Friday of the Second Week

Reflection
There are many blessings in our lives, although it’s easy to overlook them. Life tends to be complicated and hectic, and our personal struggles can overshadow God’s gifts. Whether it’s jealousy, sadness, anger, you name it, all of us have challenges to overcome.

In the first reading, Joseph’s brothers are blinded by their jealousy and conspire to kill him. Their jealousy is contrasted by his love for them as shown by his willingness to help them in tending the sheep. The priests and elders were blinded by both jealousy and fear in the Gospel passage when they wanted to arrest Jesus, as He sought to radically alter their ways of life to be more loving and compassionate.

Our daily struggles are just as difficult. A beautiful sunrise, for example, can be overshadowed by an approaching deadline or difficulties in a relationship. Our faith can weaken during an illness or when things seem like they are falling apart. God can be found in all aspects of our lives, even though it may not seem like it. Lent gives us an opportunity to slow down, strengthen our faith, and grow closer to God. We should trust God and seek His love, as He gives us the strength needed in every aspect of our lives.

Prayer

Loving God, let us feel the warmth of Your Love, especially in our times of need. Give us the strength and courage to fully trust in You.

Chris Ricciardi, ’16

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
Psalm 105:16-21
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

Thursday of the Second Week
Reflection

Trusting is hard.  When we trust, we place our vulnerable selves in the hands of others and hope that they will not break us, but we are all only human. No matter how much we love and are loved by those on earth, the people we meet—from parents to friends to professors to colleagues to even passersby in the grocery store—will not always be as gentle as we hope, and we, in turn, will most likely drop them as well when they need to be carried. While this does not mean that we should love them any less, it does mean that we should seek support from the one who will never let us down: God.

God is not fickle. God is not spiteful. God is not selfish. God loves us more than anything, even though we often feel undeserving of something so magnificent. When we fully devote our faith and ourselves to Him, we rest assured that He will not fail us, though in times of darkness we may feel forgotten, like Lazarus laying hungry at the foot of the rich man’s door in today’s Gospel. Every day, we must remember God’s everlasting wisdom. We must remember to breathe. If we don’t, we will be nothing more than the barren bush in the desert, abandoned and without the nourishment we need to carry on with our earthly lives. Because while trusting is hard (especially when we cannot actually see God), the reward is certainly great.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to place my trust in You even in times of hardship and confusion. Please continue to guide me through my life here on earth and to everlasting life with You.

Mackenzie Faber, ’18

 

Scripture

First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

 

Wednesday of the Second Week

Reflection

The readings for today bring to mind how difficult it is to understand the injustices of life we see and face. How much greater the perplexity as we try to walk with Jesus towards all the injustice He will endure for us. 

 

Jeremiah finds that the people he has prayed for and protected are now plotting to be rid of him. Jeremiah asks God if good must always be repaid with evil.

This parallels the reading from Matthew where Jesus is returning to Jerusalem with His disciples and tells them that the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes and will be condemned to death. He will be raised on the third day. The mother of the sons of Zebedee asks Jesus that her sons be seated next to Him in His kingdom. Jesus understands her request then explains that even He does not choose such settling of accounts. Jesus shows His humility before the Father and points out what we can understand and do, is, namely, be servants to one another in God's name and trust in the loving goodness of the Father.

The psalm is perfect for those times when we cannot find the justice we seek, or understand the infinite loving goodness of our Father:
       "I say, ‘You are my God.’
      In your hands is my destiny;
      rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
      Save me, O Lord, in your kindness."

 

 

Prayer

Dear Jesus, please keep me mindful of the need of Your humility in the presence of our eternal, loving, and saving Father.

 

Stephanie Noakes, ’80, M’09, Office of Admission

 

Scripture
First Reading: Jeremiah 18:18-20

Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16

Gospel: Matthew 20:17-28

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Tuesday of the Second Week

Reflection

The central message of our readings today is to do good, not evil.  Those who do good and follow the Lord’s commandments will be praised. He wants us to view Him as the only Lord and Father. God is saying through the Scriptures that we need to repent and to do good by following the Lord so our sins can be washed away.  He wants us to be with Him, not far away because of sin.  Also, the Lord is asking us to do humble actions in His name; not simply preaching good news, but demonstrating the good news.

 

The part of the passages that most helped me to understand God was when the Lord directly stated what He desired from His people.  In the first reading, He said to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to stop sinning and to do good. I can relate to Him by desiring to do good and to be humble in actions in order to do His will.  It is challenging to do the Lord’s will, not our will, when sin can look so tempting and when others are against us, but it is encouraging that the Lord will forgive us if we turn to Him. I try to show the Lord’s teachings in word and action, but sometimes I fail. It is a part of human nature. If I sin badly, I try to go to confession to say how sorry I am for hurting Him.  We just need to remember that our Father is still waiting for us to return with open arms.

 

“Doing good” is directly linked with how God wants me to relate to others.  In the Gospel, He said that He is the only Lord the Christ, and all others are my brothers or sisters.  He desires us to relate to others as a family in Christ and treat every human as brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

Prayer

Dear Lord our Father, You love us above all things. May You help us to come back to You when we fall away from Your love and help us to follow You alone, so we can do Your will in words and deeds. Amen.

 

Nicole Skaluba, ’18

 

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20

Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23

Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

 

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

Monday of the Second Week
Reflection
As the father of two sons, today’s readings highlight for me the unique relationship between father and child; and the challenges when each makes mistakes. As a father, I do my best, along with my wife, to be firm but fair to help my sons grow and develop into the adults I hope they will become—physically, morally, and spiritually. I have to believe that this is the same expectation our heavenly Father has for us. He’s sent us prophets and His Son to teach us to be kind to one another, and grow into the people He made us to be.

Yet, just as my sons misbehave on occasion, sinning against each other, and against me and my wife; we as imperfect humans continue to sin against our God—over and over, generation after generation. So, just as my sons plead with me with puppy dog eyes to be gentle with them (and forget their transgressions of an hour ago) we, like Daniel and the psalmist, continue to plead with God to forgive us over and over.

And we as parents, myself included, are not above the fray. I sin, like many parents, when I forget to have patience with my sons. By forgetting the words of Christ, “stop condemning and you will not be condemned,” I join the disciples, the scribes, and the Pharisees as sinners.

So as we continue through Lent, let us remember to keep Jesus’ words in mind, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Let us be kind to our children, our parents, our colleagues, our friends, and our neighbors. Let us also take time to turn back to the lessons God continues to share with us.

Prayer

Dear Lord, be patient with us Your children. Continue to teach us, replenish our patience, and grant us a compassionate heart to share Your forgiveness as we continue to try to walk in Your ways.

Chad Ahern, ’99, M’12, Donor Relations Officer

 

Scripture

First Reading: Daniel 9:4b-10
Psalm 79:8-9, 11, 13

Gospel: Luke 6:36-38

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Second Sunday of Lent

Reflection

I expect that it would be fine by us if faith in God was a guarantee that we would never face difficulties or be “put to the test” while on this earth. However, this evidently is not the case. We may, in fact, undergo a variety of hardships in the midst of our sincere efforts to be faithful followers of Christ.

 

God does permit tests, most notably, of course, in the case of Jesus the Christ, whose undeserved and unjust horrific sufferings and death we reflect on during this Lenten Season. Why God permits the innocent to suffer is perhaps one of life’s most difficult mysteries to fathom. Being “put to the test” is an important consideration in today’s Mass for the second Sunday of Lent.

 

Abraham was surely tested when he thought that God was asking him to fatally sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. Fortunately, at the last moment, God made it clear to Abraham that he was not to slay Isaac. This was indeed a mysterious test of Abraham’s faith and trust in God.

 

The Transfiguration of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel reading was perhaps an encouraging message to both Jesus and His apostles that beyond their upcoming sufferings and deaths was the promise of a glorified eternal life. This can be an encouragement to us as well, who strive to follow in the way of Christ, despite any struggles and sufferings we may encounter along that way.

We do well, then, to pay close attention to Saint Paul’s words to us (second Scripture reading): “Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? …Christ Jesus it is…who intercedes for us.” We have good reason to be encouraged!

 

 

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I believe in You and trust You. Please send Your Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen me, especially when I encounter life’s burdens; and may I, when possible, be a source of encouragement to others who are struggling. Amen

 

Fr. Ray Doherty, S.S.E. ’51, Campus Minister

 

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Psalm 116:10, 15-19

Second Reading: Romans 8:31b-34

Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

 

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website