Palm Sunday First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7 The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 R. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: “He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if he loves him.” R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Indeed, many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in upon me; They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. But you, O LORD, be not far from me; O my help, hasten to aid me. R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you: “You who fear the LORD, praise him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him; revere him, all you descendants of Israel!” R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Second reading: Philippians 2:6-11 Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Gospel: Luke 22:14—23:56 When the hour came, Jesus took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. “And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.” And they began to debate among themselves who among them would do such a deed. Then an argument broke out among them about which of them should be regarded as the greatest. He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’; but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves. It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” He said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.” But he replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.” He said to them, “When I sent you forth without a money bag or a sack or sandals, were you in need of anything?” “No, nothing, “ they replied. He said to them, “But now one who has a money bag should take it, and likewise a sack, and one who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me, namely, He was counted among the wicked; and indeed what is written about me is coming to fulfillment.” Then they said, “Lord, look, there are two swords here.” But he replied, “It is enough!” Then going out, he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.” After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground. When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.” While he was still speaking, a crowd approached and in front was one of the Twelve, a man named Judas. He went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” His disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked, “Lord, shall we strike with a sword?” And one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, “Stop, no more of this!” Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him. And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple guards and elders who had come for him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness.” After arresting him they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest; Peter was following at a distance. They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them. When a maid saw him seated in the light, she looked intently at him and said, “This man too was with him.” But he denied it saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” A short while later someone else saw him and said, “You too are one of them”; but Peter answered, “My friend, I am not.” About an hour later, still another insisted, “Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.” Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly. The men who held Jesus in custody were ridiculing and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they reviled him in saying many other things against him. When day came the council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before their Sanhedrin. They said, “If you are the Christ, tell us, “ but he replied to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth.” Then the whole assembly of them arose and brought him before Pilate. They brought charges against him, saying, “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Christ, a king.” Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.” Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, “I find this man not guilty.” But they were adamant and said, “He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here.” On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at length, but he gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing him harshly. Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, “You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.” But all together they shouted out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us.” — Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder. — Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate addressed them a third time, “What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.” With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted. So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished. As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?” Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last. Here all kneel and pause for a short time. The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events. Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council, had not consented to their plan of action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea and was awaiting the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried. It was the day of preparation, and the sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment. NAB “The Name of God is Mercy.” –Pope Francis A Palm Sunday devotion in light of the Jubilee Year of Mercy • • • Crucify him! Crucify him! I always feel so uncomfortable reading this line aloud in the Liturgy year after year on Palm Sunday. How awful to have to play the part of the bad guy. No one wants to be the bad guy in this scene. And yet, it is somewhat fitting. At least it is fitting if you are a sinner, like me. When we gossip, when we are judgmental of other people—those we know and often times those we don’t—when we sin, we shout crucify Him with our thoughts and our actions. We shout crucify Him without thinking twice. Crucified along with Jesus, we see two criminals. I find myself inspired by the criminal on his right, who confesses his own guilt and asks Jesus for his mercy. What a gift we have in God’s mercy. What a blessing to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation available for us to receive. But I have to be honest about something with you, sisters: Though I am a cradle Catholic, I did not attend confession regularly growing up. It wasn’t until I was on a retreat late in my college years that I went back to the sacrament. I was so intimidated after all those years, and from time to time I still feel that way. This past year, after the birth of my son, I had a nine-month stretch of not going to confession. I was feeling more anxious than normal about going, but what a gift and blessing it was when I finally went. I felt a physical weight lifted; I could feel the freedom from my sins. My heart was filled with a deep-abiding sense of peace—the kind that can only be of Him. God so desperately wants to give us the gift of His mercy. He won’t force it upon us, but He is always ready and waiting for us to come before Him in humility and be forgiven. Have you ever noticed what the priest prays at the end of the sacrament? “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins . . . .” Jesus died for you—yes, you, sister—to redeem you by His blood, to free you from your sin. He made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might have life. That we might know Him who is Mercy. [bctt tweet="Jesus died for you—yes, you, sister—to redeem you by His blood, to free you from your sin."] Where do you need mercy in your life? Do you need to show mercy to someone? Do you need to be merciful with yourself? Also, have you received the Sacrament of Reconciliation recently? If not, try to go at some point this Holy Week, or at least sometime in the Easter season. God so desires to give you this gift! photo credit Elise Howe is a devoted wife, new momma, and musician currently living in NYC, though she will always be a midwestern gal at heart. You can find out more about her here.

Solemnity of Saint Joseph First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:4-5A, 12-14A, 16 The LORD spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’” Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 AND 29 R. (37) The son of David will live for ever. The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness, For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. R. The son of David will live for ever. “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” R. The son of David will live for ever. “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.’ Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.” R. The son of David will live for ever. Second Reading: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 Brothers and sisters: It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, I have made you father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be. That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24A Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. NAB Today’s Gospel reads like something out of a romantic comedy script. The crazy-in-love engaged couple. The BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. He thinks she cheated on him, but he’s a good guy, so he tries to be cool about the break-up. She wants to explain, but she can’t. Probably, there’s a rain storm, and they each look out through rain-splattered windows, heart-broken. But then, just when all hope seems lost, the quirky angel/best-friend comes to Joseph in a dream, and tells him it wasn’t what he thought, it’s EVEN CRAZIER! But he and Mary can get back together. Big wedding finale. Kiss. The End. Who doesn’t love a misunderstanding and a happy ending? But that’s not how Saints Thomas Aquinas, Jerome and Pope John Paul II, amongst others, tell us it went down. And I think the real story is even cooler. Joseph doesn’t think that Mary cheated on him. He couldn’t possibly. If he believed that she had committed adultery, the only “just” thing would have been to turn her over to the law. But Joseph knew that Mary had vowed to remain consecrated to God as a virgin. He knew Mary, and he knew the words of the prophets. So when he learned that she was pregnant, he would have known that she was the one, the Virgin of the House of David who would give birth to the savior, as foretold by Isaiah. Joseph is a just man, a humble man. He sees himself as unworthy to be the husband of the Immaculate Mother of God, unworthy to be the earthly father of Jesus Christ. Like Saint Peter, he says, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." He no longer sees a place for a regular guy in this extraordinary story, and seeks to quietly excuse himself. But then, the angel appears to him. And look at what he says: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” Not, “Don’t be mad, it’s not what you thought." But, “It IS what you thought, but don’t be afraid.” Don’t be afraid to be a part of something bigger and better than you deserve. Joseph is US in this story. He’s the everyman. The only person in his house who ever sinned. That had to be a little intimidating. But he makes up for being just a regular guy by also being unquestioning in his obedience to God’s will, and unwavering in his trust in the Blessed Virgin. [bctt tweet="Joseph is US in this story. He’s the everyman."] Today, on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, we can try to emulate his silence, his humility, and his willingness to see God’s crazy plan for his life, and just go with it. photo credit Kendra Tierney lives in Los Angeles, CA where her interests include blogging, homeschooling, looking after her eight children, and fixing up a hundred year old tumbledown mansion. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13 I hear the whisperings of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!” All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. “Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.” But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked! Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-3A, 3BC-4, 5-6, 7 R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold! Praised be the LORD, I exclaim, and I am safe from my enemies. R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. The breakers of death surged round about me, the destroying floods overwhelmed me; The cords of the nether world enmeshed me, the snares of death overtook me. R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. In my distress I called upon the LORD and cried out to my God; From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. Gospel: John 10:31-42 The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him. NAB I have a tough time trusting in God. In big things, in little things, in life changing decisions, in hoping that tomorrow's appointment will go well or if I'll be able to get everything done on my to-do list. I have a big problem with things being outside of my own control, of feeling disappointment, and becoming flexible to God's plan. I easily take things that are God's work in my life and believe them to be completely wrong. I don't believe that an inconvenience, a disappointment, or bigger issues like health problems can possibly be part of God's will. And when I think about why I refuse to believe and trust in these instances I routinely come back to my own feelings. My feelings of disappointment, frustration, anger. Is God causing these feelings or am I choosing these feelings instead of asking for grace to see things the way He sees them? The Jews were trying to stone Jesus. To kill him. And why? Because He was doing good things that they refused to see as good. They were letting their own perspectives and feelings cloud their ability to see Christ in their very midst, to the extent of violent measures towards Him. I can't help but realize if maybe I do this as well when I let my emotions and my own selfish ways of thinking pervade my life. In my anger and disappointment am I saying to God that what He is doing is intolerable to me? It's not a far step to let my emotions become violent, even sinful. My emotions and attitude have an incredible force not only in my personal outlook, but in the lives of those around me; it's so easy to let these feelings and attitudes become sinful. My sin is violence against God's life in my soul. My sin is that stone against Christ. [bctt tweet="My sin is violence against God's life in my soul. My sin is that stone against Christ."] Lord, show me your wisdom and truth in my life. Help me see your plans as good. I offer you my emotions and feelings, please work in my heart and give me eyes to see your love today. photo credit Christy Isinger is the mom to five lovely, loud children living in the Canadian wilds. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 King Nebuchadnezzar said: “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up? Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up.” King Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual and had some of the strongest men in his army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot furnace. Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” “Assuredly, O king,” they answered. “But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.” Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever! “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.” R. Glory and praise for ever! “Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. R. Glory and praise for ever! “Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.” R. Glory and praise for ever! “Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim; praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.” R. Glory and praise for ever! “Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.” R. Glory and praise for ever! Gospel: John 8:31-42 Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.” They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!” So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.” NAB Some Gospel readings make me wish I were a theologian instead of an English teacher. This is one of them. As I read and re-read this passage, I thought about how Bible scholars would understand the nuances of the conversation far better than I do. Going back to the Gospel of John and reading it in context is helpful, but this passage is still a tough nut to crack. And yet there is a kernel of simple wisdom at the heart of the complexity. “The truth will set you free,” says Jesus. It’s a line I’ve heard before, in other contexts. It’s a verse that is easy to remember, perhaps due to its innate rhythm, one in which every other syllable emphasized: the TRUTH will SET you FREE. Just as Shakespeare’s best lines sink into our subconscious due to his regular rhythm, so too does this one. Truth matters. That is a basic reality, as elemental as the heartbeat. It’s funny, though, that we humans struggle to believe it. Lies are easy to tell, and sometimes they seem like the best way to get ahead. Sometimes we get so used to public figures lying to us that we almost expect it as a matter of course . . . and that, in itself, is a sign of something seriously amiss. To lie is to be focused on self, to spend valuable energy on concealment and covering one's tracks. It’s being constantly vigilant for fear of being exposed. It’s not a life of freedom; it’s one of slavery. But to follow the truth means to be liberated, as Jesus says. It means being free to be an agent of God in whatever ways we can. It’s not that it’s always easy to tell the truth; there often are immediate effects that are painful to face. But the slow lingering burden of concealment and anxiety is, in the long run, the real death sentence. Put your hand over your heart and feel its rhythm. Say these words to yourself, in time to its beat: The truth will set you free. They are alike, the heartbeat and the truth, for we need both of them to be truly alive. [bctt tweet="Lies are easy to tell, and sometimes they seem like the best way to get ahead. But truth matters."] Think of a time in your life when the truth has freed you. photo credit Ginny Kubitz Moyer is a mother, high school English teacher, and BBC period drama junkie. She is the author of Random MOMents of Grace: Experiencing God in the Adventures of Motherhood and the upcoming book Taste and See: Experiencing the Goodness of God with Our Five Senses. Ginny lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two boys, and about thirty thousand Legos. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road, to bypass the land of Edom. But with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.” Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21 R. (2) O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. O LORD, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily. R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. The nations shall revere your name, O LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory, When the LORD has rebuilt Zion and appeared in his glory; When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer. R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Let this be written for the generation to come, and let his future creatures praise the LORD: “The LORD looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die.” R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Gospel: John 8:21-30 Jesus said to the Pharisees: “I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I tell the world.” They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him. NAB This morning, I'm reading these words and asking the Spirit to speak through me in the devotional, and all I hear are my kids' voices in the Israelites. Whine, moan, complain. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids to bits. They have sweet, amazing voices . . . but when they complain, it grates on my ears. Just yesterday, one of my girls complained that something wouldn't work, so I offered another way. Nope, that wasn't pleasing. I offered another possibility, which was the only remaining option, and got shot down again. Straight out of my mouth came the words, "Well, quit your complaining!" I wouldn't be too surprised if God did a head-smack while listening to the complaints of the people He had just delivered from the hands of the Egyptians. For their ungratefulness, He sent serpents to bite them. Some died. Later in history, Jesus tells the people they will die in their sins. See the connection? In Jesus' day, people weren't dying from snake bites, but their hearts were dead from sin. Our hearts can die from sin. It doesn't have to be that way. The Israelites didn't have to die from their complaints and the ensuing snake bites. God had mercy on them. He said they could be saved—healed—by looking at the bronze serpent Moses fashioned, according to God's word. We too can be saved, by believing in Jesus. There is hope! God's mercy is there, waiting for us, the more we turn to Jesus and believe. This is what Jesus came for, to save us so we don't die in our sins. What happens then? Just belief? There is more than belief. Belief demands action. Jesus Himself is the example for us, as He tells us, "I say only what the Father taught me . . . He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him." We too can do what is pleasing to God, instead of complaining about our plight like the Israelites. And you know what is most pleasing to him? That we come to Him, loving Him, and loving those around us, just as Jesus showed us. [bctt tweet="There is more than belief. Belief demands action."] Don't wallow in your sins and complaints. Where do you need healing? Look at Jesus crucified, see how much He loves you and wants to save you. Try to find some time this week to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, either in Adoration or a quiet church if you can't find an Adoration time near you. photo credit Gina Fensterer is a wife, daughter, mother, friend, homeschooling mama and Colorado native. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim, who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah; her pious parents had trained their daughter according to the law of Moses. Joakim was very rich; he had a garden near his house, and the Jews had recourse to him often because he was the most respected of them all. That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges, of whom the Lord said, “Wickedness has come out of Babylon: from the elders who were to govern the people as judges.” These men, to whom all brought their cases, frequented the house of Joakim. When the people left at noon, Susanna used to enter her husband’s garden for a walk. When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk, they began to lust for her. They suppressed their consciences; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments. One day, while they were waiting for the right moment, she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only. She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm. Nobody else was there except the two elders, who had hidden themselves and were watching her. “Bring me oil and soap,” she said to the maids, “and shut the garden doors while I bathe.” As soon as the maids had left, the two old men got up and hurried to her. “Look,” they said, “the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us; give in to our desire, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you.” “I am completely trapped,” Susanna groaned. “If I yield, it will be my death; if I refuse, I cannot escape your power. Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord.” Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her, as one of them ran to open the garden doors. When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden, they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her. At the accusations by the old men, the servants felt very much ashamed, for never had any such thing been said about Susanna. When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day, the two wicked elders also came, fully determined to put Susanna to death. Before all the people they ordered: “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, the wife of Joakim.” When she was sent for, she came with her parents, children and all her relatives. All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping. In the midst of the people the two elders rose up and laid their hands on her head. Through tears she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly. The elders made this accusation: “As we were walking in the garden alone, this woman entered with two girls and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls. A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her. When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime, we ran toward them. We saw them lying together, but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we; he opened the doors and ran off. Then we seized her and asked who the young man was, but she refused to tell us. We testify to this.” The assembly believed them, since they were elders and judges of the people, and they condemned her to death. But Susanna cried aloud: “O eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before they come to be: you know that they have testified falsely against me. Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things with which these wicked men have charged me.” The Lord heard her prayer. As she was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: “I will have no part in the death of this woman.” All the people turned and asked him, “What is this you are saying?” He stood in their midst and continued, “Are you such fools, O children of Israel! To condemn a woman of Israel without examination and without clear evidence? Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.” Then all the people returned in haste. To Daniel the elders said, “Come, sit with us and inform us, since God has given you the prestige of old age.” But he replied, “Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them.” After they were separated one from the other, he called one of them and said: “How you have grown evil with age! Now have your past sins come to term: passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says, ‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’ Now, then, if you were a witness, tell me under what tree you saw them together.” “Under a mastic tree,” he answered. Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you your head, for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him and split you in two.” Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought. Daniel said to him, “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience. This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel, and in their fear they yielded to you; but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness. Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.” “Under an oak,” he said. Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you also your head, for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two so as to make an end of you both.” The whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in him. They rose up against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury. According to the law of Moses, they inflicted on them the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor: they put them to death. Thus was innocent blood spared that day. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6 R. (4ab) Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. Gospel: John 8:12-20 Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by appearances, but I do not judge anyone. And even if I should judge, my judgment is valid, because I am not alone, but it is I and the Father who sent me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified. I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me.” So they said to him, “Where is your father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while teaching in the treasury in the temple area. But no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. NAB The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. So starts the well-loved Psalm that I have had memorized since I was about six years old. In verdant pastures He gives me repose. Beside restful waters He leads me. He refreshes my soul. How good that sounds. Green pastures, restful waters, refreshment. But this is not the image I am given to meditate on as the refrain. No. Instead I am to repeat over and over these words: Even though I walk through the dark valley I will fear no evil; for you are at my side. Dark valley? Evil? These are not things I want to deal with. And yet, the Psalmist gives no guarantee that life will be all green pastures and restful waters. It’s not an “If I happen to, some day, walk through a dark valley.” It’s an “even though.” The dark valleys will be there; the injustices, the brokenness, the sorrows, all that darkness that I feel like I am powerless against, all that darkness that makes me struggle to see the light. Where is the light? And then there it is, spelled out for me in the very first verse of the Gospel reading. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Even through all that darkness, I will not fear, for there is Jesus. Even through loss, Jesus. Even through sorrow, Jesus. Even through suffering, Jesus. Even though things looked pretty dark for Susanna in the First Reading as she was falsely accused and sentenced to death, she kept her trust in the Lord. Then the Holy Spirit moved in Daniel and the truth was brought to light. There is serious darkness out there. But Jesus is the light of the world. It doesn’t mean we will never go through a dark valley, but it does mean we don’t have to be afraid when we do. [bctt tweet="There is darkness out there. But Jesus is the light of the world."] What dark valley are you going through? Ask Jesus to reveal His light to you there, and to help you trust Him more. photo credit Anna Coyne is a wife, mother, musician, knitter, gardener, and convert to the Catholic faith. Read more about her here.

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21 Thus says the LORD, who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, who leads out chariots and horsemen, a powerful army, till they lie prostrate together, never to rise, snuffed out and quenched like a wick. Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, for I put water in the desert and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink, the people whom I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed. R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the torrents in the southern desert. Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing. R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Second Reading: Philippians 3:8-14 Brothers and sisters: I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus. Gospel: John 8:1-11 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” NAB Today’s Gospel reading is one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. It may have something to do with the fact that I strayed from God in my youth and experience His tender mercy in a profound way. But even now that I am back on the right road, the display of God’s mercy still leaves me feeling a little incredulous. However, today’s Gospel is a reminder that the wellspring of God’s mercy is overflowing. I can picture the woman being dragged through the streets and brought before Jesus. She was placed on display as the Pharisees were eager to accuse her of her sins in hopes of trapping Jesus. I am sure she felt the weight of her sin, knowing that she had done wrong. Shame and fear must have filled her heart as she was rebuked in public and in danger of being stoned to death. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus is not quick to accuse, unless it is to point out the hypocrisy of those who act above everyone else. Instead He shows incredible authority yet tenderness. He knew the Pharisees' hearts. He also knew the woman’s heart and He acted accordingly. How does this Gospel apply to us today on this fifth Sunday of Lent? Like the Pharisees, Satan is the supreme accuser ready to whisper into our hearts that we are weak sinners, worthless, and undeserving of God’s mercy. The weight of our sin and our weakness can tempt us to believe it. However, Jesus is eager to cast those thoughts from your mind. No matter how you have failed, what mistakes you have made, or what sins you can’t seem to overcome, do not lose heart. Take a moment to close your eyes and place yourself at the feet of Jesus. Picture Him lifting your bowed head as He places His hands on your cheeks. Imagine Him looking at you with love, seeing beyond your brokenness. He sees your beauty, your uniqueness and all that He wants to accomplish in you. It is then that He says to you, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” Breathe in His mercy. Know that He can and will make you new. If you have not gone to confession this Lent, now is the time to let God’s mercy make you new. photo credit Bobbi Rol is a wife, a mama of four and a blogger learning to love God in the midst of dishes, laundry and swinging light sabers. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20 I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings. Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter, had not realized that they were hatching plots against me: “Let us destroy the tree in its vigor; let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will be spoken no more.” But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge, searcher of mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause! Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 7:2-3, 9BC-10, 11-12 R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me, Lest I become like the lion’s prey, to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me. R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just, and because of the innocence that is mine. Let the malice of the wicked come to an end, but sustain the just, O searcher of heart and soul, O just God. R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. A shield before me is God, who saves the upright of heart; A just judge is God, a God who punishes day by day. R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. Gospel: John 7:40-53 Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” Then each went to his own house. NAB I have spent much of my life feeling lonely, especially in regards to social situations. It is probably rooted in the first-grade social drama when the “leader of the pack” friend would turn her back on me on a whim and all the other little girls would follow her lead, leaving me miserable and lonely. This did two things to me. First, it left me often wondering most of my life about if people really do like me or if I am some sort of outcast on the edge of every social circle I have been apart of. It does not help that I have had to start fresh every four years or so since I started high school (college, husband’s graduate school in one city, husband’s new job in another). The other thing my first-grade drama did for me was that it taught me to bring my loneliness to the Lord. In high school, whenever my loneliness really set in, I learned to turn to the Psalms, and just delve in. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. There are so many good Psalms for abandoning oneself and one’s problems to the Lord. While loneliness has little to do with actual physical enemies attacking you, as today’s Psalm implies, it is often caused by spiritual enemies. And those are the kind of enemies I think of when I read today’s readings. Because Satan wants so much to cut us off from the Lord. When we feel the attacks, we must turn to Him in Jesus’ name. When I place myself in the presence of the Lord, and seek His comfort in my times of loneliness, I find that He is the one to fulfill me no matter how many close friends I have. I also realize that He has blessed me with amazing, holy friends seeking to live a life in love of Him wherever I have lived. And I know that it often takes many years to really know a good friend, and those whom you can pray with are more often than not the kindred spirits. [bctt tweet="O Lord, my God, in You I take refuge."] Whether your attacks are of loneliness or something else, try to remember to turn to the Lord, who is your refuge. He protects you and saves you from your enemies. He gives you true fulfillment and true life. photo by Little Flower Studios Susanna Spencer once studied theology and philosophy, but now happily cares for her three adorable little girls, new baby boy, and her dear husband in Saint Paul. She loves beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious meals, baking amazing sweets, reading good books, raising her children, casually following baseball, and talking to her philosopher husband. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Wisdom 2:1A, 12-22 The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright: “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, Reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the LORD. To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways. He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure. He calls blest the destiny of the just and boasts that God is his Father. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.” These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls’ reward. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 AND 23 R. (19a) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the LORD delivers him. R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken. The LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Jesus moved about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret. Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come. NAB I have a thing about fear. I tend to let it rule me. I often find myself wanting to avoid circumstances or activities because of "potential" outcomes. Sharing my faith, sadly, can sometimes fall into that category. I have plenty of opportunities to witness—through my writing, in conversations with my friends, in responding openly to others brave enough to share. But I'm much more comfortable in my little bubble, preaching to my choir, than letting my words echo where they may be rejected--or even more uncomfortable, challenged. Our Lord's actions in today's Gospel really jumped out at me, sisters. Jesus was afraid to go openly, to be seen. He went to the temple in secret. Perhaps He knew the manhunt targeting Him could take Him away before the time was right. But He went anyway. He still came out of hiding to speak truth. When I hide, it’s based only on the potential of an undesired outcome, which may not actually happen. But here we have Jesus—knowing with certainty what His brutal outcome will soon be—yet preaching truth anyway. So what keeps me from doing the same? I'm afraid to make waves. I'm afraid I'm might offend someone. I'm afraid it might cost me a friend. I'm afraid I won't be able to speak truth with charity and grace. I'm afraid of the suffering that might result. No one likes suffering. Even the Apostles denied their faith or tried to run because of persecution and fear. But for one key factor: they all returned to the mission. They all clung to the importance of God's truth. They dug deep into the store of courage and grace that Our Father holds in reserve for everyone of His children, and they carried on. Are you, like me, afraid that you’re not the perfect person for the job? Let’s remind ourselves that it’s God who supplies that strength, the charity, and the grace. And—as the Gospel today reminds us—the mission we've been given trumps our fears. Remember: God controls the outcome. All He needs is our cooperation. [bctt tweet="Remember: God controls the outcome. All He needs is our cooperation."] Let's deliberately ask God in prayer today what our next step should be in carrying out the mission—and with His grace, commit to following through. photo credit Megan Hjelmstad is a wife, mom, writer and sometimes soldier whose real passion is equal parts faith and chocolate. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Exodus 32:7-14 The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ The LORD said to Moses, “I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.” But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, “Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains and exterminate them from the face of the earth’? Let your blazing wrath die down; relent in punishing your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’“ So the LORD relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22, 23 R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock. R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. Then he spoke of exterminating them, but Moses, his chosen one, Withstood him in the breach to turn back his destructive wrath. R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. Gospel: John 5:31-47 Jesus said to the Jews: “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life. “I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” NAB In the First Reading today, Moses pleads for mercy for the stiff-necked people of Israel while their God has a plan to punish them. Obvious to us, and probably them, they deserved it. Molten calf. Depraved behavior. After all God had done for them, bringing them out of slavery, parting the Red Sea (!), and feeding them mana from Heaven, they're acting badly. Very badly. I think to my little almost four year old daughter, and how quick she is to defend her nearly six year old brother. How when my wrath turns on him because once again, he has teased his sister to tears. Once again, after all I've done for him, he refuses to listen to my very basic direction: go to the bathroom, please. This little girl, even when she was bawling her eyes out a minute before, will step in and say "maybe I can save this [item in controversy] until he comes back" or "he can still read the book and I'll give him my spot to read in." She's naturally merciful. She's my little Moses. All those big feelings we women feel, blame it on the hormones, blame it on the bad sleep worrying about our job, our family, our aging parents, our unanswered text from that guy we are crushing on, they can consume us and justify our actions. I'm right. I'm in the right. I'm justified. It often doesn't matter how right or righteous we are. Our feelings of indignation, of anger, of wanting to punish and pass judgment can only be completed in that New Testament Jesus, He Who is the perfect display of God's mercy to a fallen race of human beings. God is just, but He is also merciful. [bctt tweet="Let us seek to soften ourselves in God's mercy."] Where can you let go of being right in your life today? What actions are you taking based on your feelings of righteous indignation? Let us be Moses and seek to soften ourselves in God's mercy. photo by Whoa Nellie Photography Nell O'Leary is an attorney turned stay-at-home mom to three lovelies. She and her husband live in the great city of Saint Paul. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Isaiah 49:8-15 Thus says the LORD: In a time of favor I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you; and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, To restore the land and allot the desolate heritages, Saying to the prisoners: Come out! To those in darkness: Show yourselves! Along the ways they shall find pasture, on every bare height shall their pastures be. They shall not hunger or thirst, nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them; For he who pities them leads them and guides them beside springs of water. I will cut a road through all my mountains, and make my highways level. See, some shall come from afar, others from the north and the west, and some from the land of Syene. Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains. For the LORD comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted. But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18 R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful. The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. R. The Lord is gracious and merciful. The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. R. The Lord is gracious and merciful. The LORD is just in all his ways and holy in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. R. The Lord is gracious and merciful. Gospel: John 5:17-30 Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” NAB The hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. Now is it just me or does this sentence pulled from today's Gospel, not quite make sense? How is it possible that the "hour" can be coming, but then here?! I mean, that is just not physically possible. BUT this point rings true: the hour is perpetually coming. The hour is perpetually here. In every second of the day, we, the dead, have the opportunity to choose life. To choose Jesus. It is a relentless, vicious, beautiful cycle of constantly choosing what brings us life, what brings us closer to the One who is Life. Am I choosing those things that allow me to hear the voice of the Son of God in all the decisions in a given day? The hour is coming. The hour is here. What am I doing about it? There is so much power in choice to take action in our lives, to choose to be open to God's will in our lives. God is leading the way, and the time is urgent. He stirs a calling in all our hearts, whispering the loving call to serve, to use the gifts He so thoughtfully and beautifully created in you. He wants to bring us life. He wants to awaken us from death. So why don't we let Him, sweet sisters? [bctt tweet="He wants to awaken us from death. So why don't we let Him, sweet sisters?"] Listen. Trust. Move. The hour is coming. The hour is here. What are we going to choose to do with it? Cassie Kent is a wife, mom to two kiddos, loves to get a little crafty and celebrate the gift of creativity. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 The angel brought me, Ezekiel, back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He led me outside by the north gate, and around to the outer gate facing the east, where I saw water trickling from the right side. Then when he had walked off to the east with a measuring cord in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and had me wade through the water, which was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand and once more had me wade through the water, which was now knee-deep. Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade; the water was up to my waist. Once more he measured off a thousand, but there was now a river through which I could not wade; for the water had risen so high it had become a river that could not be crossed except by swimming. He asked me, “Have you seen this, son of man?” Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit. Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides. He said to me, “This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.” Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 R. (8) The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea. R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn. R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. Come! behold the deeds of the LORD, the astounding things he has wrought on earth. R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. Gospel: John 5:1-16 There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’“ They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath. NAB Today’s First Reading feels a bit like the Lenten equivalent of seeing the first spears of tulips or daffodils poke up through the ground. Here in our somber liturgy, Ezekiel bursts in with images of fresh flowing water, flourishing trees, and abundant life. The waters flow out from the Temple, transforming the barren desert, just as the grace of God flows into our lives, transforming our souls. Each soul becomes a hothouse garden for the beauty of God’s creation. A life lived in grace flourishes and bears abundant fruits of the Spirit. The river of grace begins as just a trickle. We can look past it, ignoring the small blessings in our lives. But if we wade in it, soon we realize that grace is surrounding us—we are swimming in God’s gifts, afloat in His glory. When we are aware of the overwhelming presence of God, the barrenness of our lives is transformed. Just like the water flowing from the Temple, God’s grace turns the desert into a garden. Every part of the day bursts forth with life. Small interactions become the fruit that feeds us and the leaves that heal us. Jesus is the Living Water. Ezekiel’s vision is reality for Christians. The gift of abundant, eternal life, is promised to us in baptism. Even as we journey toward the Cross this Lent, we are no longer thirsty. The river of grace runs deep in our hearts. “Whoever believes in me,” Jesus says in John 7:38, “Rivers of living water will flow from within him.” [bctt tweet="Small interactions become the fruit that feeds us and the leaves that heal us."] Are your Lenten practices bearing fruit? Look for where Living Water is flowing in your life this season. photo credit Brigid Hogan loves the view of the Washington Monument from her apartment, her standing desk, the Green Bay Packers, and a good mystery. She tolerates taking the Metro to the office, where she works as a communications consultant. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-21 Thus says the LORD: Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying; No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime; He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed. They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 30:2 AND 4, 5-6, 11-12A AND 13B R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit. R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. “Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper.” You changed my mourning into dancing; O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks. R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. Gospel: John 4:43-54 At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea. NAB I’d hate to think that Jesus ever played favorites, but He certainly did seem to have a preference for Cana as a stage for a little flash of His glory, no? The Gospel today tells us that Jesus left Jerusalem and headed to Galilee, hinting that He was already pursued by those who wished to take Him down. And He is received there with a warm welcome, in the place where He made the water into wine, by people who had been to Jerusalem and experienced all He done there. So it doesn’t take long for the first miracle-beggar to arrive, knowing the reputation of this Jesus. A royal official he is called, a man clearly of means, and yet that will not help to save his son. His power is reduced to utter dependence on Jesus’ mercy, recognizing that he has no other hope. And it is that humble pleading, the ready acceptance of his own lowliness, and the confidence with which he places his hope in Jesus that opens the door for a miracle. It is the same confidence with which his mother first approached Him at Cana, echoed again in the same place, and resulting in the same merciful pouring out of divine glory. Maybe it wasn’t Cana that moved Jesus after all, but the hearts of the ones there who begged miracles of Him. Humble, hopeful hearts that embraced their utter dependence on his mercy. And what about you? What do you desperately need from Jesus today? Are you afraid to beg for a miracle of mercy because sometimes it seems like Jesus plays favorites and you are not it? Be assured, friend, that it is not so. Run to meet Him today, throwing all your hope in His mercy, begging with the heart of one who knows she is completely incapable of helping herself. Pursue Him; persevere in faith. Don’t be afraid to ask with desperate pleading. Make yourself a miracle beggar whose only hope is Jesus.. And all that is needed is for you to forget who you are and believe in who He is. Go ahead, stretch out your hand in faith, and ask for the thing you need but cannot get for yourself. He is waiting with a Cana miracle for you. [bctt tweet="Stretch out your hand in faith, and ask for the thing you need but cannot get for yourself."] Today, pray the prayer of the royal man made beggar. Ask Jesus for what you most desperately need with his words, "Sir, come down, ________." Take note of a detail about the day, the date, the weather, what you are wearing, as an act of faith that you will remember this moment when your prayer has been answered. photo credit Colleen Mitchell is wife to Greg and mother to five amazing sons here on earth. They serve in Costa Rica where they run the St. Francis Emmaus Center, a ministry that welcomes indigenous mothers into their home to provide them access to medical care, support and education in the weeks before and after the birth of a child. Find out more about her here.

First Reading: Joshua 5:9A, 10-12 The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day after the Passover, on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Brothers and sisters: Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable: “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’” NAB Today's reading from Joshua is one where a little backstory goes a long way. We find the Israelites restored to their position of intimacy with the Lord, the firstborn among all nations and the delight of His heart. Things are being made new for them, and their period of exile in the wilderness is coming to a close. But if we back up just a few verses into chapter 4, things look a little different. Before the victorious entrance into the land of Canaan, before the end of the manna and the fruitful return of regular harvests and crops aplenty, things looked a little different for Israel. Death. Suffering. Humiliating restitution. The expiration of "all the men of military age" who'd fled Egypt. Wandering in the desert for forty years. And finally, a mass circumcision of all the males, a new covenant sealed in blood with the God who'd delivered them, as promised. The key detail here being eventually. How easy it is to forget in the midst of our own suffering and hardship that God works on a different timeline then us, and always with our ultimate and greatest good in mind. Lord, I need freedom now, I need victory now . . and too often the reply seems to be "not yet." His ways are not our ways, and His timing is often not our timing. A wise and holy priest shared a transformative piece of spiritual wisdom with me earlier this year that was so simple—and yet so mind blowing—that I couldn't believe I'd lived thirty-three years as a Catholic without it: God's will; God's way; God's time. Those are the fundamental questions of discernment, he said. And that it's easy to get stuck on number one—God's will—and to never ask the second two questions at all. My mind was blown, because if it's God's will, shouldn't I rush to do it and force it and cajole and beg and . . . you get the idea. It never occurred to me to ask Him the follow up questions, or to see the accompanying suffering or subpar circumstances as intentional, on His part. But He shows us again and again in the Scriptures that My ways are not your ways, and my plans are not your plans. [bctt tweet="The fundamental questions of discernment: God's will; God's way; God's time."] Lord, help me surrender to all three of those conditions in my own life, trusting that you desire to bring me to restoration and freedom, and that you desire it so deeply you'll take me through anything to get me there. photo by Sara Miller Jenny Uebbing is a freelance writer and editor and a blogger for Catholic News Agency. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband Dave and their growing family. You can find out more about her thoughts on Catholicism, sex, politics, and parenting here.

First Reading: Hosea 6:1-6 “Come, let us return to the LORD, it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds. He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence. Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD; as certain as the dawn is his coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day! He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away. For this reason I smote them through the prophets, I slew them by the words of my mouth; For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21AB R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice. Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice. For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice. Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem; Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices, burnt offerings and holocausts. R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice. Gospel: Luke 18:9-14 Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” NAB "Ok, I need to throw in a load of laundry before we leave for the post office, then I need to make sure I hit the gym before coming home. Once the baby is down, I need to get a load of dishes started and begin my work hours. I should shower, I should definitely shower. What should we have for dinner? I need to get to bed early tonight. Oh and pray! I need to make sure I pray sometime today." My mind rambled off my scattered to-do list in the morning as I wiped yogurt off my son's face and guzzled down coffee like a marathon runner to water. I pulled out a post-it note and scribbled down my "game plan" before any detail could escape my mind. Except one little detail did. The prayer part. The afterthought. The "I know I should be making time for this and reminding myself to do it will make me feel like I'm at least making an effort" part. But here's what the Lord has to teach me: He is not another item on my to-do list. He is my to-do list. Nothing on my to-do list makes sense or is made possible without Him. Time with Jesus in prayer is not something that I just need to get done, it's a time to rest my heart in His and let myself be before Him. Sure, I may feel good about myself if I rattle off my nightly prayers like a good little Catholic. I may even scoff at other people who "aren't as disciplined in their prayer life" as I am. But really, of what use am I? The Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice. And no matter what I do to check off a box and puff up my chest, what God desires is a chest beat in humility. What God desires is a chest filled by a heart of pure love for Him, a chest assured by His constant presence throughout the day. So the next time we are tempted to make time with the Lord just another thing that stands between us and a "successful" day, let's remember this truth. [bctt tweet="What God desires is a chest assured by His constant presence throughout the day."] Let's all spend some quality time with the Lord today. The kind of time not fueled by agendas, but by the desire to just be with Him. photo credit Olivia Spears is a middle school religion teacher turned SAHM who is married to her high school best friend. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Hosea 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD: Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the LORD; Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls. Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount; We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion.” I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols? I have humbled him, but I will prosper him. “I am like a verdant cypress tree”– Because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 81:6C-8A, 8BC-9, 10-11AB, 14 AND 17 R. (see 11 and 9a) I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. An unfamiliar speech I hear: “I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I rescued you.” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. “Unseen, I answered you in thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear, my people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, will you not hear me?” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. “There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god. I, the LORD, am your God who led you forth from the land of Egypt.” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them.” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. Gospel: Mark 12:28-34 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions. NAB Last summer I was captivated reading the novel The Help. Set during the racial turbulence of 1960's America, the book chronicles one woman's mission to help the black maids of Jackson, Mississippi to have a voice. The character who continues to inspires me is the maid Aibileen, who in the story develops a beautiful relationship with a young girl in her care who is often ignored by her mother. When Aibileen is threatened with the loss of her job she repeats to little girl the phrase she had already told her many, many times before: "You is kind, you is smart, you is important." I've often reflected on this loving image at my own low points, when I have struggled to see my own goodness or when I have let the weight of sin mar my dignity. "How can I ever possibly love my own neighbor as myself when I don't love myself well in the first place?" I've wondered many times. We've all been there, haven't we? How often do we let feelings of despair creep into our hearts, or believe the lies that we aren't "good enough" or that our mistakes are "too big" to be forgiven? How hard it is to see and accept that the Lord loves every inch of us, and that He sees in us, as Aibileen did, the potential for something great? Maybe that is why our Lord gives us those two commandments from the Gospel of Mark in their proper order: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Perhaps if we spent more time this Lent first loving the Lord and meditating on all His goodness we could then see that we too, made in His image, are also good. Maybe then we would see that the Lord whispers to us in every moment of uncertainty that we, too, are kind, and smart, and important, and that we are loved by Him beyond all possible imaginings. Maybe then our hearts would be free to truly love our brothers and sisters in need. [bctt tweet="The Lord whispers to us that we are loved by Him beyond all possible imaginings."] Spend some time asking our Lord how He loves you, and write them down. Then make a sacrifice of time in the next week, in a word or in a note, to affirm another sister for her own goodness. photo credit Karen Schultz is a Birth Doula who hails from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, where she is often found in or near one of them. You can find out more about her here.

First Reading: Jeremiah 7:23-28 Thus says the LORD: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper. But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me. From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day, I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets. Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed; they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers. When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you either; when you call to them, they will not answer you. Say to them: This is the nation that does not listen to the voice of the LORD, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him. R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Oh, that today you would hear his voice: “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, Where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.” R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Gospel: Luke 11:14-23 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” NAB It’s the middle of Lent, and we’ve been working at this for a few weeks now. How is it going? Did you start out strong, full of resolve to increase in holiness and virtue? Are you still keeping up with all your good intentions? Have any of your Lenten practices started to feel too heavy or burdensome to maintain? Have you thrown up your hands in frustration and given up entirely? By this point, reality has usually set in for me, and I have realized that I might not be able to follow through on some of my loftier goals. Maybe someone in my family got sick, and I wasn’t able to keep up with my spiritual reading. Maybe we had to travel unexpectedly, and I missed a few days of the prayer practice I wanted to do. Maybe my retreat was canceled for snow. Whatever the reason, maybe Lent isn’t going exactly the way we had planned. There is good news for us, because what God really wants from us is our hearts. In today’s reading from Jeremiah, God seems less concerned with the specific commandments that His people have broken and more concerned with the state of their relationship with Him. He wants their love. He wants them to be His people again. He sent prophet after prophet to try to speak sense to them, and they wouldn’t listen. They turned their backs, not their faces to God. He wants to see our faces, not our backs. He wants us to turn to Him and away from whatever distracts us from His love. Our checklists and plans and to-do lists might make us feel holier, but what really matters is how they help us grow in our relationship with God. Whatever we have set out to do needs to pull us in the right direction—toward a closer, more loving, more honest relationship with the One who knows us better than anyone, who loves us even if we can’t check off all our boxes, who wants us to be His before we are anything else. Where do you stand? Is Lent drawing you closer to God this year? There’s still time. [bctt tweet="Is Lent drawing you closer to God this year? There’s still time."] Take a few minutes today to examine things in your life. How is your relationship with God today? What is one thing you could do to improve it? Abbey Dupuy writes her life as a homeschooling mama of four while relying on coffee and grace. You can find out more about her here.