THE LOVE AND MERCY OF GOD

A reflection I gave last week.

When we are born, we are so innocent.  We do not know how to judge others or to condemn them. Yet these behaviors are learned as we grow.

In the gospel Jesus teaches the Scribes and Pharisees to stop being so judgemental and to start examining their own inability to love their neighbor.  We have heard so many times in scripture how the Pharisees and Scribes in their self righteousness always points out the failings of everyone else and never look at their own sins and weaknesses.

"Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone."  As we heard in the reading, all the woman's accusers walked away.  Jesus, the one with out sin who could condemn, is the one left with the woman.  However, he neither condemns nor accuses her.  Instead he shows mercy and love.  Jesus offers forgiveness, not punishment.

The Scribes and Pharisees were willing to hold the adulterous woman bound in her sin and shame and stone her to death.  When we pass judgement or condemn others, or choose not to forgive, we hold them bound in their sin or whatever we see as a failing.  We also hold ourselves bound in our inability to love enough in order to forgive.  Yet when we show forgiveness, we release the other and ourselves to a freedom that shows the love of God in our lives.  Jesus instructs the woman to go and sin no more.  Imagine the relief she felt: relief from the burden of her sin; relief from her fear of being caught; relief from being stoned to death.  Each time we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation we also have the opportunity to go and sin no more.  Oh, if only we could do that!  In our human weakness we will continue to sin again and again.  Just as Jesus shows how much he loves the adulterous woman, so also does he show us extravagant love when we take on the role of a Pharisee or a sinner.

In this last full week of Lent and the days leading up to the Triduum, may we fast from judging others and condemning.  May we show the mercy and love of God that is so needed wherever we are.

Spiritual Dying

Here is a reflection I gave to our sisters a couple of weeks ago.

What kind of death have you ever experienced or may be experiencing right now?  Spiritual Death is defined as separation from God.  However, I would like to look at this a little differently.
Lazarus was physically dead, but have you ever thought about the spiritual death that Mary and Martha were experience4ing?  "Why didn't you come sooner?  If only you had been here our brother would not have died."  Mary of Bethany never did lose hope when she proclaimed that she believed that Jesus was the Son of God, the one who came into the world.

Like Lazarus, who was all bound up by the wrappings on his body, so too can we be bound up by our spiritual dyings.  Physical diminishment, death of a family member can make us fee sad or angry.  We may cry or grieve.  All are natural responses.  But happens when these responses are so great that we cry out to God, "Where are you?  Why did this happen?"  We can despair, lose hope in God or even become depressed.  We can be so wrapped tightly bound that we experience spiritual death.

When my brother-in-law died in December, my sister said, "What good were all our prayers?"

Jesus came not to free us not only from physical death, but also from spiritual death.  He cannot change our physical diminishments, nor stop our physical dying.  Jesus came so we can have life; spiritual life with him now and in heaven.

Jesus said that he is the resurrection and the life. He promised that he would always be with us.  We know that we can turn to him to give new life to our spiritual dyings.  It can happen quickly or it may happen gradually.  But if we hold on to the hope, love, and strength that comes to us through Jesus, we will experience new life here and now. 

CONSEQUENCES

I often remind my students that they are responsible for the consequences of their actions, whether good or bad.  Jesus reminds the people that if they do not repent, the consequence will be that they will perish.  In the parable of the fig tree we hear that the owner of the orchard was impatient because after three years the tree did not produce any fruit.  He told the gardener to cut it down.  The gardener, however, tells the owner to be patient, and after one more year if it does not produce fruit, it will regrettably be cut down.

We are like the fig tree. We are called to be fruitful in our lives.  We can be fruitful by how we are with others in our families, our ministries, our places of work, and in our own spiritual lives.  Yet, in our human weaknesses we sometimes fail.  Just as the gardener asks for patience in giving the tree one more year, so also does Jesus have patience with us.  He calls us to repentance and healing. Jesus waits for us to turn our bad choices around and produce good fruit by making good choices for ourselves.  Just as the gardener was willing to cultivate and fertilize the soil, we also must be willing to cultivate our lives with prayer, reconciliation and good works.  Lent is a season in which we can do this.  Jesus' message to repent is urgent.  Each one of us responsible for the consequences of our actions.

IT IS GOOD TO BE HERE

Have you ever been somewhere and could not wait to get out of that place?  It might have been a physical place such as a store, a hospital, a family gathering, your workplace, or a city or town.  Perhaps it was a spiritual or emotional place.  For example, a time of grieving, a dry prayer day on retreat, a desert time in your relationship with God, or depression.

Then there are those mountain top experiences such as achieving a goal, promotions at work, a happy time with family and friends, heartfelt knowledge of God's presence and love on retreat, being finally free from and emotional or physical illness. We are on top of the world!

In the Transfiguration event of Jesus on the mountain, Peter was in his glory.  "Wow!  It is good for us to be here." That is easy to say when we are on top of the mountain, but what about in the ordinary days of our lives.  Isn't it good to be here?

With all the issues facing us in our world, our country, our city, our church, and our own personal problems, we can still count on God's love for us through his son, Jesus Christ.  He will transform us if we listen to him.  We do not have to climb a mountain for God to descend to reach us.  We only need to find that quiet physical place and space within ourselves and with an open and willing spirit.  Sometimes it is within those times or places that we cannot wait to be out of that we can have mountaintop experiences.  It is good to be here because Christ is always with us in the ordinariness of our lives.  No matter what physical, spiritual, or emotional place we find ourselves, Christ will always find us and transform us to a place of prayer, wisdom, freedom, strength or hope.  He will be whatever we need him to be and whenever we need him to be there for us.  

As we continue our journey through Lent, let us remember that we do not journey alone.  We have each other and we have Jesus Christ with us.  It is good to be here!

JOURNEY INTO THE DESERT

Yesterday, on the first Sunday of Lent, we heard the gospel reading about Jesus in the desert for forty days and being tempted by the devil.  Satan begins his temptations with, "If you are the Son of God..."  He seems to be challenging Jesus about his identity.  Jesus had just heard God tell him he is his beloved Son at the Jordan River where he was baptized.  He needed time away to take in all that he had heard.  After three temptations that were not accepted by Jesus, the devil left him.  
Two thoughts came to me as I reflected on this passage.  First, how many times have you been challenged about your identity.  I don't mean your name and social security number. How have others tried to tell you that you are other than what you know to be true about yourself?  There may also be times when you did not choose to be more because of self doubt or lack of self confidence.  On the other hand you may have tried to be something you are not.  Either way, we have to be strong enough to live with integrity, knowing who we are and what our values stand for.  The one identity each of us can claim boldly is that we are daughters and sons of God.
My second thought is about the desert.  Lent is a desert time.  While we cannot physically go into a desert, we can spend alone time in quiet and reflection.  It is a place where we can work through things, wrestle with a problem, or find peace.  We can change in the desert.  It is a lonely place and sometimes frightening.  However, when we choose to be there and empty ourselves before God, we can also be filled with light, strength, grace, and peace.  How will you choose to be before God this Lent?  Do you know who you are before God?

LENT

This past Wednesday Catholics around the world began the liturgical season of Lent.  It is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a time for being reflective, repenting and changing our lives and how God is doing something new in us.
Fasting from treats, dessert, or television may be a start.  Perhaps we can find other ways to fast that will draw us  closer to God and become the persons we want to be.  For example, we could fast from being unkind, quick to make judgements, or being impatient.  Fasting from self-centeredness, from always wanting to control situations or others, from prejudices, and from being unforgiving will help us be more loving, more considerate, and more merciful. 
Spending more time in prayer and reflection is always a good practice.  On Sunday evenings the sisters at our community living center gather in the chapel to pray the Office together.  One sister gives a short reflection. It is a grace-filled time that we can share.  On Friday evenings the sisters pray the stations of the cross.  Check you local parishes to see what programs may be offered there during Lent.  Choose one.  May this time of preparation for Easter draw you closer to Christ.

CALLED BY GOD

How are you called to follow God?   All three readings from today's liturgy are about call stories.  In the first reading we hear about Isaiah's call.  He is shaken by the presence of God and feels unworthy to be in God's presence.  A seraphim touches Isaiah's lips with an ember as a gesture of God's mercy and forgiveness.  Then he hears the call from God, "Whom shall I send?"  Isaiah's responds, "Here I am, send me."

St. Paul tells us in the second reading that he was not fit to be called an apostle because he persecuted those who followed Christ.  However, by the grace of God, he was called to spread the Good News.

In Luke's Gospel we listen to the call of the disciples.  Although they caught nothing after fishing all night, Simon Peter and the other fishermen go back out on their boats to lower their nets at Jesus' command.  They caught much more fish than they ever expected so that their nets were almost tearing.  Simon Peter fell to his knees and told Jesus to depart from him because he was sinful man.  James and John were also astonished by the event.  Jesus told them not to be afraid, from now on they will be catching men and women.

Everyone is called to follow Jesus.  It does not matter whether you are a sinner, poor, broken, man, or woman.  Jesus invites everyone to follow him.  He never coerces anyone and many times the call is gentle.  Christ calls men and women to follow in different ways.  We call these ways "vocations." Some are called to the married life to vow love to another person and raise a family.  Some people are called to the single life and serve God in different capacities.  Others are called to serve God as a priest or deacon in order to serve God's people in the church.  Still others are called to religious life as a consecrated sister or brother. 
Married couples may share with others how they met and fell in love.  They can be involved in their parish or to other works of service.  Women and men religious each have their own call story of how Christ invited them to the Consecrated Life.  For me the call was gentle, luring, and happened over several years until I recognized that I was being called not only to religious life, but also as a Sister of St. Joseph.  I enjoy sharing my call story with others and gladly do so whenever I am asked.  It always energizes me and renews my enthusiasm for this life to which Christ invited me.
No matter which vocation you are currently living or will be called to in the future, it is always for the service of God and others.  If you have ever felt a nudge or and inner voice inviting you to a religious vocation, contact me at s.lfusco@ssjerie.org.  How are you called to follow God?