Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent - March 17, 2021

-

Isaiah 49:8-15 John 5:17-30

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is responding to the criticism of his fellow Jews that he is breaking the Sabbath. To put this reading into context, in the preceding passage, Jesus cured a paralytic on the Sabbath. His response to their criticism is that his Father is at work, so he is at work.

This passage reminds me of other passages in the Gospels where Jesus was criticised for not following the letter of the law as the religious leaders of his day thought it should be practiced. Jesus’ response was to tell his followers to balance the spirit of the law with the letter of the law.

I grew up in a traditional Catholic family where I was taught to follow the teachings of the Church, and if I didn’t, I was committing a sin. That was how my parents were raised and they raised their children the same way. I didn’t understand why I had to do it, only that I had to do it. As I grew older, as I started to understand the Church’s reasoning as to why things were right and wrong, it started to make sense to me. My life’s experiences have taught me that to practice my faith, I have to balance the letter of the law with the spirit of the law. Throughout my life, I have seen the positive results when we minister to one other and we see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and the negative results when we do not.

At the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus references the resurrection in two different ways: those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life and those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. Lent is a time for us to focus on the good deeds to the resurrection of life.

Q: As we continue our Lenten journey, are we following the letter of the law and going through the motions, or are we following the spirit of the law and making a sincere effort to have a closer relationship with God and with one another?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) - April 7, 2023

-
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42  Every morning when I go to Mass and the Priest asks for our intentions for the day, my response is for “wisdom, courage, comfort and trust.” Wisdom to fi gure out the answer, the courage to carry it out, and the comfort that it is the best solution and the trust to know God is guiding us in the best way. When I read the Psalms for today, I was taken back by David’s trust in the Lord to guide him and keep him safe. “In you, Lord, I take refuge”  A good friend coined this prayer when I was helping my parents navigate through my brother’s cancer. He passed away, but I continue to take comfort in those words and try daily to TRUST. Many people have commented on how they appreciate that petition so I continue to pray it.  There are big things and little things that come into our lives that require us to trust as David did. Some things are as small as smiling at the person at the traffic light or as big as standing up for another’s r
Read more

Monday of the First Week of Lent - March 11, 2019

-
Leviticus19:1-2, 11-18  Matthew 25:31-46 As I read my assignment for today, I felt relief. I knew these readings; I could relate to them. I had heard them multiple times and thought that I understood them well. The first reading from Leviticus tells me to love my neighbor as myself and to judge my neighbor justly. I know this! I believe this in my head! I often find it difficult to carry out, but I do believe it. Today’s gospel, Matthew 25, many of us know well through readings, songs, and social concerns committees, "Whatever you do for one of the least of …mine, you do to me." Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; comfort the sick; visit the prisoner. We try to do these things in our life. I decided to read our parish book, Stranger God by Richard Beck, to see how it could expand my understanding of Matthew 25 – and expand it did! After I read the book, I realized that I had been reading Matthew 25 literally.
Read more

Monday of Holy Week - April 3, 2023

-
Isaiah 42:1-7 John 12:1-11  One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more mindful about how I spend my time. When we started having kids, everyone was always telling us, “enjoy it while it lasts because they grow up so fast!” I’d look at my tiny baby and think, yeah okay, we’ve got a long way to go. Fast forward 6 years, we have a kindergartener, and I am constantly asking myself, “where did the time go!?!?”  This Gospel is a reminder to me that I need to take advantage of every moment just as Mary decided to take advantage of that special moment with Jesus when she anointed his feet. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life and fi nd ourselves just going through the motions without putting much thought into the importance of our actions. When I am at church, am I really present? I often fi nd that my focus is on how my children are behaving and if they are disturbing the people around us. When I am at home, am I making the most of my time with my family? Sadly,
Read more