Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
The Word of the Lord.
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One of my favorite Saints is Damian of Molokai.
Damian was a priest from Belgium, born in 1840. After his ordination, he felt the call to move from his native country, half-way across the globe to the deserted Hawaiian island known as Molokai.
It was home to hundreds of lepers – including children. At that time, when someone contracted leprosy, they were immediately removed from their community, often sent to Molokai, where they’d live and die in despair.
Somehow, word of this hellish island’s existence made its way from Hawaii to Belgium, into Damian’s heart.
He thought of Christ’s final sermon – the Judgment of the Nations, which we heard in yesterday’s Gospel – and was deeply moved by Christ’s words, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”
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Damian left his parish, his family, his native language – his entire life behind – and moved to this island of lepers, where he ministered to them for 16 years.
He built a school, taught the children, celebrated Mass, assembled a choir to worship on Sundays, broke bread with the broken, even dug graves with his bare hands – more than 600 in all.
Damian loved and served them as if they were Christ until he contracted leprosy himself, dying from it at the tender age of 49.
So, what does his life say to us today? That we should be receptive to – and challenged by – the Word of God.
“Thus says the LORD,” the prophet Isaiah proclaims in our first reading, “just as from the heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return until they have watered the earth…so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void.”
Like Father Damian, how is the Word of God changing my path, my actions, my heart?
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May God’s Word take deeper root in us, making us more and more like Christ.
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Image credits: (1) Agents of Light (2) Damian of Molokai, National Catholic Register (3) Michigan District, LCMS
Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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During a visit to the United States, Mother Teresa went to a nursing home run by religious sisters.
It had nearly every creaturely comfort one could ask for – healthy food, comfy beds, air conditioning, heating, television, music playing in the background, and nurses readily available.
Yet, Mother Teresa noticed that not one of the residents was smiling.
Surprised, she turned to one of the sisters, asking, “Why are these people not smiling? I’m so used to seeing people smile, even the poorest of the poor who are dying in our homes in Calcutta – they smile.”
The nun responded, “This is the way it is nearly every day. They are expecting, they are hoping, that a son or daughter or grandchild will come to visit them. But they never do. They hurt because they are forgotten.”
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This is the greatest form of poverty, Mother Teresa affirmed: Feeling unwanted. Unloved.
Forgotten.
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Lent is a time for us to become increasingly awareof Christ present in others – especially the sick, the less fortunate, the forgotten.
I’m inspired by our parishioners who routinely visit the nursing home located less than a mile from our parish. They bring communion to our brothers and sisters, listen to their stories, and pray with them week after week.
They encounter Christ in some who otherwise might feel forgotten.
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What about us? How do we go out of our way to encounter Christ – not just in the elderly, but also in veterans, the sick, the imprisoned, young adults, teens, or children?
“Whatever you did – or did not do – for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine,” certainly during this season of Lent, Jesus says, “you did to me.”
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Image credits: (1) Sean Grover, LCSW (2) Israel My Glory (3) Qgiv.com
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
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 to find their balance.
Soon enough, children develop a sense of confidence, insisting that you let them 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.
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; he’s tempted.
At his baptism, the heavens are torn open as God affirms Jesus, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Immediately afterwards, the Spirit drives him into the desert, where Jesus 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 control over 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 his public ministry.
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During the course of his ministry, Jesus does many wonderful things for others, but his own personal journey is riddled with difficulty.
He is 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 attacks him. Yes, Jesus is confronted by evil. But through it all, he perseveres and does his Father’s will perfectly because of the strength he cultivates during those forty days in the desert.
Humanly speaking, you might say, that’s where Jesus learns how to ride. He wobbles. Pedals. Pushes his way through those desert 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.
