It's My Job 2nd Sunday of Lent Cycle A

“It’s My Job”

At the 12 noon mass last Sunday Fr. Stanley described a painting by Caravaggio. It was of St. Matthew being inspired by the Holy Spirit to record the gospel which bears his name. 

 It could be said that Matthew was called by Jesus, transformed by God’s mercy and inspired by the Holy Spirit. The result is that an ordinary man took on an extraordinary job: sharing the story of salvation for generations to come. 

 Fr. Stanley candidly shared that a similar calling, mercy and inspiration help him get past his own human shortcomings to do his job: preach the gospel message. He then challenged us to see the same in our lives and embrace our call to preach the love of God “using words if necessary.” 

 (It is here that I will share a personal story which if it weren’t for the Holy Spirit would have remained part of my private faith life.) 

Two days prior (the Friday after Ash Wednesday) I went to my local church for morning mass. I did this for two reasons: 

 1. To observe a Lenten practice of attending daily mass. (This is a good discipline for someone whose attendance at mass is a job requirement.) 

 2. To begin lent by going to confession. 

Here’s what happened. 

I am sitting at mass worrying, “Am I really going to bother this priest and ask him to hear my confession?” “What if he needs to leave quickly to visit people or go to other duties? “What if he begins his day off after Friday morning mass? After the final blessing the priest looks up and says, “If anyone wishes to go to confession, I’ll be going to the confessional on the right side of the church.” I thought to myself; “HOLY………Spirit!” 

 *** 

 Our closing song for these first Sundays of Lent will be “In These Days of Lenten Journey.” (#127) I picked it because it calls us to hear and respond to the call of the Spirit in our lives and be God’s mercy to those around us. I invite you to allow these words to take root throughout this Lenten season. The possibilities of what might grow are limitless. 

Wishing you a life changing lent, 

 Bruce 

PS 
I told my confessor that his offer was nothing short of the Holy Spirit working through him and the answer to my prayers. His response was the inspiration for and the title of this article.

Into the Desert 1st Sunday of Lent Cycle A

Into the Desert

Have you ever binge watched a show on Netflix or On Demand?   What if you didn’t begin with the first episode of season 1?  How confusing would that be? 

Let’s try another question:  Have you ever confessed to not really knowing the bible very well?  Don’t worry; this is not going to be an article attempting to add guilt to your lent.  In fact,  the problem may be  related to binge watching a show  at a place other than the very beginning. 

Here is my theory:     Our understanding of scripture will be distorted if we rely solely on what we hear at Sunday liturgy.

In today’s gospel we hear the story of Jesus tested in the Wilderness.  It is important to understand that the story has been taken out of its historical context (and where it falls in Matthews account) and placed where it fits in the liturgical year.

Perhaps this brief table of 3 consecutive stories from Matthew’s gospel will help put this into perspective.

Gospel                           Storyline                                            Liturgical Feast                               Date

1.    Matthew 3:13-17            The Baptism of Jesus                          Baptism of the Lord                      Jan. 9

2.  Matthew 4:1-11             Jesus Tested in the Wilderness       Lent 1                                         Mar. 4

3.  Matthew 4:12-23             The Call of the First Disciples              3^rd  in ordinary time                      Jan. 22

T  The point is that today’s story of Jesus being tested in the wilderness does not follow the stories that we have been hearing for the past 7 weeks; it precedes them.  While this doesn’t fundamentally change the meaning of the story, it does mean that Jesus’ teaching and preaching were influenced by his time in the wilderness.  It also might suggest a course for our 40 day wilderness journey i.e. Lent 

My initial thought was to conclude by sharing some ideas on how you and I might better spend this Lent.  That was until I ran into these 10 ideas taken from the teaching of Pope Francis.  You can find it at https://www.focusoncampus.org/content/what-should-i-do-for-lent-pope-francis-10-tips

1.       Get rid of the lazy addiction to evil

2.       Do something that hurts

3.       Don’t remain indifferent

4.       Pray; “Make our hearts like yours”

5.       Take part in the sacraments

6.       Prayer

7.       Fasting

8.       Almsgiving

9.       Help the Poor

10.   Evangelize

Wishing you a blessed and life-changing lent,

Bruce

LE

LE

 

The two letters at the top of this page will take on a different meaning based on when you are reading this article.

 

If you’re reading it on the weekend they will be the 3^rd and 4^th letter of AlLEluia.  If you’re reading it on Wednesday or later, they will be the first two letters of the season:  Lent.

 

On Sunday (the 8^th Sunday of ordinary time) we will hear another portion of Matthew’s gospel.  Jesus continues to preach to the people (and to us) about putting aside the worries of life and trusting in God’s providence.

 

Our liturgy will begin and end with AlLEluias. 

 

The prelude, “Seek Ye First” (#434) is based on today's portion of Matthew’s gospel.  It was written in 1972, the early days of what might be referred to as “folk music.”  In addition to the three verses there is a refrain which consists simply of the word of the day: AlLEluia!

 

The recessional hymn; “Tell the Good News” (#386) is a succinct recap of the gospel of the past 7 weeks.  Jesus came to heal and affirm that all people are God’s children. 

 

*****

 

If you’re reading this on Wednesday or later it is the season of LEnt.   During this season we will no longer use the word to which I referred in the first part of this article. 

 

Ironically, we will hear the part of Matthew’s gospel just prior to the one heard on Sunday.  In it Jesus instructs the disciples on the spirit in which they should pray and to make sacrifices in his name.  I”ve always found it interesting that the church presents us with this reading on the day where Christians walk around marked with such an obvious sign.

 

One of the songs we will sing both today and throughout Lent is “In These Days of Lenten Journey” (#127)  Notice the call to Christian service throughout the lyrics.

 

This past week members of our social concerns ministry brought Hearts of Hope to our homebound.  These hand painted ceramics were made by the children of the parish and included a card with a message of love from the children. 

Here is an excerpt from an e-mail I received from a member of our team

       I called .....  She lives one block from me and was the    

       sweetest thing ever (on the phone.)  She told me she's  

       going to be 97 years old in April!!!  I'm looking forward to 

       seeing her tomorrow.

If you’d like to be part of our social concerns ministry you can contact me via e-mail b.mauro1@yahoo.com or by calling the parish center.

BLEssed to be serving at St. Mary’s,

 

Bruce