You, a man, are making yourself God.

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent | USCCB

In our gospel today from St. John we continue to hear the friction between Jesus and the Jews. The Jews believed that Jesus was nothing more than a man and thought he was blaspheming when he attempted to teach that he was indeed God.

In our gospel from yesterday, we hear Jesus tell the Jews, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” (John 8:58) The Jews, who knew scripture well, recalled from Exodus, chapter 3:14, when God revealed himself to Moses and said, “I AM WHO AM.” The Jews questioning Jesus knew the context of the phrase “I AM” and immediately thought Jesus was committing blasphemy.

Even with all the miracles that Jesus performed, between feeding a multitude of people to healing the sick, they were unable to see beyond his physical appearance to have faith that he was indeed the Messiah.

All this was meant to happen so that Jesus would be turned over to the authorities and to be crucified on Good Friday and rise on Easter Sunday for the forgiveness of our sins.

In our own time, we have people who find it hard to believe that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. They have trouble believing that he rose on Easter Sunday. Many today feel he was only a prophet or just a holy man that upset those in authority and died as a result. They fail to know and to believe in his resurrection.

We are called to pray for those in our lives who may lack the faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. By our constant prayer for those we love who lack faith in Jesus, the Lord can work in their hearts to perform that miracle of faith that they need to have in order to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

During this Holy week, from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, pray for your loved ones for their conversion and for their intentions. Then when the time is right, God will answer your prayers on their behalf to bring them to faith in the Lord Jesus.

 

 

He did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB

Today we celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph. It was in the 16^th century that the church recognized devotion to him and considered him as “provider and protector” of the Holy Family. And it was in 1870 that Pope Pius IX declared his feast day to be on March 19^th. This is one of two feasts for St. Joseph. The other is on May 1^st where he is called St. Joseph the Worker.

In our gospel for today, we hear St. Joseph described as a “righteous man.” He was a devout Jew, always attempting to do what he felt God was calling him to do according to Jewish Law. Much to his surprise, he finds out that Mary, before they lived together, was with child. This, I’m sure, caused him great anxiety. He knew he wasn’t the father, but he also didn’t want Mary hurt in any way. So out of love for Mary he decided to divorce her quietly.

Joseph, always open to God’s Will in his life, then hears the message of God though the angel in his dream that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Mary has conceived the Lord in her womb. Joseph, obedient to God’s Will, takes Mary as his wife and cares for her and Jesus through those difficult early years of the Lord’s childhood.

We are called to imitate Joseph in our lives. We are to always be open to God’s will even when things seem difficult or hard to understand. Joseph, like Mary, said yes to being part of God’s plan of salvation. He was called to be provider and protector.

We, too, are called to being part of God’s plan of salvation by being followers of Jesus Christ. We ae called to not only praise and worship him in our prayers, but we are called to bring the love of Jesus to all we meet in our lives. We are to be open to God’s promptings through the reading of Scripture and through the frequent reception of Holy Communion at Mass and the frequent use of Confession in order to receive the forgiveness of God. It is then that we can be able to hear the voice of God in our lives, and to bring the Lord to those who we care for.

Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.

 

The following is the reflection I submitted for my Lay Carmelite Chapter's newsletter:

Coming up next week is Holy Week, the holiest week on the Church calendar. During the week we hear of the final week in the earthly ministry of the Life of Christ: The Last Supper on Holy Thursday; his Crucifixion on Good Friday and his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday Morning.

 On Palm Sunday we hear two gospels. In the first gospel for the procession as we enter the church, one option is to read from the Gospel of Mark with the Lord’s grand entrance into Jerusalem. We read, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10). The people were all ready to crown him king. They were hoping for a political leader to help the Jewish people overthrow the Roman Government. That wasn’t in the Lord’s plans at all.

The scribes and pharisees were anxious to get rid of Jesus because they viewed him as a threat to their authority. During this week we hear of Judas, who had become disillusioned with Jesus, betray the Lord for 30 silver pieces. Then on Holy Thursday night, following the Last Supper, Judas betrays Jesus with the betrayal kiss. Jesus is then condemned to death and turned over for crucifixion to the Romans on Good Friday.

After the horrible death of Jesus on the Cross, all the disciples are dispersed and thought their dreams for a Messiah has come to an end. Then gloriously, on Easter Sunday morning, our Lord rises from the dead. 

During this week I encourage you to take time to read the scripture readings for Mass in order to get a better understanding of who we are. Central to our Christian faith is the fact that Jesus not only suffered death on the Cross for our sins but rose again on Easter Sunday. The life, death and resurrection of the Lord gives meaning to our lives as Christians. We can be called an “Easter people” because of the glorious resurrection of the Lord.

During this week, as we meditate on the final hours of the Lord’s life, place all your cares and concerns at the foot of the Cross. Further, I encourage you to take time each day to read the scripture readings assigned for each day of Holy Week. Make it a quiet time in the presence of the Lord’s sufferings and his resurrection. By doing so you will be reminded that the Lord died and rose from the dead for each one of us. 

Happy Easter.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And You shall love your neighbor as yourself

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Third Week of Lent | USCCB 

Our gospel for today our Lord clearly lays out what it means to be in relationship with God. For most of us it may seem easy to love God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength, but then Jesus adds: “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Following this “golden rule” is not always easy once we leave our prayer time with God. We come to church with our list of concerns for ourselves and prayer requests for others. We study scripture daily by reading the daily scripture readings for Mass. God is indeed the focus of who we are when we come to church. These are all good things.

But the challenge is when we move beyond our prayer time and encounter people that may not be easy to get along with. Just going through our daily routine, we come across people that may get on our nerves by being rude towards us. Or we may have those family members that may press our buttons. Loving these people as we love ourselves is not an easy thing. But it’s what Jesus is calling us to do. Everyone we meet during the day, whether we like them or not, are made in the image of God, and that’s what the Lord is teaching us. We must see the image of God in all the people we meet and to love them as we love ourselves. We don’t have to “like” them, but we are called to love them.

The best way to respond to love of neighbor is to pray for all those in our lives, both those we find easy to love, and those who may get on our nerves. Pray for their intentions and pray that we may see the image of God in all those people we meet during the day.