Visitation Lenten Reflections

Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22                 John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 While attending Catholic grade school, I fell in love with the lives of the saints. How fascinating their stories were in the descriptions of their early lives, challenges, and unique calls from God. Stories of the saints have continued to interest, inspire and challenge me, as well as take me down the occasional rabbit hole of research. Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Hugh of Grenoble, a terrific match for today’s readings. Hugh would have mirrored the holy one described in the Book of Wisdom. Recognized for his intellect and skills, he became involved in church leadership as a lay person, then was ordained a bishop at the age of 27. His assigned task seemed insurmountable: to reform the wayward church in Grenoble, France, not a popular job.   After two years of tireless labors, believing himself a failure, Hugh tried to escape to a ...

Exodus 32:7-14       John 5:31-47 Today’s first reading and psalm recount the sinfulness of people, advocacy on their behalf by Moses, and God’s ultimate mercy. While Moses is on the mountain, the Israelites make and worship the golden calf. They have failed to stay focused on the way the Lord had shown. At the Lord’s suggestion that His wrath wipe out the people, Moses “implores the Lord, his God.” And the Lord shows mercy rather than inflicting punishment. In November, I had the honor of spending time with my mom’s closest cousin in the days and hours before his death after years of cancer treatments. John was a Benedictine Oblate, focusing not on any golden calf but on a simple life of daily Mass, prayer, service, and solitude. In spite of what I saw as a holy life, he feared purgatory upon his death. In the last couple weeks before his death, his parish priest visited him, and he received the Eucharist daily from friends who would come to pray with him. ...

Isaiah 49:8-15      John 5:17-30 In the first reading from Isaiah we see a gentleness of expression and reassurance of God’s love and protection. The reading invites those imprisoned to “come out” and makes it safe for those in dark interiors to “show themselves.” “ For the LORD comforts his people and shows mercy to the afflicted. ”   The healing images continue in the Gospel reading from John.   We see Jesus as the judge who shows mercy and love. Jesus speaks the word and it happens: forgiveness, judgment, healing, mercy, and love. Jesus says “the Father goes on working and so do I,” daring to speak of God as his own Father and making himself equal to God. Jesus tells us in this Gospel that he cannot do anything on his own. He always keeps his Father as his point of reference. His deepest desire is to please God in everything. This desire is based on love, and their hearts are united in one course of action. Richard Rohr suggests that Jesus is like...

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12      John 5:1-16 It’s easy to focus on the negative. Somehow complaining about your day to a family member, spouse, or friend is almost more expected than talking about the positive parts. That’s the first thing you notice in this Gospel story–the Pharisees’ reliance on the rule of law, or the negative element of the event. Jesus heals a man who had been ill for 38 (!) years. Jesus tells the man to pick up his mat and walk away, which he miraculously does. Later that day, which was the Sabbath, the Pharisees see the man walking, and they demand to know why he is breaking the law. The man tells them Jesus told him to, and the Pharisees use this as an excuse to begin to persecute Jesus. Instead of focusing on the amazing fact that the man was healed, the Pharisees choose to look for the “wrong” or negative aspect. Jesus had literally performed a miracle. But all the Pharisees could see was that Jesus violated the “law.” How often in our busy ...

Isaiah 65:17-21      John 4:43-54 I became a Catholic in my twenties. At the time of my conversion, several people asked me why, of all the religions, had I chosen Catholicism. The question was asked as if choosing a faith were similar to choosing from a menu at a restaurant, and I recognized the question to be asking, “I understand a belief in a god, but why would He become man, suffer, die and be buried?” And that is an excellent question. God in His omnipotence could have chosen any other way to bring us up from the nether world and change our mourning into dancing. Would God partner with us in our misery? Today’s Gospel helps me understand His incarnation. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Though He could have done many other things, there was nothing more fitting or convenient or beautiful than to give His life to lift us from the nether world. Who could better give us signs and wonders than God himself i...

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12      2 Corinthians 5:17-21      Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Almost 40 years ago my brother Andrew and I were in a youth production of the ‘Parable of the Prodigal Son’ at our church. Casting against type, Andrew was the prodigal son, while I played the good son. I recall him wallowing on the stage floor with pretend swine as I complained about not being recognized for my hard work. While my acting career remains on hiatus, I was reminded of this experience when reading today’s Gospel. It is easy to imagine the good son as a sycophant, who tolerates working for his father in anticipation of his inheritance. But having inhabited the good son as an actor, I choose to think of him as content. He is happy until he sees his brother getting what he thinks is a better deal. At this point he becomes unwilling to enter his family home. This aversion to inequity is not limited to humans. In a series of experiments, capuchin monkeys changed the...

Hosea 6:1-6      Luke 18:9-14 Today’s Gospel is a reminder to be humble and kind.   It speaks of striving to know the Lord as his judgment will inevitably fall upon each of us. I feel that this message is more important than ever as we live in an era where society and the media place value on how much people have or how grand their lives are. Some media platforms can become a soapbox from which to shout one’s own ideations of self-importance. But does the Lord care about this? No. His judgment rests upon how we live our lives in piety, the kindness we bestow upon those around us, and our ability to reflect upon and ask forgiveness for our sins. When the Pharisee and the tax collector went to the temple to pray, the Pharisee thanked the Lord that he was not like his fellow man. Thus, he insinuated that he felt that he was better than others. In contrast, the tax collector took a humble stance and asked God for mercy for his sins. By humbling himself, the tax ...

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10                Hebrew 10:4-10           Luke 1:26-38 As I sit to write this – it is the week before Christmas, and this very gospel reading… is today’s gospel reading. My thoughts immediately echo Mary: How can this be? I call this a God Moment - like a spiritual wine pairing. The time is right. I love this story of Mary. I imagine a young girl, just going about her normal day, when Gabriel unexpectedly visits her with an unbelievable announcement – God interrupting a typical day. St. Luke does not give us many details, only that Mary was “ greatly troubled,” or “ thoroughly shaken.” The announcement that she would conceive a son through the power of God’s Spirit was so surprising that Mary quickly journeyed to visit Elizabeth to seek confirmation that the message was true. What catches my curiosity is that God knew Mary’s heart well enough to kn...

Jeremiah 7:23-28     Luke 11:14-23 “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart.” That refrain is one of my favorite psalms that we sing at Mass. It sounds so simple doesn’t it, especially when set to a nice lilting melody? But I find it much harder to put into practice. I don’t know that I would ever deliberately choose to harden my heart to God’s voice; it sounds like such an obviously unwise act. But maybe the hardening isn’t so much an instantaneous decision as it is a series of small choices, stacked one upon the other. I’ll skip my prayer time this morning, there’s time later in the day. Missing Mass every so often isn’t so bad. I can just ignore that little nudge that’s telling me to help someone. Overlooking the miraculous to focus on the mundane minutiae of today’s world. It’s easy for me to imagine that I would never behave as some people in today’s Gospel reading. How could they be anything but overjoyed for a man who was mute, and could now s...

Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9             Matthew 5:17-19 Today’s first reading speaks to the statutes and decrees which the Lord gave to Moses. The Ten Commandments were given to Moses, and he was commanded by the Lord to teach them to us, that we “may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers is giving you.” The law given is evidence of the greatness of the nation, as the Lord is so close to His people and makes a covenant with them so that they might have wisdom. Rather than restricting our freedom, the law provides us with instructions in how to best order our life and achieve real freedom. Moses goes on to admonish his people to be on guard and not “forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and your children’s children.” This verse emphasizes the importance of how the faith is carri...

Daniel 3:25, 34-43      Matthew 18:21-35 Today’s Gospel is really sticky and difficult. On paper, the Gospel sounds wonderful and even powerful. However, Jesus’ command to reconcile with others before approaching the altar of the Lord takes a lot of practice if it is to be done with authenticity. And, in a word, it also takes quite a bit of grace. This past year was one of great loss for me. My mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, died one day after she turned 97. Losing your mother at any age is never easy, I learned. When Margaret died, a year ago in December, the world was shut down because of COVID. A funeral, the family decided, would have to wait. When we finally gathered in late July for the funeral Mass, the stress of the pandemic and the different perspectives provided divisiveness in the family. Since then in an effort to heal and move on, I have learned to study grace in a more in-depth fashion. In doing so, this is one conclusion that came to me...

2 Kings 5:1-15ab      Luke 4:24-30 It’s sad when our faulty expectations of life and of God cripple our relationships with both.   That’s what’s happening in today’s Scriptures. In the Gospel earlier this same day the people had been quite impressed with Jesus’ preaching, only to later become so disillusioned with him that they chased him out of town and wanted to throw him off a cliff. The reason for their quick change in attitude was that Jesus didn’t turn out to be what they expected he would be, or should be. They wanted him to work miracles for them, heal their illnesses, protect them from all hardships, stimulate their economy, and such good things. So when they realized that wasn’t why he came, they thought, ‘He’s no good to us; let’s just dump him.’ But before we become too judgmental, we might ask ourselves how much we might have in common with them. We have certain expectations of our lives, of our marriage and our family, of our success, of our ...

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15             1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12               Luke 13:1-9 Today’s gospel ends with a short parable about a fig tree and a questioning individual when the tree failed to bear fruit over the span of three years. The gardener in this story insists on fertilizing the ground to promote growth instead of simply cutting down the tree. To me, this exemplifies the patience we must have in life and the grace we must maintain when things don’t go the way we want them to.  Afterall, most things in life don’t go according to the plan we may have in our minds. This parable allowed me to reflect on instances in my own life where I have been impatient. Many times I have wanted to reap the benefits of something before the work has been put in. I often find myself praying to God for something or about some aspect in my life that I want to ...

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16      Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22      Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Lk 2:41-51a One evening in the middle of the night my youngest boy Nicholas woke up crying. He needed a diaper change, and while in the process of being changed, well, he needed a whole outfit change. And as you can imagine at 2:00 a.m. with a busy day of work ahead I was less than thrilled about any of it. But the funny thing is, I don’t really remember the next day at all. All I remember is rocking my (all too quickly) growing baby back to sleep, the warmth of his fleece pajamas, the rhythmic sound of his breathing, and the baby-sweet smell of his head in the jet black night. And all of that was on the periphery of what I cared about at that moment. That night, I just wanted my kid to fall asleep so I could go to sleep. But the truly essential was on the periphery: a child, who needed and wanted to be held. St. Joseph realized that the essential call...

Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a       Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 There is a strong parallel in today’s readings. In the first, Joseph is the favorite of all of Israel’s sons. A dreamer, his brothers were jealous and grew to hate him.   When Joseph’s father instructed him to visit his brothers in the fields, they conceived a plot to kill him. Not wanting blood on their hands, they eventually sold Joseph into slavery. In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner   who left his land to be farmed by tenants. When the time came to collect the harvest, the landowner sent his servants out; only to be killed by the tenants. Eventually, the landowner sent his son. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ Jesus asks his listeners, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.   Therefore, I s...

Jeremiah 17:5-10        Luke 16:19-31 Lent is a time of self-reflection and conversion. And so, I examine my life…. I am like the rich man in the gospel. I am abundantly blessed in all things, yet I do not share enough of what I have. I am callous like the rich man when I ignore and dismiss opportunities to right wrongs. I am arrogant like the rich man; too self-important to look beyond my comforts to hear cries for help. I am foolish like the rich man in assuming I will have tomorrow to change my ways. I do not want to be like the rich man. God reminds us during these 40 days of Lent that we can live in the hope that it is never too late to change our ways. It is not too late for me. It is not too late for any of us. But now is the time. Today is the day to do something radical that demonstrates my trust and hope in the path God is calling me to follow. God is asking me to do something more; not necessarily something extravagant and most def...

  Jeremiah 18:18-20      Matthew 20:17-28 As Christians, we all strive for the same goal: to spend the rest of eternity sitting beside our Father in heaven. We do our best to live according to the Gospel, to walk on the path of righteousness, and to seek forgiveness when we lose our way. We each have our own interpretations of what is the “right” path to becoming worthy enough to earn a seat at His table. Some believe the answer is more prayer and attending church beyond our Sunday obligation. Others believe it is tithing more, giving more, earning more, or preaching more. We presume each accomplishment adds to our “faith piggy bank” – accumulating enough fortune to buy our ticket to heaven. We may even seek shortcuts to get there – like the mother of James and John. However, no matter how much we add to our “faith piggy bank” we can never “earn” enough. The Gospel is clear: whoever seeks to be great in the eyes of our Lord must become a servant . Jes...

  Isaiah 1:10, 16-20       Matthew 23:1-12 For me and my family, this past year has been a tough one; full of grief, pain, health issues, and suffering. And, of course, the COVID pandemic has forever changed our world and how we view our healthiness. Fortunately, all of today’s Scripture readings emphasize the need to be careful of the examples we look to for guidance on how to live. The question seems to me to be: since we are Christians, how should we now live? For example, the gospel encourages us to “Set things right; to make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” There are so many examples in our culture of taking the easy way out, of holding back and letting someone else take the lead. The danger is going through life as a “spectator” watching what is happening, but not being involved in the actual “doing” of life. Whether it is sports, work, sch...

  Daniel 9:4b-10            Luke 6:36-38 This selection from Luke comes closely after the Golden Rule. Luke starts this passage with “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.” The Holy Spirit got me again! This is exactly the verse that I need for deep reflection. I also need to put this lesson into practice. In my daily prayer, I express a constant need for repentance for being critical of others. It’s too easy for me to jump to conclusions; like when I saw that young woman in a dress I deemed too short and too tight. My mind immediately went to snarky thoughts like “is this the look she’s going for?” and “doesn’t she realize this is not attractive?” Stop, Millie! This was none of my business. She deserved kindness, not criticism. Jesus clearly says, “Stop judging…Stop condemning…Forgive.” Jesus gives me several outs when he says, “…and you will not be judged…and you will not be condemned…and you will be forgiven.” J...

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18           Phil 3:17—4:1            Luke 9:28b-36 In today’s gospel Luke describes the transfiguration of Jesus into his full glory. The verse that caught my attention takes place after Jesus’ changed appearance, as the prophets Moses and Elijah stood beside him in conversation. Scripture tells us that “Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.”   A friend once joked that the disciples were often falling asleep. As in the transfiguration passage, after Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane he returned to his disciples and “found them sleeping.” What is going on? Why would they fall asleep at these critical moments in Jesus’ revelation? What is wrong with them? I must say I probably am asleep more than awake as I meander through my life in faith. I attemp...

Deuteronomy 26:16-19            Matthew 5:43-48 For me, Jesus’ words today are pointed and clear.   He directs me each day to love; to pray for my enemies; to let go of my resentments. Sometime shortly after my husband Albert’s death, I found a little folder with some precious clippings and articles of great importance to him. One precious piece of paper was a copy of a little piece entitled “Let Go.” The little piece begins “Let Go. If you want to be healthy, morally, mentally, and physically, just let go. Let go of the little annoyances of everyday life, the irritations and petty vexations that cross your path daily. LET THEM GO!” The advice is the same for life’s big troubles, bitter disappointments, deep wrongs, and heartbreaking sorrows. “Drop them, softly maybe, but surely. Put away all regret and bitterness.” This profound and simple piece has been a precious source of direction in my life and helps me follow Jesus’ com...

Ezekiel 18:21-28         Matthew 5:20-26 “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Lent is a time for spiritual renewal through fasting, prayer and generosity to the poor. Fasting improves the well-being of the body and the soul. Praying frequently and participating in Mass enriches our love of God. Limiting the resources we use for ourselves and sharing more with the poor and needy also demonstrates a good example to others. Lent is a time for reflection and a time for healing. It is a time for forgiveness. Lent is a time to rid ourselves of resentment or ill-will over past conflicts. To return an injury for an injury corrupts the giver and can cause estrangements. When we do or say hurtful and wrongful things to another, we may affect not one but many other...

Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25       Matthew 7:7-12 “A clean heart, create for me, O God; give me back the joy of your salvation.” A clean heart sounds like something we should all strive to achieve. In my mind, this is different from a clean mind that would require ridding ourselves of stress and anxiety; and different from a clean soul that would involve repentance for sins that we have committed. A clean heart is evidenced by love, which is addressed in today’s Gospel in the form of the Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” God’s love for us demands a response on our part in return for that gift of love. In the quest for a clean heart, I have found myself called to show love in both my thoughts and my actions. As stated in today’s Gospel, “the one who seeks, finds.” Through my involvement with Visitation’s Racial Justice Committee and the recently concluded Faith and Racial Healing Series, I have become acutely aware of the US C...

Jonah 3:1-10               Luke 11:29-32 When I read both readings for today, I realized the themes are repentance and believing in God. It took Jonah several attempts to believe what God was asking him to do. Through the reading we see that Jonah was a sign from God to the people of Nineveh when he announced; "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed." Upon hearing Jonah's message the people of Nineveh, which was a gentile city, repented and were reconciled to God. When I think of repentance, I realize it is not only a word, but an action. The people of Nineveh did repent by turning from their evil ways. They believed God would forgive them and withhold his wrath. This helps me think about how repentance begins with believing God, and trusting God’s Word. When we believe and trust in God, we have the confidence to repent and transform our lives to His will. In the gospel, Jesus said, "This generation is...

  Isaiah 55:10-11           Matthew 6:7-15 In this scripture, God is telling us that he will never give up on us. He will always be there with us and he won’t leave. When I read this scripture, I like to think of God’s Word as a downpour of rain. His word is coming down from the heavens to relieve us of our sin like a flood washing it all away. Just as God will never give up on us, we should never give up on each other and our fellow humans. If a friend hurts you or says something that is offensive to you, give them a second chance and forgive them. Today’s Gospel message tells us not to hold grudges. If you hold a grudge against somebody, you are not giving them that second chance that they, as human beings, deserve. Honestly, I’m not very good at forgiving people and giving them second chances, but I’m still going to try my best. I’m going to try to understand their point of view. Q:   Who do I need to forgive? Fr...

  Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18           Matthew 25:31-46 “Blow, blow thou winter wind. Thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” - William Shakespeare Sometimes inspiration comes from a most unusual place. In this case, a poem sung by the character Amiens in Shakespeare’s As You Like It . My high school choir sang an arrangement of this song and, every now and then, the haunting melody and profound lyrics come back to me. I even find myself remembering our class discussion about the meaning of the words. Amiens’ song speaks of how the harshness of nature is not as deliberately cruel and wicked as some humans dare to be. Shakespeare wrote these words around the year 1600 but a modernized version of these lyrics would likely hold true today: humanity is much meaner than the harshest winter storm . Throughout scripture, we are told to “love your neighbor as yourself” or to “do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” Th...