The Prodigal Son

A friend and I sometimes talk about the Donut Maker.  I mean THE Donut Maker!  It is a conversation between us because we each tend to make all of those donuts by ourselves.  (And they often don’t come out very good!)  So when we ask for and experience the Almighty taking over the baking, it always has a more positive result. Well, you can guess that a Lenten focus for me has been to invite the Lord into my “kitchen” to help with all those decisions and responsibilities that fill my plate.

 As I enjoyed a wonderful cup of coffee at a favorite peaceful stop, I began pondering my to-do list for the day -- including writing this blog.  I love Cardinal Sean’s weekly blogs, so I started reading it with hopes that some inspiration would come.  In his words to a large group in Washington DC, he shared, “it is only holiness that is going to help the Church move forward.  If we are faithful to our formation and faithful in taking care of people, and if our words and actions are paired with the values of the gospel…..only then will we be able to bring healing to our Church and all those who have been wronged by it.”


Struck by Cardinal Sean’s message, I readily saw the connection with the message of the Prodigal Son.   “Holiness”; “faithfulness in taking care of God’s people”; “values”; “healing”.


The holiness, faith, values in the father; the healing for the prodigal son and hopefully for his brother.  These are what our Lord wants us to have in our focus.  I can personally identify with all three in this story.  The prodigal son who searched for other things for a while to satisfy his needs; the faithful brother who made judgments and had resentment in his heart; the father who forgave and accepted and shared his unending love for his children.

 This is the love and forgiveness that Jesus asks of us – for our Church and each other.

 Oh, and by the way, as I finished reading Cardinal Sean’s blog, what was the song playing in the restaurant?   “Count On Me” (Jefferson Starship,)     Thank you Almighty Donut Maker.

Reflection by Mary Keefe

I’m not giving up broccoli for Lent!

I can recall a past priest at Holy Family telling a story during one of his Lenten homilies in which he recalled asking his nephew what he was giving up for Lent. The boy replied, “I’m giving up broccoli.” The Priest reminded his young nephew that the boy didn’t like broccoli.

To be sure, fasting can remind us of Jesus Christ's journey into the desert. But it seems to me it is also important that Lent can be a time when we prepare ourselves to become more Christ like. Pope Francis recently stated: “Lent is a favorable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ." Our challenge today is to renew our understanding of this important season of the Church year and to see how we can integrate our personal practices into this renewed perspective.

This Lent I’ve decided to make love an action verb. I think we all can recite Matthew 22:36-40 ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ But my journey this Lent to try to integrate this simple concept (Commandment) into my daily life. Like any profound change in human behavior, it’s easier said than done. (For me it’s exacerbated, by the “gift of free will” and a rather short memory.)

A favorite wedding passage is 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."  There are many examples throughout the bible of Jesus’s acts of love. He showed mercy to someone with no regard to background or circumstances. "And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."  Life is often a chain of events. Some events are profound others are incidental. We often rise to the occasion of a loving act when faced with profound events in our lives.  But developing a personality in which we offer love to others routinely is sometimes a challenge. A warm smile, a hug, words of encouragement, a simple “thank you” can help us to be the “face of Christ” to others.  Acts of love are easy to perform but are not always part of our personality. Not because we try to be unloving, but more often, we “forget.”

At the age of 20, Benjamin Franklin created a system to develop his character. He identified thirteen virtues that were important to him and practiced his daily use of each, until he had “habitualized” all thirteen virtues he deemed important. One of his thirteen virtues was “imitate Jesus.” Franklin used a fairly complicated charting system, but this Lent I’m trying to habitualize the simple acts of love during my daily life.

At the end of Lent I’m hopeful to have developed a more loving personality. As a result, when we arrive at Easter Sunday and we celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, I am hoping to have a few less sins to be forgiven.

“…And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit…” ROM 5:1-2, 5-8

May the love of Christ be with us all, Bob Lyons

The Transfiguration

This weekend we hear the familiar account of Jesus’ Transfiguration.  Jesus takes his three closest apostles, Peter, James and John, up the mountain with Him.  Going up the mountain is an important action throughout the Old Testament.  People went up the mountain to experience God in a powerful way.  Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments, Abraham went up the mountain to sacrifice his son Isaac, David captures land on Mount Zion, that would later become the location for King Solomon’s Temple, Elijah calls upon God to light a sacrifice on fire on Mount Carmel, proving to the prophets of Baal that the God of Israel is the one true God.  The list could go on and on.  Throughout the Old Testament, going up the mountain symbolized getting closer to God and experiencing Him in a special way. 

Jesus, as fulfillment of the Old Testament, continues that imagery throughout His life.  His most famous sermon, The Beatitudes, was given on a mountain, which is why it is called the Sermon on the Mount.   Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray after the Last Supper to ask His Father if there was any way this cup (His Crucifixion) could pass by Him.  After His Resurrection, Jesus went back to the Mount of Olives where He gave His Apostles the great commissioning and ascended into Heaven. 

When Peter, James and John were at the top of the mountain praying with Jesus, He was transformed and His face changed and He was dressed in dazzling white.  Suddenly, there were 2 other people on the mountain with them and the three of them conversed while the apostles watched, unsure of what was happening. But it wasn’t just two random prophets that joined Jesus on the mountain; it was Moses and Elijah, the two pillars of the Jewish faith.  Their being present with Jesus, further symbolizes Jesus’ authority and His fulfillment of the Old Law.

What I find most interesting about this account is how it ends; the apostles “fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.”  How different is that from our world and our culture today?  When was the last time you saw or heard something absolutely incredible and stayed silent about it?  We live in a world today where we want to “show off” the awesome thing we just saw or did and the media competes to be the first one to break the “big news” so they can get the most clicks or likes.  If you look around big events, you see thousands of cell phones out taking pictures and videos.  We don’t take time to just enjoy the beauty of special moment and be present. 

I would imagine that if this event took place today, at the end of if it, if Jesus asked the apostles not to share the event with anyone, the apostles would look at each other nervously and the conversation would go something like this:

Jesus “Please don’t tell anyone about this event until the time has come”

Peter, James and John: look at each other nervously

John: “Uh, Jesus…”

Jesus: “Yes John?”

John: “I may have already tweeted it out to all of my followers on twitter, you know #transfiguation #moses #elijah”

Peter: “Jesus, that’s not all…”

Jesus: “Peter, what did you do this time…”

Peter: “I may have broadcast everything live on my instagram account”

Jesus: “you did what?”

James: “If it makes you feel any better it already has over a million likes”

Jesus shakes his head and walks back down the mountain. 

This Lent, take some time to go “up the mountain” and enjoy some alone time with the Lord and experience Him in a new and powerful way.  How would you respond to seeing the glorified face of Christ?

Reflection By Matthew Bensman

How is it Lent Already?

First Sunday of Lent

How is it possible that the season of Lent is once again upon us?  It seems just a short while ago that I was un-trimming my tree, packing up my nativity sets, taking down my window lights – all the while reflecting on the joyful moments we had just celebrated.  And now Lent – with the somber color of purple and the reminder just a couple of days ago, with the ashes marked in the sign of the cross on our foreheads, that this current home of ours is only temporary.  We are invited to enter into a period of solemn reflection and repentance, one that hopefully will lead to reconciliation and a commitment to a new beginning at Easter. Are there sign posts along the way that will help us to reach that goal?  Possibly - some might be intentional prayer, spiritual silence, study of scripture, regular worship and giving to those in need. In past years, on this first Sunday of Lent, I have had the best of intentions…and then I lapse.

Perhaps the message in the readings of today will be a crutch for me in this Lenten season of 2019.  

The Entrance Antiphon (which typically is not read aloud) starts with the words, “When He calls on me, I will answer Him.”  Okay, let this be a reminder of my commitment to follow through on the resolutions I have made, knowing that I only have to ask for his help whenever I may falter.

The two readings from today proclaim the faith of those who have gone before us.  In Deuteronomy 26:4-10 we hear the story of God’s chosen people and their flight out of Egypt.  There were no paved highways, speeding trains or jet planes. The Israelites trudged through the sand, probably encountering all kinds of horrible weather conditions, arriving 40-years later in the Promised Land.  There were many periods of unfaithfulness, but in the end, they professed their faith in God. In Romans 10:8-13 St. Paul stresses the love that God has for each of us and that by the death of Jesus, all people who believe in him, are forgiven.  Faith is the segue to help us reach our eternal home.

I do believe this, but there are occasional days when my faith falters.  At that point I hope I will remember today’s Responsorial Psalm and pray, “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble”.

In Luke’s Gospel 4:1-13 we hear of Jesus’ temptation in the desert.  I think for me this gospel has always been one of encouragement. Jesus was God/Man and in his humanity he was just like us.  By the help of the Holy Spirit he overcame these temptations. Like him, we face struggles in many different forms as we walk through life, but by truly believing that help is available, we can overcome these.   

As I start through this first week in Lent, I will remind myself that the dark days of purple will give way to joy, that God will draw us close to him and prepare us for the glory of Easter.

May God’s peace be with you.

Reflection by Barbara McMorrow