5th Week of Lent 2025 - Friday - Incline your ear to his heart

 

"We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.”

Our Scripture readings leading up to Holy Week continue to help us understand the various dynamics of Jesus’ passion. The passage from John’s Gospel reveals the motive for the hostility. They claimed he was guilty of the capital crime of blasphemy—the highest blasphemy possible. They claimed that Jesus wasn’t simply speaking against God—but that he was only a man, but claiming to be God. The irony of course is that He IS God. And they failed to recognize the God they were supposed to love with their whole hearts minds soul and strength when he was standing in their midst.

And Jesus even tries to make it easy for them to recognize Him: If I don’t do the works of God then I’m not. But, you’ve seen for yourself, that I do do the things that only God can do.

The logos is logical. Only God can do certain things. Jesus does them. Therefore, Jesus is God.

The Jeremiah reading reveals something even sadder about the hostility toward Jesus.

“All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.”

Jesus isn’t not only not recognized as God by strangers, but by his closest companions, those he called friends. The Jeremiah reading foreshadows of course the betrayal of Judas, the denial of St. Peter, the fact that none of the Apostles save John are there with his mother on the hill of calvary—he is abandoned by all but those who have listened to his heart.

In a week, we will be in the midst of the great Paschal Triduum. Hopefully, this Lent, you have taken time, like St. John to lay your ear to the heart of Jesus, so that your love for Him will help you to recognize his love for you in the events of his Passion and in the events of your life.

In the days ahead, take time to incline upon his breast, and bring to him those who take no time to pray, no time to understand, no time to seek Him while he may be found.

Pray that their eyes may be opened to his great love and his invitation to life, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in God's mercy and faithfulness, we lift our prayers to the Lord.

For the Church, that during these sacred days she may proclaim clearly and courageously the truth that Jesus is truly God, calling all to recognize and embrace Him. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who lead nations and communities, that they may foster justice, peace, and compassion, recognizing and respecting the dignity of all persons created in God's image. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who struggle with faith or who refuse to recognize Christ’s presence in their lives, that their hearts may be opened to His truth, love, and mercy. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing betrayal, abandonment, loneliness, or chronic illness, that they may find comfort and strength in Christ, who himself endured rejection and abandonment. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community, that in these final days of Lent, we may draw closer to the heart of Jesus, deepening our love and commitment to Him. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead, that they may be welcomed into the eternal presence of Christ, finding peace and joy in His heavenly kingdom. Let us pray to the Lord.

Loving Father, hear the prayers of your faithful people gathered here. Open our hearts to recognize and embrace your Son, Jesus Christ, in every aspect of our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

5th Week of Lent 2025 - Wednesday - Growing hostility toward the Truth

 Our late Lenten scripture readings continue to help us understand the hostility Jesus faced culminating in his arrest and Passion. 

In the first reading from the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar becomes livid when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship the golden statue he erected. Their refusal to worship his false god leads him to rage and violence. Their refusal is not simply an afront to the King’s pagan god, but also to his ego. They refused to bow to him, to his will, to his demands, to his concept of reality. 

In the Gospel, Jesus explains to his opponents that they are trying to kill him because his “word has no room among” them. The rage of Nebuchadnezzar mirrors the hostility encountered by our Lord. 

The Jewish leaders conspire to kill Jesus because his word challenged their pride, self-righteousness, and ego. His truth exposed their spiritual enslavement to sin, and their blindness to the truth about God. "If God were your Father, you would love me”. But exposing their lack of love, they sought to silence the Word permanently. 

Genuine faithfulness to God inevitably brings believers into conflict with the values and priorities of the world. The world's prideful and self-centered systems resist the message of humility, truth, and freedom that Christ brings. 

Like Nebuchadnezzar, who demanded absolute allegiance to his concept of reality, so many in our culture today do not tolerate challenges to their worldview. Consider the rage on social media when Judeo-Christian values are promoted. 

The readings help us to understand the hostility of the world toward the truth of God, but they also offer powerful encouragement. The three young men in the fiery furnace were not abandoned; God stood with them, protecting them. Likewise, Jesus trusted deeply in the Father's presence, even when His word was rejected and He faced crucifixion. The Father vindicated His Son’s faithfulness through the Resurrection.

As we approach Holy Week, let us consider where Christ’s word may find resistance in our own hearts. May we remain faithful, even when confronted with hostility, opposition, or temptation. Trusting in God's presence, may the truth live in us richly that we may bear it witness, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in God’s steadfast presence and protection, let us present our prayers and petitions.

For the Church throughout the world, that she may courageously proclaim the truth of Christ, even in the face of opposition and hostility. Let us pray to the Lord.

For world leaders, that they may act with humility, justice, and openness to the truth, resisting the temptation to impose self-centered agendas or oppressive ideologies. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who suffer persecution or hostility for their faith, that they may find strength, comfort, and encouragement in God’s unwavering presence and protection. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who resist the truth of the Gospel due to pride or spiritual blindness, that their hearts and minds may be opened to God’s transformative and liberating truth. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those facing challenges, temptations, or struggles in their spiritual lives, especially the chronically ill, that they may experience God’s sustaining presence and grace, enabling them to remain steadfast in faith. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our deceased loved ones, that through the mercy and faithfulness of Christ, they may enter into the joy and eternal peace of God’s kingdom. Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of your faithful people. Grant us the grace to remain steadfast in your truth and faithful in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

5th Week of Lent 2025 - Monday - Susanna and Jesus

Today we have one of the longest First Readings that we have in the entire lectionary.  It is the 13th Chapter, a long chapter, from the book of the Prophet Daniel.  It is almost 60 verses long.  It is the story of this beautiful, faithful woman, Susanna, who is falsely accused by two corrupt evil old men, who wanted to have their way with her.  Lying to protect themselves the two wicked elders seek to have Susanna put to death.

Then Daniel steps in, advocates for her: and the two corrupt judges were convicted and Susanna goes free.

As I mentioned last week, our scripture readings for the last part of Lent point not so much to Lenten penances that we are to undertake, but to Christ. They help us prepare to why Jesus suffered, the hostility toward him, and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection. 

How does the Susanna story point to Christ? Who is Christ in the story? In a sense he is Susanna: beautiful, faithful, innocent, arrested because of the words of corrupt elders. 

And though, like her, he suffers—in his case—humiliation, torture, revilement, mockery, suffering, and death—he is exonerated—vindicated by God, as Susanna was by Daniel.  His Father testifies on Christ’s behalf, as we heard in the Gospel, when Jesus is raised from the dead.

In our responsorial Psalm, we proclaimed the beautiful words of Psalm 23: “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side”.  Both Susanna and Jesus exhibit trust in the Father’s will throughout their sufferings.

In the midst of her ordeal, Susanna cried aloud to God in prayer: “O eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things”. Like her, Jesus prayed to his Father throughout his ordeal, particularly in the Garden, trusting his Father, bowing to his Father’s will. 

If these final Lenten weekday readings only helped us understand and appreciate what Jesus suffered in holy week, they would be beneficial for that. But that also help us to follow his example. In the course of the Christian life we will face opposition and suffering. The carrying of our own unique personal crosses will be difficult. But in the midst of our crosses, we must turn to God and trust in God. He is at our side. 

At the end of the first reading, we heard how “the whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in him.”  Not only is Jesus foreshadowed in the Susanna reading, but his body the Church as well.  We are that assembly who now cries out, blessing God who saves those who hope in him.

May that cry of hope resound in our lives, as we unite our crosses with the cross of Christ, that we may testify in word and deed that salvation is found in him, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the Lord who saves those who hope in Him, let us confidently offer our prayers and petitions.

For the Church, may all her members remain steadfast in faith, courageously witnessing to the truth and justice of Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

For leaders and judges throughout the world, that they may act with integrity, honesty, and justice, protecting the innocent and vulnerable from harm. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who suffer unjust accusations, persecution, or false judgments, that they may find strength, consolation, and vindication in Christ, who Himself endured injustice. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing difficulties and sufferings in their lives, that they may trust deeply in God's presence and providential care, recognizing His closeness even in dark times. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community, that during these final days of Lent, we may unite our own crosses to the cross of Christ, offering a powerful testimony of faith and hope to the world. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our departed loved ones, that they may experience the eternal vindication and joy of heaven, resting forever in God's merciful embrace. Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of your people gathered here in faith. Help us to remain hopeful and trusting, knowing you walk with us always. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

 

5th Sunday of Lent 2025 - (Year C) - "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more"

 

This week we celebrate the last Sunday of Lent prior to Palm Sunday next week which begins Holy Week.

And our Scripture readings today raise some pretty important concepts as we prepare for the week called Holy, our Gospel particularly: the dramatic scene of Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees who have brought before him a woman caught in the act of adultery.

Firstly, notice the peculiar nature of this scenario. The woman was supposedly "caught in the very act of adultery." But adultery, by its nature, involves two people. Where, then, is the man involved? The law of Moses clearly required both parties to be held accountable. Leviticus 20:10 says, “If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.”

Yet the Pharisees have conveniently omitted one party. From the outset, it is clear that their concern is not for justice or the enforcement of God’s law, but manipulation. They are using this woman as a pawn in their effort to trap Jesus.

In asking him how he would deal with her, they try to trap Jesus between two codes of law: the Roman Law and the Jewish Law. If Jesus says, "Stone her," he violates Roman law, since only the Roman authorities held the power to sentence someone to death. Such an action would immediately label him a rebel and enemy of the Empire. On the other hand, if Jesus says, "Let her go," he openly defies the Law of Moses, discrediting himself among devout Jews as one who disregards sacred law.

This scene foreshadows an event during Jesus’ passion. After he is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane , the Jewish leaders will admit before Pontius Pilate, "We have no authority to put a man to death." They conspire to force the Roman authority to sentence Jesus to death.

In today’s case, though, Jesus masterfully turns the trap back upon the scribes and pharisees. His response: "Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone." Jesus puts the responsibility for the woman’s execution squarely on the shoulders of those who accuse her.

So Jesus has turned the tables: if THEY throw stones, they will be arrested by the Romans. If they don’t, they will appear to be claiming publicly to be sinless, which denies numerous scripture passages that remind us that before God, all men have sinned.

With their hypocrisy exposed, they are compelled to walk away. And with no accusers left, no legal plaintiffs remaining, the case collapses entirely.

At this point, Jesus turns to the woman with profound mercy, yet also clear, unwavering moral authority: "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more."

Jesus’ words call the woman to repentance and a new way of life initiated by his mercy. Notice, he doesn’t explain away her sin. He doesn’t relax the very clear biblical teaching that adultery is gravely sinful. He is neither indulgent nor permissive toward sin. Yet, simultaneously, he exhibits mercy. “I do not condemn you”

And here is a great paradox that lies at the heart of the Christian way. Jesus’ absolute moral clarity about sin—“go and sin no more”--is matched by an equally absolute willingness to forgive—“neither do I condemn you”.

He doesn’t say, “Well, your circumstances were hard,” or “Who am I to judge?” No—Jesus names sin as sin. The command, “Go and sin no more,” presumes that real moral boundaries exist and that breaking them wounds not only ourselves, but others and our relationship with God.

Jesus is clear about sin and calling us away from sin because he loves us. God desires not the death of the sinner, but that the sinner might live. Jesus is not a therapist who validates our decisions. He is a savior who works to free us from sin. He intervenes and seeks to stop the cycles of sin in our lives by calling us to sin no more.

“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone”. Jesus, if anyone, could have stoned her. For he is like us in all things but sin. But he doesn’t cast the stone, rather, he calls her to change, to repent, to metanoia—change your life, change your habits, turn away from sin and walk in the newness of life. He doesn’t belittle her. He speaks the truth that invites her to a new way of life. He calls to conversion and he is merciful—fully both, never one at the expense of the other.

Nowhere is this truth more fully revealed than in the Passion we are about to commemorate during Holy Week. On the Cross, Jesus doesn’t minimize sin—“Continue on in your sin, I’m just going to forgive you anyway.” He bears its full weight. And in doing so, He opens the gates of mercy to all. At the Cross, God’s justice and mercy meet.

At this point in Lent, perhaps we ourselves feel a bit like the woman in today’s Gospel. Maybe our Lenten practices have faltered, or perhaps we have even abandoned them altogether. We might feel ashamed or discouraged at our failures or shortcomings. Perhaps we have old sins that have still gone unconfessed. Yet, today, Jesus reassures us clearly: forgiveness is offered, a new beginning. Just as he did with the woman, Christ invites each to begin again, to recommit ourselves wholeheartedly to pursuing holiness in response to his merciful love.

So let us approach these final weeks of Lent with renewed resolve, embracing the fullness of Our Lord’s teaching,  committing ourselves anew to holiness, motivated not by fear or guilt, but by love—knowing deeply and confidently the inexhaustible mercy of Jesus, who continues to whisper gently but firmly to each one of us today: "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more" for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

5th Sunday of Lent 2025 - (Third Scrutiny) - Raising of Lazarus

 

Two weeks ago, we heard the story of the woman at the well.  She encountered the Lord Jesus, who said to her, “I will give you living water, which alone can satisfy”.  She represents all of us, all thirsting for God. Jesus invites all people of all time to drink deeply of the living waters of God through Him.

Last week we heard of the man born blind.  Again, he is all of us, born in the blindness of sin.  We desire to do good and avoid evil, but it’s not always easy to see clearly. Sometimes our egos and our sinful attachments are so great, they blind us to seeing how God wants us to live rightly. Jesus says to the man born blind and to all of us, “I am the light of the world.”  If you want to see rightly, let the light of Christ and His teachings enlighten you.

These stories in John’s Gospel move toward a sort of crescendo. I am living water which quenches thirst. I am the light by which you see. And today Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He’s not just water, He’s not just light. He is Life itself. And he desire that His life might animate us in this life, that it might sustain us through death, and animate us in all eternity, including the resurrection.

One of my favorite quotations from the early Church fathers is from St. Ireneus of Lyons, who said, Gloria Dei Homo Vivens, “the glory of God is Man fully alive.”  Jesus himself said, I came that they might have life, and have it to abundance. Christ died, that we may live, free from sin, full of divine life.  God’s glory, what gives God happiness, is that we are fully alive.  Conversely, what saddens the heart of God is when we allow death to reign in us at any level: physically, emotionally, or spiritually.  Sin diminishes us, God restores life.

Next, week, on Palm Sunday, we’ll come to understand the price the Lord pays to defeat the powers of death in us. But on this fifth Sunday of Lent, we’re invited to consider how the Lord commands us to live.

Today, our three catechumens present themselves for the last of the three scrutinies. They do so because they want to live and they recognize that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. So, you’ll notice in the scrutiny prayers many references to life, being restored to life and raised to life, like Lazarus in our Gospel today.

We heard in our first reading about God’s desire to free us from the powers of the grave: “I will open your graves and have you rise from them…I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land” we heard in our first reading.

Our three Catechumens will receive the gift of new life in Baptism this Easter Vigil. They have heard that same promise that God made to Israel all those centuries ago, the promise of life, and through prayer and fasting and study have opened themselves to the fulfillment of that promise in them. Thanks be to God. They have heard the Lord calling them to come out of their tombs, like Lazarus. Thanks be to God.

Why follow Jesus Christ? Why seek baptism and faithfulness to him? The promise of being raised from the dead is a pretty good reason. Living forever in God’s kingdom of peace is a pretty good reason. And it’s not just an empty promise--the promise of some delusional California cult leader.

Resurrection: it’s really the ultimate argument against anyone who says all religions are the same. No. They aren’t. Show me a member of another religion who not only raised the dead but also rose from the dead.

“I will open your graves and have you rise from them. Here the Lord is not just speaking of the promise of rising from our graves on the last day, when he returns. The grave is also wherever the powers of sin and evil and death reign in us still: an addiction, a habitual sin, an inability or unwillingness to forgive, anger and bitterness, perversion, fear of leaving behind the comfortable to follow Christ more devoutly, lack of fervor for the spiritual life…the grave is whatever limits the life of God in you. Think of laying in a grave, there is no place to move, you are constricted, unable to move, tied up, and God says, from your graves, I will have you rise up.” 

In the Gospels, we have not one story, but three stories of Jesus raising the dead. We just heard the story of Lazarus; can you think of the other two? The first one is the daughter of Jairus. Remember the little girl who died in her home when Jesus was on the way to heal her?  The second is the son of the widow of Naim.  Jesus sees the widow weeping as they brought out the body of her son, and Jesus is moved to raise him from the dead.

St. Augustine offered a spiritual reading of these three encounters with the dead.

Because Jairus’ daughter dies inside her house, St. Augustine says that her death symbolizes the sort of spiritual death that remains locked up in us—the sort of sins that poisons us from the inside: the resentments, the old grudges.  They aren’t necessarily expressed in words or actions, they just sort of fester within us, poisoning our thoughts, and our wills, and our imagination.  These are the sins we do in private—though no sin is private to God, of course. Jesus raises this little girl, just as he wants to heal us from all of our interior sinful attitudes.

Secondly, the son of the widow of Naim.  He had died and was being carried outside the house to the cemetery. St. Augustine says, he symbolizes the sins that have begun to express themselves in action.  When the interior anger and resentment, selfishness and lust bubble over in words of actions. But Jesus forgives these too.

The third person Jesus raises from the dead, his friend Lazarus.  Lazarus had been carried out of the house and placed in a tomb.  By the time Jesus gets there, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.  His sister, famously says, when Jesus instructs them to roll away the stone that blocks the tomb, “but Lord, surely, there will be a stench.”

St. Augustine says that Lazarus in his grave, symbolizes that evil, that spiritual death, that not only has come out of the heart in words and actions, but has established itself as a habitual.  Now, the anger, the hatred, the violence, the lust, have taken root, and have become such a part of my life and my activity, that, like Lazarus in the tomb, there is a stench, and it’s affecting the people around me.  That anger, addiction, selfishness or lust now affects the well-being of the family. Neighbors begin to avoid us because of our stench.

Jesus is of course able to heal those sins too, but like the others, there must be confession, there must be acknowledgement that these sins exist in me, and that I need a savior.

May we have the humility and honesty to recognize the need to be raised by Jesus, healed by Jesus, that we may truly live with him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

5th Week of Lent 2024 - Monday - Susanna, the sinful woman, and the Shepherd

Our two readings this morning—that of Susanna and the woman caught in adultery are linked by the beautiful responsorial Psalm—psalm 23rd—the great shepherd psalm—in which our merciful God is depicted as a shepherd who provides guidance, protection, assurance, and deliverance.

Psalm 23 begins with the powerful affirmation, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." In these words, we find solace in the shepherd's provision, knowing that God cares for our every need. Similarly, Susanna and the adulterous woman both experience God's provision and care in their moments of desperation. Susanna finds vindication and deliverance from false accusations, while the adulterous woman encounters the merciful forgiveness of Jesus, who protects her from the stones of condemnation.

As the psalmist declares, "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." In Susanna's story and the encounter with the adulterous woman, we witness the transformative power of God's mercy and forgiveness. Both women experience restoration and guidance as they encounter the divine presence in their darkest moments. Through the prophet Daniel and the compassionate words of Jesus, they are led on the paths of righteousness and offered a new beginning.

Psalm 23 continues with the comforting assurance, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." In Susanna's trial and the Woman Caught in Adultery's moment of condemnation, they find themselves in the valley of darkness, facing imminent danger and death. Yet, God's presence is their comfort and strength. Through Daniel's intervention and Jesus' merciful intervention, they are delivered from harm.

Finally, Psalm 23 concludes with the proclamation, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Encountering the Lord’s mercy, both women are able to begin a new life, especially the woman caught in adultery. She is invited by the Lord not to return to her former life of sin, but to “go and sin no more”—to a life in which she strives to live free of sin—as all Christians are called to do.

May our Lenten journey help us and all people to encounter more deeply the shepherding care of the Lord—in times of trial, his deliverance, in times of sin, his mercy, and the promise of eternal life with him forever, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

For those without faith, those with hearts hardened toward God, and for those searching for Him.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

5th Week of Lent 2018 - Friday - Which side are you on?

The Jordan River runs through our Gospel today as a line of demarcation, separating belief from unbelief. On one side of the Jordan, the people accused Jesus of blaspheming and "reached for rocks to stone Him".

On the other side of the Jordan, "many people came to" Jesus and believed in Him.

What side are you on? At first, we all say we are on the side believing in Jesus. And to be on the opposite side is baffling.

To see his miracles, to witness his goodness, to hear his teachings and his parables: how could you not believe? How could you willingly choose to deny him?

And yet, the season of Lent isn’t simply to provide us the opportunity to pat ourselves on the back for being on the right side of the Jordan, but to help us acknowledge, how often I’ve been on the wrong side of the river. Haven’t I allowed opposition to Jesus to reside in my own heart? Haven’t I resisted the call to fast, the call to pray, the call to acts of mercy?

Most of the people on the right side of the river, will fail to follow Jesus all the way to the cross, including, one of his most trusted apostles, St. Peter.

The same folks who rejoice at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday will call for his crucifixion on Good Friday.

In these final days of Lent, we do well to ask the Holy Spirit to help us identify those parts of us that run away from the cross, that denounce the truth, and that shirk away from self-sacrifice. May the Holy Spirit help us repent of such selfish and slothful attitudes, and experience true conversion, true transformation. May the Holy Spirit help us to embrace the cross fully with Christ, and allowing Him to lead us in fulfilling our own vocations for the spread of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.