Year: 2024

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Gospel: Luke 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to all,
 “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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These are some of the most famous – and difficult – words spoken by Jesus: “Take up your cross and follow me.”

What’s that mysterious cross he’s referring to? 

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The clumsy, awkward, often hard to carry cross called life.

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We might re-interpret Jesus’ words, “Take up your life and follow me.”

Many of us carry the weight of children, marriage, or a difficult job. Others suffer from an illness, care for an aging spouse, or have bills piling up.

Meanwhile, it’s the second day of Lent, so we’ve added the daily practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

We don’t have to add any extra weight to our shoulders in order to please Jesus. We simply can’t shrug it off.

That’s the cross.

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Whatever God has given us to do today, may we do it all – without either complaint or need for praise. 

Just take up your life – and all the responsibilities associated with it – and follow him.

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Image credits: (1) Kingdom Virtues (2) Redeemed! (3) LIFE, American TV series, Wikipedia

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Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate both chocolate and ashes… romance and sacrifice… Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday.

On the surface, the two may seem like a contradiction in terms. But if we dig deeper, then we should discover that both Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday are rooted in the same theme:

Love.

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In Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo and Juliet, a young Juliet gazes down upon Romeo and says: “Romeo, the more I give to you the more I seem to have.”

His happiness led to hers.

That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about – reminding ourselves that the happier our loved one is, the happier we become.

Our hearts naturally seem fuller after cooking a special dinner for a friend or spouse; writing a gushy card; or sending a bouquet of flowers. That smile coming from our beloved’s face makes us happy in return.  

The more we give, the more we have.

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Ash Wednesday – and by extension, Lent – takes the logic of Valentine’s Day and stretches it.

In today’s Gospel, the Lord instructs us to pray, fast, and give alms. The more we do these things – not just for a friend or spouse – but for strangers, the less fortunate, even our enemies, the happier we will become.

“For if you love those who love you,” Jesus says, “what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.”

“Rather, love your enemies and do good to them. Lend and expect nothing back. Then your reward will be great in heaven.”

Trust Jesus: the more we give to others this Lent, the more we will seem to have.

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Image credits: (1) ABC 13 (2) Simcha Fisher (3) Christianity.com

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Gospel: Mark 8:14-21

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.” 
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Tomorrow, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our 40-day Lenten journeys aimed at spiritual renewal. Both our first reading and today’s Gospel provide timely advice before we begin.

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“Watch out,” Jesus says, “guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 

Leaven, also known as yeast, is used to make dough rise. Just a pinch of it permeates an entire loaf. 

Jews often used the same word – leaven – to describe sin. Just a pinch of it– a single temptation, a single lie, a single gesture – can change a person’s heart until, slowly, the leaven takes over.

In terms of the disciples, Jesus is warning them to not let the doubt and skepticism of the Pharisees creep into their hearts. Such negativity will harden them to the point that they’ll be unable to believe, understand, or perform any mighty deed in his name.

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What about our own hearts? What’s the leaven that can sabotage our own spiritual lives?

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It might be the “leaven” of impatience; selfishness; or pride. Such things are meant to be rooted out during Lent, often through prayer, fasting, and charity.

As Saint James reminds us in our first reading, “Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven, he will receive the crown of life.”

May God bless these 40 days, honoring all of our effort, so that our hearts will remain soft and open to doing the Lord’s will.

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Image credits: (1) Brother James (2) Christ Church Memphis (3) A Heart for God, WordPress