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…