Monday of the First Week

Reflection

The Law.  Judgment.  The words are cold and hard. Rules and regulations; enforcers with stern faces. [Speed limits and traffic cops; taxes and the IRS.]. We would prefer not to be entangled with these things. The book of Leviticus contains regulation upon regulation for everything imaginable from eating to bathing to sex and the style of one’s beard, and repeatedly the reminder to obey because “I am the Lord.” 

 Jesus will take things in an entirely different direction.

The verses chosen from Leviticus for today’s first reading already contain a hint about the true nature of God’s law. “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” And what follows in the words God gives to Moses are simply concrete, common sense directions for living with justice and compassion for our fellow human beings. Don’t steal, don’t defraud; judge justly, and act with concern for your neighbor. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” No complicated rules here. No “lording over.”

Jesus takes this shift in attitude one step further. He says: when you live this way, with justice and compassion toward your neighbor, then you are in fact loving Me, because I am there – I am your neighbor, your sister, your brother. Simple, really. The farthest thing from codes and regulations. See Jesus in every person. Act with love and justice and compassion.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.”  The concept is simple; but it requires a profoundly new way of seeing, a conversion of heart.

Prayer

Lord, write Your law of love into our hearts and minds, so that we may see You in every person, and find the strength and wisdom to live and act with love.

Zsuzanna Kadas, Professor of Mathematics

Scripture
First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Psalm 19:8-10, 15

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

First Sunday of Lent

Reflection

The readings for this Sunday implore us to call on the Lord and to remember what the Lenten season is all about. In the first reading, we are told the story of God bringing Moses and His people out of Egypt, out of aggression, toil, and oppression, and into a land flowing with milk and honey. When they were being maltreated, they cried to the Lord, and He answered them – we need to remember to call and place our trust in the Lord when we fall upon hard times. In the second reading, Saint Paul explains to the Romans the essential part of our faith. He writes, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” This continues the theme of calling on the Lord and brings in the aspect of salvation. Then, the Gospel reading reminds us of what out Lenten tradition is built on. The story of Jesus being tempted in the desert and not eating for forty days is the basis for our tradition. The practice of giving something up for forty days is to help us remember this story of how Jesus overcame great temptation. Even when Jesus was malnourished and exhausted from His time in the desert, He was able to overcome each of the devil’s offers and to even refute them with Scripture. So how can we overcome our temptations during this season and prepare for Easter? We need to call on the Lord and not live on bread alone. We must open up to the Scriptures and trust the Lord to guide our lives.

Prayer

Lord, as this Lenten season begins, I pray that I will put my trust in You, and that whenever I am struggling, I will remember Your promise. Help me to live with You and please deliver me from all evil and temptation.

Tim Nagy, ‘15

Scripture

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15
Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13 

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Reflection

As He said to Levi, Jesus says to all of us, “Follow me.”  God wants us to turn back to Him and follow Him. The Gospel tells us that the Lord came to call the sinners to repentance, not the righteous. Our loving God knows that we are not perfect. Yet, He is always there to call us back to Him.

The psalm for today entreats God to teach us His ways so that we can walk in His truth. Learning His ways allows us to answer His call to follow Him. We are continually learning, continually making mistakes, continually sorry, and continually forgiven. The Lord is there for us through it all, loving us and forgiving us. Our relationship with Him is dependent on us and how much time and effort we put into prayer and living out His love.

In the first reading, we hear that if we help those in need, do not oppress, and do not speak falsely or maliciously, God will guide us, provide for us, and renew us. The Gospel and the psalm focus on our relationship with God while the first reading focuses on our relationship with others and receiving God’s grace from treating others with kindness. Isaiah’s reading reminds us that we are to live for God, not ourselves and our interests.  Light will shine from us as our hearts overflow from God’s love and joy.

Prayer

Gracious and merciful Lord, help us to be like Levi, to get up and follow You and to learn from You so that we can walk in Your truth.

Tracy Peterka, ‘13

Scripture
First Reading: Isaiah 58:9b-14
Psalm 86:1-6

Gospel: Luke 5:27-32

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Reflection

As we begin the journey of Lent, conversations with my family and friends frequently compare what we have “given up.”  Coffee, chocolate, ice cream, alcohol...we give up what we enjoy as a way of sacrificing during the 40 days that are meant to make us more thoughtful, more prayerful, more reliant on God for strength and perseverance.   By “giving up,” we can “give over” to God. 

But I often am stuck on this.  Certainly sacrifice is important – if anything means anything to you, it is worthy of sacrifice.  Sacrifice is the action of our beliefs, demonstrating what we value in our lives.  For a few years, I opted to do something extra – something active – rather than give something up, reflecting a little more of Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel.  Today, we read in Isaiah what God expects of us in our fasting, and I realize it speaks to why I decided I wanted to do something extra AND give something up:

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: 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 the years I did something extra, I certainly was more aware, but I had forgotten what I needed to really motivate an authentic response to what and whom I was seeing around me.   These readings remind me of the importance of combining quiet, prayerful reflection, mindfulness through sacrifice, and time to allow me to hear who God is calling me to be throughout Lent…and after.

Prayer

Gracious God, help us not only to give up things this Lent, but to remember the importance of giving ourselves over to You.  Remind us of what we are called to do and who we are called to be – all possible with Your grace, mercy and love.

Heidi St. Peter, ‘96, Director of MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts)

Scripture
First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-9a

Psalm 51:3-6a, 18-9

Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, we hear of the sacrifices the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, is called to face not for His own sake but for the sake of humanity. It is because of God’s never ending love for us, His beloved children, that Christ willingly carries His own cross. However, as Luke writes, we too are called to make sacrifices just as Christ did, “[to] take up [our] cross daily and follow [Christ].” Thus, we are called to live for God through our words and our actions towards others. In doing this, we are denying ourselves as we are called to do in the Gospel not because we are rejecting our well-being, but because we are putting other’s needs before our own and thus, we put God before ourselves. Ultimately, Christ is calling us to overcome our human selfishness and pride.  Christ’s call contradicts the message that is professed by society, but as Christians we are called to be countercultural just as Christ was and, just as Christ faced many challenges, we are bound to face many of our own along our own journey. Despite these challenges, by refocusing our attention from ourselves to the needs of others, we become a conduit for the Holy Spirit and share the love of God with our sisters and brothers in Christ. By doing this, we can find true peace and happiness in God, for as the Gospel for today concludes, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”

Prayer

Lord God, help us become the conduit of Your love towards others and help us see past the blindness induced by our own selfishness so we can find true happiness through the denial of ourselves in service to our sisters and brothers in Christ.  In Your name, we pray, Amen.

Michael O’Neill, ‘13

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

On Ash Wednesday, we as Catholics enter Lent, a time of quiet prayerful reflection.  We consider our own sinfulness in the face of the suffering and death of our Savior for our own salvation.  It is a time to "return to the Lord" as we may have drifted away in all the busyness and distractions that come our way.  Lent is a somber time, but it is also a time to be grateful.  Rather than feeling shame that we may have neglected our relationship with God, we should remember that God is constantly rejoicing in us as the prodigal son who was lost but comes home again.  We hear in the first reading that our God is "gracious and merciful...slow to anger, rich in kindness."  He never tires of forgiving us for our sins and transgressions.  This is a very comforting thought for me, because as I often feel that my sins and my shortcomings make me unworthy of God's love, I can remember that God is unlike us in that He will never run out of forgiveness.  He will never neglect us for the many times we neglect Him.  This understanding truly makes me want to respond to the call to be an ambassador for Christ, to be the hands and the feet of His church and to tell everyone I meet, "now is the day of salvation."  Now is the day of salvation because God's mercy and forgiveness is for every day, not just on the day we die.  Now is the day of salvation because God calls us to a new and deeper relationship with Him every day.  Now is the day of salvation because God offers us His love today, and today He calls us to bring this love to all people.

Prayer

Lord, as we begin our Lenten journey, help us to return to You with our whole hearts and renew ourselves in Your love.  Watch over us as we fast and pray, and help us to know Your forgiveness as we confront our sinfulness.  We pray also for those of Your children who do not know Your love, that we may be ambassadors of Your son Jesus to them, and that they may be receptive to the message of salvation.  We pray that You may always be alive in our hearts and that we may live in Your love.  Amen.

Amelia Seman, ‘15

Scripture

First Reading: Joel 2:12-18
Psalm 51:3-6a, 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.