Daily Lenten Reflections

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Reflection

As we set out on our Lenten journey from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday and Easter, the Church helps us through today’s readings to be mindful of the infinite significance of our life in the world. “I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live in the love of Yahweh your God, obeying his voice, clinging to Him; for in this your life consists…”

The Psalmist repeats the Deuteronomic theme: “Happy the man who never follows the advice of the wicked…but finds his pleasure in the Law of Yahweh, and meditates on His Law day and night…He is like a tree that is planted by water streams, yielding its fruit in season; its leaves never fading…”

In Luke’s Gospel, this theme is profoundly deepened in the light of the Passion and Resurrection. Christ predicts His rejection by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem but also that He will be raised up. But again we are given a choice: either to take up our cross every day and follow Christ to find ourselves, or, devote ourselves in a worldly way and lose ourselves.

The failure to recognize Jesus by the Jewish elders is striking. But I suspect there is much more than a historical point here about a failure of recognition. Is it always easy to recognize “the cross,” God’s will for us, that we are to pick up each day? Can one be picking it up the wrong way, or carrying it the wrong way, or even trying to carry someone else’s cross? What would be the spiritual, empirical evidence here? In describing those who take up their cross and follow Christ, Pope Francis observes they are the ones who have experienced God’s loving forgiveness and found true joy. St. Paul insists on this very point to the Galatians: “what the spirit brings is…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23) Our true cross does lead to our resurrection.

Prayer

Lord, please grant us the grace to see with our eyes and hear with our ears Your word in our lives, so that we may learn how to respond to Your love for us with an ever more generous heart.

Peter Tumulty, Professor of Philosophy

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

No comments:

Post a Comment

Mission of Edmundite Campus Ministry

The Mission of Edmundite Campus Ministry at Saint Michael’s College is to share the Good News of the Gospel with the College community by facilitating encounter with Jesus Christ. We do this through the celebration of the Church’s Liturgy, in programs promoting knowledge of the Catholic faith, by developing ecumenical and interreligious relationships, and providing retreats and other opportunities for personal spiritual growth.

The Catholic and Edmundite tradition upon which the College was founded is grounded in the conviction that all women and men are created in the image and likeness of God providing a special dignity unique to each person. Such dignity requires human life to be respected in all of its stages recognizing that we are all children of God.

Therefore, in its pursuit of furthering the Reign of God, the Edmundite Campus Ministry staff seeks to interact with and support every member of the College community in their search for Truth, contributing to the “enhancement of the human person and to the advancement of human culture in light of the Catholic faith.”