| Lent–Passion 2011
Everyone is touched by the effects of sin. Death is the consequence,
whether physical or spiritual. Each year the church asks us to take a close
look at sin. All of us, not just those preparing for baptism, are asked
to scrutinize ourselves, to examine those things in our lives that keep
us from the fullness of life Jesus promised. As sin is uncovered and healed,
we rise to new life.
Ash Wednesday, March 9
Jl 2:12–18; Ps 51:3–4, 5–6,
12–13, 14, 17; 2 Cor 5:20—6:2; Mt 6:1–6, 16–18
What wakes us up to the reality of sin in our lives? What opens us up
to God’s mercy? Paul and the prophet Joel ask all God’s people to be reconciled
to God. Hearts, not garments, must be rent in contrition for our sins.
Jesus asks us to examine our motives when performing pious acts. When
we give alms, is it because we have compassion for the poor or because
we like to parade our generosity before others? Do prayer and fasting draw
us closer to God, or are they ritual acts we perform because “we’re supposed
to”? God knows the intentions of our hearts and will reward us accordingly.
The signing with ashes on our foreheads is a solemn call to repent and
believe the good news. We are called to remember our brief life on earth:
we are only dust, and to dust we shall return. Ashes also remind us of
the joy of eternal life. When we are united with God and one another, we
become “ambassadors for Christ.” No one will have to ask, “Where is your
God?” God will be evident in all we say and do.
For Reflection: In what practical ways can I observe the penitential
disciplines of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving? Is there something
I must do so that I can do more for others?
1st Sunday of Lent, March 13
Gn 2:7–9; 3:1–7; Ps 51:3–4,
5–6, 12–13, 14, 17; Rom 5:12–19; Mt 4:1–11
From the clay of the ground, we became living beings. Created in the
divine image, we are called to breathe God’s life into the world. With
the knowledge of good and evil we discover choices for life or death. Though
God gives us everything we need, we strive for more power and goods to
satisfy our lust and greed. When we collaborate with evil, evil ends up
destroying us.
Though sin abounds, carrying alienation and death in its wake, God’s
mercy overflows in the gracious gift of Jesus, the new Adam, the obedient
Son of God. By his submissiveness to God’s will and his faithfulness to
God’s word, Jesus invites us to have faith and trust in God’s care despite
obstacles in our paths.
As the elect come forward to express their desire to be baptized in
Christ, we make our own commitment to renounce evil and strive to do God’s
will. God confirms our intention as we pray: “A clean heart create for
me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”
For Reflection: Have I been aware of the Spirit’s guidance in
the desert places in my life? How has the Spirit helped me to overcome
temptations?
2nd Sunday of Lent, March 20
Gn 12:1–4; Ps 33:4–5, 18–19,
20, 22; 2 Tm 1:8–10; Mt 17:1–9
Abraham had confidence in God’s guidance, and he went as the Lord directed
him. Abraham gives hope for all who journey with the Lord in faith. During
the season of Lent, God’s faithful sons and daughters are on a spiritual
journey. Each of us has the opportunity to become more aware of our baptismal
call, which represents our daily dying and rising with Christ. In baptism,
Christ saves us from the power of death and calls us to a new life of fidelity
to the gospel.
Jesus showed us what it means to be a child of God. On the summit of
a mountain, Jesus was revealed as a new Moses who faithfully obeyed God’s
law. God confirmed Jesus as the beloved Son to whom we must listen. When
we listen to Jesus, we learn that we cannot stay on the mountaintop. We
must go back into the world and live the gospel, no matter how much hardship
it may entail. When Jesus came down from the mountain, he began his final
journey to the cross.
For Reflection: Do I know that I am a beloved son or daughter
of God? In what ways do I need to listen to Jesus?
3rd Sunday of Lent, March 27
Ex 17:3–7; Ps 95:1–2, 6–7,
8–9; Rom 5:1–2, 5–8; Jn 4:5–42
When the Israelites passed through the waters of the sea into freedom,
they were saved from slavery. Even so they grumbled against Moses, harshly
criticizing him for leading them into the wilderness to die. Despite their
complaints, God was faithful. At the Lord’s command, Moses struck a rock
and water issued forth.
Jesus described God’s life-giving presence with the image of a “fountain
springing up from within.” He offered this gift to a nameless woman who
represents all God’s people whose lives are as dry as a stagnant cistern.
Jesus reveals our inner need for the living water of the Spirit. With
the elect preparing for baptism, we repent of our own thirst for power,
prestige, or possessions. Whatever blocks the love of God from being poured
into our hearts must be uncovered and healed. Then we can drink deeply
from the life-giving springs of grace.
For Reflection: What do I need from God to satisfy my spiritual
thirst? Am I aware that I am walking with the elect on their journey of
faith this Lent?
4th Sunday of Lent, April 3
1 Sm 16:1, 6–7, 10–13; Ps
23:1–3, 3–4, 5, 6; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41
The prophet Samuel was sent to anoint the one chosen to be king of Israel,
but God saw something no one else did. Although Samuel scrutinized the
seven sons of Jesse of Bethlehem, none were accepted as the one to anoint.
When the youngest son, David the shepherd boy, was presented to Samuel,
everyone assumed that he too would prove unworthy. Yet God did not look
at external qualifications; God looked into the heart. God is the true
shepherd of our souls. As a shepherd guides and corrects the erring sheep,
so God cares for us. When we stumble in the darkness and cannot find the
way, God shows us the path to life.
Sometimes we think we have insight into the ways of God, but our spiritual
blindness is worse than having no sight. The blind man’s sightlessness
was an accident of birth. Our blindness is the consequence of sin. With
the elect, our blindness is uncovered and healed and we can live as children
of light. Washed in the pool of baptism, anointed with the chrism of salvation,
and fed at the table of the Lord, we too can say, “Once I was blind. Now
I can see.”
For Reflection: Am I able to recognize areas of spiritual blindness
in my life? Who helped open my eyes to see Jesus?
5th Sunday of Lent, April 10
Ez 37:12–14; Ps 130:1–2,
3–4, 5–6, 7–8; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45
The people in exile thought they were as good as dead, yet God breathed
life into them. Though they felt as dry as the bones of corpses, they were
raised up and marched into freedom. Paul said that the indwelling Spirit
raised Jesus from the dead and will give our mortal bodies life.
As the time of Jesus’s death approached, he made the incredible announcement:
“I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus asks if we believe this. Each
of us must summon faith and say: “Yes, Lord, I believe.” Jesus shows us
that we will not be disappointed by our belief in him.
The raising of Lazarus is a symbol of our own dying and rising in baptism.
With the elect we examine those things in our hearts that prevent us from
receiving the fullness of life. We ask ourselves whether or not we keep
others bound through our anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. We must
make a decision to set them free through forgiveness and mercy. Jesus tells
us, “Unbind them and let them go free!”
For Reflection: What will loosen my bonds and set me free? How
can I bring comfort to the dying and grieving?
Passion (Palm) Sunday, April 17
Is 50:4–7; Ps 22:8–9, 17–18,
19–20, 23–24; Phil 2:6–11; Mt 26:14—27:66
Isaiah earned a right to speak to the people because he first listened
to God’s voice. Although the prophet was abused for announcing his message,
he refused to turn back from God’s call. He set his face like flint, knowing
he would not be put to shame.
Jesus was God’s suffering servant who prayed that the cup of affliction
would pass him by. As bitter as it was to drink, he submitted to God’s
will. Jesus was arrested, scourged, and condemned to death. On the cross,
Jesus died so that we might live. It was a non-believer who declared the
truth that Jesus was the Son of God.
Paul tells us that our attitudes must be that of Christ, who did not
grasp at equality with God but emptied himself of power and willingly suffered
death on the cross. Though debased, God exalted him. In the face of suffering
and death, we must remember Jesus’s words: “on the third day, [the Son
of Man] will be raised” (Mt 17:23, 20:19).
For Reflection: Do I see myself in the people who betrayed and
condemned Jesus? Am I willing to repent of my sins so that I can walk through
Holy Week toward the light of Easter?
ML
Kay Murdy has a master's degree
in religious studies from Mount St. Mary's College in California. A master
catechist, she is a founding member of the teaching and coordinating
team of the Catholic Bible Institute cosponsored by the Archdiocese of
Los Angeles and Loyola Marymount University.
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