February 28 - Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Reading for Eucharist

Isaiah 55:10-11

Matthew 6:7-15

Reflection

This reading from Matthew includes the Our Father, which probably reflects the liturgical form used in his community.  Jesus tells us not to "babble," not to use so many words that we try to over-power God with verbiage.  Our Father knows what we need, even before we ask it.  Instead of a multiplicity of words, Jesus suggests a few simple but profound topics.  The first are prayers that honor God:  May God's name be reverenced, and may God's kingdom come and will be done. The second set are the prayers of petition:  Please give us what we need today, please forgive us our sins [as we forgive others], don't let us be tempted beyond our strength, but instead deliver us from evil.  It would be good for us to note that this prayer, which we say so often, is a good reflection for Lent.  If we pray that God be reverenced and that the holy will be done, then we are also committing ourselves to act in this fashion.  If we are asking for what we need, then we commit ourselves to gratitude and generosity.  If we ask for forgiveness, then we commit ourselves to act in the same way.  This prayer gives us amply thought for prayer and conversion.

February 27 - Monday of the First Week of Lent

Readings for Eucharist

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18

Mathew 25:31-46

Reflection

In Matthew's accounts of the judgment of the nations, the Son of Man says  "Come you who are blessed by my Father,   Inherit the kingdom .... Whatever you did for one of the least of mine, you did for me."  Who are "the least" in our lives?  In what ways do we care for "Christ at our door"  and reach out to the sick, homeless, hungry, naked, and imprisoned?  Who in our midst needs our attention, our love, our care?  Have we decided that someone doesn't "deserve" our love, or that they are not "worthy"?  Those are probably the very ones God calls us to care for. 

February 26, 2012 - FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Readings for Eucharist

Genesis 9:8-15

1 Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:12-15

Reflection

Mark tells us:  "At once, the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan."  This should remind us of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years.  Their wilderness experience was a time of temptation, but also a time of covenant and commitment to God.  Jesus' desert time was also a time of temptation, a temptation to be the kind of Messiah that Satan wanted him to be.  But Jesus' resists Satan's desires and instead, knowing the Father's call, he returns to Galilee and proclaims "The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  This Lent can be our own time in the wilderness, a time to meet God, to resist evil and to come to more deeply believe in the good news.  May the changes in our hearts and our actions help to make the kingdom of God more evident in our world.  May we exchange judgment of others and alienation for acceptance and blessing.   May our actions of love demonstrate God's love and grace.

February 25th - The Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Today's Eucharist Readings:

Isaiah 58:9b-14

Luke 5:27-32

Reflection

"After this Jesus went out, and saw a tax collector, names Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, 'Follow me.'  And he left everything and rose and followed him."  Levi heard Jesus' voice... deep within him, deep in his heart.  He listened and responded, without hesitancy and completely.  He left everything behind but followed the One who meant everything.  What is God calling us to leave behind so that we can follow him completely, with a full and committed  heart? 

February 24, 2012 Friday after Ash Wednesday

Today's Eucharist Readings:
Isaiah 58:1-9a
Matthew 9:14-15

Reflection
Isaiah tells us the kind of fasting with which our God is pleased.  It is to cut loose the bonds of wickedness, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.  It is to share our bread with the hungry, bring the homeless poor into our houses, and to cloth the naked.  In other words, our God strongly suggests that when we have a change of heart there will be benefits for those around us.  Our change of heart, our Lenten journey, is not just about our holiness, but is also about how we help others, how we help the oppressed and needy.  So, perhaps today's question is:  who are the oppressed in needy in our lives that need our assistance, that can be freed from their yokes if we act differently this Lent?