Your True Self is life, being, and love. Love is what you were made for, and love is who you are.
Richard Rohr.
5th Sunday of Lent
5th Sunday of Lent 2024
As we get ever closer to the Easter Triduum the readings greet us with welcome, the reality of suffering with purpose and ultimately hope.
The first reading (Jeremiah 31:31-34) tells us that God is making a new covenant with us, that we will all know our God, that our iniquity will be forgiven. Welcome to the fold!
Hebrews 5:7-9 reminds us of our call to be faithful, as Jesus was, to the unique individual we are called to be. Sometimes answering that call tests our faith. Suffering with purpose!
“ Are we brave enough to accept this invitation?”
For me the Gospel (John 12:20-33) brings it all home. Jesus proclaims the need to “die so as to rise and bear much fruit”. He is troubled knowing the future for him will be beyond difficult but also acknowledging “it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father glorify your name”.
Do I know who I am called to be? Am I brave enough to accept that invitation? How will I live through the challenges knowing I am ultimately glorifying God’s name.
Given the time of year I am deeply aware of the acknowledgement that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains a single grain; BUT if it dies it bears much fruit. (John 12:24-26)
May you bear much fruit!
-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate
St. Patrick’s Day 2024
“Did your Mother come from Ireland?”
Well, mine did and so St. Patrick’s Day was always a cause for celebration. Lots of music, corn beef & cabbage, Irish stew with lamb, warm soda bread, maybe a wee nip & company with whom to share stories made the whole day a prayer of thanksgiving for our Irish heritage.
St. Patrick (actual name-Maewyn Succat) wasn’t Irish. He was born in 385 A.D. in either Scotland or Wales to Roman parents. As a teen he was sold into slavery in Ireland but escaped to a monastery in England. He later became a priest then bishop and returned to Ireland as a missionary taking on the name Patrick. He is best known for his use of the three leafed shamrock to explain the blessed Trinity, three persons in one God. He is the patron saint of engineers based on the number of churches he built throughout Ireland and is said to offer protection from snake bites.
On reflection, what I think is most wonderful about this feast is that it is an occasion not only for the Irish to come together in joy but the world to celebrate together. There are parades all around the world, lots of green attire, laughter, music and merriment. I wonder if St. Patrick ever considered that he would become the patron saint of unity in joy.
Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit - Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!
-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate
IMAGES: Yan Ming, K. Mitch Hodge/Unsplash
Weekly Pause and Ponder
Laetare Sunday - Rejoice!
Midway through this year’s Lenten journey we are invited to REJOICE and for good reason. The New Testament readings (Ephesians 2:4-10, John 3:14-21) remind us of the gifts we have received freely from our generous God; the love of God, the grace of faith, Jesus, a call to good works and eternal life.
Mind-blowing! Humbling! Eliciting gratitude!
How do we respond to free gifts? In the movie “Pay it Forward” a junior high school class were invited to think of an idea that would change the world for the better. One young lad thought of paying forward good deeds. A simple example I experienced recently was going through the “Tim’s” line and finding out the person ahead of me had paid for my order! I couldn’t thank them because they were already gone but I was able to pass on their generosity by doing something good for someone else.
Simple Ways to Pay It Forward
Letting someone go in front of you in line
Paying for a stranger's coffee or meal
Sharing your green thumb
Donating blankets, pajamas, socks, and toiletries to shelters
Leaving a big tip for a server or waiter
Returning another person's shopping cart
Sending an email or card of gratitude.
