fourth sunday of lent

Posted on by Cassie

Today’s gospel is one of the most important in the New Testament.  Jesus gives us His personal insight concerning God the Father.

The first section of the Gospel tells us about the younger son.  He demanded his share of the estate, thus considering his father as good as dead.  He then spends all his inheritance on loose living.  He ends up living in the worst possible conditions.  Then he decides he would be better off as a servant of his father.  He realizes that he is not worthy to be a son, but asks his father to take him on as a servant.  He goes back to the father.  Notice, he doesn’t say he is sorry and his motivation to return is so that he could live in a better situation.  He is selfish and self-centered.

The next section of the parable reveals the heart of the father.  He is compassionate.  He runs to meet his son and embraces him.  He not only restores the boy to his former dignity, but in his joy, he declares a feast.  The father had never renounced the truth of his relationship with his son, and he acted on it.  This is mercy, a movement of love based on the truth and the profound justice contained in the relationship.

Mercy looks to the person; pity looks to the need.  Our Father has mercy and never parts from it: he is loyal to the relationship he has established with us in Christ.

Pope John Paul II said: “this prodigal son is man, every human being…like the father in this parable,  God looks out for the return of His child, embraces Him when He arrives and orders the banquet of the new meeting with which the reconciliation is celebrated”(Reconciliation and Penance, N-5).

The older son often elicits  sympathy from us and a sense of identification.  Perhaps we also serve the Father and “never once disobey,” but more to secure our own safety than out of love for the Father.  We would rather be safe based on our performance than free, based on the Father’s love.  Such a freedom frightens us.  May this parable  move us into that realm of freedom.  Let us obey and trust in a movement of love based on the truth of who the Father is and of His relationship to us.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

 

third sunday of lent

Posted on by Cassie

Our Gospel passage has two parts today.  The first is a conversation between Jesus and “some people” regarding two recent tragedies, and the second is a parable concerning repentance.

Jesus is told about some people from Galilee who were killed by Pilate in order to see how Jesus, a Galilean Himself, might react.  Jesus immediately addresses Himself to an underlying presupposition that there must have been something wrong with those Galileans to have been put to death.  Jesus says: “No, unless  you repent you will all perish as they did.”

The word repent as used by Saint Luke means a turning from sin in order to accept the gift of salvation being presented in the preaching of Jesus. It is not enough to be embarrassed by our sin; we must turn away from it and receive what Jesus is offering to us.

Jesus moves the conversation from the Galileans who were killed by Pilate to those who were killed by the accidental collapse of a tower in Jerusalem.  He wants to make His point: we cannot see in such events a punishment of God upon those who particularly deserve it.  Jesus says: “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem?”  Again in exactly the same words we hear the call to repentance.

In the second part of Saint Luke’s text we have a parable of Jesus that is most likely included to help us (the readers of another generation) to understand that God is still waiting for our repentance.

We are the fig tree in God’s vineyard.  We were created to bear fruit in our lives.  Jesus, the vine dresser has died for our sins and opened up the gates of Heaven for us.  He is calling us to bear good fruit in our life.  How will we respond?  Let us use the Season of Lent to strive hard to bear good fruit.  God is inviting each of us to turn from sin and accept the gift of salvation.  May we all Repent and Believe the Good News.  May we all bear the fruit of eternal life.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

 

second sunday of lent

Posted on by Cassie

Before Jesus embarks on His journey to Jerusalem, where He would suffer and die, He takes Peter, James and John up a mountain.  Here we experience the Transfiguration, which illumines for us in a profound way just who Jesus is.

It is interesting to note that Jesus went up on the mount on the “eighth day.”  The only Jewish Feast which lasts eight days is the Feast of Tabernacles.  This Feast commemorates Gods’ protection for Israel in the desert wanderings after Sinai.  This took place in the time of Moses.

Part of the celebration required the building of  booths, to symbolize God’s sheltering presence with the glory cloud from the sun (see Isaiah 4:5-6).  In Luke’s story of the Transfiguration a cloud comes and overshadows the group around Jesus.  When you consider Peter’s comment about building three tents it is obvious that Peter is thinking of the Feast of Tabernacles.  This Jewish Feast remembers the journey of the people of Israel in the desert.

Luke is the only Gospel to include the topic of conversation between Jesus, Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration.  They spoke of “His exodus, that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem” (verse 31).  The suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus will be a new exodus – He is the new Moses for the new Israel, the Church.

Jesus’ exodus is His departure from this world enslaved to sin, to the new promised land of Heaven.  When Moses promised the Israelites that God would raise up a prophet like himself, he said, “to Him you shall listen” (Deut. 18:15) with Peter James and John, let us “listen to Him” (verse 35).

Lent is a wonderful time to learn how to listen to Jesus.  We need to pay more attention to what Jesus wants to say to us and less attention to what we can do for Him.

Our God is generous and loving.  He wants to share His life with us.  However, sometimes we are just too busy serving Him to receive Him.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell