I Make All Things New

5th Sunday of Lent

We had an eventful week, this week. The celebration of St. Patrick's Day, St. Joseph's Day and the start of March Madness. In that light it was a terrible week for me. I'm a Temple University Fan. What started off last Sunday as a great week, with the winning of the A-10 Championship Game, turned bad with our seating in the tournament and then worst with our loss on Friday to Cornell. Misery loves company though, so it was some consolation yesterday to see Villanova lose. Now we're all miserable, even Kansas lost!

In light of all that, we hear today's reading from Isaiah: God is doing something new. Remember not the events of the past, things long ago consider not, I am doing something new. Do you not perceive it? Theese my friends are words of command, words of hope as well. I make a way, in the desert, I put water in the desert, I bring hope to my people. Certainly, words of hope to Israel but to you and me today, for they are the words of God who is with us.

Today, we see that Word of God Jesus, bringing tremendous hope to his people. And specifically, to this poor woman who is brought to him.

Clearly, this woman was not having a good day. We are told that she was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Can you imagine?! The shame of that, they catch her and they drag her thru the streets...She has no defense, no excuse, nothing to hide behind, there she is right in the middle, brought before the Lord.

And we see what our Lord does. He does not take away her past or undermine it. He does not console her or put rose colored glasses on the scene. Rather, he bends down and slowly he reveals to all that she is not the only sinner in their midst. She has company....And as they all disappear into their holes, he says to her, has no one condemned you? "Neither do I, condemn you...Go and sin no more."

My friends, what a scene...What a meeting. St. Paul describes his meeting with Christ as something that transformed his life, in fact all else is rubbish compared to meeting Christ Jesus as Lord! To know and to experience the mercy of God is the greatest of all gifts.

Chances are we will not be dragged by others to Jesus. But we need at times to drag ourselves to him, to meet his mercy for our lives. And when that happens. When we can present ourselves to him, our lives can be transformed...as we hear Him say to us...Neither do I condemn you, go sin no more.

Friends, we have need to hear such words, to receive such mercy. This week, let us get to confession so that we can experience this tremendous gift and God can make all things new for us. Let us yearn to hear Jesus say to us..."Has no one condemned you? Neither do I, go sin no more."

Week 3 --- Beware! No Spectators Allowed

3rd Sunday of Lent

I'd like to begin this writing with a little exercise. I'm going to type out a couple of verbs and I'd like you to pause for a moment and listen to what these verbs trigger in your heart. What comes to your mind and what's your heart's response is. Ready? cut-down, cut-off, cut-up, cut-in, cut-into, cut-short.

OK. I'm not sure what your heart's response is, but I'm certain that such verbs evoke a response....and tap into some of your life's experience. Times when we were cut-up, or cut-off. We can relate to such verbs and so too can our Lord.

Our first response to such experiences might be anger, but we need to take it further. We need to ask WHY??? We hear such questioning today in the Gospel.
Why did the tower fall on those people? Why did the Galieans get killed? We might ask Why did the boss cut-up my idea, Why Lord Why???

"WHY?" is a great question. It gets us thinking and when we address it to the Lord, it evokes from him a response. God invites such questions and thru questions, he leads us to so much more.

We see this today with the call of Moses. The question "why?" is what led Moses to encounter the Lord. He sees the burning bush and he wonders, why is it burning but not consumed? So he moves closer. And at that moment, he hears a voice, STOP...Remove your sandals from your feet, you stand on Holy Ground.

He removes them and then he hears even more from the Lord. Moses realizes that God knows him, God is familiar with the sufferings of Israel and furthermore, God has a plan. God sees how his people are cut-off from their homeland and cut-up by the Egyptians. And not only does God have a plan, he has a name. A name to be made known to the people, remembered, respected thru the ages....

Friends, we see and hear in this reading 3 tremendous truths which we need to make our own:

#1) When faced with questions in life, we need to face them with REVERENCE and RESPECT...Moses needed to take off his sandals, well we need to take off our attitude and pride and take all our questions to the Lord. Engage him with our whys.

#2) We need to remember that God has a plan, he sees all things, he knows all things.

#3) Finally We are integral parts of His Plan, God needs us and we will be answerable to Him. We must bear fruit.

We hear St. Paul telling the Corinthians today, Do NOT BE UNAWARE, but Be aware...It's not enough to be part of the crowd. He says that most of the Israelites who followed Moses were struck down, God was not pleased with them, for they were only part of the crowd.

And so we need to take care. Take Care of ourselves and not be along for the ride in life, but take care in the Lord.

Sometimes I think that we should post signs outside of Church...BEWARE: You are entering into a holy place. God's house, God's dwelling on earth. All are welcomed, no height, no weight restrictions, but you must be changed, you must be made new, converted and bear fruit. All who enter here must leave differently.

For our Church is not a stadium or arena, we are not to just warm the seats and pulpit. Our worship is not a spectator sport....Rather, here we will be challenged, fortified, healed, changed, engaged and sent forth.

My friends, God has great expectations for each and every one of us. Thru reverence, respect, humility, and obedient love...we will realize these expectations, we will be changed so that in due time...we will become who God calls us to be.

WEEK 2

2nd Sunday of Lent

I'm not sure if you have noticed it or not, but it's beginning to stay lighter longer, these days. Have you noticed?? Despite the snow storms, the signs of spring are beginning to manifest themselves, thru greater light, the crack of basball bats and the turning of the calendar from February to March. This is good news!

And yet, March is a tough month. It's an in between time...a time for mid-term exams for college students, a time when much promise is in the air, but is not yet fully here. We are still vulnerable to winter storms and trials. March as they say comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb...and we are in the midst of that transforming period.

Aware of this, and finding ourselves in Week 2 of Lent, we may be able to relate to this tough time. Chances are you are experiencing tremendous temptations surrounding those Lenten promises that you have made. Temptations around food especially. Isn't it something? Isn't it powerful? By Week 2 of Lent, it is not uncommon for many people to have fallen prey to such temptations. We may find by now broken Lenten promises and discouraged spirits. Easter is on the way but it's still a ways off.

With this in mind, our Gospel today becomes a great gift for us. The Gospel reminds us what Lent, what our Christian lives are all about. And that is TRANSFORMATION. We find in the Gospel today, Jesus with Peter, John and James...they've climbed the high mountain with our Lord and they fall asleep while he is in prayer. But we are told that they are awakened by a revelation of God's Glory, the TRANSFIGURATION of our Lord.

My friends, we need to pray for a similar manifestation of God's grace to us. That we may be awakened, encouraged and guided. We should pray Lord, transform me, Lord shine thru me, Lord use me in these days. We must not allow our Lenten observance to stand on its own, apart from Jesus. But rather, we must stand with Jesus, seeking his amazing grace.

Abram is an example of this, having been awakened in faith, he offers sacrifice and then waits for the coming of the Lord. We do the same. Thru Baptism, we are now IN JESUS, as St. Paul tells us, our citizenship is IN HEAVEN. Therefore, as we move thru these Lenten days, we do so with and in Jesus. And that truth and knowledge alone provides powerful grace for all of us. It makes a difference and will carry us thru this new month, it will carry us thru all difficulty, it will carry us thru these Lenten Days, to the Glory of Easter.

We pray: Jesus may my whole life, all that I am and do, be in you. And there, may I be transformed to be for you and with you in all things. AMEN.