Author: admin

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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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If we venture into our kitchens this morning and do a “head-count” of all our dishes, we may find we have a few imperfect sets.

7 dinner plates, 5 saucers, 9 glasses, 3 soup bowls. But why?

Incomplete sets are the mark of a “lived-in” kitchen. Many of us have children or grandchildren running around. I myself am clumsy from time to time.

Maybe a bowl fell off the counter last week; a glass broke in the dishwasher; a wet plate slid from our hands.

What do we do when a dish breaks?

We sweep it into the garbage.

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That’s how we deal with most things when they’re broken. 

That space heater that fizzled out this winter; that wobbly wooden chair; that old couch the kids jumped on just one too many times. 

Toss it. Drag it out to the curb. Throw it in the dumpster.

But what about a broken heart? A weak marriage? A fractured friendship? A crumbling relationship with God? 

Are we to be disposed of like a broken bowl?

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The Japanese have a fascinating custom called Kintsugi. 

When a bowl is broken, they don’t throw it away; rather, they piece it back together using glue and gold.

They say that breakage and repair are all part of the history of that object. The focus is not on how the object broke, but that it was restored.

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Haven’t we all been broken like a bowl at some point in our lives? 

We’ve been diagnosed with cancer; we’ve struggled with addiction; we’ve lost our job, our home, our marriage, or even a child.  

Life has a way of breaking us. 

But broken hearts – and by extension, broken lives – can be put back together. That’s what our faith – and forgiveness – is all about.

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Throughout the Gospels, Jesus seeks out the sinful, the sorrowful, the possessed – and he heals them. 

“For I did not come to call the righteous,” he says, “but sinners.” The broken ones.

Ask any of those healed, Jesus has a way of filling those cracks and chips in our lives with the golden glue of his mercy.

In that sense, the Lord is the ultimate Kintsugi artist. He can piece anyone back together, no matter how much damage has occurred.

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Where are the cracks in my own life or spirit? Where do I need to be forgiven? Pieced back together?

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Often people associate Ash Wednesday with the passage of time; with death. 

But it’s about much more than that. It’s about new beginnings; forgiveness; restoration; resurrection.

As you come forth to have ashes traced on your forehead, remember these words: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

Turn to the Lord, trusting that he can – and will – piece us all back together, because no life, no circumstance, no person is disposable in the eyes of God. 

Spiritually, we’re all a composite of gold and glue.  Those cracks in our lives – and the healing that takes place – are all part of our story.

Repent, and believe in the Gospel.

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Image credits: (1) USA Today (2) LinkedIn (3) Walk on Water

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Gospel: Mark 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus,
‘We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Do you remember learning how to ride a bicycle?

I’ve seen pictures of myself peddling my plastic tricycle in our family driveway as a toddler. Then I became a “big boy,” graduating to a real bicycle with training wheels. Eventually, I outgrew those, too, and had to learn how to pedal on my own.

That’s the scary part.

I’m sure many parents have had that heart dropping feeling of watching your child wobble without training wheels. At first, you hold onto the back of their seat as they struggle finding their balance.

Soon enough, children develop a sense of confidence and insist on you letting go as they push and pedal on their own. For some, that command leads to a crash landing. 

For others, newfound freedom.

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That’s what Lent is all about.

Learning how to wobble. Pedal. Push. Balance.

Spiritually speaking, how to grow up.

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Most of the year, we fight with the Lord, trying to wrestle control of our lives, without really wanting God to let go. Think of a child trying to pedal on their own, while finding comfort knowing that Mom or Dad is still holding on.

But during these days of Lent, in a sense, God lets go.

He puts us to the test.

He allows us to pedal on our own, discovering for ourselves what we’re made of; how spiritually mature we are. 

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus is put to the test; tempted. 

At his baptism, God affirmed him, saying from the heavens, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Then the Spirit drives Jesus into the desert, where he must learn how to resist the devil – and, you might say, pedal on his own.

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Generally, when we think of the word “temptation,” we think about it in a negative sense. Temptations are those people and things that are not really good for us, yet we allow them to exercise an unfair amount of control in our lives.

As Mark Twain once said, “The best way to get rid of temptation is to give into it.”

However, in the bible, the word “temptation” has a double meaning; it’s not only used in a negative sense, but also in a positive sense. 

While it does imply the trickery of the devil, or things that lure us away from virtuous living and the Lord, the word “temptation” also implies a divine “test.”

God tests our hearts – not to make us fail; rather, to strengthen us to do his will. In the case of Jesus, the desert is the place where he prepares for ministry.

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During the course of his public ministry, Jesus did many wonderful things for others, but own personal journey was riddled with difficulty. 

He was criticized by the religious authorities, misunderstood by his own family, betrayed by Judas, abandoned by his friends, and eventually left for dead, beaten and bloodied on a cross.

Yes, the devil attacked him. Yes, Jesus was confronted by evil. But through it all, he persevered and did his Father’s will perfectly because of the strength he cultivated during those forty days in the desert.

Humanly speaking, you might say, that’s where Jesus learned how to ride. He wobbled. Pedaled. Pushed his way through those initial temptations.

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As we prepare for yet another Lent, perhaps God is calling us to dive deeper. Not simply to give up chocolate, coffee, or social media for forty days, repressing a particular appetite, but to really examine our conscience, asking questions like:

How important is God in my life? How much control do certain temptations have over me? How rich is my prayer life? How considerate am I of others?

Spiritually, have I learned how to ride my bike? Am I truly free to choose good and reject evil? 

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May God cast out any fear from our hearts, allowing us to wobble our way through Lent. To push. Pedal. Strive. Balance.

To discover that freedom, which allows us to do our Father’s will, to Calvary and beyond.

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Image credits: (1) Christ’s Charge to Peter, Raphael (2) Pexels (3) Open Music Archive, University of Salford Art Collection

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Gospel: Mark 10: 17-27

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“”Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?””
Jesus answered him, “”Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.””
He replied and said to him,
“”Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.””
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“”You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.””
At that statement, his face fell,  
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“”How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!””
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“”Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is the only time in Mark’s Gospel when Jesus is recorded as loving someone.

Yet that person also walks away from him.

Just a few verses prior, the rich young man runs up to Jesus like a child, eager to hear his wisdom. Now, all of a sudden, he’s gone.

What was it about Christ’s divine love that repelled him?

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“Go, sell what you have,” Jesus says to him. “Give to the poor. Then, come follow me.”

The instructions were clear. The door was open. But the rich young man couldn’t make a leap of faith because he was afraid.

He was afraid that, if he gave up all of his belongings, then he wouldn’t be happy; he’d be sad.

He was afraid that, if he followed Jesus, then the Lord would take everything away from him. He was afraid of missing out on life, of giving the final years of his youth to a person whom he didn’t fully trust.

He was afraid that eternal life might only come after years of suffering; of generous, penniless living.

Perhaps he walked away from Jesus because he hoped there was another way, a different invitation, a road more traveled, allowing him to keep all the pieces of his life undisturbed and the plans for his future intact while also following Jesus.

Does any of this fear sound familiar?

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This fear is a lie.

Consider what happens to the rich young man. He walks away “sad.” Suddenly, a shadow is cast over his estate, even his heart. He had the opportunity to pursue greatness, to receive divine life, but he just couldn’t do it.

Fear is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Rather, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, joy, and gentleness are. These are the things we receive when we follow Jesus.

Sometimes that path requires risks, as the rich young man discovered. But like little lambs, you and I should follow the Lord wherever he may go.

It only leads to a fuller life now and in the age to come. 

What might it look like for me to follow Jesus today?

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Image credits: (1) Christ and the Rich Young Man, Heinrich Hofmann (2) FreePik (3) Adobe Stock