Be merciful, O Lord!!!

In the rectory in which I live, I am blessed to have one room that is used for my private chapel. It is a wonderful place to go and spend some quiet time with the Lord. The chapel is divided into two areas: one place is arranged where I work on my weekly homilies. All of my resources and writing materials are right there. The other place is where I spend my prayer time. Since I became a Benedictine Oblate several years ago, and feel a close connection to the Benedictine way of life, my prayer area is set up like a choir stall that you might see in a monastery church. One parishioner, who happens to be a teacher, has been able to order for me bible passages that stick up on the wall and they are a wonderful reminder each time I walk in the door. The latest verse to go up is from Psalm 51, which is one of my favorite psalms, "Be merciful O Lord, for we have sinned!" Psalm 51 is prayed every Friday during morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a psalm that reminds us of our sinfulness, but also reminds us that God's love and mercy is greater. I have encouraged the people in general and penitents who come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to read and pray this psalm. Psalm 51 will help you and me to begin again, to make a fresh start. That phrase, "Be merciful O Lord, for we have sinned" may be short but it is powerful. Be open to God's mercy and let Him do wonders in your life. God Bless You!!!

The Mercy of God

During this Lenten Season and everyday of our lives, we need to be mindful of the mercy of God. We look to the Old Testament today and see that mercy firsthand. The passage of us to consider is Exodus 32:7-14. The Israelite people had made a molten calf and they were worshiping it. God was speaking with Moses and was going to make His wrath blaze up against the people. However, Moses implored the Lord to refrain from letting His wrath blaze and He did relent. The people had forgotten what the Lord God had done for them. The question that we ask ourselves is, How much does God love us? Look at the crucifix, that much! God sent His only Son to be our Savior, our Redeemer. We cannot forget what God has done for us, but in our humanity, weakness, and sinfulness, we do forget. We let our sinfulness cloud our vision and we need to let go of those things that blind us, that hinder us in our relationship with God and one another. The Lord remembers us. He reaches out to us with unconditional love and mercy. Let us not forget the good things that God does for us. During this Season of Lent, let us be strengthened by God's mercy, live it each day, and share it with our brothers and sisters. God Bless You!!!

Pillar Review!

This morning I asked our Catholic School students if they could recall the three pillars of Lent. Of course, they did a wonderful job. Without hesitation three students responded, "Almsgiving, Fasting, and Praying." After their responses, I read them this quote, "The three great works of Lent - fasting, almsgiving, and prayer - should free us to live the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in full as we celebrate it in full in the liturgy. In his cross is our comfort" (Magnificat, 90). Then, I referred this wonderful quote that I found from Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, "At the foot of the cross is where the repentant sinner finds comfort, where the troubled soul finds courage." The cross is very powerful and we need to come to the cross with our sins, our worries, our troubles, our struggles and Jesus will give us comfort and peace. Our Lord invites us to pick up the cross and follow him, so do not be afraid of what the cross will bring. The cross is the tree of life and Jesus speaks of that new life in the gospel, John 5:17-30. The hour is coming and is already here for the resurrection is at hand. Let us follow in the footsteps of our Lord and carry the cross because the promise of eternal life is here. Blessings to you!!!

Come to the Water

Our readings for today have the theme of "Water." You can look at the passages from Ezekiel 47:1-9,12 and John 5:1-16. With the prophet Ezekiel, the angel leads him to the new Jerusalem and the new temple. Once there, the prophet sees the water but then as they move along, a thousand cubits each, the water gets deeper until it is a river. The angel then has Ezekiel sit down on the bank and watch the water and see how everything grows because the water gives life. In the gospel, Jesus heals the man who had been ill for 38 years. The man would try to get to the healing waters at the Bethesda pool, but by the time he got there someone else would get in ahead of him. Jesus healed the man and he was able to walk. That man came in contact with the person who is the living water. Just like the woman at the well, Jesus gave her the life-giving water that she needed. The same is true for all of us. Jesus invites us to come to the water and drink. He is the life-giving water that sustains and nourishes our lives and our faith. Each time we use water and marvel at its power, we can think how much God loves us because He gave us the life-giving gift of His Son. Come to the water, Come to Jesus and drink abundantly from the gifts that he has to offer. God Bless You!!!

Our Spiritual Journey

Recently, with my RCIA class, I talked about the Nicene Creed, the Our Father, and the Stations of the Cross. Regarding the Stations, I told them that this is a devotion that we can do any day of the year. Take the time to go into your parish church and walk the way of the cross. I also said that many shrines throughout the world have stations and some are life-size that are really impressive. One of my favorite destinations is the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois. I enjoy walking the semi-circular road that is home to the Stations of the Cross. It is a very peaceful journey and it gives you time to reflect and pray. Here is a quote from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux that talks about our spiritual journey and the importance of the cross in our lives: "Pilgrims on the spiritual journey face alternately in two directions: when we look at ourselves, we are saddened by our failings; when we look at God, we rejoice in his love. In mid-Lent, the liturgy reminds us that the purifying suffering of the cross is the only way to the everlasting joy of the resurrection" (Magnificat, 66). May God bless us as we continue our journey during this Lenten Season. Let us continue to focus on the cross, but most importantly, let us pick up our cross and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord, because He is the way to everlasting life. Peace to you!!!

Second Scrutiny

On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we observe the Second Scrutiny for the Elect in the RCIA process. Each week, each day brings us closer to celebrating the glorious Solemnity of Easter and administering the sacraments to those who will be entering the church. My prayers are with those who are going through this process. May God who has begun this great work in them bring it to completion. This Sunday, gives us another gospel that we can think about as we continue to examine and scrutinize our lives. The man born blind is found in John 9:1-41. As the gospel acclamation states: "I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life." Jesus is forever the light of the world and he calls us to follow him at all times. What is it that hinders us in our relationship with God? What blindness do we need to be healed from? Remember, there is physical blindness, but there is also spiritual blindness. Maybe our vision has been clouded or taken away by sin and we need to be healed and forgiven. That is why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We need to be healed of our sin and division and re-establish our relationships with God and one another. Allow the light of Christ to break through the darkness that may be in our lives. Do not be afraid to approach the Lord because he can heal us and he will work in our lives in a special way. Let us pray for the grace to see the wonders of God in our lives and in our world and always be an example of light to our brothers and sisters. Have a blessed weekend!!!

Commandment Review!

What a surprise to see our gospel for today, Mark 12:28-34, and read about the great commandments that Jesus gave to us: To love God and to love our neighbor as ourself. We just talked about that on Wednesday when the readings concerned observing the commandments. There is nothing wrong with a review because we need that reminder to live the commandments each day and to share the love of God with our brothers and sisters. The best way to put this in to practice is what I told our Catholic School students and adults this morning at Mass. This came from a homily that was given by a Benedictine Monk a number of years ago. He said very simply, "God said it, you heard it, now do it!" That pretty much says it all as we live this command to love each day! God bless you!!!