3RD Friday of Lent
Review Matthew 22:1-24:2.
Read the text slowly and prayerfully.
What words or phrases jump out at you? Go back and read that verse again.
What is God trying to say to you through this scripture?
Friday, March 28, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY #17
THE LAMENT OVER JERUSALEM
& DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
3RD
Thursday of Lent
Read Matthew 23:37-24:2.
Why is Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem?
Have you ever felt like Jesus does in this passage? What caused these feelings in you? How can your faith help you in this
situation?
Notes on the text:
The woes are immediately followed by a lament over
Jerusalem, the city who has rejected the prophets over and over. “How many times” may refer to the multiple
visits Jesus makes to the city in the Gospel of John.
23:38 and 24:1-2 refer to the utter destruction of Jerusalem
that occurred in 70 CE.
Verse 39 looks forward to the time Jesus will return in all
his glory.
This passage transitions from the previous discourse into
the last discourse before the passion. Matthew
24-25 are known as the “eschatological discourse” because the entire section
deals with the end of this age and the dawning of a new era in which the
Kingdom of God will come in its fullness.
Daily Scripture Meditation - March 27
March 27
Jeremiah
7:23-28
Luke
11:14-23
“Every kingdom divided against itself
will be laid waste and house will fall against house.”
If you spend
any significant amount of time working with people, either at work or church,
you are likely at some time to encounter conflicts and divisions. Churches may be divinely inspired, but they
are run by all-too-human men and women, which means they are vulnerable to
misunderstandings and divisions. Nothing can more stressing than people at odds
with each other or a community divided. Forgiveness and reconciliation can be
lots of hard work, but the resulting peace can be well worth it.
- By Deacon John Collins
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY #16
DENUNCIATION OF THE
SCRIBES AND PHARISEES
3RD
Wednesday of Lent
Read Matthew 23:1-36
Why does Jesus denounce the scribes and Pharisees as sinful?
How are you like the Pharisees? How are you different?
Notes on the text:
It is believed that this passage not only expresses the
discord between Jesus and the Pharisees but also between Matthew’s Jewish-Christian
community and the synagogues. Matthew
was writing around 80-85 CE. Up to this
time, most Christians had been Jewish converts who continued to worship in their
synagogues on the Jewish Sabbath and who celebrated the Eucharist in a house
church on Sunday. It was in the late
first century that Judaism and Christianity went their separate ways, but not
before there was much tension between the two communities.
Verse 5: Phylacteries and tassels were worn during
prayer.
Verses 8-10 are not to be taken literally. Rather, they are part of the exhortation to
live humbly found in verses 11-12.
Verse 9: In the Greco-Roman world the Father (or patriarch)
of a family had absolute say over every part of every family member’s life,
including the power to decide matters of life and death. “You have but one Father in heaven” means
only God should have that kind of power.
Woes, in biblical terms, are a series of condemnations and
punishments for sin. There are 7 woes in
this passage. 7 was a symbolic number in
the ancient world signifying completeness.
The 7 woes directed against the scribes and Pharisees can be interpreted
as the writer believing them to have been utterly or completely sinful.
Verse 23: Mosaic Law
required a tithing of all produce. Here
it is carried to the extreme by tithing herbs that would have been cultivated
in small quantities or gathered from the wild.
It shows their attention to minor matters while they neglect more
important matters.
The last woe proclaims that by their actions, the scribes
and Pharisees have placed themselves in the direct line of those who killed the
prophets and, therefore, rejected God’s teaching.
Daily Scripture Reflection - March 26
Wednesday
Third Week of Lent
Deuteronomy 4: 1,5-9
Matthew 5: 17-19
In today’s first reading, Moses exhorts
the people to keep the law or Commandments.
There are two reasons to keep the law:
First the law is the source of life, the way to life with God. If they keep the law they will live; second
the law is of divine origin and a source of wisdom. It gives the ability to recognize the true
values of life. The law is not a burden,
but an expression of God’s love for Israel.
The gospel is related to the plea of
Moses to the people to obey the law.
Moses meant the commandments.
Christ would have us go a step further and try to understand the spirit
of the law which originated in God’s love for us and the love we should have
for our brothers and sisters.
This is what Christ meant by saying that
he came to perfect the law, to deepen our understanding of it, to enable us to
see divine law as a means to salvation.
With this understanding Christ could
very adequately sum up the law in two principles: Love of God and love of
neighbor as oneself.
Perhaps at this stage in Lent we could
meditate on how we follow law. Do we
follow the letter or the spirit of the law?
Do we truly love God and our neighbor (meaning every person on this
earth)? What steps can we take this Lent
to improve?
By Fr. Bill Kramer
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
3rd TUESDAY OF LENT, MARCH 25
Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10
Hebrews 10:4-10
Luke 1:26-38
Emmanuel! The Lord is
with us! How appropriate that tonight,
on the Feast of the Annunciation, the Springfield Catholic community will
celebrate Confirmation. In today’s
Gospel, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the Son of
God. Mary responds, “May it be done to
me according to your word.” Through her
words and actions, God takes on human flesh and is born into this world. In the sacrament of Confirmation, we are asked
if we will bear Christ to the world, and we respond similarly to Mary. Through our words and actions, God also takes
on human flesh and is borne to this world.
There is an old saying: “God has no hands or feet working in
this world but yours.” Through
Confirmation, we are called to an active faith, one which we live out in our
daily lives, a faith which is preached through what we do, not by what we
say. Lent is the time we take stock of
how we are living out our faith.
The words addressed to candidates for Confirmation at the
Easter Vigil are: “The promised strength of the Holy Spirit, which you are to
receive, will make you more like Christ and help you to be witnesses to his
suffering, death, and resurrection. It
will strengthen you to be active members of the Church and to build up the Body
of Christ in faith and love.” How does
Christ take on flesh and blood in your life and in your family and community through
your life? How are you living out your
Confirmation?
[Confirmation begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Kuss
Auditorium, and all are welcome to attend!]
- By Lisa Lenard Chiles
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY - Post # 15
THE GREATEST
COMMANDMENT & THE QUESTION ABOUT DAVID’S SON
3RD
Tuesday of Lent
Read Matthew 22:34-46
The Pharisees and Sadducees were good at keeping the letter
of the Law while forsaking the spirit of the Law. Which is more important to you, the letter or
the spirit? Why?
Which do you think God cares about more? Why?
Notes on the text:
Verses 37-40: The Law was written to be of service to the
people who kept it, to remind them they were a people set apart to serve God,
and to ensure that all in the midst of Israel were treated fairly. Jesus sums up all 613 laws in the Old
Testament in this one statement.
Verse 44 is a quote from Psalm 110:1. In the first century, all the Psalms were
commonly believed to have been written by King David.
In chapter 1, Matthew has already shown a direct line of
descent from David to Jesus. Verses
41-46 are meant to show that although Jesus is the son of David, he is also
someone greater.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Online Lenten Retreat - Post # 16 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #16 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 15:
THE RESURRECTION - JOY
But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. ~ John 20:11, 15-16
Jesus asks: “Will you let me turn your sorrow into joy?”
It only took one word to turn Mary’s sorrow into joy. Imagine finding out one you loved, whom you thought was dead, was alive! This is the joy we experience in the resurrection.
Read the story of Amira Ali.
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2014/03/12/mother-daughter-separated-by-war-in-south-sudan-reunited-in-denver/6311409/
Can you imagine the joy Amira experienced from finding out her daughter and sister were alive?
What situations do you want God to turn from sorrow into joy? Are you willing to give those situations over to God right now?
This is Post #16 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 15:
THE RESURRECTION - JOY
But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. ~ John 20:11, 15-16
Jesus asks: “Will you let me turn your sorrow into joy?”
It only took one word to turn Mary’s sorrow into joy. Imagine finding out one you loved, whom you thought was dead, was alive! This is the joy we experience in the resurrection.
Read the story of Amira Ali.
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2014/03/12/mother-daughter-separated-by-war-in-south-sudan-reunited-in-denver/6311409/
Can you imagine the joy Amira experienced from finding out her daughter and sister were alive?
What situations do you want God to turn from sorrow into joy? Are you willing to give those situations over to God right now?
The Resurrection is not included in the Stations of the Cross, but this story was too good not to share. This is a tremendously beautiful story of resurrection!
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #15 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #15 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditation a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 14:
JESUS IS B...URIED - FINALITY
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. ~ Mark 15:46
Jesus asks: “How do you respond as the stone seals shut my tomb?”
Burial brings with it a finality that even death does not. Death is a moment, a passage. Sealing the tomb, filling in the grave, burying the ashes solidify the finality of death. We will not meet again in this life.
Read Walter Bruhl’s obituary.
http://shine.yahoo.com/
Why did Walter write his own obituary? What was he trying to accomplish?
If you could leave your loved ones with any last thoughts before your death, what would they be? Why not say those things while you still can?
This is Post #15 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditation a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 14:
JESUS IS B...URIED - FINALITY
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. ~ Mark 15:46
Jesus asks: “How do you respond as the stone seals shut my tomb?”
Burial brings with it a finality that even death does not. Death is a moment, a passage. Sealing the tomb, filling in the grave, burying the ashes solidify the finality of death. We will not meet again in this life.
Read Walter Bruhl’s obituary.
http://shine.yahoo.com/
Why did Walter write his own obituary? What was he trying to accomplish?
If you could leave your loved ones with any last thoughts before your death, what would they be? Why not say those things while you still can?
The above link appears to be broken. Try this one: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../walter-george-bruhl-jr...
www.huffingtonpost.com
"Walter George Bruhl Jr. of Newark and Dewey Beach is a dead person; he is no mo...re; he is bereft of life; he is deceased; he has rung down the curtain and gone to join the choir invisible; he has expired and gone to meet his maker." Bruh...See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #14 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #14 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 13:
JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS - GRIEF
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary of Magdala. Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. ~ John 19:25, 38
Jesus asks: “Do you know the grief my mother and disciples experienced in this hour?”
Grief knows no limits. It is as wide and as deep as the ocean, and as uncontainable. Maybe that is why it is the hardest emotion to experience, even from a distance. Do you have trouble watching others grieve?
Read the story of Yasuo Takamatsu.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/years+after+tsunami+Japanese+learns+scuba+dive+search+remains/9602227/story.html
How is Yasuo’s grief like Mary’s? How is it different?
How does your faith make it possible for you to grieve? How does it help you move through the stages of grief?See More
This is Post #14 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 13:
JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS - GRIEF
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary of Magdala. Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. ~ John 19:25, 38
Jesus asks: “Do you know the grief my mother and disciples experienced in this hour?”
Grief knows no limits. It is as wide and as deep as the ocean, and as uncontainable. Maybe that is why it is the hardest emotion to experience, even from a distance. Do you have trouble watching others grieve?
Read the story of Yasuo Takamatsu.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/years+after+tsunami+Japanese+learns+scuba+dive+search+remains/9602227/story.html
How is Yasuo’s grief like Mary’s? How is it different?
How does your faith make it possible for you to grieve? How does it help you move through the stages of grief?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post # 13 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #13 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 12:
JESUS DIES - DEATH
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. ~ Matthew 27:45-46, 50
Jesus asks: “Have you ever felt completely forsaken like I did?”
Even for those who believe in the afterlife, death is scary. In fact most of us spend our entire lives fighting it in one way or another: medicine, nutrition, exercise, etc. Death seems especially tragic when it claims a young person, when youth and vitality fail suddenly, instead of seeping into old age.
Read the story of Jenna Hinman.
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/new-mom-with-cancer-fights-for-life-after-birthing-preemie-twins-191547353.html?vp=1
What makes Jenna’s story especially tragic? Would her death be any less tragic were these elements removed?
How does your faith prepare you for death?See More
This is Post #13 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 12:
JESUS DIES - DEATH
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. ~ Matthew 27:45-46, 50
Jesus asks: “Have you ever felt completely forsaken like I did?”
Even for those who believe in the afterlife, death is scary. In fact most of us spend our entire lives fighting it in one way or another: medicine, nutrition, exercise, etc. Death seems especially tragic when it claims a young person, when youth and vitality fail suddenly, instead of seeping into old age.
Read the story of Jenna Hinman.
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/new-mom-with-cancer-fights-for-life-after-birthing-preemie-twins-191547353.html?vp=1
What makes Jenna’s story especially tragic? Would her death be any less tragic were these elements removed?
How does your faith prepare you for death?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #12 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #12 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 11:
JESUS IS CRUCIFIED - PAIN
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” ~ Luke 23:33-34a
Jesus asks: “Can you imagine my suffering to die in this manner?”
Crucifixion was such a horrible way to die that Roman law prohibited the crucifixion of Roman citizens. Arms were stretched (dislocating the shoulders) and fixed to the cross beam causing a slow suffocation from the body’s weight bearing down on the chest muscles. Legs were broken to prevent the crucified from pushing themselves up for a breath of air. Naked to the elements, victims were sunburnt, dehydrated, and ravaged by scavenger birds.
Read the story of Josh Hardy.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/03/child_drug.html
How is the emotional pain of Josh’s parents like Jesus’ suffering? How is it different?
How do you react to stories of suffering? How do you react to your own suffering?See More
This is Post #12 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 11:
JESUS IS CRUCIFIED - PAIN
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” ~ Luke 23:33-34a
Jesus asks: “Can you imagine my suffering to die in this manner?”
Crucifixion was such a horrible way to die that Roman law prohibited the crucifixion of Roman citizens. Arms were stretched (dislocating the shoulders) and fixed to the cross beam causing a slow suffocation from the body’s weight bearing down on the chest muscles. Legs were broken to prevent the crucified from pushing themselves up for a breath of air. Naked to the elements, victims were sunburnt, dehydrated, and ravaged by scavenger birds.
Read the story of Josh Hardy.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/03/child_drug.html
How is the emotional pain of Josh’s parents like Jesus’ suffering? How is it different?
How do you react to stories of suffering? How do you react to your own suffering?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #11 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #11 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 10:
JESUS IS STRIPPED - HUMILIATION
And when they came to a place called Golgatha (which means the Place of the Skull), they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots. ~ Matthew 27:33-35
Jesus asks: “Would you look upon your neighbor’s humiliation and not move your hand to stop it?”
We all have a most embarrassing story to tell, but sometimes situations move beyond embarrassment. Humiliation strips us of our human dignity. Would you risk your own embarrassment to give someone their dignity back?
Read the story of Rebecca Sedwick.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/rebecca-ann-sedwick_n_4100350.html
Could intervention have restored Rebecca’s dignity and prevented her suicide?
Stories like Rebecca’s are more and more common. How can faith play a role in protecting people who are bullied? In stopping the bullying altogether?See More
This is Post #11 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 10:
JESUS IS STRIPPED - HUMILIATION
And when they came to a place called Golgatha (which means the Place of the Skull), they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots. ~ Matthew 27:33-35
Jesus asks: “Would you look upon your neighbor’s humiliation and not move your hand to stop it?”
We all have a most embarrassing story to tell, but sometimes situations move beyond embarrassment. Humiliation strips us of our human dignity. Would you risk your own embarrassment to give someone their dignity back?
Read the story of Rebecca Sedwick.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/rebecca-ann-sedwick_n_4100350.html
Could intervention have restored Rebecca’s dignity and prevented her suicide?
Stories like Rebecca’s are more and more common. How can faith play a role in protecting people who are bullied? In stopping the bullying altogether?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #10 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #10 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 9:
JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME - BROKEN BODY
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people. ~ Isaiah 53:8
Jesus asks: “When your body falters, do you still trust in me?”
No matter how well we care for ourselves, we are still going to age, we are still going to get sick, we are still going to die. Some people despise their bodies for not being a “perfect specimen,” but none of us is perfect. How do we learn to love ourselves exactly as God made us?
Read the story about polio in Syrian refugees.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syrias-children/first-case-polio-suspected-among-syrian-refugees-lebanon-n49811
What you know about the effects of polio? How will it be more difficult to live with the effects of this disease in a refugee camp?
How do you find God when you are incapacitated by injury or illness? Is it easier or harder to pray when you are hurting?See More
This is Post #10 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditati...on a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 9:
JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME - BROKEN BODY
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people. ~ Isaiah 53:8
Jesus asks: “When your body falters, do you still trust in me?”
No matter how well we care for ourselves, we are still going to age, we are still going to get sick, we are still going to die. Some people despise their bodies for not being a “perfect specimen,” but none of us is perfect. How do we learn to love ourselves exactly as God made us?
Read the story about polio in Syrian refugees.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syrias-children/first-case-polio-suspected-among-syrian-refugees-lebanon-n49811
What you know about the effects of polio? How will it be more difficult to live with the effects of this disease in a refugee camp?
How do you find God when you are incapacitated by injury or illness? Is it easier or harder to pray when you are hurting?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #9 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #9 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 8:
JESUS CONSOLES THE WOMEN - CONSOLATION
A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.” ~ Luke 23:27-28
Jesus asks: “Can you lean on me and find your consolation in me?”
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest. Lay down, O weary one, lay down your head upon my breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, so weary, worn, and sad. I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.
Read the story of Saye-Maye Cole.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syrias-children/child-war-survivor-syrias-children-dont-give-n51161
How did Saye-Maye find consolation?
When have you looked for consolation? How did you find it?See More
This is Post #9 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 8:
JESUS CONSOLES THE WOMEN - CONSOLATION
A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.” ~ Luke 23:27-28
Jesus asks: “Can you lean on me and find your consolation in me?”
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest. Lay down, O weary one, lay down your head upon my breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, so weary, worn, and sad. I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.
Read the story of Saye-Maye Cole.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syrias-children/child-war-survivor-syrias-children-dont-give-n51161
How did Saye-Maye find consolation?
When have you looked for consolation? How did you find it?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #8 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #8 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 7:
JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME - HEAVY-LADEN
But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. ~ Isaiah 53:5, 7
Jesus asks: “Do you understand what it feels like to be overwhelmed by pain, fatigue, and emotional burden?”
There is a weight limit for things like ships and planes. Heavy-laden ships sink. Heavy-laden planes crash. There is also a weight limit for the human body, the human mind, and for human emotions. Given too much to bear, the heavy-laden person collapses.
Read the story of Kendal Benjamin.
http://shine.yahoo.com/author-blog-posts/never-believe-where-standout-teen-calls-home-193900189.html
Describe the scope of Kendal’s burdens. How might others have dealt with being so heavy-laden?
Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt you could handle no more? Where did you turn?See More
This is Post #8 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 7:
JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME - HEAVY-LADEN
But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. ~ Isaiah 53:5, 7
Jesus asks: “Do you understand what it feels like to be overwhelmed by pain, fatigue, and emotional burden?”
There is a weight limit for things like ships and planes. Heavy-laden ships sink. Heavy-laden planes crash. There is also a weight limit for the human body, the human mind, and for human emotions. Given too much to bear, the heavy-laden person collapses.
Read the story of Kendal Benjamin.
http://shine.yahoo.com/author-blog-posts/never-believe-where-standout-teen-calls-home-193900189.html
Describe the scope of Kendal’s burdens. How might others have dealt with being so heavy-laden?
Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt you could handle no more? Where did you turn?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #7 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #7 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 6:
VERONICA AIDS JESUS - COMPASSION
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. ~ Matthew 25:38-40
Jesus asks: “Can you look into the eyes of your sisters and brothers and see me staring back at you?”
We are told the question asked at the Last Judgment will be: “How did we serve those around us?” Are we anxious to help those in need, or do we stand back and hope someone else will do it?
Read the story of Zachary Hamilton.
http://shine.yahoo.com/ellen-good-news/autistic-teen-scores-touchdown-help-amazing-football-team-182700186.html
How did the teens in this story show compassion?
Is compassion a virtue that comes easily to you, or is it a virtue you have to work hard to cultivate?See More
This is Post #7 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 6:
VERONICA AIDS JESUS - COMPASSION
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. ~ Matthew 25:38-40
Jesus asks: “Can you look into the eyes of your sisters and brothers and see me staring back at you?”
We are told the question asked at the Last Judgment will be: “How did we serve those around us?” Are we anxious to help those in need, or do we stand back and hope someone else will do it?
Read the story of Zachary Hamilton.
http://shine.yahoo.com/ellen-good-news/autistic-teen-scores-touchdown-help-amazing-football-team-182700186.html
How did the teens in this story show compassion?
Is compassion a virtue that comes easily to you, or is it a virtue you have to work hard to cultivate?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #6 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #6 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 5:
SIMON HELPS JESUS CARRY HIS CROSS -
BEARING EACH OTHER’S BURDENS
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. ~ Mark 15:21
Jesus asks: “Do you think that you are stronger than I am, or can you humbly accept help when you need it?”
Independence is prized in American society, but it is also a part of human nature. Think of a three-year-old struggling to put on her socks with an ardent, “I’ll do it myself!” But sometimes we can’t go it alone. We really do need someone to help us carry our cross. Is there shame in asking for help?
Read the story of Pope Francis.
http://news.yahoo.com/survivors-pope-francis-saved-many-dirty-wars-045519620.html
What were the risks of helping the people in the story? What were the rewards?
What burdens do you need help with? Are you getting the help you need, or do you need to reach out right now?See More
This is Post #6 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 5:
SIMON HELPS JESUS CARRY HIS CROSS -
BEARING EACH OTHER’S BURDENS
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. ~ Mark 15:21
Jesus asks: “Do you think that you are stronger than I am, or can you humbly accept help when you need it?”
Independence is prized in American society, but it is also a part of human nature. Think of a three-year-old struggling to put on her socks with an ardent, “I’ll do it myself!” But sometimes we can’t go it alone. We really do need someone to help us carry our cross. Is there shame in asking for help?
Read the story of Pope Francis.
http://news.yahoo.com/survivors-pope-francis-saved-many-dirty-wars-045519620.html
What were the risks of helping the people in the story? What were the rewards?
What burdens do you need help with? Are you getting the help you need, or do you need to reach out right now?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #5 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #5 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 4:
JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER - SORROW
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. ~ Luke 2:34-35
Jesus asks: “Do you understand how much I hurt when you are hurting?”
Parents have an instinct to protect their children, and parents hurt to see their child in pain. It is easier to bear physical agony than sorrow for your child. What do we learn from this station?
Read the story of Malaysia Airlines.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-unknown-compounds-families-grief/story?id=22874673&singlePage=true
What is compounding the families’ sorrow?
How do you understand sorrow in light of our faith?See More
This is Post #5 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 4:
JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER - SORROW
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. ~ Luke 2:34-35
Jesus asks: “Do you understand how much I hurt when you are hurting?”
Parents have an instinct to protect their children, and parents hurt to see their child in pain. It is easier to bear physical agony than sorrow for your child. What do we learn from this station?
Read the story of Malaysia Airlines.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-unknown-compounds-families-grief/story?id=22874673&singlePage=true
What is compounding the families’ sorrow?
How do you understand sorrow in light of our faith?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #4 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #4 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 3:
JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME - HUMAN FRAILITY
He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured. ~ Isaiah 53:3-4a
Jesus asks: “You who would be my other self, can you accept without complaint your human frailties?”
Disasters sometimes strike without warning, and our human bodies are no match for wind, water, fire, earth. We learn that even the strongest among us is subject to the elements of nature. It is frightening to be out-of-control, at the mercy of something for which you are no match.
Read the story of the Harlem building collapse.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/harlem-building-collapse-seven-dead-74-hurt-n51546
How does this story illustrate the frailty of the human condition?
What life lessons do you draw from this story?
Where do you find God in the midst of disaster?See More
This is Post #4 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 3:
JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME - HUMAN FRAILITY
He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured. ~ Isaiah 53:3-4a
Jesus asks: “You who would be my other self, can you accept without complaint your human frailties?”
Disasters sometimes strike without warning, and our human bodies are no match for wind, water, fire, earth. We learn that even the strongest among us is subject to the elements of nature. It is frightening to be out-of-control, at the mercy of something for which you are no match.
Read the story of the Harlem building collapse.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/harlem-building-collapse-seven-dead-74-hurt-n51546
How does this story illustrate the frailty of the human condition?
What life lessons do you draw from this story?
Where do you find God in the midst of disaster?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #3 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #3 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 2:
JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS - BURDEN
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgatha. ~ John 19:16-17
Jesus asks: “Can you pick up your cross and follow me?”
Following Christ seems easy in the abstract. It’s much harder when we are carrying our own cross to our own crucifixion, walking through suffering knowing that more lies ahead. Is this what Jesus asks of me?
Read the story of the West Virginia chemical spill. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/dont-drink-the-water-west-virginia-after-the-chemical-spill-20140312
How are the people of West Virginia continuing to carry their crosses months after their water was contaminated?
What crosses are you carrying?See More
This is Post #3 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 2:
JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS - BURDEN
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgatha. ~ John 19:16-17
Jesus asks: “Can you pick up your cross and follow me?”
Following Christ seems easy in the abstract. It’s much harder when we are carrying our own cross to our own crucifixion, walking through suffering knowing that more lies ahead. Is this what Jesus asks of me?
Read the story of the West Virginia chemical spill. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/dont-drink-the-water-west-virginia-after-the-chemical-spill-20140312
How are the people of West Virginia continuing to carry their crosses months after their water was contaminated?
What crosses are you carrying?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #2 of 16
"On a Pilgrimage" - 2014 Online Lenten Retreat
This is Post #2 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 1:
JESUS IS CONDEMNED - INJUSTICE
So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?” They answered and said to him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” ~ John 18:29-30
Jesus asks: “If I can bow to my Father’s will, can you also submit, even in the face of injustice?”
Injustice automatically brings up feelings of hurt, anger, bitterness. We look to Jesus’ example, and we see his reflection in the lives of our sisters and brothers. How do we keep our faith in the midst of undeserved suffering?
Read the story of Theresa Flores. http://www.theranger.org/redesign/sex-trafficking-in-america-1.2641855?pagereq=1#.UzB4OCxOWM8
How is Theresa’s suffering like the suffering of Jesus? How are they different?
Where do you see God at work in situations of injustice?See More
This is Post #2 of 16. To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditatio...n a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your discussion in the comments section below is welcome!
STATION 1:
JESUS IS CONDEMNED - INJUSTICE
So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?” They answered and said to him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” ~ John 18:29-30
Jesus asks: “If I can bow to my Father’s will, can you also submit, even in the face of injustice?”
Injustice automatically brings up feelings of hurt, anger, bitterness. We look to Jesus’ example, and we see his reflection in the lives of our sisters and brothers. How do we keep our faith in the midst of undeserved suffering?
Read the story of Theresa Flores. http://www.theranger.org/redesign/sex-trafficking-in-america-1.2641855?pagereq=1#.UzB4OCxOWM8
How is Theresa’s suffering like the suffering of Jesus? How are they different?
Where do you see God at work in situations of injustice?See More
Online Lenten Retreat - Post #1 of 16
ONLINE LENTEN RETREAT 2014
We are offering the 2014 Lenten Retreat "On a Pilgrimage" on Facebook and on our parish blog found at www.josephraphael.blogspot.com
The retreat was based on the Stations of the Cross but includes a 15th station for the resurrection & an opening reflection. There will be 16 retreat posts, including this one.
To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditation a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your feedback is welcome!
Here is the Opening Reflection:
In the Middle Ages, it was popular to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or at least to make the vow of a pilgrimage and an attempt at making the pilgrimage. Traveling conditions were terrible. Most pilgrims would use the only type of transportation they could afford – walking, which was a hazardous journey on roads that were barel...y footpaths and filled with bandits. Over land, it is over 2800 miles from Paris to Jerusalem. The route is shorter by sea but also much more expensive, and a long sea voyage brought its own perils, often in the form of disease. It is no wonder that few pilgrims ever made the complete round-trip to the Holy Land.
Often the pilgrimage ended at the nearest cathedral or even in the next village. The length of the journey really didn’t matter because the object of the pilgrimage was to grow closer to God along the way. That is the object of our own pilgrim journeys as well.
Imagine a wagon wheel. It represents the journey that is each of our lives. Each of us is a spoke on this wheel. We begin our journeys along the edge, and throughout our lives, we journey towards God, who is in the center. Sometimes we move forward, and sometimes we move back, but none of us ever leaves the wheel. Even those of us who don’t recognize that we are on a spiritual journey are still traveling up and down our spokes.
As the spokes converge at the center, you will notice that the distance between the spokes narrows. We cannot grow closer to God without growing closer to each other, and often it is by growing closer to each other that we find ourselves growing closer to God.
We are companions on the pilgrimage that is life’s journey. We share in each other’s joys and sorrows. We see the face of Christ in our sisters and brothers. We see the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ rewritten in the world around us.
For those lucky medieval pilgrims who did make it all the way to Jerusalem, the culmination of their journey was to walk the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Suffering, retracing the steps of our Lord as he journeyed to Calvary. This path is still taken today by pilgrims who travel to Jerusalem and walk the narrow streets that wind through the city, out the gates, and up the hill to Golgatha. By praying the Stations of the Cross, those of us who cannot make a physical journey to Jerusalem can still participate in this devotion.
This retreat is shaped around the Stations of the Cross, only there are 15 stations because we have added a station for the resurrection. Each post is a station. There are meditations based on the Stations of the Cross. There all also links to articles depicting modern people who are walking in the footsteps of Christ down their own paths of suffering, and there are reflection questions.
Today you are invited to make your own pilgrimage. Your traveling companions are the others who read these posts. You are welcome to enter into a discussion together by posting comments below.
Your journey may begin at any station. Read the meditation and the linked article. Take time in silent reflection on the questions provided or questions of your own.
You choose how much time you spend on each station, the order in which you visit the stations, and how many stations you visit in a sitting. Just like the medieval pilgrims, the distance you travel is not important. What is important is that you grow closer to God along the way.
We are offering the 2014 Lenten Retreat "On a Pilgrimage" on Facebook and on our parish blog found at www.josephraphael.blogspot.com
The retreat was based on the Stations of the Cross but includes a 15th station for the resurrection & an opening reflection. There will be 16 retreat posts, including this one.
To participate in the retreat, read the meditations & questions provided. Then follow the link to the attached article. Participate at your own pace. Read one meditation a day or set aside a block of time to go through all the stations at once. Your feedback is welcome!
Here is the Opening Reflection:
In the Middle Ages, it was popular to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or at least to make the vow of a pilgrimage and an attempt at making the pilgrimage. Traveling conditions were terrible. Most pilgrims would use the only type of transportation they could afford – walking, which was a hazardous journey on roads that were barel...y footpaths and filled with bandits. Over land, it is over 2800 miles from Paris to Jerusalem. The route is shorter by sea but also much more expensive, and a long sea voyage brought its own perils, often in the form of disease. It is no wonder that few pilgrims ever made the complete round-trip to the Holy Land.
Often the pilgrimage ended at the nearest cathedral or even in the next village. The length of the journey really didn’t matter because the object of the pilgrimage was to grow closer to God along the way. That is the object of our own pilgrim journeys as well.
Imagine a wagon wheel. It represents the journey that is each of our lives. Each of us is a spoke on this wheel. We begin our journeys along the edge, and throughout our lives, we journey towards God, who is in the center. Sometimes we move forward, and sometimes we move back, but none of us ever leaves the wheel. Even those of us who don’t recognize that we are on a spiritual journey are still traveling up and down our spokes.
As the spokes converge at the center, you will notice that the distance between the spokes narrows. We cannot grow closer to God without growing closer to each other, and often it is by growing closer to each other that we find ourselves growing closer to God.
We are companions on the pilgrimage that is life’s journey. We share in each other’s joys and sorrows. We see the face of Christ in our sisters and brothers. We see the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ rewritten in the world around us.
For those lucky medieval pilgrims who did make it all the way to Jerusalem, the culmination of their journey was to walk the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Suffering, retracing the steps of our Lord as he journeyed to Calvary. This path is still taken today by pilgrims who travel to Jerusalem and walk the narrow streets that wind through the city, out the gates, and up the hill to Golgatha. By praying the Stations of the Cross, those of us who cannot make a physical journey to Jerusalem can still participate in this devotion.
This retreat is shaped around the Stations of the Cross, only there are 15 stations because we have added a station for the resurrection. Each post is a station. There are meditations based on the Stations of the Cross. There all also links to articles depicting modern people who are walking in the footsteps of Christ down their own paths of suffering, and there are reflection questions.
Today you are invited to make your own pilgrimage. Your traveling companions are the others who read these posts. You are welcome to enter into a discussion together by posting comments below.
Your journey may begin at any station. Read the meditation and the linked article. Take time in silent reflection on the questions provided or questions of your own.
You choose how much time you spend on each station, the order in which you visit the stations, and how many stations you visit in a sitting. Just like the medieval pilgrims, the distance you travel is not important. What is important is that you grow closer to God along the way.
Lenten Bible Study #14
THE QUESTION ABOUT
THE RESURRECTION
3RD Monday
of Lent
Read Matthew 22:23-33.
Why did the Sadducees present such a ridiculous question? Describe their attitude and motives.
Do you ever try to lay a trap for God, perhaps by
bargaining? (i.e., God, if you let me
win the lottery, I’ll go to mass every Sunday.
I didn’t win the lottery so I guess God doesn’t want me to go to
mass.) If so, what are your motives?
Notes on the text:
The Jewish religious leadership was divided into two groups
in Jesus’ day. The Sadducees, consisting
mainly of the priests and scribes in the Temple, did not believe in an afterlife
or in the resurrection of the dead. The
Pharisees, the rabbis and scribes who taught in the synagogues, believed there
was an afterlife and that the dead would someday be resurrected. After the fall of the Temple in 70 CE, belief
in an afterlife and the resurrection of the dead became the predominant line of
thinking in Judaism.
The Law in verse 24 comes from Deuteronomy 25:5.
Just as the Pharisees were attempting to set Jesus up in the
last passage, so the Sadducees are trying to set him up in this passage. The question is an attempt to get Jesus to
deny the resurrection of the dead. The
situation presented is ridiculous.
Jesus chides the Sadducees for not knowing the
scriptures. He reminds them that God
self identifies as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, patriarchs long dead
physically. Jesus also points out that
the resurrection is a different state of being where marriage and the fruits of
marriage are unnecessary.
Daily Scripture Reflection - March 24
Lenten reflection for March 24, 2014
The third Monday of Lent
2 Kings 5:1-15
Luke 4:24-30
The theme for today's reflection is suspicion, pride and
ego run amok!! The first reading is a
dramatic powerhouse. It is taken from 2 Kings,
chapter 5 and is well worth reading. No
shortage of plot elements in this chapter.
Naaman, the army commander and a favorite of the King of
Aram, suffers from leprosy. A little
girl, captured in a raid on Israel lets it be known that Naaman could be healed
by a prophet dwelling in Israel. The King of Aram, not too proud to beg, sends
Naaman along with many objects of wealth to his apparent rival, the King of
Israel for healing. The King of Israel,
rather than being delighted with this opportunity to promote peace, decides
that the King of Aram has set him up! He believes that the King of Aram is
trying to provoke him, to start a conflict!
He rends his garment, he's a mess!
Fortunately, Elisha gets word, and tells the king to send
Naaman to him.
Naaman approaches Elisha who tells him to bathe in the
Jordan River 7 times. Great news,
right? I have a horrible illness and
this simple, lovely act is the cure. Awesome,
I'm in! But this is not Naaman's response; he, full of nationalistic pride, becomes ANGRY
at Elisha and says that the rivers in his own country are perfectly fine, thank
you very much! Fortunately, his servants
intervene and persuade him to try. He
does and is healed, crying out "Now, I know that there is no God in all
the earth, except in Israel."
Our gospel reading is taken from Luke, chapter 4 and is
the more familiar story of Jesus, speaking in the synagogue in Nazareth,
telling the people that a prophet is not accepted in his own town. He references the above story of Naaman to
illustrate the point. Elisha healed
Naaman, but did not (would not? could not?) cure the lepers of Israel. The crowd responds in anger. Interestingly, if we draw back from this
moment in the story we see that Jesus has come to Nazareth at a time of
incredible power and movement in his ministry.
He has experienced the challenges in the desert, has triumphed and has
been all over Capernaum healing. He now
comes to Nazareth and is initially praised, but once he tells them that he
won't be accepted (can't heal?) there, the crowd turns ugly, and decide to KILL
him, but scripture says "he passed through the midst of them and went
away".
These scripture passages speak to me of our determination
to have it our own way, even when it comes to our relationship to the great God
of all. How many times have I ignored a
message of grace or healing because it came from a source I did not care to
honor? How many times have I reacted with anger when things did not unfold on
my own timeline in the place and in the way I had decided was the best? Am I
missing healing waters because I like my own river better? I am particularly
struck by the phrase, "he passed through the midst of them and went away." Am I bringing such a preconceived notion to
the experience of the sacred that it may be right there before me, but passing
by me and going away? St. Teresa of Avila said that "Humility is the
ointment for all our wounds." Certainly the King of Israel, Naaman, the
crowd in Nazareth, and I (perhaps you?) could use a generous dose of that
particular ointment.
-by Lou
Ann Horstman
Friday, March 21, 2014
Daily Scripture Reflection - March 21
March 21
Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
If you have been reading the
reflections throughout the season of Lent you may have been struck as I have
been, how each day we get another concrete lesson on how we are called to live
our lives. We have to work pretty hard to ignore the messages. Today’s lesson,
in my mind, is on rejecting what we know to be right in order to achieve what
we desire. In Genesis it is the brothers of Joseph. In Matthew it is a group of
tenants that act on greed and kill first the slaves of the landowner and then
his son. For those that were listening to Jesus at that time, and for us today,
he asks them to remember Scripture: “The stone rejected by the builders has
become the cornerstone”. The builders are the experts; they are responsible for
building a secure structure. Why would they reject a stone that is so solid, so
true that should be the cornerstone? Of course he was speaking of himself. He
was rejected then and continues to be rejected now. Who was rejecting him? The
end of this reading says that the Pharisee realized that he was speaking about
them. Who are we? Are we the brothers of Joseph, the tenants or the Pharisees?
Although their motives were different they were all rejecting God’s will for us
in this world. Again, in my mind, the cornerstone of Jesus’ teaching is love.
Follow that and we are building a solid structure in our lives.
By Patty Larger
Lenten Bible Study #13
PAYING TAXES TO THE
EMPEROR
2ND Friday
of Lent
Read Matthew 22:15-22.
What are the Pharisees trying to do in verses 16-17? How does Jesus respond?
“Repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Take a moment to reflect on how this verse
applies to your own life. Are you giving
to God what is due?
Notes on the text:
Jews of that era wanted to be a sovereign nation. They despised Roman rule and anything
symbolic of that rule including taxes paid to the Roman government. Yet it was considered treason to speak out against
the Romans. The trap laid is a
Catch-22. If Jesus says, “Pay your
taxes,” the Jews will consider him an agent of the Romans, and he will lose his
disciples. If Jesus says, “Don’t pay
your taxes,” the Pharisees can turn him in to the Romans for treason. Either way, the Pharisees are rid of Jesus.
Verse 17 refers to the scriptural Law.
The coin readily produced by the Pharisees indicates they
are using the coin in their own commerce.
It would have had an image of the Emperor Tiberius (14-37 CE).
Jesus turns the question back on the Pharisees, implying that
they are already honoring Caesar in their commerce but are not returning to God
the good deeds required by the Law.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Daily Scripture Reflection - March 20
March 20
Jeremiah
17:5-10
Luke
16:19-31
“And lying at his door was a poor man
names Lazarus….”
Like the
nameless rich man in this parable, all of us have those less fortunate in our
midst, if not at our door. And the rich
man is punished not so much for his sin, but for his arrogance and utter
blindness to the plight of this poor man Lazarus whom he passed every day
without even noticing. All our lives are
also touched by those in need of our help.
This gospel reminds us that we are called to be sensitive and aware of
the needs of others and to respond with care and help as best we can. Perhaps Jesus did not name this rich man so
that we could easily substitute our own names for the rich man as we read this
story.
- By Deacon John Collins
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY #12
THE PARABLE OF THE
WEDDING FEAST
2ND Thursday
of Lent
Read Matthew 22:1-14
Have you ever extended an invitation that was ignored? How did it feel? How do you think the king felt?
Why does the king invite whoever can be found? What does this part of the parable mean for
the Church?
Why is the king angry at the impromptu wedding guest for not
being prepared?
Notes on the text:
There are many allusions to the Kingdom of God being a
banquet. See Isaiah 25:6.
This parable is another allegory of the Kingdom of God. The invited guests represent Israel who has
had an on-again, off-again relationship with God. The final rejection of the invitation comes
when the religious leaders reject Jesus.
This is in no way a condemnation of all the Jewish people. Matthew is writing to a Jewish-Christian
audience in an era when the Church is becoming more and more Gentile
(non-Jewish). Perhaps Matthew is using
this parable to explain to his audience why the Church is becoming more
Gentile.
Some argue that verses 11-14 are a separate parable because
of the king’s change in attitude towards the wedding guests.
The wedding garment symbolizes repentance. The change of clothes equals a change of
heart. No one is admitted to the Kingdom
without first undergoing conversion.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY #11
2ND Wednesday
of Lent
Review Matthew 21:1-46.
Read the text slowly and prayerfully.
What words or phrases jump out at you? Go back and read that verse again.
What is God trying to say to you through this scripture?
Daily Scripture Reflection
Wednesday
Second Week of Lent
Jeremiah 18: 18-20
Matthew 20: 17-28
Jeremiah was one of the prophets who was
killed for doing the work of God. The first reading for this day records an
unsuccessful attempt on his life. It is
a foreshadowing of what Christ himself would experience. His enemies would try to trap him in his
speech. Jeremiah is saddened by the
reaction of the people. He knows that
his death would be unimportant because the prophetical word would not cease
with his death. God would raise up other
prophets. What saddened him was the fact
that he stood before God asking for forgiveness for the evil men who wanted his
death and they are now repaying him with more evil. But Jeremiah continues to pray for them.
In the gospel for this day, Matthew has
the mother of James and John request two places of honor for her sons. Matthew spares the reputation of James and
John by having the mother make the request but the other disciples are still
angry with the brothers. Jesus dismisses
the whole request by telling us that the Father determines such things.
Jesus then turns the whole episode into
a lesson on brotherly love. Whoever has
a position of greatness and responsibility in the Church must be the servant of
all. Jesus is the best example of one
who has come to serve others, even to the point of giving his life so that all
may be saved.
Unselfish service is what Jesus requires
of us; greatness comes from serving the needs of others without thought of
reward. God will take care of the
reward.
Sometimes in our Christian life we may
feel that we are not appreciated. When
this happens, let the perseverance of Jeremiah, and the example of Christ himself,
examples of true brotherly love and concern, be an inspiration to greater
efforts and charitable concern for all people.
By Fr. Bill Kramer
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