Virtual Retreat

Daily scriptural reflections by Fr. Rory Pitstick, SSL from Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in Spokane, WA
Also available via daily email

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Daily Retreat 04/03/07

2007 Apr 3 Tue: Tuesday of Holy Week
Is 49: 1-6/ Ps 70(71): 1-2. 3-4a. 5ab-6ab. 15 and 17/ Jn 13: 21-33. 36-38

From today’s readings:  “ I will make You a light to the nations....  For You are my hope, O Lord....  Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray Me....”


Light to all the nations


When all the rest of the world was wallowing in the darkness of paganism, God chose the Israelites to be His own people, to whom He would entrust His revelation, both in the Old Testament, and the New Testament.  But the reading from Isaiah (the second “Servant Song”) explains how Jesus, God’s chosen Servant, had a mission, not just to the chosen people Israel, but also to the whole world, as the light to the nations, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.

Jesus, of course, was aware of the universal dimension of His vocation - while He concentrated on preaching the Gospel first to His own Jewish people, He also gradually and deliberately spread the good news to all nations.

As we meditate anew on the events of Holy Week, we thank God for His universal plan of salvation, that the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ effects, not just the people of that past time and place, but also our lives in this time and place - it’s sobering to realize that only the Jewish people were the original beneficiaries of revelation, but because of Christ, we share that great gift!

Daily Retreat 04/02/07

2007 Apr 2 Mon: Monday of Holy Week
Is 42: 1-7/ Ps 26(27): 1. 2. 3. 13-14/ Jn 12: 1-11.

Overview of the Scripture of Holy Week


This is Holy Week - take advantage of it by immersing your life in the Paschal mystery of our redemption through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ! Give ample time and opportunity for the Word of God to permeate your life - print out this chart of the scripture of this week, then commit yourself to daily time in meditation. Check your local parish for times to go to confession, and join in the celebration of the Sacred Triduum: Thursday Mass of the Last Supper, Friday Veneration of the Cross, and the most holy Easter Vigil.

Passion/Palm Sunday
Holy Week begins with the commemoration of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, where He was greeted by the excited crowd waving palm branches and shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!"
Matt 21:1-11    Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16    Luke 19:28-40

Isaiah 50:4-7 The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue... (3rd Servant Song)
Psalm 21(22) My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?
Phil 2:6-11 Christ Jesus, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God...
Matt 26:14-27:66    Mark 14:1-15:47    Luke 22:14-23:56


Monday - Wednesday of Holy week
The Cleansing of the Temple was Jesus’ first action on entering Jerusalem. He went on to preach several parables, tell about the End, and respond to crucial questions raised by the Sadducees and Pharisees.
(cf. chapters between 1st and 2nd Gospel of Passion/Palm Sunday)

Monday
Isaiah 42:1-7 Here is My Servant whom I uphold, My chosen one,(1st Servant Song)
Psalm 26(27) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
John 12:1-11 Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
Tuesday
Isaiah 49:1-6 I will make you a light to the nations,(2nd Servant Song)
Psalm 70 (71) I will sing of your salvation.
John 13:21-33, 36-38 "Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
Wednesday
Isaiah 50:4-9 The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue... (3rd Servant Song)
Psalm 68 (69) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Matt 26:14-25 One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
Holy Thursday
Chrism Mass
Isaiah 61:1-9 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me;
Psalm 88 (89) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Rev 1:5-8 He has made us into a kingdom, priests for His God and Father,
Luke 4:16-21 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me

TRIDUUM

Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Exodus 12:1-14 It is the Passover of the LORD.
Psalm 115 (116) The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
1Cor 11:23-26 When you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.
John 13:1-15 He loved His own in the world and He loved them to the end.

Good Friday
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 but the LORD laid upon Him the guilt of us all. (4th Servant Song)
Psalm 30 (31) Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered
John 18:1-19:42 "Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews."

Easter Vigil
Genesis 1:1-2:2 In the beginning...
& Psalm 103(104) Lord, send out Your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or Psalm 32(33) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Genesis 22:1-18 God put Abraham to the test.
& Psalm 15(16) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Exodus 14:15-15:1 Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians.
& Exodus 15:1-18 Let us sing to the Lord; He has covered Himself in glory.
Isaiah 54:5-14 Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,called God of all the earth.
& Psalm 29(30) I will praise You, Lord, for You have rescued me.
Isaiah 55:1-11 All you who are thirsty,come to the water!
& Isaiah 12:2-6 You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4 Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: listen, and know prudence!
& Psalm 18(19) Lord, You have the words of everlasting life.
Ezekiel 36:16-28 I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
& Psalm 41 & Psalm 42 Like a deer that longs for running streams....
or Isaiah 12:2-6 You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
or Psalm 50(51) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Romans 6:3-11 We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
Matt 28:1-10    Mark 16:1-7    Luke 24:1-12


Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34-43 This Man God raised on the third day
Psalm 117(118) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad!
Col 3:1-4 If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
or 1Cor 5:6-8 For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
John 20:1-9 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early
or Luke 24:13-35 Stay with us, Lord!


P.S.  Today is also the anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul the Great.

Daily Retreat 04/01/07

2007 Apr 1 SUN: PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION
Procession: Lk 19: 28-40. Mass: Is 50: 4-7/ Ps 21(22): 8-9. 17-18. 19-20. 23-24/Phil 2: 6-11/ Lk 22: 14 – 23: 56

Passion for the Passion

An English pastor named G.A. Studdert-Kennedy wrote a haunting poem I came across in my early teens, titled “When Jesus came to Birmingham”:

When Jesus came to Golgotha,
They hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet,
And made a Calvary.
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns,
Red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days,
And human flesh was cheap.

When Jesus came to Birmingham
They simply passed Him by,
They never hurt a hair of Him,
They only let Him die;
For men have grown more tender,
And they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street,
And left Him in the rain.

Still Jesus cried, 'Forgive them,
For they know not what they do!’
And still it rained the winter rain
That drenched Him through and through;
The crowd went home and left the streets
Without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against a wall
And cried for Calvary.

When I first came across this poem, it immediately struck me how aptly it described our cold modern world’s indifference to the Love of Christ on the Cross.  In fact, the need to address the world’s indifference was one of the inspirations leading me to the priesthood.  I’ve always felt a wonderful comfort in praying before a crucifix.  Many times in preparation for these virtual retreat reflections, I go and pray in my parish church, which has a beautiful crucifix.  Once, after reading up on some studies that suggested that Christ’s cross more likely was a Tau cross (form of capital T) instead of a Latin cross (lower case t), instead of praying, I found myself wondering, “Well, was it a Tau or Latin cross?  Is the cross that I’m looking at now an historically accurate representation?

It was at that moment that I had a crucial insight:

How many times I had looked at a crucifix, and made an objective artistic assessment, or remarked to myself that the nails didn’t belong in the hands (all evidence is that the nails actually went through the wrists); or sometimes I found myself debating whether the spear went into His right side or left side; or when I lapse into the persona of the “know-it-all” scripture scholar, I’ll be mentally reviewing what the letter I.N.R.I. stood for in the original Latin, Hebrew, and Greek.
    So many times, contemplating a crucifix, and missing, almost completely missing, the entire purpose of the crucifix – not to enhance the artistic value of any church, not to demonstrate every awful aspect of crucifixion, not to quiz us about our knowledge of ancient languages, but to remind us of the Love of our Savior in laying down His life for us!  I realized it wasn’t just the world that was indifferent about Christ’s crucifixion – I myself had become inexcusably calloused to the Passion, since I could so nonchalantly look at a crucifix and coldly calculate its artistic or realistic value, instead of having my heart overflow with gratitude and wonder at so great a Love, so great a Love!  What was wrong with me that I had so little passion for the Passion of Christ?

    As we begin this Holy Week, each one of us needs to re-discover renewed passion for the Passion, because it is the Passion of Christ that saves souls, it is the Passion of Christ that captures converts, and it is the Passion of Christ that makes saints!

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/31/07

2007 Mar 31 Sat: Lenten Weekday
Ez 37: 21-28/ Jer 31: 10. 11-12abcd. 13/ Jn 11: 45-56

From today’s readings:  “I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will multiply them, and put My sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be My people....  The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock....  Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves.... ”


End to Division

The prophet Ezekiel speaks of an end to all divisions caused by turning away from God, and the coming of the fullness of unity when all the people enter into God’s covenant, living by His statutes, observing His decrees,  and recognizing the leaders appointed by God.

This unity cannot be realized, of course, without an end to idols, abominations, transgressions, and all sins.  This is our cue to do what is in our own power, by addressing the disunity and division caused by our own sins

Daily Retreat 03/30/07

2007 Mar 30 Fri: Lenten Weekday. .
Jer 20: 10-13/ Ps 17(18): 2-3a. 3bc-4. 5-6. 7/ Jn 10: 31-42

From today’s readings:  “All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine....   In my distress I called upon the Lord, and He heard my voice....   If I do not perform My Father’s works, do not believe Me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father.”


A Week Heart


One week to go before Good Friday – certainly,  for the enemies of Jesus, that was a time of  plotting against Him, being “on the watch for  any misstep.” What about for Jesus Himself?  As He drew near Jerusalem, fully aware of the  suffering and death He was facing, the words of  Jeremiah in the first reading must have resonated  within His Sacred Heart, along with the psalm  and all the other scripture passages which were  about to come to fulfillment.  

And what about us at this time? Are our own  hearts more in line with those of Christ’s enemies,  or, set aflame with the Word of God, are they  pulsing with love of Christ’s own Sacred Blood?  Or, are they merely indifferent, inexcusably  catatonic in tragic disregard of the greatest act of  love that the world ever has or ever will see?

Daily Retreat 03/29/07

2007 Mar 29 Thu: Lenten Weekday
Gn 17: 3-9/ Ps 104(105): 4-5. 6-7. 8-9/ Jn 8: 51-59

From today’s readings:  “God also said to Abraham: On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep My covenant throughout the ages....  The Lord remembers His covenant for ever....  Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”


Our Father Abraham

Many Christians have only a vague familiarity  with Abraham and his importance in the history  of salvation. But, in the first book of the Bible,  Genesis, Abraham is clearly central - of the 50  chapters of Genesis, 12 focus almost entirely on  Abraham (cc. 12-24; Joseph is the only other  patriarch with similar attention in Genesis). True,  Noah's paternity reaches back even further, but he  is thus ancestor to all peoples, whereas Abraham is  the father specifically to the Israelite people.

Abraham's importance, of course, stems from the covenantal relationship God solemnized with him  and his descendants. On the basis of this covenant,  Jews recognize Abraham as their great "father in  faith," and so, Christians too need to realize how  prominently he figures in the whole history of salvation.

In this context, Christ's comments about Abraham (which attest to personal familiarity!) can be felt with  the full weight of their eternal significance: Jesus  said to them, "Abraham your father rejoiced to see  My day; he saw it and was glad.... Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." God's election of Abraham was the beginning of His chosen people, but  the entire plan was done in light of the future coming  of Christ!

Monday, March 26, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/28/07

2007 Mar 28 Wed: Lenten Weekday
Dn 3: 14-20. 91-92. 95/ Dn 3: 52. 53. 54. 55. 56/ Jn 8: 31-42

From today’s readings:
  “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His angel to deliver the servants who trusted in Him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God....  Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever....  Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin....”

God gives us ourselves and Himself

The thrilling account of the deliverance of Daniel’s companions from the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar is one of the most vividly memorable texts of the Bible.  The youths declare their absolute fidelity to God, and they don’t even insist on His saving them as a condition for their faithfulness.  “If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may He save us! But even if He will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up.”

God is faithful, and always so, and thus, it is not for us to make our faith in Him dependent on what we think He should do for us!  But this happens, for example, when people are attracted to some earthly idol (money, power, prestige) and then, as a condition for remaining faithful to God, they expect to get from God the same crass rewards promised by idol worship!   

God never gives us what idols promise in their idle promises, because God gives us, not just ourselves, but also Himself!  Therein lies our reason for faithfulness forever to Him alone!

Daily Retreat 03/27/07

2007 Mar 27 Tue: Lenten Weekday
Nm 21: 4-9/ Ps 101(102): 2-3. 16-18. 19-21/ Jn 8: 21-30

From today’s readings:  “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you....  O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to You....  When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught Me. ”


Disdaining God’s Way

When God’s chosen people were enslaved in Egypt, they called out to God, and He delivered them through His servant Moses.  But even after being delivered, they continued to need God’s saving help and call out to Him - when they were pursued by Pharaoh, and made the crossing at the Red Sea, when they had no food, and God gave them Manna, when they had no water, and God gave them water from the rock.

At Mount Hor, the Israelites disdained God’s sufficient grace and His chosen means of providing for them.  They couldn’t really say that God had abandoned them - there were too many counter-proofs!  But they could say God wasn’t giving them what they wanted, and so they complained against His Providence.

And so, in punishment, they were plagued by serpents, and only when they recognized their sinfulness, did God use a sign of their sinfulness (the bronze serpent) to heal them.  Centuries later, God raised up the sign of His Son’s Cross as the definitive remedy for all sin - when we recognize the times we have disdained God’s grace and His will because things aren’t the way we want them to be, our sinfulness can only be healed by the saving power of His Cross!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/26/07

2007 Mar 26 Mon: ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD S
Is 7: 10-14; 8: 10/ Ps 39(40): 7-8a. 8b-9. 10. 11/ Heb 10: 4-10/ Lk 1: 26-38

From today’s readings:  “The Lord Himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and shall name Him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us!’...  Here I am, Lord; I come to do Your will...  Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me....  Behold the handmaid of the Lord - let it be done unto me according to your word!”

NB:  Generally, the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25, 9 months before the celebration of the birth of Christ.  However, when that date is a Sunday in Lent (as it was this year), the feast day is transferred to the 26th.

The Incarnation

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt amongst us....”  John 1:14 is one of the most jubilant verses in all of Sacred Scripture, the gospel, the “good news” of the Incarnation.  Although those first verses which form the prologue of John’s Gospel are proclaimed on Christmas day, they also are equally appropriate for meditation on today’s solemnity of the Annunciation, recalling Mary’s fiat and the moment when the Eternal Word of the Father became flesh and was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This feast day continues to grow in importance and in people’s awareness, mostly because the link between Christ’s conception and His birth nine months later is being stressed to emphasize the sacredness of human life even before birth.  Consequently, many parishes celebrate Holy Mass with a particular pro-life focus on this day.

Even by themselves, the Gospel texts of the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38) and the Visitation (Lk 1:39-56) prove the indisputable biblical basis for recognizing the sanctity of unborn human life.  So, one of the best pro-life strategies is simply to cultivate greater appreciation for these feasts in the life of the Lord, which each one of us can do simply by sharing with others the gospel, the good news of what is celebrated today - the Incarnation of the Word of God!

Friday, March 23, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/25/07

2007 Mar 25 SUN: FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
Is 43:16-21/Ps 125(126)/Phil 3:8-14/Jn 8:1-11

From today’s readings:  “In the desert I make a way....  The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy....   I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord....  The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle.”

My Own Sins

A fundamental yet oft-forgotten insight about sin is - our own personal guilt!  It’s relatively easy to talk about sin in the abstract: “Sin is an offense against God, breaking His commandments, rupturing our relationship with Him and with our neighbors.”  It’s even easier to talk about sin concretely as we see it so clearly in the lives of others: “What horrible things I read in the newspaper this morning!  What awful things we see on TV!  What disgusting things has my neighbor been involved with lately!”

And yet, the sin that is closest to us, lurking in our own hearts, so often manages to keep a low profile in our own eyes - those sins seem so insignificant, illegibly scribbled in sand, compared with the sins of others, indelibly etched in stone!  The Pharisees and scribes who confronted Jesus invite Him to either keep sin abstract (“In this case, Moses commanded stoning, but what do you say?”) or to aim all of His indignation against the easiest target, namely, the woman caught in adultery.

But Jesus sees, not just the high profile sin of the adulterous woman, but also the secret sins in the hearts of each one of her accusers, the crowd of accusers of that time, and the even more numerous accusers of our modern times.  Note that Jesus is never soft on sin - He never says, “Don’t worry about it, it’s no big thing!”  Yet Jesus is merciful toward sinners who approach Him with awareness and confession of their own personal guilt, and with contrition in their hearts: “Neither do I condemn you,” He assures the woman, but adds, “Go, and from now on, sin no more!”  Mercy for the sinner, but no toleration of sin.

Perhaps thus far in this season of Lent, you and I have fallen into the error of primarily seeing sin in the abstract, or mainly seeing sin in the lives of others.  Yet today, Christ is among us, patiently re-directing our attention to the sins written in the sacred ground of our own consciences, eager not to condemn us for those sins, but to erase them with His forgiveness when we finally decide, “Lord, I’m ready now to talk with You about my own sins....”

Daily Retreat 03/24/07

2007 Mar 24 Sat: Lenten Weekday
Jer 11: 18-20/ Ps 7: 2-3. 9bc-10. 11-12/ Jn 7: 40-53

From today’s readings:  “I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings....  O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge....  Never before has anyone spoken like this Man.”


Innocence instead of gullibility

The innocence of Christ shrines particularly brightly throughout His passion.  Remember, Jesus was not blinded in the least by ignorance or naivete - His own detailed predictions of His passion (cf. Mk 8:31, 9:31, 10:33, etc.) and His penetrating insights into human hearts (cf. John 2:25) rule out those possibilities.

Yet He was like the “trusting lamb led to slaughter,” but not because He trusted vainly in man, rather, because He trusted valiantly in His Father’s plan.  In living out our own Christian faith, we are to imitate Christ in that element of innocence, but that’s not at all to say that we should deliberately be dull-witted, gullible or obtuse - quite the contrary, for none of those traits are seen in Christ, so being such couldn’t possibly be Christ-like!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/23/07

2007 Mar 23 Fri: Lenten Weekday/ Toribio de Mogrovejo, bp.
Wis 2: 1a. 12-22/ Ps 33(34): 17-18. 19-20. 21 and 23/ Jn 7: 1-2. 10. 25-30

From today’s readings: 
“Their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God....  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted....  they tried to arrest Him, but no one laid a hand upon Him, because His hour had not yet come...”

Just One

Sometimes, scripture offers an insight into wickedness - not to encourage us in that path, of course, but rather, just to help us to see evil plainly, and then, with the help of God, uproot it from our lives.

The first reading, from the book of Wisdom, presents the thought process of those wicked men who determine to “beset the just One, because He is obnoxious to us.”   Clearly, their description of the “just One” prophetically fits Jesus perfectly, and all the evil schemes mentioned were carried out against our Lord literally, for they “put Him to the test with revilement and torture,” and “condemn[ed] Him to a shameful death.”  

As repulsive as such blatant wickedness is to us, we do well to thoroughly examine our consciences for any traces of such thoughts before quickly and self-righteously assuming that scripture is not at all referring to us here.  For it is a matter of our fallen human nature that, too often when you and I hear about or come in contact with a person living a more virtuous life than we ourselves have lived, instead of being inspired by such moral excellence, we are miffed by the contrast with our own failings, and so we seek to throw aspersions of hypocrisy or undercut the impressiveness of the “just one’s” virtue in some other way.

For example, I’ve noted times in the past when, after I’ve come across a person who is much more scrupulous about speed limits than I am, or more generous in personal willingness to give others the benefit of the doubt, that I’ll find myself either pitying such a person’s naivete, or calling to mind some apparent character flaw, thereby distracting me from acting on the pricks to my own conscience.   Then too, I’ve often marveled at how many people will become hotly self-defensive or coldly aloof when I even obliquely, and in an unthreatening impersonal manner, bring up topics such as confession or contraception.

So, scripture warns us against being blinded by our own iniquities - rather, we need to be continually enlightened by the splendor of truth and virtue, whether the example comes from the pages of the Bible, or from the lives of saints and contemporary “just ones” God sends to inspire us.

Daily Retreat 03/22/07

2007 Mar 22 Thu: Lenten Weekday
Ex 32: 7-14/ Ps 105(106): 19-20. 21-22. 23/ Jn 5: 31-47

From today’s readings:  “They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it ....  They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock....  But you do not want to come to Me to have life.....”


Poor Exchange

Idolatry is obviously idiotic - it seems incomprehensible that anyone would commit such a stupid sin as those Israelites did who turned away from the Lord and, as summarized in the psalm, “They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock!”  What a poor exchange!

And yet, even though it might be hard to find many people worshiping molten calves today, we would be sadly mistaken to boast that in our “enlightened” age, there are no transgressions against the first commandment.  On the contrary, in fact, there are many sins of idolatry in our age, because whenever anyone treats a thing or another person as more important than God, then the Lord’s rightful place  has effectively been displaced by a modern variant of the “grass-eating bullock.”

So, for instance, if a person is willing to make formidable sacrifices in order to get ahead in his career, yet contents himself with the flimsiest excuses for missing Mass, or not praying daily, or dismissing charitable appeals, can it not be said that such a person treats his career as his god?  Or, if a person is fanatical in his patriotism, but lukewarm in his faith, then clearly, his priorities prove  his allegiance is not first to God!

Look closely at how you spend your time, energy, and money - is your offering of these things directed to the one true God, or to some contemporary reincarnation of a molten calf?

Daily Retreat 03/21/07

2007 Mar 21 Wed: Lenten Weekday
Is 49: 8-15/ Ps 144(145): 8-9. 13cd-14. 17-18/ Jn 5: 17-30

From today’s readings:  “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you!...  The LORD is near to all who call upon Him....  the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.”

Forsaken or Forgotten by the Lord?

When times are tough, it’s easy to complain about practically every little thing, because even small problems, darkened with the shadow of larger problems, can seem so formidable.  Following this tendency to its illogical extreme, people in adversities have been known to discount their blessings and even feel abandoned by God Himself.

Historically, this very sentiment has arisen in the heart of God’s chosen people in times of national calamity.  In the book of the prophet Isaiah, to Zion’s plaintive complaint, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me,” the reply comes from God, “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you!”    

It is, in fact, especially in time of turmoil that our reliance on the Lord is most patently demonstrated.  So whether we’re faced with personal afflictions and hardships, or whether it’s the more general dismay provoked by the prominent presence of Evil in the world, rather than seeing these as signs that the Lord has forsaken and forgotten us, we can and must recognize God’s presence among us precisely in these times we need Him most, for if He were not upholding us, we would already have been overcome by Evil’s adversities long ago.  Indeed, “the LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth!”

Monday, March 19, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/20/07

2007 Mar 20 Tue: Lenten Weekday
Ez 47: 1-9. 12/ Ps 45(46): 2-3. 5-6. 8-9/ Jn 5: 1-16

From today’s readings:  “I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east....  There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High....  Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.”


Holy Water

Ezekiel’s vision of water flooding from out of the Temple at first seems confusing - why in the world would so much water flow from the House of God?

For Christians, though, since water immediately makes one think of Baptism, specifying the sanctuary as the source of this life-giving water cinches the matter - Ezekiel’s vision is an allegorical depiction of the saving waters of Baptism!
                            
In fact, the whole season of Lent originated in the preparation of catechumens for Easter Baptism.  The forty days Jesus had spent praying and fasting in the desert was the inspiration for the length of Lent, and because the catechumens were so exemplary in their commitment to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, it wasn’t long before the whole Church decided to commit also to this penitential time, and so the Easter liturgy includes not just the Baptism of the elect, but also the renewal of baptismal promises for all the children of God, who then joyfully sing together the opening verses of Ezekiel’s vision!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/19/07

2007 Mar 19 Mon: JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF MARY S
2 Sm 7: 4-5a. 12-14a. 16/ Ps 88(89): 2-3. 4-5. 27. 29/ Rom 4: 13. 16-18. 22/ Mt 1: 16. 18-21. 24a or Lk 2: 41-51a

From today’s readings:  “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before Me; your throne shall stand firm forever....  I have sworn to David My servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations....  as it is written, I have made you father of many nations....  His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for You with great anxiety.’ ”

St. Joseph

It’s odd that, while so many people celebrate the feast of St. Patrick (March 17), far fewer people are even aware of today’s much more solemn and important feast in honor of St. Joseph!

It’s absolutely essential to Christian faith to recall that Jesus was begotten by God the Father, and born of the Virgin Mary; consequently, the Gospels are clear that Joseph, the husband of Mary, was the foster father of Jesus, not His natural father (forgive me if it seems I’m belaboring such a basic point, but after running across too many Christians ignorant of this fact, I’ve concluded that it needs to be reviewed more frequently).

Although Joseph was called by God to be head of the Holy Family, Jesus is the center, and the Immaculate Virgin Mary’s role is infinitely more exalted than that of her husband, so Joseph is necessarily the most diminutive member of that family - in fact, scripture does not record a single word spoken by him!  But that doesn’t mean at all that he deserves to be overlooked - in fact, next to Mary, Joseph enjoys the highest degree of saintly dignity.  Note how St. Luke, who stresses the Virginal Birth most emphatically, nonetheless refers (without an apologetic qualifier!) to Joseph and Mary as the “parents” of Jesus, and Mary herself even refers to Joseph as “Your father” when speaking to the child Jesus in the Temple.

Because of his privileged role as putative father of Jesus, husband of Mary, head and guardian of the Holy Family, St. Joseph is thus to be honored by the whole Church, especially today on his solemn feast day.  Indeed, it is only this day and next week’s feast of the Annunciation which are ranked as solemnities in the Church’s liturgical calendar, preempting the austerity of Lent with the joyful overtones of these two fundamental feasts in the mystery of salvation!

Daily Retreat 03/18/07

2007 Mar 18 SUN: FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT.
Jos 5: 9a. 10-12/ Ps 33(34): 2-3. 4-5. 6-7 (9a) / 2 Cor 5: 17-21/ Lk 15: 1-3. 11-32

From today’s readings:  “While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month....  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord....  We implore you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God!... But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. ”

A Reason to Rejoice

The fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday, the Sunday of particular celebration and rejoicing!  Think for a minute about particular occasions of celebration: the end of an ordeal (such as a war or semester exams), promise of a new brighter future (such as a promotion, or a new house), various recurring milestones in life (such as birthdays and anniversaries), reunion with family and friends, commemoration of a great past event (Christmas, Independence Day), or in honor of a great achievement (graduation or winning a competition).  Also, don’t forget one of the best reasons to celebrate: simply in order to chase away dulldrums with the zest of festivity!

Each of these occasions is, in itself, a good reason for celebration and rejoicing, but our Laetare liturgy today takes all of those reasons and occasions together, and so our Sunday sacramental celebration is to be joyful and grand, not woeful and bland!

Like the Israelites in the Book of Joshua who pass over at last to the end of their 40 year ordeal of wandering in the desert, and are finally nourished by foods from the promised land, so you and I this day are presented with the marvelous opportunity to cease forever our wanderings from the ways of the Lord, and to be nourished by the Eucharistic pledge, to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord,” His own Body and Soul feeding our body and soul for all the ages!

The anniversary of the Resurrection of the Lord is celebrated on Easter Sunday, but even as we look to that capstone of feasts, since the joy of that monument of victories, the conquest of sin and death, would overwhelm any merely yearly anniversary, on this very Sunday too, you and I find ourselves on the Lord’s Day, the weekly recurring solemnity of His Resurrection and the confirmation of His promise that those baptized into His life and His passion, those who fully unite themselves to Him, will share fully in His Resurrection too, for “whoever is in Christ is a new creation!”

Before coming together for the sacred reunion, not as strangers, but as friends and members of God’s family, we turn to God in confession, answering Paul and all those other accredited ambassadors of Christ, all of us priests who fulfill their holy orders in imploring you on behalf of Christ: “Be reconciled to God! and be reconciled to His whole family!”  What are you waiting for?  Whatever it is that once estranged us, however prodigal you and I may have been in the past, no matter how wearied and starved our sins and burdens have made us, the moment we come to our senses and turn back to our Father, our loving, compassionate, forgiving Father runs to meet us with His Word of welcome, embracing us in His mercy and kissing us with His sacraments!  The filthy rags of our transgression He casts away when His Grace richly robes us in confession or anoints us in sickness, weakness, and depression!

He blesses us with the Sign of the Cross, so that sacramental becomes once again our own signet ring to mark and seal ourselves with every day, each time we pray.  Yes, for His Grace gives wings to our feet, so that we may rush evermore to Him alone and to His Heavenly nuptial feast, the rapturous, ecstatic, unending wedding banquet of the Lamb, the eternal Laetare in the celestial Jerusalem of the great and almighty I AM!

Daily Retreat 03/17/07

2007 Mar 17 Sat: Lenten Weekday/ Patrick, bp, ms
Hos 6: 1-6/ Ps 50(51): 3-4. 18-19. 20-21ab/ Lk 18: 9-14

From today’s readings:  “For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings....  Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.”

Come, let us return to the Lord!

The prophet Hosea certainly lives and gives one of the most poignant calls to return to the Lord - his tender reminder of the Lord’s words serve as a Lenten litmus test , “For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings!”

Our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving of this holy season must thus be infused with both Love and Knowledge of God, and all of scripture is meant specifically to cultivate these.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/16/07

2007 Mar 16 Fri: Lenten Weekday. .
Hos 14: 2-10/ Ps 80(81): 6c-8a. 8bc-9. 10-11ab. 14 and 17/ Mk 12: 28-34

From today’s readings:  “Thus says the LORD: Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt....  If only My people would hear Me, and Israel walk in My ways....  Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength....”


Return!

We've all had the experience of making a wrong  turn in a congested downtown area, then driving  cluelessly about for awhile with no idea of how  to get back on track, then breathing a sigh of  relief when we finally come across a sign  pointing to the right road.

It's easy to see how that scenario is quite  analogous to our spiritual life. It certainly  is all too easy to get off track, and soon we  find ourselves going around in circles or  wandering about aimlessly, having almost  forgotten where we're supposed to be going.

But then, God graciously provides us with a sign  that points to HIM, and we're reminded of where  we're supposed to be going, and how to get there.  That's what the season of Lent is all about:  noticing the many signs that God provides for us  that lead us to return to Him. Of course, no matter  how clearly a sign may point to the right direction,  one must freely choose to follow the sign in order  to get back on track.....  

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/15/07

2007 Mar 15 Thu: Lenten Weekday
Jer 7: 23-28/ Ps 94(95): 1-2. 6-7. 8-9/ Lk 11: 14-23

From today’s readings:  “Thus says the LORD: Listen to My voice....   Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, where your fathers tempted Me; they tested Me, though they had seen My works.....  Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me, scatters!”


Turn Back to the Lord or Turn Your Back to the Lord

The whole season of Lent is an earnest call to repentance, the admonition to turn back to the Lord with all our hearts.  Throughout these days, the scripture readings continually return us to this central message, which is also re–echoed in the Church’s liturgical prayers.

Yet in spite of the simple, unflagging insistence of this penitential invitation, many fail to hear it or, even worse, fail to act on it, effectively turning their back to the Lord, instead of turning back to the Lord!  This is the complaint voiced in the first reading:   Thus says the LORD: “This is what I commanded My people: Listen to My voice.... Walk in all the ways that I command you....  But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to Me.”

It is, of course, easy to point to so many other people we know who are turning their backs to the Lord.  But, while you and I do have an obligation to help such people hear the Lenten call to repentance, our primary responsibility is to commit OURSELVES whole-heartedly to repentance!  As the half-way point of Lent approaches, it’s time to honestly consider how seriously we’re taking that call to turn back to the Lord, and to repent of even the small ways in which we’re still turning our backs to the Lord!

Daily Retreat 03/14/07

2007 Mar 14 Wed: Lenten Weekday
Dt 4:1. 5-9/ Ps 147: 12-13. 15-16. 19-20/ Mt 5: 17-19

From today’s readings:  “What great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?...  He has proclaimed His word to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel....  Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”


God’s Commandments

Many think of any commandment just as an impingement on absolute freedom.  However, the commandments given to us by God lead us to fulfillment of the high dignity to which we are called and for which we were created - living our lives as loving children of God!  It is in fact when we transgress God’s commandments that we make ourselves less than what we are meant to be - when we lie, cheat, or steal, for example, we have cheapened ourselves, and hurt others in the process.

Moses points out how attractive are the commandments when lived out faithfully, demonstrating wisdom and intelligence in those who keep them.   When we realize this insight, we realize how much we have to gain by keeping God’s commandments, thereby giving us even more reason to faithfully fulfill everything God asks of us.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/13/07

2007 Mar 13 Tue: Lenten Weekday
Dn 3: 25. 34-43/ Ps 24(25): 4-5ab. 6 and 7bc. 8 and 9/ Mt 18: 21-35.

From today’s readings:  “But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received....  In Your kindness remember me, because of Your goodness, O LORD....  You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?”

Contrite heart and humble spirit


Do you pray to God, or do you voice your personal demands and expectations for Him?  Do you approach God as your God (recognizing yourself as His creature) or do you approach Him as your personal indentured Genie-in-a-bottle?

Biblical prayers (such as that of Azariah in the Book of Daniel) demonstrate the need to approach God with a contrite heart and humble spirit.  “Contrite heart” means that we’re aware of our sins, and have contrition and remorse for them, and that, on account of our sins, we’re in no position to make demands on God, except when we explicitly pray for the fulfillment of what He has promised.  “Humble spirit” means that we recognize God’s majesty and our own littleness and insignificance.

When we approach God with contrite heart and humble spirit, He’s sure to “deal with us in Your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by Your wonders, and bring glory to Your name, O Lord!”

Daily Retreat 03/12/07

2007 Mar 12 Mon: Lenten Weekday
2 Kgs 5: 1-15b/ Ps 41(42): 2. 3; 42(43): 3. 4/ Lk 4: 24-30

From today’s readings:
  “If the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it?...   Athirst is my soul for the living God....  Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. ”

Extraordinary ways through ordinary means

As much as the Bible chronicles the extraordinary interventions of God in human history, an even more fundamental theme underlying all of scripture is that God is present and active through ordinary means as well. So often people sincerely pray, “God, speak to me, tell me what to do!” But, since they’re only looking to hear an extraordinary voice from Heaven, they tune out  the ordinary method of hearing God’s Word, when it is proclaimed in Church.

Naaman the leper learned this hard-to-swallow insight long ago at the time of Elisha the prophet.  Naaman was bitterly disappointed when Elisha proposed the ordinary action of washing in the Jordan river as the extraordinary means for God’s healing.  When he was ready to leave in disgust without trying the ordinary sounding solution, Naaman’s servants reasoned with him that there was nothing to lose, and since he wouldn’t have hesitated to go along with an extraordinary suggestion, why not follow Elisha’s ordinary directions?  “So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean!”

Similarly, our faith assures us that you and I can welcome God in our lives in so many ordinary ways, particularly through the sacraments and in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  Now, if the Bible particularly recommended a certain extraordinary means for drawing closer to God (e.g., a 50-mile barefooted pilgrimage), then surely you and I would undertake that suggestion, no matter how demanding it might seem! Yet because our God so loved us, He committed Himself to quite ordinary means of assuring us of His presence, but because the means are so ordinary, so many people don’t bother taking advantage of them!

This Lent, learn the leper’s lesson about letting God touch our lives in extraordinary ways, but through ordinary means.  So, go to confession, come to Church even more than once a week, read the Bible, commit yourself to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and by Easter, celebrate your extraordinary closeness to God!

Daily Retreat 03/11/07

2007 Mar 11 SUN: THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT.
Ex 3: 1-8a. 13-15/ Ps 102(103): 1-2. 3-4. 6-7. 8. 11 (8a)/ 1 Cor 10: 1-6. 10-12/ Lk 13: 1-9

From today’s readings:  “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you....  The Lord is kind and merciful....  Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.... I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

Divine Deal

It was the best poker hand I had ever had in my life: a royal flush - Unbeatable!  I ventured to “sell my hand,” making a substantial raise, but not too much, I hoped, lest it should scare my opponent and make him fold.  To my utter glee and satisfaction, my opponent had the audacity not only to meet my raise, he even doubled it!  Hah!  I had him now!  I covered his raise, and then, on the next round, proceeded to shove a mountain of my chips into the kitty, not even bothering to count them as I smugly sneered and stared across the table.  Not to be outdone, my opponent leered and glared back at me, and went on to slowly, deliberately, and oh-so-arrogantly push ALL of his chips into the pot!  I couldn’t believe it - I felt dizzy about how sky-high the stakes were, and how reckless the action had become at that point!

And I lost.  My opponent had the (blankety-blank) good fortune of holding a pair of Aces... and three wild cards, giving him 5-of-a-kind, and yes, that beats even a royal flush!  Of course, it’s astronomically improbable that two such beautiful hands would appear in the same poker game, so I must explain that the odds were helped by a pack of wild cards - if I remember correctly, it was deuces, threes, and fours - all wild!  How much did I lose?  I don’t remember that exactly either, but it seems when my little brother cashed in his chips, he was able to lay claim to over half my stash of Easter candy!

After such a devastating loss, I spent some time reflecting on and refining my attitude toward wild cards.  Yes, wild cards are wonderful, they help every hand, but by themselves, they don’t cinch a win - the hard cards we bring to the table are still determinative, and when we forget this, our wild cards will lead to costly overconfidence.

This same insight must also be remembered in regard to the divine wild cards with which God hits us  - they certainly bolster the deal of our life, they flush us with our best chance at the celestial jackpot, but even so, we can still lose our soul, because what we bring to the table is ultimately what makes or breaks us.

The first reading is a peek at the beginning of Heaven-sent wild cards: Divine Revelation.  When God revealed His Name to Moses, He also revealed Himself as the God Who is personally interested and involved in the life of His chosen people, as the God with the divine and definitive plan for man’s salvation.  God reveals Himself as the divine Dealer Who wants us to win(!), but, He insists that we play fair, and abide by the House rules (such as the 10 Commandments).  Even the most rotten deals of life are tastefully ripened by Divine Revelation, but still, that providential wild card does not guarantee a win....

The second reading reflects on two more divine wild cards: Baptism and Communion.  Paul ponders the Old Testament prefigurement of Baptism, and the spiritual food and spiritual drink which were types pointing to the Eucharist.  Breathing His Spirit into the simple elements of water, bread and wine, God assures us of His real sacramental presence, how God cleans us, how He leads us, how He helps us, how He feeds us!  Even the most barren deal can take on new life and be nourished by God’s bountiful Baptismal and Eucharistic grace, but still, as Paul emphatically warns, those providential wild cards do not assure inevitable victory.

The responsorial psalm sings of another celestial wild card: Divine Mercy. “The Lord is kind and merciful,” so even the devastating debt of our sins need not bankrupt us!  No matter how badly we’ve misplayed in the past, though in justice, our sins would have ruined us, God gives us access to His mercy, better than any ace in the hole!  Even when our sins stack up to a sky-high pile of iniquitous chips, and merits are “short stack” or “down to the felt,” the psalm reassures, “For as the Heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is God’s kindness toward those who fear Him!”  Yet this providential wild card is the type of “bug” that can only be matched with certain hands - it’s reduced to a blank and even discarded by so many people who are too presumptuous and cocky to play the tip Jesus gives in the Gospel.
    
And what tip is that?  It’s called repentance, and Jesus insists it’s the best play for all in the game of life to bring to the table.  Jesus says, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will ALL perish!” (Luke 13:3).  Didn’t hear Him the first time or think you’re an exception to the rule?  He repeats, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will ALL perish!” (Luke 13:5).  Even if our natural hand is a “monster,” or “world’s fair,” it’s still not good enough without repentance!  The “Straight-A” kid who’s never had detention at school still falls short - he needs to listen to Jesus, he needs to do penance! The man who’s never been guilty of a traffic violation (let alone a felony), and the woman who has faithfully showed up for Mass every Sunday of her life, still stand in need of repentance!  The pastor celebrating 10 years as a priest is far from perfect - he needs to listen to Jesus, and repent!  The couple marking their golden anniversary of faithfully living out their sacred marriage vows - they too, need to turn to God with contrition in their hearts!

When it comes to salvation and eternal life, Blaise Pascal and other philosophers have proven that no one can just sit out on the biggest wager of all - ultimately, everyone stakes his soul on something, or loses it by default. And it’s not enough to just ante in - we need to join the action! Anyone so cocky as to think he can do without repentance, that he’s good enough to stand where he is, will soon be left with a bust, because he’s "drawing dead," he’s bluffing, especially to himself! Remember, even the best natural hand loses to a good hard card bolstered with a quad of wilds. And the very best hard card we can turn up and bring to the table is repentance - that’s "the nuts," the cinch hand! Because when you and I repent, when we confess our sins, we lay claim to the crucial wild card of God’s mercy. We show that we’re using well the wild card of God’s revelation as we act on the inside tips offered by Jesus. We press the advantages provided by the providential wild cards of Baptism and Eucharist and all sacramental grace!

My friends, do you dream of winning big?  In fact, do you want to win it all?  Only one Way to do that - bring your very best to the Lord’s Table: your repentance and God’s divine deal!

Daily Retreat 03/10/07

2007 Mar 10 Sat: Lenten Weekday
Mi 7: 14-15. 18-20/ Ps 102(103): 1-2. 3-4. 9-10. 11-12/ Lk 15: 1-3. 11-32

From today’s readings:  “Who is there like You, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of His inheritance?...  He redeems your life from destruction, He crowns you with kindness and compassion....  Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found!”

The Good News of Lent


We’ve seen what a mistake it is to view Lent as a gloomy season, mired in sinful preoccupations.  Instead, these days are specifically intended to give us a renewed appreciation for, and acceptance of, the great mercy of God.  The book of the prophet Micah concludes in this vein of joyful wonder:

“Who is there like You, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of His inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from days of old!”

That’s the same Good News that Jesus preached and embodied - nothing gloomy about that!

Daily Retreat 03/09/07

2007 Mar 9 Fri: Lenten Weekday/ Frances of Rome, mw, rf. .
Gn 37: 3-4. 12-13a. 17b-28a/ Ps 104(105): 16-17. 18-19. 20-21/ Mt 21: 33-43. 45-46

From today’s readings:
  “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him....  Remember the marvels the Lord has done....  What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”

The Solution to the Bitterness of Jealousy


It is a simple matter for me to see the goodness of God in bestowing so many blessings upon me.  I can also see God’s generosity in showering others with many blessings as well.  However, jealousy can easily arise if, even in my awareness of my own manifold blessings, I perceive others as having more blessings than I do, or as possessing particular blessings which I may lack.

Joseph’s brothers were jealous of the particular attention Jacob (Israel) their father paid to their younger brother.  When given the opportunity, they stripped Joseph of his special tunic (designated a “coat of many colors” in older translations, but now, many scholars favor a colorless translation, such as “full-sleeved robe" or “striped garment”).  The brothers then threw Joseph into a cistern, and, in their greedy “benevolence,” they recognized him as their own flesh and blood, so instead of killing him, they sold him into slavery.

Yet the psalm reminds us how God’s blessings for Joseph actually increased even in such adverse conditions.  And we know how Joseph eventually even forgave his brothers and shared all his blessings with his whole family.  This, then, is the key to overcoming jealousy: remembering that all God-given blessings are meant to be shared (as Christ shared all His blessings; St. Paul also emphasized this often, e.g., 1Cor 12:4-7).  So, individual blessings which you and I enjoy must also be used for the common good - when we do this, our blessings multiply instead of diminishing!  And, when you and I see others with blessings which we ourselves lack, we should remember that even blessings given to others are indirectly given to us as well, since all blessings are meant to be shared.

Daily Retreat 03/08/07

2007 Mar 8 Thu: Lenten Weekday/ John of God, rf
Jer 17: 5-10/ Ps 1: 1-2. 3. 4 and 6/ Lk 16: 19-31

From today’s readings:  “I, the LORD, alone probe the mind and test the heart, To reward everyone according to his ways, according to the merit of his deeds....  For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.....  If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”


Who knows the human heart?

Despite some helpful and legitimate insights from philosophy, psychology, and allied fields, so much of human nature remains enigmatic to our modern world - as is pointed out in the book of Jeremiah, “More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it?”

Quite simply, man by himself cannot fathom the mystery of man!  But the Creator of Man can and does, of course, understand and know everything about human nature, so the most profound insights about the human mind and human heart necessarily come only from Revelation given by the One Who alone can “probe the mind and test the heart.”

So whenever we find ourselves misguided or on the wrong path, it’s time to renounce the ways we’ve trusted in worldly wisdom instead of divine Wisdom.  Lent is our privileged time to do just this as we chew on the basic choice of life:  “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD....[But] blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD!”

Daily Retreat 03/07/07

2007 Mar 7 Wed: Lenten Weekday/ Perpetua and Felicity, mts
Jer 18: 18-20/ Ps 30(31): 5-6. 14. 15-16/ Mt 20: 17-28

From today’s readings:  “Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life?...  You will free me from the snare they set for me, for You are my refuge. Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God....   Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

The Price of Faithful Prophecy


Jeremiah was perhaps the most unpopular of all the prophets - his unrelenting call to repentance and warnings about the inevitably disastrous consequences of evil choices caused the people and princes to hate him and frame him as an insurgent killjoy.  Time and time again, Jeremiah finds himself a hunted man, and why?  Simply because he faithfully lived up to his God-given vocation to serve as a prophet!  Justifiably upset at the persecution he’s suffered as a result of his faithfulness,  he complains, “Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life?”  

Faithfully carrying out God’s will in our lives is always a challenge, particularly when the good we do unto others is, at times, repaid with evil. At such moments, you and I need to follow Jeremiah’s example as he turned to God and poured his heart out in prayer!  The God-given mission of bringing the Good News to a weary, sinful world is not to be called off simply because the Message and messengers are not received with open arms.  In fact, God sends His most faithful agents to situations where He knows they will be confronted with ingratitude, indifference, rejection, and opposition, because it is the people with such attitudes that stand most in need of the transforming power of the Gospel!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/06/07

2007 Mar 6 Tue: Lenten Weekday
Is 1: 10. 16-20/ Ps 49(50): 8-9. 16bc-17. 21.23/ Mt 23: 1-12

From today’s readings:  “Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool....  I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes....  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

"If you are willing and obey...."

Since the Word of God unmasks the Devil's deceptions, thereby enabling us to see the brutal, contagious ugliness of sin, choosing good and refusing evil is a pretty straightforward choice, at least in theory.   In practice, however, you and I too often continue to choose the ugliness of sin, mostly because we "refuse and resist" God's saving revelation.

Remember, God's grace in leading us to conversion is never imposed upon us - we must be willing and accepting of it, and as a prerequisite, we must commit ourselves to obeying His commandments and instructions.  The Devil attempts to cast God as a mad dictator who imposes his will on us for his own glorification and our own consternation.  In reality, God's very rational directions for life are more like those of a traffic cop:  when we obey such orders, we protect ourselves and others from getting hurt and stay on the right road; when we disobey, we get ourselves and others in trouble and danger.

Daily Retreat 03/05/07

2007 Mar 5 Mon: Lenten Weekday
Dn 9: 4b-10/ Ps 78(79): 8. 9. 11 and 13/ Lk 6: 36-38

From today’s readings:  “Lord, great and awesome God, You who keep Your merciful covenant toward those who love You and observe Your commandments! We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from Your commandments and Your laws....  Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins....  Be merciful, just as Your Father is merciful.  Stop judging, and you will not be judged.  Stop condemning, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven!”


Collective Guilt

So many of the prophets and saints have, in addition to a keen sense of contrition for personal sins, an equally zealous spirit of penance for sins of all the people.  Rather than coldly but justifiably disassociating themselves from the sins of others, such saints imitate Christ by committing themselves to penance on behalf of others, thereby joining themselves to the saving mission of Christ.

Chapter nine of the book of Daniel includes one of the most penitential prayers in the whole Bible - throughout the prayer, the holy prophet deliberately accepts more than his share of the collective guilt of his nation as he intercedes fervently for all the people.  Even though he came before Christ's revelation of the fullness of God's mercy, Daniel is still acutely aware of God's willingness, in spite of our unworthiness, to forgive us, concluding near the end of his prayer, "we do not present our supplications before Thee on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of Thy great mercy!" (Dan 9:18).

For each one of us, the penance of Lent must begin with personal contrition for our own sins as individuals, but, following Daniel's example and joining ourselves to the saving mission of Christ, you and I can and should also shoulder some of the weight of the heavy cross of our collective guilt.  A timely idea for doing this is to choose any one of the great societal evils of our day, and commit yourself to a daily Lenten act of penance, invoking God's mercy and calling on Christ's redemptive self-sacrifice in reparation for that particular evil, seeking the compassion and forgiveness that God is so ready to give all His children who call upon Him!

Daily Retreat 03/04/07

2007 Mar 4: SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Gn 15: 5-12. 17-18/ Ps 26(27): 1. 7-8. 8-9. 13-14/ Phil 3: 17- 4: 1/ Lk 9: 28b-36

From today’s readings:  “Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness....  The Lord is my light and my salvation....  Our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ....  Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray....”

More than expected

    Every so often, I'll come across an antique store with an item in the window that I find really appealing.  I stop to take a closer look, and I fancy to myself, "That old lantern (or whatever) is probably worth twice as much as the dealer is charging."  Now, I'm not a collector, and I hate a cluttered room, so inevitably I'll talk myself out of buying any such curiosities.  But as I walk away from the window, there's always a certain dread that tomorrow morning I'm going to read in the paper about some lucky townsman who bought Paul Revere's lantern for $5 at that same antique shop.
    We all have that hope that something we have will turn out to be worth far more than we thought.  Maybe it's a family heirloom we're holding on to, or perhaps it's the '63 station wagon that's still sitting there in the garage because we're sure it will be a collector's item someday, or the rusted basketball hoop we hope may prove to somehow be associated with Michael Jordan.  There's always that hope that someday we will be justified for holding onto something that at first glance might not seem all that valuable.
    On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus was revealed as being far more than whom Peter, James, and John had thought Him to be.  They had been drawn to follow Him because they saw Him as a teacher, as a charismatic holy man, as a prophet, and as a miracle worker.  Peter had even dared to recognize Him once as "the Christ, the Son of the Living God," but neither he nor any of the other disciples understood what that truly entailed.
        But Jesus chose to reveal Himself more fully to that blessed trio, and so He took Peter, James and John to this mountain, where He was, Holy Scripture tells us, "While He was praying His face changed in appearance and His clothing became dazzling white."  What's more, Moses and Elijah appeared also, to give witness to Jesus by their very presence.  The apostles finally concretely understood that this Jesus whom they followed was no mediocre teacher, everyday prophet, or common miracle worker; instead, here was One who stood among and above the greatest of the great.  Finally, even God the Almighty Father speaks from the heavens a reminder for all times:  "This is My beloved Son - Listen to Him!"

    And that reminder is what we must heed today.  Lent is a time to attentively listen to the Lord, particularly when He speaks of the Cross and other things that are hard to take.  We must be open to the ways in which Jesus is transfigured before us, the ways in which He reveals Himself more fully to us.  When we go to visit our sick and elderly neighbors and relatives, they will be transfigured for us, for Jesus is in them.  When we take the time to listen to and show love to our children, and even find ways to care for the neglected and troubled youth in our community, their faces will shine like the sun for us, for Jesus is in them.  When we find some other way to concretely feed the hungry in our midst, they will be eating with such estimable company as Moses and Elijah for us, for Jesus is in them.

    Yes, throughout this entire holy season, our Lord will offer to take us to many mountaintops so that He can reveal Himself more fully.  And in fact, He brings us to the mountaintop of His dwelling in the Church this Sunday that we may be present and rejoice at His glorious transfiguration in Sacred Scripture and transubstantiation in Holy Eucharist.  In this, we are just as privileged as that blessed trio, Peter, James, and John, and so we cry out with them, "Lord, how good it is for us to be here!"

Friday, March 02, 2007

Daily Retreat 03/03/07

2007 Mar 3 Sat: Lenten Weekday/ Katharine Drexel, v, rf
Dt 26: 16-19/ Ps 118(119): 1-2. 4-5. 7-8/ Mt 5: 43-48

From today’s readings:  “Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: He is to be your God and you are to walk in His ways and observe His statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to His voice....  You have commanded that Your precepts be diligently kept. Oh, that I might be firm in the ways of keeping Your statutes!...  I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for He makes His sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”


The Deal about God

God creates us, God redeems us from sin, God adopts us as His children, God sanctifies us, God showers us with His blessings, God calls us to the fullness of life with Him in Heaven.  God does a lot for us!  It's only natural that He would have some expectations on our part - not that anything we can do for God would ever entitle us to such generosity on His part, but we can at least show our appreciation and our commitment to use wisely the blessings He's given to us, and share these blessings with others.

Thousands of years ago, Moses remarked, "Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: He is to be your God, and you are to walk in His ways and observe His statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to His voice."   

Note that those who recognize the Lord as God, must, at the same time, commit themselves to living life His way.  During this season of Lent, the Scriptures remind us to examine if we've been shirking our end of the deal, and to remember: now is the time to start living up to what God expects of us!