On the 3rd Sunday of Lent

On this 3rd Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of Luke presents us with a parable about a fig tree; the owner of the vineyard; and a gardener who takes care of the vineyard. 

Image: Unsplash/Jametlene Reskp

The fig tree (representing humanity) is not bearing fruit.  The owner (God) is frustrated over this situation and suggests that it is time to cut the tree down.  The gardener (Jesus who has been preaching repentance for 3 years) suggests that the owner give the tree a little more time, so that He can water and fertilize it.  The vineyard owner grants another year of life to the fig tree.

Over the past two+ years with COVID restrictions and all that this pandemic has entailed personally and collectively most of us perhaps have identified with the fig tree in the Gospel.  Cut off from family, friends, work etc. questions such as “what can I do” or “how am I to live in this new time” often arose in many of us on a daily basis.  We felt barren and not able to be the people we were before the pandemic took over our entire lives.   I am wondering if in our own minds, can we imagine God’s frustration with us and our response to these cautionary health restrictions which in some cases caused division across our province and our world.

Image: Unsplash/Elena Mozhvilo

With the immediacy of the current world crisis, I see the image of the fig tree (humanity) beginning to bear fruit  these past weeks as we (almost the entire world)  stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We are seeing humanity on two sides of the same coin.  One side continues to send missiles, block roads, cut off power, food and shelter for the people AND the other side reaching out and welcoming strangers into their homeland offering food, shelter, and support. 

Image: Unsplash/Delia Giandeini

God (the owner) in His mercy grants us another day, another hour, another breath, another opportunity. During these Lenten days Christ (the gardener) once again stands at the door of our hearts calling us to turn away from sin, repent, and embrace the Gospel message of love, so that through the grace of transformation our words and actions will bear fruit that will last. 

The Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 55:v 6) reminds us to “seek God while God may be found, call on God while God is still near”.  These present day realities starkly remind us that we are living on borrowed time.  How will I choose to live in this time?  Who is my neighbor and to whom am I neighbor?  How am I listening to God, to the universe, to the pulse of our world?

Reflection by Sister A. MacDonald and L. Bordonaro

TRANSFIGURATION

Image: Unsplash/Joanne Francis

Did you know that it is the intense heat of a forest fire that releases the seeds of the pinecone so that new growth can take place?

…tall, black tree trunks scarred from fire, now delicately outlined with fresh, white snow

…the lush, green of the forest floor in spring, following a fire

…the pinkish, purple blossoms of the fireweed plant growing in the spaces left vacant by fire.

These are images I see as I drive along our highway and roads after several years of intense summers of forest fires, These are transformation images for me.

As I reflect on the encounters I have had in my varied ministry, they too, speak of transfiguration.

…from two seven- year- old children in First Communion, one sharing her time when she talks with Jesus and the light in her heart as He speaks to her, and the other child telling of seeing Jesus, authentic, true and transforming.

…to the man who asked if I would come with him to a telehealth conference call…holding his anxiety.

…to the Inuit woman, sitting on my living-room floor, sharing for the first time her story of pain, trauma, and abuse, she, being transformed in the telling, me being transformed in the holding of story.

…to keeping vigil with my dying friend and eventually being able to say, “It is okay to go.”

In this second week of Lent, Jesus invites us to go up the mountain with him. He had a conversation with Moses and Elijah about his imminent death. Yet, in the intensity of that conversation, new life, glory, is proclaimed by the Father.

What conversation will Jesus have with you, with me? What transfiguration moments do I recognize each day?

 -Sister Maggie Beaudette, csj

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Images: Unsplash/Johannes Plenio; David Dilbert

The Transfiguration and Two Graces: Listening, and Seeing!

LENT II

“In the prayer at the beginning of the Mass we asked the Lord for two graces: “To listen to Your beloved Son”, so that our faith might be nourished by the Word of God, and another grace — “to purify the eyes of our spirit, so that we might one day enjoy the vision of glory”. To listen, the grace to listen, and the grace to purify our eyes.

This is directly related to the Gospel we heard…”

(excerpt of Pope Francis’ homily on the Transfiguration, March 16, 2014)

For me, the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration, tells the truth about what happens when we go with Jesus, away for quiet prayer, especially when there is an issue of suffering, as Jesus took Peter, James and John with him right after he had told them the hard news of his coming Passion.  What seems, then  gives way to what is, as surely as the person of Jesus became transformed and shining, divinely beautiful, while God told the apostles, This is my beloved Son, Listen to Him.

As Pope Francis says it, the graces of prayer change our hearing and our sight, so that what we bring to prayer, takes on a new light, coming from the Lord himself and his  silent message of love and support, his inspiration, and kind call for outreach.

Sister Wendy Cotter, CSJ, Ph.D

Ready, Set, Go

The genesis for my Ash Wednesday blogpost is a paragraph I recently read when leafing through a book on my friend’s coffee table. Edward Hays, in his reflection book, The Lenten Labyrinth, provides a pithy guide for our Lenten observance.

In the book’s foreword, the spiritual writer concisely depicts the spiritual magnitude of the gift of Lent. He proclaims:

“Rejoice, you are about to begin a great adventure

and a journey of transformation

which holds the power to change - to radically enrich

- your way of thinking and believing.”

The author strikes a surprising note using the word, “Rejoice!” for active Lenten participation. Many readers would be familiar with the association of rejoice and Laetare Sunday in Lent. However, the pairing of rejoice to include the whole of Lent is a novel idea and might take the Lenten participant off guard. More personal reflection is needed to discover how claiming this juxtaposition of rejoice and Lent might switch things up and provide us with a new Lenten experience.

Furthermore, the author having prescribed the Lenten spirit as, “Rejoice!” goes on to set its starting point, as beginning “a great adventure.” Its route is, “a journey of transformation” and its destination is interiorizing “a new way of thinking and believing.”

Hays advises us to think of ourselves as pilgrims on an annual pilgrimage. He emphasizes that our spiritual trek is in solidarity with other sojourners. How might our six- week Lenten experience be shaped if we thought of it as making a quasi-Camino? The writer encourages:

“Know that as you prepare

to make the first step on this journey,

you are doing it in the company of other pilgrims.”

On this Ash Wednesday, Christians are invited to begin their journey of transformation by stepping forward to receive the telltale mark of ashes on their foreheads and once again hear the ancient call, “Repent and believe the Good News.” Hays reminds us:

“While it will be private

- or rather a personal - retreat or renewal,

at the same time, it will be a global venture,

shared with your brother and sister Christians.”

Are you ready? Let’s go!

-Sister Nancy Wales, csj

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Fifth Sunday of Lent:  Gospel Reflection:  John 12:20-33

Some Greeks approached Philip and put this request to him.

“Sir, we would like to see Jesus” (verse 21)

Our Christian faith is similar to an archeological dig.  You look at the surface and you can learn a lot. You brush away the dust and then you can learn even more.  You dig deeper, you learn more. But you have to start with the basics.  You can’t understand God and the complexities of our faith unless you first start with the most basic. 

In today’s gospel, some Greeks came to Philip and asked to see Jesus. One of the dynamics of John’s gospel is that “to see” is more than simply to see something with your eyes.  For John, “to see” is “to believe” ... to see Jesus means more than simply catching a glimpse of a celebrity who is performing miracles.  It means that you really want to get to know and believe in Jesus and the teachings He offers to those who believe. 

Question:  How often have you felt that strong attraction – that desire to actually see … experience … the presence of Jesus in your life?  Personally, I often experience God’s “deeper presence” whenever I am on retreat.   When the retreat ends, I don’t want to leave.  Like the apostles, I want to build a tent and stay forever!  I want to feel the desire to “see” Jesus … to be in His presence.  I am not satisfied knowing about Jesus; I want to see Him … I want to be in His presence.  What does this mean?

“ I am not satisfied knowing about Jesus; I want to see Him … I want to be in His presence.”

It is not necessary to see in the literal sense to believe. We know this in Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (20:29). The purpose of the gospel is to record Jesus’ signs and words for those who have not seen yet but have come to believe.

Reflection:

Have you “seen” Jesus? 

Have you really seen Him, and do you really “believe” in Him?  

Do you accept him as your Lord and Saviour?

OR

Is everything in your life still “same old … same old”?

Something to think about.

Sister Dorothy Ryan, csj