Overturning the Tables of the Evil Spirit by Andy Otto

I’ve always struggled with the story of Jesus, in a seeming rage, turning over the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple. But after reflecting on how the evil spirit pesters us constantly, I have a new understanding of what was going on in that Gospel story. Jesus was not reacting to the buyers and sellers themselves, but to the evil spirit at large. The holy place of the Temple, a house of prayer, became corrupted with greed. That greed was caused by human beings, yes, but architected by the evil spirit.

Jesus had witnessed many ways how the evil spirit could corrupt. He was even personally tempted by the evil spirit in the desert. But in the Temple Jesus had had enough. The story reveals that Jesus shared our human nature, our built-in human response when we’ve had enough with the evil spirit. We notice unhealthy patterns in ourselves and the world at large, we notice how the evil spirit seems continually to draw humankind toward self-destruction, and sometimes the evil spirit causes us to hit rock bottom. At that point we respond like Jesus, with anger, and turn over tables. We’re fed up with evil and sin, so we must take drastic action. We must be forgiving and gentle with ourselves, but we can’t be gentle with the evil spirit.

In the Temple that day Jesus was turning over the tables of injustice. He was reacting to the evil spirit that fuels systemic sin, corruption, and drives humankind toward brokenness and destruction. In fact, this story is often called the “Cleansing of the Temple.” How do we cleanse the evil spirit from the world? Unfortunately, we can’t change others, but we can be attentive and make sure that the good spirit is driving our choices. And while we do what we can to bring the good spirit into the world, we may still get fed up from time to time and need to overturn the tables of the evil spirit.

https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/22113/overturning-the-tables-of-the-evil-spirit?utm_source=YOC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=lld&utm_campaign=lent2018

The Woman at the Well

The following reflection is based on John 4:5–42.

Why did the Samaritan woman come to draw water at noon, the hottest time of the day?

What are the places in my life where I am embarrassed, where I avoid interaction with others?

What are the noonday wells of my life?

Imagine yourself as the woman in this passage. Jesus approaches you and tries to reveal his thirst to you—perhaps his thirst for intimacy with you—but you put him off. You are not worthy. It won’t work. When he offers to satisfy your thirst, you put him off. You are convinced he can’t satisfy your needs, at least not at this well and without a bucket.

Ask: How do I put Jesus off, with excuses, problems, or barriers? Examples might include saying, “I don’t have time,” “I haven’t done this before,” “My stuff is too complicated,” or “I don’t know how to find you in this mess.”

When Jesus shows the woman that he knows her, she comes to understand she is in the presence of someone special—perhaps the One she has thirsted for all her life.

Do I let Jesus show me that he knows and understands me?

The grace will come when I see that I have been at the well a long time and have long been thirsty. When I can name the new thirst, the Water that now satisfies that thirst, I can overcome my remaining resistance to trust. When I see that Jesus reveals himself to me by revealing me to myself, thereby showing me my need for him as Savior, I will rejoice and tell the whole world, too.

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Pope Francis on the Parable of the Merciful Father by Pope Francis

I am always struck when I reread the parable of the merciful father; it impresses me because it always gives me great hope. Think of that younger son who was in the father's house, who was loved; and yet he wants his part of the inheritance. He goes off, spends everything, hits rock bottom, where he could not be more distant from the father. Yet when he is at his lowest, he misses the warmth of the father's house and he goes back. And the father? Had he forgotten the son? No, never. He is there, he sees the son from afar; he was waiting for him every hour of every day. The son was always in his father's heart, even though he had left him, even though he had squandered his whole inheritance, his freedom. The father, with patience, love, hope, and mercy had never for a second stopped thinking about him, and as soon as he sees him still far off, he runs out to meet him and embraces him with tenderness, the tenderness of God, without a word of reproach: his son has returned! And that is the joy of the father. In that embrace for his son is all this joy: he has returned! God is always waiting for us; he never grows tired. Jesus shows us this merciful patience of God so that we can regain confidence, hope-always! A great German theologian, Romano Guardini, said that God responds to our weakness by his patience, and this is the reason for our confidence, our hope (see Glaubenserkenntnis [Würzburg, 1949], p. 28). It is like a dialogue between our weakness and the patience of God; it is a dialogue that, if we have it, will grant us hope.

I would like to emphasize one other thing: God's patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life. Jesus tells Thomas to put his hand in the wounds of his hands and his feet and in his side. We too can enter the wounds of Jesus; we can actually touch him. This happens every time we receive the sacraments with faith. St. Bernard, in a fine homily, said: “Through the wounds of Jesus I can suck honey from the rock and oil from the flinty rock (see Deut. 32:13), I can taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (On the Song of Songs 61:4). It is there, in the wounds of Jesus, that we are truly secure; there we encounter the boundless love of his heart. Thomas understood this. St. Bernard goes on to ask: But what can I count on? My own merits? No. “My merit is God's mercy. I am by no means lacking merits as long as he is rich in mercy. If the mercies of the Lord are manifold, I too will abound in merits” (61:5). This is important: the courage to trust in Jesus' mercy, to trust in his patience, to seek refuge always in the wounds of his love. St. Bernard even stated, “So what if my conscience gnaws at me for my many sins? 'Where sin has abounded, there grace has abounded all the more' (Rom. 5:20)” (61:5).

Maybe someone among us here is thinking, My sin is so great, I am as far from God as the younger son in the parable; my unbelief is like that of Thomas. I don't have the courage to go back, to believe that God can welcome me and that he is waiting for me, of all people. But God is indeed waiting for you; he asks of you only the courage to go to him. How many times in my pastoral ministry have I heard it said, “Father, I have many sins”? And I have always pleaded, “Don't be afraid, go to him, he is waiting for you, he will take care of everything.” We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God's offer instead: his is a caress of love. For God, we are not numbers, we are important; indeed we are the most important thing to him. Even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart.



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Fulfillment @ Work

Matthew Kelly

Our God is a God of purpose. He's a God of purpose. He does things on purpose, with purpose, for purpose. And there are a lot of people who think that, “Oh, we have to work, you know, because Adam and Eve messed things up in the garden.” Not so.

If you pick up your Bible, and you open up Genesis, what you'll read is that, long before the fall, God put Adam in the garden. And what did he put him in the garden to do? He put him in the garden to turn and till the soil. He put him in the garden to work.

We need work. Work is important to us. We need something to do. And the reason is because work is part of God's original design for humanity, not a result of the fall—not a result of Adam and Eve messing up in the garden so we've all got to go to work every day. No. It's part of God's original, purposeful, intentional design for the human experience.

So what's the purpose of work? What's the meaning of work? The purpose of work is that when we work well, when we work hard, when we pay attention to the details of our work, we become a-better-version-of-ourselves. And it's like you can almost feel it happening.

We live in a culture that says the meaning of work is to make money. Absolutely wrong. Do we need money? Yes. Do we need to pay our bills? Absolutely. Does that need to be part of the consideration when we take a job? No question. But it is not the primary purpose of work. It's a secondary outcome of work. The primary purpose of work is that when we work hard, when we apply ourselves to our work, when we pay attention to the details of our work, we actually become better human beings. We become more perfectly ourselves. We become a-better-version-of-ourselves. We take a step closer to the-best-version-of-ourselves. We grow in virtue, we grow in character.

We live in a culture where work's got a bad reputation: “Oh, I've gotta go to work.” No. We getto go to work. We get to go to work. And work plays a very important role in the development of the human being.

    FOCUS

            We all spend too much time working not to be able to experience a deep satisfaction                  from our work.

ACT

Work hard and well, paying attention to the details of your work—even if your work is menial or less meaningful than you would like it to be. Consciously acknowledge that each hour of work, each task, is an opportunity to grow in virtue and character and become a-better-version-of-yourself.

PRAY

God, lead me to the work you created me to do, the work that will grow me in the ways you want me to grow.

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Lent

Remember your Mercy Lord.

This is the poster put up in church altar, every morning when I attend morning mass, I am facing it, Lord, help me to understand the meaning... there are so many suffering  around the world everyday, the poor , the sick, the unhappy ...
Lord, I want to follow you to do good to others as you do, show me the way...

Lenten Moments of Mercy: Good Friday

Good Friday   On this holy day, let us reflect on who God is calling us to become.

Scripture “Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’” John 18:37‒38   Reflection In many ways Pilate’s question to Jesus on the first Good Friday is the culmination of all the misunderstandings and deliberate lies that have led to this fateful, sacred day. In the reading from John 18:1—19:42 we see that Jesus’ disciples consistently misunderstood him and did not understand his words and actions until after his Crucifixion, Death, and Resurrection. Peter misunderstands Jesus’ intentions and draws a sword, striking out at a temple servant only to be rebuked by Jesus (John 18:11). Understanding Pilate’s question to Jesus means understanding the meaning of his question “What is truth?” (John 18:37). In the common understanding of that question today we would have Pilate asking “Is that a fact?” Whenever we have political debates on mass media the opposition parties always have “fact checkers” whose task it is to discover all the miscues or misremembered facts of a candidate so as to destroy their credibility. But this was not the question Pilate was asking. The question Pilate was really asking was “What is the meaning of life?” This is in line with the philosophical tradition of the Greek and Roman search for truth. Pilate dismissively rejects the word of Jesus, the embodiment of truth standing before him. And part of Pilate’s tragedy is that when he asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, Jesus replies, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” (John 18:34). Pilate has let others set the agenda for him and does not bring his own question. As an arrogant Roman he thinks he has nothing to learn. This brings us to the questions we ask Jesus on this sacred day. When we reflect on his suffering, Crucifixion, and Death, do we simply observe with gratitude the fact that Jesus has done this for us? Or do we reflect more deeply on the question of what it means to be Christ to one another? Do we understand that Jesus embodies who the Father is calling us to become? What decisions are we being called to make in our lives today so that we can faithfully follow the path Jesus has set out for us? Image: Andrea Mantegna, The Dead Christ (Lamentation of Christ)

Pope Francis “Teach us that the Cross is the way to the Resurrection. Teach us that Good Friday is the road to an Easter of light; teach us that God never forgets a single one of his children and never tires of forgiving us and of embracing us with his infinite mercy. Teach us, also, to never tire of asking for forgiveness, of believing in the boundless mercy of the Father.” Address, Good Friday, 3 April 2015   Lenten Action ► Pray the Stations of the Cross today. ► Reflect with a Good Friday poem by Vinita Hampton Wright. ► Reflect with Arts & Faith: Lent for Good Friday.   Prayer Lord, let your face shine upon us, your servants, that we may follow you in truth and steadfast love.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday   Through Baptism, we are committed to living a life of service.

Scripture “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.”  John 13:3‒5   Reflection As people gathered for meals coming in from dusty roads wearing sandals, it was courtesy on the part of the head of the household to have the lowest slave wash their feet. So when Jesus wrapped a towel around himself and kneeled to wash the feet of the disciples, they were shocked. It was a troubling sign for them. After the great welcome in Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, they were sure that Jesus would claim his rightly owned earthly crown; they were still arguing among themselves as to who was worthy to sit at his right and left hand. Peter, as was usual in the Gospels, spoke for them all in his initial refusal to submit to Jesus’ act of humiliation. If this is behavior that Jesus submitted to himself, what would be his expectations of his followers? Jesus makes it clear that this is exactly what he is proposing for them. If they are unwilling to accept that role in their lives, he would have no part of them. Peter responds, in what is the Gospel of John’s allusion to Baptism, by asking Jesus to wash not only his feet, but his head and hands as well (John 13:8). Jesus’ act is symbolic of the sacrificial Death he is anticipating. Through Baptism Jesus’ followers commit themselves to a life of service to one another. As he began to wash the disciples’ feet, Jesus told them that they would not fully understand what he was doing, but would later understand (John 13:7). As they had not yet witnessed Jesus’ Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, the disciples would not understand the full implications of what Jesus was teaching. There is less excuse for us. As baptized Christians who hear John’s Gospel every year, we know that we are called to a life of service to others. Image: Mosaic in Basilica di San Marco in Venice, Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples

Pope Francis “And with us too, don’t we have to wash each other’s feet day after day? But what does this mean? That all of us must help one another. Sometimes I am angry with someone or other . . . but . . . let it go, let it go, and if he or she asks you a favor, do it.” Homily at the Mass of the Last Supper, 28 March 2013     Prayer Lord, help us as we pray to receive the grace to love one another as you have loved us.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Wednesday of Holy Week

Wednesday of Holy Week   In the midpoint of Holy Week, let us pray that our hearts remain open to God’s love and mercy.   Scripture “Let the oppressed see it and be glad;       you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the LORD hears the needy,       and does not despise his own that are in bonds.” Psalm 69:32‒33   Reflection It is the middle of Holy Week and the opponents of Jesus are now gathering to close the deal on his betrayal. As we have seen, Judas was the holder of the common purse for Jesus and his followers. He also embezzled from the common fund, so approaching Jesus’ opponents for his own financial gain is not that surprising. Judas asks what it is worth. He is told thirty pieces of silver—a paltry sum, and the amount of compensation paid to one whose slave has been gored by an ox owned by another man (Exodus 21:32). By accepting the offer, Judas puts his trust not in Jesus, but in treacherous commerce. When thinking of the roots of Judas’s betrayal, one need only follow the money. His corruption probably began in small ways, a denarii here, a denarii there. Who would notice? As he was trusted by Jesus to hold the common fund, he abused that trust. And in so many ways it is easy to follow Judas’s lead and see money as the singular route for happiness. Millions of people line up to buy lottery tickets, hoping to win millions—sometimes even billions—and what they think will bring them earthly paradise. The stories of the winners of such giant windfalls belies that hope. Winners have found themselves alienated by family and friends; winners are accused of not sharing the wealth at a fair rate; they are constantly hounded by people who want to sell them the latest financial plan, the latest invention, or the latest scheme to suck the winner dry. Winners are unable to have a normal lifestyle. They cannot go out to eat at their favorite restaurant, go to a movie, or shop at the mall without the constant hounding from envious neighbors who want to strip them clean. Money given generously to younger members of families has been spent on recreational drugs leading to overdoses and death. The stress has led to divorce in decades-old marriages. Money has not brought them freedom and paradise but a golden cage. So many “winners” are discovering what Judas ultimately discovered: “In a heart possessed by wealth, there isn’t much room for faith: everything is involved with wealth, there is no room for faith” (Pope Francis, Angelus, 2 March 2014). Lacking faith, and having no room in his heart to ask for love and forgiveness, Judas could not live in the insane world his distorted desires had led him to. Pope Francis “Judas wasn’t the one who sinned the most . . . I don’t know who was the most sinful. . . . Poor Judas is that one who closed himself to love and this is why he became a traitor. . . . All of the Apostles fled at the difficult moment of the Passion, and they left Jesus alone. They are all sinners.” General Audience, 27 March 2013     Prayer Lord, let me praise your name, for in your love you revive my heart.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Tuesday of Holy Week

Tuesday of Holy Week   During Holy Week, let us set aside our agendas and follow Jesus.

Scripture “Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus answered, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.’” John 13:36     Reflection Peter wanted to be a hero. He followed Jesus over a period of years, and he witnessed the excitement that greeted Jesus when he arrived in Jerusalem. Peter and the rest of the disciples saw that things were coming to a conclusion. They dreamed of the day when Jesus would claim his throne, defeat those they saw as his enemies, and they would emerge victorious at his side. They had an agenda all set for Jesus to follow. In the reading from the Gospel of John there is a consistent theme of the disciples misunderstanding what is going on. They are uncertain of whom Jesus was speaking about when he said that one of them would betray him. Even after Jesus gives the beloved disciple a hint as to who it would be by sharing a piece of bread with Judas and sending him on his way, they still do not understand. The disciples believe that Jesus was sending him on an errand to buy supplies for the feast, or perhaps to bring money to the poor (John13:29). Peter asks Jesus where he was going, and Jesus tells him that it is to a place that Peter cannot yet follow. This touches Peter’s pride—after all, he had insisted that he would lay down his life for Jesus. Jesus responds with the prediction attested to in all the Gospels: that before the dawn, Peter would betray him. Peter displays a kind of arrogance that we all share: somehow, we think that we can dictate to Jesus what his agenda should be. Peter said he was willing to give up his life. Just as Jesus had asked Peter to lay his life down for him, Jesus asks us to do the same. Jesus asks us to to give away our lives by loving one another without limits.

Pope Francis “Living Holy Week means entering ever more deeply into the logic of God, into the logic of the Cross, which is not primarily that of suffering and death, but rather that of love and of the gift of self which brings life.”  General Audience, March 27, 2013   Lenten Action ► Pray with the Seven Last Words of Jesus.   Prayer Rescue us, O Lord, from the depth of our misunderstanding so we can live the life of love you are calling us to.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Monday of Holy Week

Monday of Holy Week   Holy Week is a time to celebrate the beauty of the Lord.

Scripture “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,        my chosen, in whom my soul delights;    I have put my spirit upon him;       he will bring forth justice to the nations.” Isaiah 42:1      Reflection Six days before Passover, Jesus is in Bethany eating at the home of Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. Mary on this occasion pours a pound of pure nard, a costly perfume, on the feet of Jesus and dries them with her hair. Judas Iscariot objects saying that the perfume could have been sold for 300 denarii and the proceeds given to the poor. A denarii was a day’s wage, and the equivalent price for the nard in today’s terms would be about $30,000. We see two radical differences in attitude between Mary and Judas. Mary sees in Jesus the infinite beauty of him as a person, and her extravagant gift celebrates his presence in her life. Judas, whom the Gospel of John identifies as an embezzler of the common purse (John 12:6), sees Jesus as a commodity. He follows Jesus as a source of financial gain. Were he to get a hold of 300 denarii, it would not be for the benefit of the poor but for his own. In today’s world Judas would be among those who do not believe they can be true ministers of Jesus without their private jet transportation. This week we will be celebrating Jesus’ final journey on earth with some of the most beautiful liturgies and music of the liturgical year. And it is most appropriate that we do so. The Church today is the conservator of much of the beauty of the Christian tradition. Priceless paintings, chapels, and sculptures enrich places of worship for all to see and reflect upon. There are those who say these priceless objects should be sold so that the money can be given to the poor. If this is done, these beautiful artifacts would disappear into private collections; this world of beauty would be the preserve of the wealthy and connected and no longer enrich us all. In response to Judas’s criticism, Jesus reminds us that Mary is celebrating the beauty of his person, who will soon disappear. The responsibility for caring for the poor is ongoing, and there is no contradiction between celebrating the precious moments and the Christian vocation of caring for those who are poor. Quite the contrary—the celebrations of Holy Week energize us in our vocation of mercy.

Pope Francis “Jesus was like a commodity; he was sold. He was sold at that moment . . . and has also very frequently been sold in the market of history, in the market of life, in the market of our lives. When we opt for thirty pieces of silver, we set Jesus aside.” Morning Meditation, 27 March 2013   Prayer Be with us, O Lord, this week as we wait to see your beauty and goodness in the land of the living.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion   As we walk with Jesus during Holy Week, may we also walk with those who are in need.

Scripture “But you, O LORD, do not be far away!        O my help, come quickly to my aid!” Psalm 22:19   Reflection We are entering into the most sacred week of the liturgical year during which we celebrate Jesus’ final days. The journey begins with shouts of praise as Jesus enters Jerusalem and is welcomed by exultant crowds. This only serves to heighten the tension between Jesus and his critics, who work all the harder to bring him down. As he goes through the week, Jesus teaches in the temple arena, he scatters the money lenders, and he challenges the religious authorities. Jesus has long known what would be the result of his mission, but he faces his critics with courage. This is the culminating path of his journey in mercy. At the beginning of the week, Jesus seems to have all the friends that he needs. But as the week goes on, the crowds become silent, his disciples become more nervous, and Judas plots with the leaders in the temple to betray him. By the end of the week, Jesus will find few companions on this road of mercy as he prepares to die on our behalf. Not one of us will end this journey of life without suffering, pain, and death. And there are those in our lives who daily suffer the physical, emotional, and spiritual pain of disabilities, loss of motor function, or psychological loneliness. These conditions do not have an easy fix; there is no magic pill that will cure all. With their ongoing issues, it can be easy for us to be impatient with them, not to call them, or not to send a note to indicate that we are willing companions on their way of the cross. Because we fear being inconvenienced, we distance ourselves through indifference rather than accompanying them with mercy in the midst of their suffering. This week we will accompany Jesus on his journey of mercy. By taking a more active participation with those in our lives who are in need, we will grow in the grace of mercy won for us by Jesus this Holy Week. Image: Wilhelm Morgner, Entry of Christ into Jerusalem

Pope Francis “Living Holy Week, following Jesus not only with the emotion of the heart; living Holy Week, following Jesus means learning to come out of ourselves . . . in order to go to meet others, to go towards the outskirts of existence, to be the first to take a step towards our brothers and our sisters, especially those who are the most distant, those who are forgotten, those who are most in need of understanding, comfort, and help.” General Audience, 27 March 2013   Lenten Action ► Make a commitment to set aside specific time for prayer each day this Holy Week. ► Reflect on this Sunday’s Gospel with Arts & Faith: Lent and the Sunday Connection. ► Learn more about Holy Week with articles, videos, and prayers.    Prayer Lord Jesus, as you humbled yourself for our sake, help me to walk in humility and truth with my family and neighbors.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent Solemnity of St. Joseph   St. Joseph models and shows us how to be merciful toward others.

Scripture “Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife.” Matthew 1:19, 24   Reflection In the reflections of the past few days we have seen increasing hostility toward Jesus among those who refused to see him for who he truly was, the Son of God. They based their criticism on their rigid understanding of the Scriptures and refused to see in Jesus the one who fulfilled the intention of the Law. In the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, we see Joseph facing the same issues. Joseph was betrothed to Mary. While he had not yet taken her into his home, in the custom of the time, they could legitimately have marital relations, and any children from their union would have been accepted as legitimate. So Mary’s pregnancy was an embarrassment to Joseph. Joseph was a faithful man and a true observer of the Law. But as a merciful man, he wished to quietly end the marital contract with Mary so as to cause the least embarrassment. In his Gospel, Matthew sees Joseph as being the first man living the tension between understanding the Law and the new life that God is bringing in Jesus. When Joseph listens to the angel revealing the truth of Jesus’ coming and responds wholeheartedly, he is living the heart of the Law and not its letter. He is already living out the higher righteousness of the Kingdom of God (Matthew5:20). Assessing the demands of the Law against obedience to the Revelation of God, Joseph lets go of his previous understanding of the Scriptures to obey the living voice of God. He takes Mary into his home and becomes the protector of the Holy Family. In this way he models for us what it means to live in God’s mercy toward others rather than in judgment over them.

Pope Francis “Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!” Homily, 19 March 2013   Lenten Action ► Learn more about St. Joseph. ► Read “Contemplating with Joseph” at Creighton University’s Online Ministries site. ► Go back and reflect on something that particularly touched you this fifth week of Lent.   Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday   Prayer St. Joseph, intercede for us that we may see others in terms of mercy instead of judgment.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent St. Cyril of Jerusalem   Lent reminds us that the darkness of pain and tragedy cannot overcome the light of God’s grace.

Scripture “He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, ‘John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there.” John 10:40‒42   Reflection In today’s readings from Jeremiah 20:10‒13 and John 10:31‒42 we see increased hostility towards the prophet and Jesus in response to their witness to God. Jeremiah heard whispers around him: “‘Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ / All my close friends / are watching for me to stumble. / ‘Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, / and take our revenge on him’” (Jeremiah 20:10). Similarly, the religious authorities were increasingly belligerent against Jesus. They did not celebrate his healing acts. They took up stones to stone him to death (John 10:31). Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” (John 10:32). He told them that if they do not believe his words, believe in the works that have been performed in the Father’s name: “But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (John 10:38). The reaction of the authorities was to try to put Jesus to death. But he eluded them as his hour had not yet come. Jesus returned to Galilee where his ministry began. People recalled the teaching of John the Baptist and what he had prophesied about Jesus. They saw that in Jesus, John’s prophesies had been fulfilled and they came to have faith. The headlines that we read every day show that the message and person of Jesus Christ are ignored. Christians are persecuted throughout the world. There is increasing pressure in our own society to set aside Christian values by people who consider them irrelevant. John’s Gospel shows us that even in the midst of pain and human tragedy darkness has not yet overcome God’s grace.

Pope Francis “The evils of our world—and those of the Church—must not be excuses for diminishing our commitment and our fervor. Let us look upon them as challenges which can help us to grow. With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of darkness, never forgetting that ‘where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more’ (Rom 5:20).” Joy of the Gospel #84   Lenten Action ► Watch a video meditation on Lent by Vinita Hampton Wright. ► Take some time to consider your plan for living Holy Week, which beginson Sunday. Review the times for local observances of Palm Sunday, HolyThursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday and participate.   Prayer Lord, be our rock, our fortress, our deliverer as we take refuge in you.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent Feast of St. Patrick   Christ always walks with us, within us, behind us, before us, and beside us.

Scripture Seek the LORD and his strength;             seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done,             his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered. Psalm 105:4‒5     Reflection St. Patrick (c 389–c 461) was born to a Roman aristocratic family in Britain. At the age of 16 he was kidnapped by pirates and taken to Ireland. He was sold to a pagan family and tended sheep as a slave for six years. Tending sheep year after year gave him plenty of time to think and reflect on his life. During his captivity, he started to pray and he opened his heart to God. Patrick realized that God loved him even as he suffered the hard life of a slave. With God's help, Patrick managed to escape his captivity and returned to his family in Britain. When at home Patrick could not forget Ireland. He recounted a vision he had to return as a missionary:   [T]here, in a vision of the night, I saw a man whose name was Victoricus coming as if from Ireland with innumerable letters, and he gave me one of them, and I read the beginning of the letter: “The Voice of the Irish;” and as I was reading the beginning of the letter I seemed at that moment to hear the voice of those who were beside the forest of Foclut which is near the western sea, and they were crying as if with one voice: “We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us.”   Patrick studied for the priesthood, and was later ordained a bishop. He returned to Ireland but his experience was not a triumphal procession or parade. He followed the Way of the Cross. He lived in poverty and had no legal protection as he walked between the warring tribes and clans. He was beaten, robbed, and imprisoned in chains. He never lost his joyful faith and trust in Christ whom he honored in a prayer we know as “The Breastplate of St. Patrick:”   Christ be with me, Christ within me Christ behind me, Christ before me Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Pope Francis “The cross shows us a different way of measuring success. Ours is to plant the seeds: God sees to the fruits of our labors. And if at times our efforts and works seem to fail and produce no fruit, we need to remember that we are followers of Jesus . . . and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, the failure of the cross.” Homily, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 24 September 2015   Lenten Action ► Pray “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” today. ► Share the story of St. Patrick with a child in your life.   Prayer St. Patrick, through your intercession, help us to discover the living Christ so we may be courageous followers of the Way of the Cross.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent   During the penitential season of Lent, let us recognize the true face of Jesus Christ.

Scripture “‘Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?’” Daniel 3:15   Reflection The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is usually told with a sense of wonder that the three men faithful to God are thrown into a fiery furnace and through the intervention of God survive. It is a tale of hope told to a people who are in exile facing the realities of oppression in their daily lives. But first it is a story of Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance. The people of Babylon were not only to bow down to the emperor’s person, but also to his image. They were to process before his statue with full musical accompaniment and fall down and worship before his statue. True to their Jewish faith, the three young men refused to bow down to the idols. Jesus also called his disciples to recognize him as the true Son of the Father: “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me” (John 8:42). But an issue for Christians today is that all too often we have built arrogant, idolatrous images with the face of Jesus. Wars have too often been fought in the name of a “patriotic” or “muscular Christianity” which directly contradicts the teaching of Jesus. In this instance Christians are called to reflect on who they are offering worship to: the false idol of bombing our way to “peace,” or following Jesus’ call of entering into a true dialogue with those identified as “enemies” so that the dignity of each person is upheld.

Pope Francis “It makes me think one thing: people, leaders, entrepreneurs who call themselves Christians, and manufacture arms! This gives rise to some mistrust: they call themselves Christians! ‘No, no, Father, I don’t manufacture them, no, no. . . .  I only have my savings, my investments in arms factories.’ Ah! And why? ‘Because the interest is somewhat higher. . .’ And being two-faced is common currency today: saying something and doing another. Hypocrisy.” Address to the Children and Young People of Turin, 21 June 2015   Lenten Action ► Review Pope Francis’s Message on the World Day of Peace. ► Pray with an Examen for this Fifth Week of Lent.   Prayer Lord, help us to be one of those who hear your word and hold it fast in an honest and true heart with patient endurance.

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