GROW AS A DISCIPLE — PRAY, STUDY, ENGAGE, SERVE
GROW: As we begin Holy Week, we hear Matthew’s account of the Passion. We see Jesus’ humanity as he experiences sorrow and distress in the hours before his death. Three times, he asks the Father to “let this cup pass from me, yet, not as I will, but as you will.” In our own human experience, I am guessing many of us have asked the Father to “let this cup pass” – for in addition to life’s joys, we will all experience setbacks, struggles, and suffering. By example, Jesus shows us that we can turn to our Father, trusting in his will for us. Let this be a reminder in this holiest of weeks that we can bring our suffering and our doubts to the Father, knowing that the joy of Easter will come.
READ MOREGROW: In today’s Gospel, we see so clearly the fully human nature of Jesus even in the midst of him revealing his divine nature in raising Lazarus from the dead. On hearing that his friend Lazarus had died, Jesus “wept,” and he became “perturbed and deeply troubled.” We see his love for Martha and Mary, and the freedom he gives them to love him fully in return, and to expect things of him. Each of them confronts Jesus, exasperated: Had you come earlier, our brother would not have died! Yet in the same breath, they express their faith that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. As we continue our Lenten journey, we can rest assured that Jesus is never far from us and that he understands our human longings, struggles and pain. Like Martha and Mary, we can place our faith in Jesus here, now and for eternity.
READ MOREGROW: Five days, five minutes of sunshine: That’s how the city where I live greeted 2023. As the month wore on, the gloom seemed unrelenting with only momentary breaks in the clouds. When the sun did return, people posted photos on social media with a combination of joy and relief. That experience hints at the effect Jesus had on St. Paul and the early Christians. As he writes, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Today, just as then, Jesus brings light and healing to the darkness within us and within our world. Unlike the elusive sun, we can see the light of Jesus every day – in the people we love, the kindness of strangers, moments of prayer, unexpected joys. In turn, St. Paul encourages us to “live as children of light” by being the face of Jesus to others.
READ MOREEx 17:3-7 , Rom 5:1-2, 5-8, Jn 4:5-42
GROW: Even St. Teresa of Calcutta experienced a period of “spiritual dryness.” We pray, we go to Mass faithfully, we serve others – yet at times God’s presence may seem elusive. Like the Israelites, we may ask, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?” As we enter the third Sunday of Lent, today’s readings assure us that God remains with us even during those times we may feel spiritually parched. In Exodus, water flows from a rock to satisfy the people. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman, a sinner and an outcast, recognizes Jesus as Messiah, and it changes her life. Even when we don’t “feel” God’s presence, we can rest assured that Jesus stands beside us. He is our redemption and our Hope, and “Hope does not disappoint.”
READ MOREGROW: As we enter the second week of Lent, today’s readings encourage us to place our trust in God when we are dealing with hardship or uncertainty. Last week, we heard about how Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations in the desert, trusting in the Father. This week, we follow Peter, James and John up the mountain, where Jesus “was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” Jesus had told his followers he would suffer and die. The Transfiguration gave them a foretaste of Christ's glorious coming (CCC 554-56) As we continue on our Lenten journeys, we, too, can place our trust in the Lord. Though we may experience hardships and perhaps even doubts, the Transfiguration reminds us that Jesus has gone before us and prepared a place for us. As Pope Francis reminds us, “by his Transfiguration [Jesus] invites us to gaze at him. And looking at Jesus purifies our eyes and prepares them for eternal life, for the vision of heaven” (Homily, March 2014).
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