27th Week of Ordinary Time 2023 - Tuesday - Repentance: Choosing the Better Part

 Every year we hear this passage from the prophet Jonah on the first week of Lent, 7 days after Ash Wednesday.  The repentance of the Ninevites is one of the most dramatic responses to the call to repentance in the entire old testament: a city of about 120,000 people all come to repent the nobility, the peasantry, show signs of their repentance by fasting, covering themselves with sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. 

We begin Lent on Ash Wednesday doing the exact same thing—with fasting and the imposition of ashes on our foreheads.  And throughout Lent we undertake practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—visible and external signs of our internal sorrow for our sins.

Repentance is a pre-requisite for new spiritual life. In order to turn more fully to God we must turn away from what is disordered in our lives. That might be a disordered attachment to created things, disordered ways of speaking with people, or judging them in our minds. It might be disordered behaviors—where we spend our time selfishly indulging bodily pleasures. 

The Christian is to always be about the business of turning away from disorder toward Christ. Yet, the way of perfection also include turning away from what is good, to what is better.

In the Gospel, Martha is busy about doing the housework. That’s great. Housework is good. However, her housework caused her to miss out on something better, something that her sister Mary chosen—the better part—giving her full attention to Jesus. Yes, there are times when we are called to do manual labor, housework, chores, our earthly business. But, we must not get so wrapped up in the things of the world, that we miss out on that something better—that someone better.

Now being mindful of Jesus while we do our earthly activities is also good. We can fulfill our earthly tasks contemplatively and meditatively—being mindful of God as we fold socks and cook dinner is good. But we cannot allow our earthly tasks to consume us—to the point where we are not praying as we should each day—in quantity and quality of prayer.

The Ninevites give us the sort of attitude we should have toward all of our earthly things—lavish repentance in order to focus, like Mary of Bethany—on what matters most—the divine will and presence of God—for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That hearing the call to repentance preached by the Church, all men may turn away from their sins to the mercy of Christ.

For peace in the Holy Land, an end to the violence and suffering, and healing for those whose lives have been tragically disrupted. May God’s peace the communities and families devastated by the horrors of terrorism and war.

That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

1st Week of Lent 2019 - Wednesday - Responding to the call to repentance

Through the weeks of Lent, the scripture readings on Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent are more penitential than the rest.

Our first reading, from the third chapter of Jonah contains one of the most dramatic responses to the call to repentance in the entire old testament—the entire a city of Nineveh—about 120,000 people—everyone, the nobility, the peasantry, even the cattle and sheep—all repented when God sent Jonah to preach to them.

When the Ninevites repented, they expressed their repentance by fasting, covering themselves with sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. But better yet, they had the highest form of repentance: they indicated their sorrow to God "by their actions how they turned from their evil ways."

The repentance and conversion of the Ninevites was truly miraculous: the Ninevites frequently brutalized and butchered their enemies. They were pagans, spiritually dead, the least likely to repent. Yet the prophetic word pierced their hearts, and they repented en masse. Jesus commended their repentance.

During lent we undertake the external practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to show our repentance, as signs of repentance, and to bring about that entire conversion which will have an effect on our behavior, attitudes, and choices.

In the Gospel, Jesus says, this generation is an evil generation.  Why?  Because it was so resistant to repentance.  It didn’t want conversion, it didn’t want to be open to God’s message as the Ninevites were, it wanted signs, it wanted a magic show, it wanted to be entertained.  Sounds familiar.

When people are in sin, especially family members, leading them them to repentance is not unkind or cruel. It is an act of love, because only in this way can they correct their lives and receive eternal life.

Next week, Wednesday evening, every parish in the diocese will have confessions from 5 to 8pm. If there is anyone in your life who has fallen away from the Church, please invite them to confession. Your invitation might be the prophetic gesture which leads them back to God. Show them the power of repentance, the joy that comes from encountering God’s mercy, of returning to Him with your whole heart, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Holy Father, Pope Francis on this anniversary of his election to the Papacy, that he may continue to be a beacon of God’s mercy and love.

For the whole Christian people, that in this sacred Lenten season, they may be more abundantly nourished by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

For the whole world, that in lasting tranquility and peace our days may truly become the acceptable time of grace and salvation.

For sinners and those who neglect right religion, that in this time of reconciliation they may return wholeheartedly to Christ.

For ourselves, that God may at last stir up in our hearts aversion for our sins and conviction for the Gospel.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy.