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Isaiah 55: 10-11

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 the 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 – and was deeply moved by those words, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.” 

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So, Damian left his parish, his family, his native language – his entire life behind – and moved to Molokai, where he ministered to lepers 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 their graves – 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.

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What does his life say to us today?

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That we should be receptive to – and challenged by – the Word of God.

“Thus say 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 there 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 has the Word of God changed me?

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May God’s Word take deep root, changing each of us for the better today.

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Image credits: (1) X.com (2) Teaching Catholic Kids (3) Catholic World Report

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Gospel: Matthew 25: 31-46

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, and nurses readily available.

Yet, looking around, 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 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 said: Feeling unwanted. Unloved. 

Forgotten.

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Lent is a time for us to become increasingly aware of 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 may feel forgotten.

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,” Christ will say at the end of our lives, “you did – or did not do – for me.”

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Image credits: (1) TV Guide (2) Nursing Home Abuse Justice (3) QGiv

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Gospel: Mark 1: 12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, 
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested, 
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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All week, I’ve wrestled with the question, why? 

Why do we celebrate Lent year after year? Is there wisdom in praying, fasting, and giving alms for forty straight days?

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Of course. 

But in order to have a fruitful Lent, we should dig deeper into why we do what we do.

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Think of these forty days as a type of training. 

Just as soldiers train before going into battle or athletes train before going into competition, Christians should train themselves before the floods of temptation or trial come rushing in.

Consider Noah’s ark in our first reading.

Noah built his ark while it was still bright and sunny outside; he prepared himself before the flood waters came. He was saved from the storm only because he was already inside the boat, teaching us an important lesson in faith: 

Build the ark now.

Prepare for the floods before they come. Nobody foresees dryness in prayer; a door closed; an addiction; an extended hospital stay; a broken relationship. Unfortunately, these things can happen, which is why we are learning how to rely upon the Lord now. 

As the Psalmist wisely notes, “Every person should pray to you in time of distress. Though the flood waters may reach high, you [the person of faith] they shall not overcome. You, Lord, are our shelter and strength.”

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Jesus is building his own type of “ark” in today’s Gospel.

Immediately after he is baptized by John in the Jordan River, the Spirit “drives” him into the desert. This was not a path Jesus chose for himself; he was literally compelled; pressed; urged by the Spirit.

God allows his Son to endure these forty days in order to empower him for the many trials he will face in ministry. Like Noah, Jesus must build his ark before the floods come.

Think of the different trials he will face, including the scribes and Pharisees’ hardness of heart; rejection from his hometown – even by some of his own family members; the testing in Gethsemane; the betrayal of Judas; the abandonment of the Apostles; even death itself.

This time in the desert is meant to strengthen the Lord’s resolve.

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So, what was the desert like?

Away from all human contact, Jesus became hungry. He was bored. He prayed. He wept. He thirsted. He wrestled with temptation. He was hot by day and cold at night, sleeping on sand and rock, while eerie sounds echoed in the darkness. 

His days were difficult. But Mark adds a beautiful detail: “angels ministered to him.” 

I doubt winged creatures came rushing down from heaven. This was a test of the Lord’s character, his humanity, his trust in God’s divine love, his strength of spirit. 

It seems to me, the “angels” were likely gentle reminders of God’s presence:

A cool breeze by day; a bright constellation of stars at night; an oasis of water sent to quench his parched throat; peace in prayer; even the grace of memory, as Jesus recalled what happened at his baptism, when his Father affirmed, “This is my beloved Son.”

What Luke said of the Christ-child all those years before, we could also say of Jesus in the desert, “He advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.”

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Isn’t that what we all hope for during Lent?

To, “advance in wisdom and age and favor before God.”

In what ways am I building my “ark”? How am I strengthening my spirit during this sacred time? 

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Whatever our plans are, may the “angels” minister to us on our journeys, strengthening our resolve, reminding us that – even in the desert – God is near.

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Image credits: (1) Diocese of Covington, Jesus in the Desert, WordPress (2) Freepik (3) Diocese of Norwich