Friday after Ash Wednesday

Reflection

Today’s first reading from Isaiah (58-1-9a) contains some concrete advice about how we might “fast.” This is especially important for this first Friday of Lent. How should we keep this day of penance, Isaiah asks. Not by hypocrisy or “…bowing our heads like a reed and laying in sackcloth and ashes…”, but by good works instead. His list of suggestions is familiar to every Christian, and a good reminder for everyone: “…releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” 

In modern tradition, the Catholic Bishops ask us to abstain from eating meat during each of the Fridays during Lent, except on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday when we are asked also to limit our food intake to the equivalent of just one full meal for each of those special days. 

According to Jessica Coblentz in U.S. Catholic “Fasting rituals are not legalistic obligations but rather collective rituals of self-denial aimed at imitating Christ.” Perhaps the most profound statement of the practice is expressed by Fr. Daniel Merz of the Conference of Catholic Bishops: “For the Christian, fasting is ultimately about fasting from sin.”

Cutting out meat and skipping a meal is pretty easy by comparison, but a good reminder of the life we are called to.  

Prayer

Lord, help me to live with many forms of fasting in my daily life and for those sacrifices to help me become a better Christian in all its magnificent manifestations.

Vince Bolduc
Professor Emeritus of Sociology

Scripture
First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-9a
Psalm 51:3-6b, 18-19
Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Reflection

As we enter the Lenten season, today’s readings remind us that life in Jesus is about making choices. Luke first recounts Jesus foretelling His disciples what is going to happen to Him. Jesus tells us that to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. This is not just about extreme suffering but also denying ourselves. This is most difficult today because we live in a culture that continually bombards us to indulge ourselves, but we must focus on letting go of anything that competes with God
for priority in our lives including self- centeredness, profit driven ambition and more. Honestly ask yourself if you are truly taking up your cross daily to truly follow Christ in love and faith.

In Moses last sermon before he died, he, too, talks about choices with stark contrasts on what we can expect if we choose to follow GOD’s commandments OR turn our hearts away, not listen and go astray. “Choose life” by loving God, walking in obedience to Him and the commandments. This again, is not easy in the world we live in as we are human and thus, sinners. Although it can be challenging to choose life, we must continually try by calling on the Holy Spirit for guidance, so we continue to carry our cross daily and walk with Jesus to our salvation.

Let us deeply reflect on our choices this Lenten season to choose life by carrying our cross daily. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray for the strength, honesty, and courage to choose life leading to eternal life with you for “Blessed are they that hope in the Lord”. We pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen

Eileen Casey, ‘81

Scripture

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Psalm 1:1-4, 6

Gospel: Luke 9:22-25

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

  Ash Wednesday

Reflection

Today, our foreheads are traced with the dust and ashes of the earth, with the judgement that “you are dust.” This of course is both factual and metaphorical or symbolic. Dust is all the same, one fleck no different than another, it blows where it wills. In scripture God tells us we are dust, but scripture also asserts that the Word became flesh (dust) and dwelt among us. This flesh, this dust embodied in Christ is also the flesh of our salvation. Dust moves from nothingness and death to life and eternity. At the same time, we experience our own weakness, the difficulties of living a virtuous life, the disappointments we experience in ourselves, our families, the church. And so, there is a dying and lying in dust we may feel on any given day. But this dying is not the last word. “You are dust” is not our future because God is involved with us and promises the depth of eternity, and thus there is hope.

This signing today with dust will have meaning in as much as each of us takes on those small “deaths” whereby we show patience with the boring and tedious in our lives; request forgiveness; live up to our convictions in face of opposition. If we die in the daily round of living and do so willingly in union with the passion of Christ, our everyday, ordinary lives will reflect the splendor and glory of Christ’s resurrection.

Prayer

Gracious God, you speak to us and reveal our origins as dust of the earth, but you have not finished speaking. You are with us each day and remain our hope against all hope. Abide with us on our Lenten journey and bring us to know the glory of the resurrection.

Edward J. Mahoney
Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies

Scripture

First Reading: Joel 2:12-18

Psalm 51:3-6b, 12-14, 17

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

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

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

  Join us on a Lenten Journey…

Lent is an incredible gift to us. Some of us receive it with eagerness as a time of healing and growth; others receive it with trepidation of the challenges and sacrifices that Lent can pose; still others receive it with indifference. And yet regardless of where we are in our spiritual journeys, we are all given an opportunity during these 40 days to turn our hearts back towards God and deepen our relationship with God and others in a special way. It offers a chance to take time to reflect on our lives and renew our commitment to open our hearts to God through prayer.

With this in mind, the students, faculty, staff, and members of the Saint Michael’s College worshipping community have come together to offer their reflections on the daily Scripture readings and what they are saying to us in our lives today...how they challenge and encourage us to feel God’s presence, love, and forgiveness each day during this sacred time. Each day of Lent, there will be a new reflection on this blog, based on the Scripture readings of the day, from Ash Wednesday through Easter. We encourage you to join us on a Lenten journey of reflecting and praying with us through this site.

We hope that these reflections are ones that inspire and help you grow deeper in your prayer life during the journey of Lent as we prepare for the Resurrection of Christ Jesus! May we be inspired to open our eyes and see God’s deep, unconditional love present in our lives.

Please note that these reflections are not intended to represent theological views or statements by Edmundite Campus Ministry or Saint Michael’s College, but rather are a compilation of reflections as written by members of the campus and wider community of worshippers.

Easter Sunday

Reflection

In the Easter Gospel, Mary of Magdala discovers the empty tomb, setting a scene of initial darkness that reflects uncertainty and sorrow. Her urgency to inform Peter and the beloved disciple triggers a race, illustrating diverse responses to faith's mysteries.

As they approach the tomb, the disciples' distinct reactions – one hesitating, the other boldly entering and believing – mirror the varied ways we at times grapple with divine truths. The passage ends with the acknowledgment that, at that moment, the disciples did not fully comprehend Jesus' resurrection. This mirrors the ongoing human struggle to grasp divine mysteries, celebrating Easter as a transformative light dispelling doubt.

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter boldly proclaims Jesus' anointing, ministry, and resurrection. This proclamation bridges the uncertainty of the empty tomb to the conviction of a risen Christ. Peter emphasizes their role as witnesses, having shared meals with the risen Christ, underscoring the reality of the resurrection.

The complete picture of Easter – from the darkness of Christ's death, the confusion at the empty tomb, to the radiant proclamation of His resurrection – emerge from these two readings.

Prayer

As we celebrate Christ’s resurrection today and every Sunday, we embrace the transformative power of faith in the risen Christ and fills us with hope, charity, and love. Amen.

Richard Plumb, PhD
President, Saint Michael’s College

Scripture

First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Gospel: John 20:1-9

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil)

Reflection

The liturgy of the Word for the Easter Vigil is proclaimed during the most solemn Eucharistic celebration in our Church calendar. Beginning with the ritual blessing of fire and proclaiming Christ our light, the darkness of sin is replaced by the brightness of Christ’s light represented by the paschal candle being carried to the altar. Through the liturgy of the Word salvation history is recounted as we remember God’s loving act of creation and his liberating relationship with his chosen people. All of this culminates in the waters of baptism as new members of our Church community are ritually welcomed into our communion through the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation the Eucharist.

As we enter into this multifaceted celebration, perhaps we can pray with the ritual symbols of fire, water, oil, bread and wine in which the ordinary become extraordinary within our celebration of faith. In the waters of baptism, we are freed from the bondage of sin and share not only in Christ’s death, but we are also promised a share in his resurrection. For on this holy night that is what we especially celebrate in a glorious way that the one who was crucified is now raised as we journey again with Mary Magdalene and the other disciples encountering our risen Lord.

Prayer

Lord God, as we enter the Easter season help us to encounter with joy your risen Son so that we might become bold proclaimers of his teachings in our daily lives. Amen.

Rev. Brian J. Cummings, SSE ’86
Director of Campus Ministry

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a

Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 or Psalm 33:4-7, 12-13, 20, 22
Second Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Psalm 16:5, 8-11
Third Reading: Exodus 14:15—15:1
(Psalm) Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18
Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6
Sixth Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32—4:4
Psalm 19:8-11
Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3-4
Eighth Reading: Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Gospel: Mark 16:1-7

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Good Friday

Reflection

Superficially, the name “Good Friday” can seem wildly inappropriate for the day on which we commemorate the brutal murder and death of the One who came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). But then, the very Scriptures that we are given for our liturgical celebration are weighted with paradox and contradictions.

In John’s Passion, Jesus is presented as a king – “You say I am a king!”—fully in command of his own destiny in the midst of the injustices and cruelties brought against him: “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.”

But in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, we experience a kind of whiplash effect: See my servant shall prosper… because of him kings shall stand speechless.” And yet, “There was in him no stately bearing,… one of those from whom people hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.”

Jesus’ power is precisely the power of the second person of the Holy Trinity: “if he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.” (Isaiah 53:10).

God so loves the world that in the person of Jesus he willing took – and still takes – the very worst that his fellow human beings could dish out to him, and he showed – and still shows – the triumphant and saving power of love.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for giving me a share in your life through your sharing in mine. Paradoxically I see myself also in all who contributed to your passion and death. Forgive whatever suffering I may cause for your sisters and brothers – members of your body – in my own day, and grant that by your love all my suffering may be transformed into “good” suffering in union with yours, offered for the salvation of the world. Amen.

Fr. David Cray, SSE
Superior General, Society of St. Edmund

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Gospel: John 18:1—19:42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website