The third week of Lent

By Sister Beatrice Garcia, Norwalk, California, United States

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 
For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly. 
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. 
But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. 

Romans 5:5-8

This Lent may be one asking us to examine our faith practice. Decisions are before us. Without a strong prayer world, we may come from fear and unrest to decisions we regret. We may often forget promises of peace, our creation in God’s image, a faith born and justified in the risen Christ. We have a promise of grace and hope on which we don’t depend, though we should.

“And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” In my life, I do not find God’s promises lacking. It isn’t always easy to trust, to really put my life into the hands of our faithful God. But if our faith can get strength from the promises made and kept, witnessed throughout salvation history, we can live in hope and trust God truly has a loving plan for us.

By Sister Delores Hannon, Omaha, Nebraska

But his servants came up and reasoned with him. 
“My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, 
would you not have done it? 
All the more now, since he said to you, 
‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” 
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. 
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 

2 Kings 5:13-14

I don’t know about you, but whenever I think about a message from God I think about big, grand gestures: a burning bush, a lighting bolt, being knocked off my horse. I want extraordinary events! They’re easier to identify as being from God.  

Instead, what I have discovered is that when I pause, take a breath and take time for reflection God sends much quieter messages. When I am able to truly stop and become aware of the presence of God in my life, God is gently guiding me, walking with me, nudging me. God’s guidance is offered in many simple ways: a smiling face, a helping hand, the beauty of nature, a cute puppy, a baby’s laughter. 

As we find ourselves halfway through the Lenten Season, it is a fitting time to create space in our daily routines for reflection. By doing so, we can become more attuned to the subtle ways God communicates with us and take time to recognize the gifts of God’s presence in our lives. 

May you embrace these moments of quiet reflection the gentle ways God walks with us each day. 

By Sister Ginger Andrews, San Luis, Misouri

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.

Luke 1:26-31

Mary must have thought she was hearing things when the angel somehow spoke to her with quite an invitation! Even though she could not fathom the mystery about to take over her life, she grew to trust in the unfolding awareness of her call not only to be Jesus’ mother but to be his disciple.

Imagine the same greeting extended to you. “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” In fact, the Spirit of God calls each of us to deeper awareness of God’s graciousness flowing through us, dwelling within us. Indeed, the Lord is with us! We need not be afraid of responding to God’s unique invitation to be the presence of God in our world today. “Mary received the word of God in her heart and in her body and gave life to the world.” (Constitution on the Church, 53) May it be done unto us!

By Sister Colleen O’Toole, Buffalo, New York, United States

However, be on your guard and be very careful not to forget the things your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live, but make them known to your children and to your children’s children.​

Deuteronomy 4:9 

These are the words of Moses to the people after God has given them the law. As I read them, I was struck by these pleas–the people are not only called to follow the law and pass the law down to their descendants, but they are directed to remember their own lived experience of God and pass that experience down as well.  

In the past few months, I have been wrestling with the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, and witnessing people use God as an instrument of division and hatred. Everything from the Catechism to Thomas Aquinas is cited to justify exclusionary policies, and rarely do we hear Christians in the political square express how God has encouraged them to care for the poor and downtrodden. When people express interest in becoming Catholic, we often begin by teaching the rules and regulations of our faith, treating it as a list of laws to be memorized and followed. How would our faith, our politics, our society and our churches change if we began instead with what our ‘own eyes have seen’ and listened lovingly to the stories of others? 

By Sister Lillian Jordan, Belmont, North Carolina, United States​

Thus says the LORD: 
This is what I commanded my people: 
Listen to my voice; 
then I will be your God and you shall be my people. 
Walk in all the ways that I command you, 
so that you may prosper. 

Jeremiah 7:23

In one of the verses of the simple and lovely song written by Jerry Manibusan we sing, “Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear your voice.” The next verse prays, “Open my heart, Lord, help me to love.” I propose these two openings are out of order. It seems to me that the opening of one’s heart precedes the hearing of God’s voice. It is only through the ears of the heart that we can truly hear.​

God speaks to us in myriad ways – through scripture, in the beauty of creation, in the presence of others and in the ordinary and extraordinary events of our days.

Listening is one thing; hearing is quite another. Listening is allowing words to be heard, a physical ability. Hearing entails an opening and emptying of ourselves to make room for the word of God to make its dwelling in us and bring us to full life in God – a spiritual endeavor.​

May this Lenten journey continue to be one of entering into the quiet and opening ourselves to hear God’s word in all its richness, promise and challenge.​

By Sister Pat McDermott, Dallas, Pennsylvania, United States 

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, 
“Which is the first of all the commandments?” 
Jesus replied, “The first is this: 
Hear, O Israel! 
The Lord our God is Lord alone! 
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 
with all your soul, 
with all your mind, 
and with all your strength. 
The second is this: 
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 
There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Mark 12:28-31 

I moved to a new town six months ago—by choice. I had options, resources, support and freedom to make this decision.  Months later, my country is now an unfamiliar land. Thousands of my sisters and brothers—immigrants—are dangerously at risk. Expelled from war-torn and unjust lands, many seek a home in our midst. 

Today our Gospel says: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And I pray: Who is my neighbor? Clearly, these immigrant sisters and brothers call forth and merit my love and assistance. 

Meanwhile, I’m also blatantly aware of those who are creating harm, chaos, fear. How possibly could they be my neighbor and deserving of my love? 

Our Lenten journey impels us to engage century-old dilemmas regarding the dignity of every human person. The Gospel crystalizes such dilemmas of the heart, the will and our deep-seated attitudes. 

And so, we go to the desert and continue to pray… 

By Sister Deborah Troillett, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — 
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’

But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’

Luke 18:10-13

John Shea has written: “The mind has a mind of its own. Thoughts think themselves, seemingly undirected by the thinker.” The Pharisee’s prayer “to himself” reveals just such a mind. Its undirected inflationary self-talk paradoxically reaches its’ highest “low” when judging “the other.” 

As for the tax collector’s prayer, Shea continues: “[The] attraction of the mind to the negative has a cumulative effect…as the mind wallows in guilt over its own mistakes, sin rises to a new status in the interior life.”  Is the tax collector in danger of “wallowing” and “exalting” his sin to “a new status”?   

Perhaps this cautionary parable reminds us to be watchful of our own “mind” during prayer. Neither exalting oneself or one’s sin deepens our relationship with God.  

Yet Jesus’ concluding good news about the “latter” clarifies further.  Humility, not self-humiliation—is the sure and certain path for acquiring the very “mind of Christ” and for the “kenosis” that will follow.  

Footnote: John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers: Luke Year C