Anyone in ministry knows that you have to live with one foot in the present and one in the future, since planning and preparation are so key to our success. While the liturgical season of Christmas is just now ending, planning for the Lenten season should already be in full swing by now. Ash Wednesday is just over seven weeks away (March 1, 2017). Having said that, however, it is not too late if you are […]
For the last two years I’ve offered handouts for Reflecting on the Lenten Scriptures, to be used in parish small faith groups. Year A materials for 2017 are now available. As I did last year, I selected some options for online videos for further reflection on each week’s theme. Always remember to preview videos before showing to your group, to determine appropriateness for your setting and be sure things work as expected. First Sunday of […]
There are few people that we know better than the members of our own family and our closest friends. We know one another’s strengths and abilities, and we also know one another’s limitations and weaknesses. Like the Pharisees in the Gospel for the fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C, we may be tempted to focus on the faults and sins that familiarity with one another can sometimes reveal. As family members and friends, however, we also […]
The Pharisees taught a very scrupulous observance of Jewish Law. In their interpretation and practice, observant Jews who shared table fellowship with sinners would be made unclean. Like Jesus, the Pharisees hoped to lead sinners back to God. The Pharisees, however, required that sinners first become ritually clean—observant of the Pharisees’ interpretation of Jewish Law—before sharing table fellowship. This appears to be one of the major differences between the Pharisees and Jesus. Jesus reaches out […]
Turning away from sin is a good thing. However, it is possible to turn away from sin and still not know where you are going! Repentance is concerned not primarily with the act of turning away from sin but with turning toward God. When we run toward God, we will turn our backs on sin, but our focus will not be on our sins but on the loving mercy of God that we seek to […]
The beauty of Lent offers a time for the Church to relive salvation history. By practicing the penitential disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, many adults savor this transformative season. But how does an untrained teacher who meets only briefly with her wiggly second-grade faith formation class communicate the beauty and relevancy of Lent in language they can understand? The short answer: by acting out Christ’s desert experience in a way that highlights how fasting, […]
It’s not unusual to ask someone with headphones on what they are listening to. Nowadays, folks spend large amounts of time listening to music or talk radio. We always seem to be listening to someone or something. In this Sunday’s story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, a voice from heaven tells Peter, James, and John, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” The Transfiguration of Jesus was a moment of focus […]
In Luke’s Gospel, the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert appears just after Jesus’ baptism and before Jesus begins his public ministry. We can imagine this as a time of transition, a turning point in Jesus’ life. Perhaps we can liken it to one of the important turning points in our own lives: the decision to marry, the birth of a child, the acceptance of a new job, or the decision to move to […]
If you are like me, on Ash Wednesday you make about 20 Lenten promises: I’m going to give up sweets, pray evening prayer every day, go to weekday Mass twice a week, give a weekly donation to a charity, etc. These promises usually last until the following Friday, and then it all falls apart. How do we keep up the momentum for 40 days? Think back to your high-school physics lesson on momentum. An object at […]
“So, what are you giving up for Lent?” This is a common question among Catholics, young and old alike. But Lent is about more than giving something up. Through the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Lent prepares us for Easter. Yet when young people focus on what they give up for Lent, this season may have no lasting impact on them. How can we help them see what Lent is really about? How can […]
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