are crowned with ashes. You are told, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Hear these words: “you are dust.” We are made from the most basic, humble, fleeting substance: the dirt of the earth. But God’s presence in our lives is what makes us into His image and likeness. His holy breath brings us life. “Then the Lord God formed…