Ordinary Time Cycle A

Third Sunday of Lent Cycle B

March 7, 2021

 

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For most of us today, the concept of idolatry seems alien because we don't see pagan statues around us that we bow down to.  But are there things in our lives that we turn too when life gets difficult?  

 

 

 

 

In the first reading, God made a pact or a covenant with the Israelite nation after they were freed from their slavery in Egypt.

 

 God would be there for them, and they were to love Him about all else and their neighbors as themselves.

One of the first Commandments in the pact that God gave them was

... Not to have idols.  

 

 

This was important for God's Chosen People because, in that period of time, the nations around them had false idols, false gods, which could so easily influence them.

 

 

Perhaps, this Lent is a good time to discover if we have some form of idolatry in our own lives.  That can certainly be one of the reasons why we are asked to fast and abstain (give up something we enjoy), pray more (give up some of our usual routine or leisure time), and give alms (give money away).

 

 Lent can be a time when we, once again, make deep spiritual discoveries about ourselves;  a time to discover how difficult it is to give up things we really love or like.?

 

A Desert?

 

A Snack Food or not eating between meals?

 

An Evening cocktail?

 

 A favorite TV program?

 

Donated Money?

 

 

Pray more? 

Our first reaction might be...

  Well that is too old fashion to give up something.  

I really could if I wanted to.  

But I have already given up so much.  

Maybe next Lent.  

It makes me too uncomfortable right now.  

 

Perhaps the real reason is that we have idols, things we turn to when we have to face difficulties in our lives; when we refuse to carry the Cross.  

We don't want to be uncomfortable, so we won't give up anything.  That in itself can be a great discovery for us during this Lent.  

 

 

 

 

 

In the Gospel reading we hear of how angry Jesus was with those in the Temple, His Father's House because they were turning this sacred place into a place where they could, in a sense, worship the idol of making money.  

Jesus gets angry and overturns the money tables and runs them out of the temple area.  He is trying to help them see they have idols and have turned away from God.  

 

 

Jesus was leading them into conversion and He does the same for us.

 

 

Events that lead us to see ourselves, to convert, can be very difficult and so we rejected reject them and think we do not need to change.

 

At the moment God is allowing us not to feel good, we often turn to something that will take away the struggle of the Cross  and make us feel good.

 In sense, God is turning our own money tables over.  This can be a time of real blessing, leading us to conversion and discovery that we do have idols and that we turn to idols when we refuse to accept the Cross, our struggles.

 

 

 

St. Paul writes to this Christian community in Corinth, who, at times struggle with suffering, difficulties, persecutions, etc.  

They were influenced by great number of the pagans that lived around them, the ones who turn to their idols .  So Paul reminds them...

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

He is helping them to see that God worked in ways that seemed foolish.  

Is not the same true for us as we look at the difficult situations and events in our lives?

It is so easy to turn to our own idols and escape the cross and  then feel good.  

Part of our Lenten journey is to convert, to repent.  And how can we repent if we don't make new discoveries about ourselves? 

 

Whenever we come before the Lord with our discoveries of failures, of problems, of sins; His mercy, compassion, and forgiveness are always there. 

 

Courage!

 

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Second Sunday of Lent Cycle B

 

February 28, 2021

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Most of us have been in situations when we have had to look at how much we trust God.  The readings will again help us to see that we have a God of great love and compassion.  Difficult situations are seen only as His gift to us once we get through the difficulty...Do we trust?

 

The Gospel of Mark,

which is proclaimed this Sunday, deals with trusting.  Remember that the Apostles had just begun to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, and they were filled with expectation that He would be a political leader and bring them to freedom from the Romans.  

Jesus told them that He would be rejected by the religious leaders of the time, suffer, and would be killed.  The Apostles were shocked.  How could this be possible happen?  

 

Jesus knew that they would need to be 
given hope that all was not lost and that He truly is the Messiah, so He takes three of the Apostles up the mountain with him, and they experience the Transfiguration.

 They experienced the glorified Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah.  Remembering this experience would help them in difficult times that would come for them, for they had experienced that Jesus is God. 

There will be moments for each of us when, in spite of our deep belief, we will find it difficult to comprehend what God is allowing in our lives.

 

 This letter was written to a Community that St. Paul did not evangelize in person.  They too, due to difficulties, struggles, rejections, persecutions, etc. at times doubted or trusted.  St. Paul gave  them hope and courage knowing that God was in control.

 

 

It can be refreshing to know that even those closest to the historical Jesus had moments of wondering how God was working,; how they could trust.  The same can be true for us today.

 

In the first reading we once again meet Abraham, our "Father in Faith", and we see the great Faith that he and Sarah had.  

First, they are willing to leave all their security, all of their family and country men, all of their customs and traditions and begin travels that will last for years into the wilderness.  

They came to a country where they are immigrants and were rejected as all foreigners.  

But Abraham had faith, that God would give him a son even though Sarah was barren.  

 

And after some  24 years, Sarah gave birth in her old age to Isaac.

 

 

 

 

But what even more amazing was that they trusted God, and when Abraham was told to sacrifice (kill Isaac), Abraham once again trusted God.  

 

This son, Isaac, was a sign of eternal life for Sarah and Abraham and now they were told to destroy him, yet they believed that God would provide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...And at the last moment God did provide a sacrifice

other than Isaac.

Lent is that time that each of us can ask and pray pray for that same trust and faith in times of difficulties, in times when we find it hard to understand what God has allowed in our lives.

 

 Everyday God, continues to reach out to each of us, often in ways that we do not understand.

 Through our Baptism, He has chosen and called each of us, and He continues to show us our need to pray for Faith, as did the first Apostles.

 

 

Proverbs 3:5-6

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First Sunday of Lent Cycle B

 

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The story of the destruction of mankind through the flood, which was God attempting to purify world of the sinful human race.

 

 

Noah, after the flood, offers the sacrifice of Thanksgiving to God for having spared him and his family.

God accepts the sacrifice of Noah and promises him that He would never again punish the earth because of man's sins.  

This story shows that, in spite of human sin, God would never again completely wipe us off the face of the earth.

God is always willing to give a second chance to each of us when we see our sins, our failures.

Obviously God does not want us, his creation,to die but to repent and to accept His great compassion and mercy.

Because of our baptism we are to show that same compassion and mercy of God to others, even to the enemy.

 

 

During this season of Lent we are called to look at our own failures, our sins and to embrace God's great mercy and love.

 

When Noah was instructed by God to build the ark he listened and followed his directions so that he and his family could be saved from the destruction that was to come through the flood.

During this season we too are called to look deeply at ourselves. For God's mercy to comes to us we have to see our failures, our sins.  There is such a temptation to not want to do this and to think that we are not so bad compared to others and so we failure to take Lent seriously.

Some of the early Christian writers saw the ark as the church, the place where one could find safety from sin, the flood waters which were a symbol of sin.

That should give each of us courage, knowing that the church is the place where we can find safety, the forgiveness of sin, the flood water of sin, through Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

Peter writes his letter to newly converted and persecuted Christians and to remind them that Christ died for them, that Jesus excepted suffering and death for forgiveness of  our sins.

He encouraged them to not be afraid of the struggles, rejections, persecutions that each of them were facing.

 

That same message is given to each of us.

In the face of our struggles, our difficulties, our sufferings, we too, because of our baptism, are called to be the presence of Christ, and that each of us too will be faced with struggles and difficulties.  Lent is a time when we can look at ourselves and see if we are willing to be the presence of Christ especially when the going gets rough.

 

Video Clip on Gospel...Fr. Greg Fiedman

 

 

The opening lines of this Gospel tell us that Jesus went into the wilderness, his Lent for 40 days and was tempted.

Each of us during this period of Lent of forty days are led into the desert of our lives, hopefully to reflect on our failures, our sinfulness.

That can be very difficult because it is so easy to think that because we are faithful by going to church on Sunday we do not sin or that others sin much more than we do.

Hopefully the practice of Lent is a time when we discover more deeply our own failures, our own sinfulness.

We are called during Lent to fast, to pray, and to give alms.

These practices, especially during Lent, can help each of us to see our own failures and to ask for forgiveness and for conversion.

 

It is so easy in a world today to think that we have given up enough, that we have fasted already and that we do not need to give up or fast from anything at this point in our lives.  What a deception.

We might also think that we pray enough; that we go to church enough, and  so we believe there is no necessity to pray anymore or any differently.

We might even be tempted to listen to a world that says, "charity begins at home", and so we may refuse, or think it's not necessary to give something away, especially to the poor, through our alms giving.

 

Let's pray that this Lent will bring each of us to greater conversion and a closer relationship to God, experiencing, once again His great compassion, mercy, and love.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ash Wednesday-Into Lent...A chance for a great spiritual journey into self

 

February 17, 2021

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As Lent begins, I continue to find out more and more about myself and my struggles.  I continue to see that I have a God with unconditional love and the first step to experience that love is to look honestly at my spiritual self.  No excuses, no blaming others, no blaming my history, but to see spiritually who I am.  That can be scary and difficult, but I know that is where I can really experience God.  Lent helps me to do that.  I hope this season will help you to find  our God of unconditional love.

 

 

 

 

Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle B

February 14, 2021 Cycle B

 

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Video Clip...Gospel Fr. Greg Friedman

 

 

We can look at the horrors of Leprosy and feel sorry for those who were struck with such a disfiguring disease in the time of the Old Testament.

 

 We can see in the above photos,  those with the disease today, in poor countries, without proper modern medical help.

In the first reading, we hear is about the regulations that were set down to isolate those with the disease of leprosy.  The disfigurement was bad enough, but the worst part was the isolation.  Remember this was a time when everyone really depended on family and community.  And when you were isolated from society, family, friends, you lost everything.  

With this disease, in that time period, there was no hope for the person.  

 

In the gospel reading we hear of the healing that Jesus did, which meant that the diseased person was not only healed physically, but also after the healing, could return to society, to family, to friends, to the community.  That was the biggest part of the healing

 

 

 

Isolation is a real disease, and it is all around us today.  We isolate ourselves, at times, from people who are different from ourselves, people we don't like, people we don't understand.

 

 

 

Sin isolates us.  

Have you ever noticed that even our most secret sin affects us?  In a sense, it isolates us.  We know, deep down, that what we did or failed to do has isolated us.  We don't quite feel right until we feel forgiven, or even worse, when we try to believe it was the fault of the other and we ignore the sin.  That is always the trick of the devil so we don't see the sin and turn to Jesus the only healer.

 

 

 

Jesus is always there waiting to heal us.  Waiting to forgive us.  We can see the great compassion He has for the sick, the diseased, the sinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Paul in his letter encourages those he addressed, to do everything for the glory of God.  We are called through our Baptism to be the presence of Christ for the world; that means all of us.  

Around us are many, many people in isolation.  Do we go out of our way to heal their isolation, their leprosy?

A smile, a greeting to a stranger, a willingness to listen when we really don't feel like it or have the time, can all be ways to offer a little healing to someone.

Look around this coming week and see if you don't find a person in isolation.  Then go out of your way for them and be the presence of Christ for them.  

And if you fail, as we all will at times, pray for the conversion to do it next time.  You are called to heal.

 

 

 

 

 

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Fifth Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle B

February 7. 2021

 

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When struggles, difficulties, health problems, financial situations, etc. come into our lives, don't we often ask God this question, why me?

 

 

 

 

 

The readings for this Sunday deal with the struggles and sufferings that each of us can go through at times in our lives.

 

 

 

We all know about the story of Job.  It was written  to teach a moral lesson to the people who had returned from exile of Babylon.  

At that time there was very little concept of an afterlife as we know it through Christ.  

 

So, what was believed by most after returning from Exile was ...

... if you are good, live a good life, there will be no problems  and

 God will bless you with good health, wealth, possessions, children, etc.

But if you sin or do evil, God will get you.

We too can have the same ideas when we do something bad and then something bad happen to us.  We may even think that God is punishing us.

 

We forget all about God's great love an mercy toward us even when we fail, when we  are bad.

 

To counter this idea that God will get us when we are bad...held by the people of the Hebrew Scriptures,  the story of Job was told.

 

 

Job was a good man and suffered greatly.  He lost everything.  His friends tried to convince him that he must have done something sinful and that God was punishing him.  

But that was not the case, as Job will learn.

The story ends by Job getting everything back more abundantly than before.

 

We were all promised at our Baptism that we would have it all in eternal life.  

What more could we want?  

The things of this world will not last or give eternal joy and happiness.

 

Even knowing this, it is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that God must be punishing us.  We must have done something bad.  

We can fail to see any value in our struggles, our sufferings as Christ showed us in his earthly life.  

Job did learn the lesson that God loved him, unconditionally.

That story can teach each of us something about the value of our sufferings and difficulties.

We all try to avoid suffering, whether physical or mental, but suffering is a reality in our world here on earth.

 

Jesus must have suffered a lot  when, as in this Sunday's Gospel, everyone wanted to come to Him, not for any spiritual insights  or enlightenment, but for the physical healing that He could perform for them so that life would be easier. In fact, as in this Gospel, when Jesus went off to pray by himself, he was told that everyone was looking for Him to come back and stay in their town, so that people  would come to their town to see the miracle worker.  And that meant that they could make money on all the business He would bring in...Interesting!  

No wonder Jesus said that He needed to move on to other towns and cities. 

 

 St. Paul  addresses the Christian Community in Corinth.  He encourages them to be always ready to go out of their way to help others.  We all know how difficult that can be to do at certain times or for certain people.  

Paul demonstrates with his own life this idea of doing for the other, convenient or not.  It is a great gift that we often need  to pray for.

 St. Paul did not run from difficulties, sufferings, disappointments, etc., but saw them as a way to eternal life and he encouraged the Corinthians to follow his example and that of Christ.  The same is true for each of us today.https:

 

 

 

Video Clip Background on the Gospel...Fr. Greg Friedman

 

 

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