3rd Sunday of Lent

Some of the readings for this Sunday are disturbing, reminiscent of the hellfire and brimstone of my youth; children punished for the iniquity of their parents, overturned tables in the temple, misunderstood meaning of Jesus’ words. Thankfully there are other writings highlighted that help me to balance the seeming threat in Exodus 20: 1-17 and the righteous anger in John 2: 13-25.

“Zeal for your house will consume me” spoken by Jesus predicting his upcoming crucifixion also invites me to consider whether I have zeal for the house of God. Could that zeal draw me out of myself to act for peace wherever I see violence ?

I also found comfort in Psalm 84:3 “The sparrow finds a home and a swallow a nest for her young by your altars oh Lord”.

We are living in an all too violent world. Sadly, that’s nothing new, but that violence doesn’t need to consume us. If you have coffee in a cup & someone bumps into you what’s in the cup will spill out. On this difficult week of my Lenten journey I choose to cultivate a spirit of peace so that when violence bumps into me I will offer love.  Won’t you join me?

Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

Transfiguration Sunday - Lent II

The 2nd Sunday of Lent, Transfiguration Sunday.

While Jesus has successfully completed His forty days in the dessert and was rewarded with Transfiguration in the sight of His disciples, we are only at day seven of Lent. How are you doing? Are you being changed by your increased prayer and focus on goodness or, like the first week at the gym - are things beginning to hurt a bit? The concepts of changing, transforming, and transfiguration all intrigue me as we begin week two.

The Paulists tell me:

To be changed means to become different. Lots of us make changes in our habits during Lent, only to revert to our old ways once Lent is over.

To be transformed means to become thoroughly or dramatically different. It’s still a neutral term: transformation may be thorough, but it’s not necessarily better.

But to be transfigured means to be elevated, to become thoroughly or dramatically more beautiful.

What an awesome thought: to be transfigured, to be whole and beautiful. It is of course a gift from a loving God who acts in each of us.

On God’s behalf, who will you help be open to transfiguration this Lent?

Who will you allow to bring you to the fullness of beauty this Lent?

-Maureen Condon, CSJ

Image: Timo Volz/Unsplash

What the World Needs Now: PEACE

Might you be looking at how you might support your prayer practice during this Lenten Season? May I suggest you consider getting yourself a copy of “Praying with the Earth: A Prayerbook for Peace” J.P. Newell’s, user friendly compilation of morning and evening prayers are rooted in the prayers, scriptures, and artistic riches of the faith traditions of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Nowell provides individuals with a spiritual pathway to a contemplative oasis where one can discover soul food and find oneself nourished from these long-standing wisdom sources.

We become spiritually grounded as we pray on one of the beatitudes. Each of the daily morning and evening prayers gently challenge us to live out of this wholistic attitude, one Jesus called blessed. Using this prayer aid fosters global peace, one day, one person at a time, as we reflect, find our inner peace, and voice our desire for peace.

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ

Header Image: Sunguk Kim/Unsplash

Every Journey - Lent I

Image: Jon Tyson/Unsplash

Every journey starts with a first step. Here we are just past Quadragesima Sunday, the first Sunday of Lent, reminding us of our forty-day Lenten trek of fervent prayer, fasting and almsgiving until Good Friday.

An unusual first step for me was to attend my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. No, I am not an alcoholic, but I was honoured to attend as a guest of someone who was receiving his 1-year medallion of sobriety.

AA Sobriety chips

Perhaps 30 people were in attendance announcing anywhere from several days up to 55 years of sobriety. The speaker of the evening recounted, with humour and tears, her downward spiral into addiction then her inspiring journey to sobriety. To say I was moved is a gross understatement. Her acknowledging of her current dependence on God (her higher power), her family of origin and her AA family was inspiring. To see that support in action over the evening will continue to be a blessing for me. To hold the hand of a stranger with 50 year sobriety as we prayed the Lord’s prayer was a gift. Prayer, almsgiving, and fasting were all elements of the meeting. The coffee was very welcome!

As we begin Lent, we often set goals for ourselves: giving up candy or cigarettes OR praying more OR not gossiping etc.  At AA I learned that to keep coming back is one key to success even when we misstep. Forty days is long!

Let’s share our journey and offer support to those we love and those who love us and maybe even those who don’t know but have wisdom we need to hear.

-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

A Different Approach to Lenten Almsgiving

Image: Unsplash/Mayur Gala

There are three traditional Lenten mainstays: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Almsgiving, one of the three, usually translates into extending charity, or showing God’s kindness and compassion to our neighbour. It is often but not necessarily giving in the form of financial aid or material goods.  

I awoke one morning thinking of the two words: almsgiving and compassion. My early morning thought sparked this blog.

One of the ways we might focus on almsgiving during the Lenten season is by reflecting more intently on the guidelines for living Gospel compassionate action. The Corporal Works or Acts of Mercy provide an excellent roadmap for displaying God’s kindness and mercy in the actions of our daily lives.

Matthew 25: 35-40 provides us with the pattern for Christian living given by Jesus:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless, and you gave me a room,
I was shivering, and you gave me clothes,
I was sick, and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison, and you came to me.

I read in a church bulletin a revised wording of the Corporal Acts of Mercy composed by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS. which turn words into action:

• Share what you have with those who need it, down the street or around the world.

• Share your joy and hope with those whose lives are dry and lonely, and those who are literally without water. 

• Stand up for those who are weak and vulnerable. 

• Advocate for those whose voices are not heard.

• Help prisoners and those who are confined due to fear, illness, or sadness.

• Make everyone welcome in your heart. Give people simple, decent places to lay their heads.

• Be with people who need you. 

• Love and respect the person who has died.

This Lent, why not extend the scope of almsgiving to incorporate the Works of Mercy? John’s words point the way, “Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.“ 1 John 3:18

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy | Artist Studio of David Teniers the younger | c.1642-3

This painting seemingly depicts a crowded genre scene in a Dutch village, but there is more to it than meets the eye. The various groups of figures composing the scene symbolically illustrate the seven corporal acts of mercy: to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to travellers, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, and to bury the dead. This composition is known in several versions.

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Credits: Matthew 25:33-40; 1 John 3:18 - Bible Gateway

Corporal Works of Mercy - Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, a coordinator of Social Justice Ministries at Sacred Heart Cathedral, in Raleigh, NC