Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A

Source of light

Reading I: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a (Samuel anoints David)
Reading II: Ephesians 5:8-14 (duty to live in the light)
Gospel: John 9:1-41 (the man born blind)

Key Passage: For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as Children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. (Ephesians 5:8–9)

Adult: What are you doing in your life right now to move toward light rather than darkness?
Child: How can you let the light of your faith in Jesus shine for others to see?
(from PastoralPlanning.com)

Spring Cleaning

March 21 is the vernal equinox, the first day of Spring! Why does Spring always fall during Lent. It is such a looked forward too season (especially this year in our neck of the woods) as we all want to experience the warmth that the onset of Spring promises. If you think about it Lent is the time to experience the anticipation of the Resurrection so perhaps there is a very good reason for Spring to begin during Lent.

The Lent comes from the word lengthen. Spring falls in Lent as the days are getting longer makes perfect sense now. We experience longer days and hopefully those days are filled with sunshine to melt snow and warm the earth. Time for flower gardens and vegetable gardens can’t be far behind can they?

We also think of cleaning during the season of Spring, thus the title of this blog Spring Cleaning! The time when we freshen our homes for the coming summer. Or the time when we show our children what it means to cooperate so things are cleaned quickly and with fun. We all want our children to know how to take care of themselves and sometimes that means being the adult and saying OK before we can do the fun things we all need to work together to get this chore done. Does your home have a place for everything so that when something needs to be put away everyone knows where to put it? If not maybe this the time to put that organizational mind set in place so that by Easter our homes are ready for the risen Lord.

The Annunciation

On March 25 with recognize the visit of the Angel Gabriel to Mary to announce she will become the Mother of God. It has been 3 months since Christmas and in another 9 months we will celebrate the birth of Jesus again.

By this time in March the daylight hours are now longer than the nighttime hours. We are in the season of Spring. This year it may not seem like Spring yet in many areas especially here in Wisconsin but the days are getting longer and the temps are slowly rising.
There are several ways different ways that people celebrate the Annunciation. Since wind and air are symbols of the Holy Spirit there are some traditions that serve foods that have been whipped or fluffed up with air such as mashed potatoes or a lemon meringue pie. This is to celebrate that “the Spirit filled Mary with God’s life giving breath” .

In Sweden they serve waffles with whipped cream, yum! Then they collect any leftover waffle crumbs and bury them the garden with the hope that the same life giving breath the Spirit filled Mary with will help the gardens be fruitful.

Kite flying is another way to take advantage of the wind or if you are in a warm climate sailing. Are there any ways you can think of to take advantage of the air/wind?
copyright©1991, LTP, written by Christine Kenny-Sheputis

The Scrutinies

We are in Lent as everyone who is Catholic knows. What might surprise some of you is that during the middle portion of Lent there are some specific liturgical things that take place. During the 3rd through the 5th Sundays of Lent “The Scrutinies” are often celebrated. This year the First Scrutiny will be March 23rd. During this time The Elect (those that are unbaptized and are preparing to become members of the Catholic Faith during the Easter Vigil) are brought forward to be publicly recognized, acknowledged and prayed for.

The Scrutinies take place after the homily. The Elect are called forward before the community of faith and are reminded that we all struggle with being called to “turn away from sin” and that this particular time in their journey to Baptism is when they need to be fully aware of that call. It is a time for The Elect, and for all of us for that matter, to scrutinize (examine) their lives to see where and what they struggle with and seek help from God to overcome any weakness since He alone provides everyone with healing and the strength we need in the daily struggles of life. The Scrutinies help all examine our consciences and they will end with the Prayers of the Faithful.

The community of faith that surrounds The Elect is called on as a visible sign to show how God’s support helps everyone and helps all who believe to overcome any weakness or obstacle that may stand between us and God. This support is carried through the journey of faith The Elect are traveling to the Easter Vigil where all renew the Baptismal vows when The Elect are to be baptized.

When there is The Elect to be baptized at the Easter Vigil the readings used on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent always come from the Cycle A readings. This year we are in cycle A so the readings would be part of these Sundays regardless, but in the years when Cycle B or Cycle C are the readings followed these 3 Sundays still follow the Cycle A readings. The 3rd Sunday of Lent in Cylce A offers us the Gospel according to John chapter 4 verses 5-42, Jesus and the Woman at the Well, then on the 4th Sunday of Lent we will hear from the Gospel according to John chapter 9 verses 1-41, Jesus Cures the Man Born Blind and finally on the 5th Sunday of Lent we will hear from John chapter 11 verses 1-45, Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead. Prayerfully listen to these readings this year and hear what Father has to say in his homilies on all 3. Do they relate at all to the Scrutinies that are read between the homily and the Prayers of the Faithful?

Third Sunday of Lent, Year A

Source of strength

Reading I: Exodus 17:3-7 (water from the rock)
Reading II: Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 (faith, hope, and love)
Gospel: John 4:5-42 (the Samaritan woman at the well)

Key Passage: Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13–14)

Adult: Where have you found a source of “living water” for your own journey of faith?
Child: Name some times when your belief in Jesus helped make you stronger.
(from PastoralPlanning.com)

St. Joseph

There is not a whole lot of information on St. Joseph and what we do know comes from the Scriptures. We know he was a carpenter since the Nazarenes ask the question about Jesus “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Mt 13:55) And we know he wasn’t a wealthy man since the offering for Jesus’ circumcision and Mary’s purification was not a lamb but turtledoves and 2 pigeons, which was an acceptable offering for those who could not afford a lamb according to Jewish law. (Luke 2:24)

St. Joseph was compassionate since he wanted to quietly divorce Mary when he found out she was carrying a child and he knew it wasn’t his. He did not want her hurt needlessly and she would have been stoned for having relations with a man other than her husband. (Mt 2:13-23) He was an obedient, believing, and faithful man since he followed the instructions from the angel to marry Mary because she was carrying God’s son. And he also fled to Egypt without questions to protect his family when an angel told him to do that as well. (Mt 2: 13-23)

Let us all try to follow Joseph's example and be obedient and faithful to God and not to the distractions of the world. St. Joseph, pray for us.

Family Meals

Think of all the special occasions we join family and friends around the dinner table. I would imagine that most of you like myself have a lot of good memories of stories shared, good food shared and of course the love that we freely share with our family and friends.

During Lent we feel the need to eat less by fasting from certain foods and by abstaining from meat on Friday as well as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In the busyness of our lives we sometimes forget that we need to join our family around the table for a meal. Perhaps during Lent we can become more conscious of spending time around the dinner table with our families. The time can be used to catch up on what is happening with everyone and by doing this we are not only nourishing our bodies but we are feeding our hearts and spirits as well. Maybe we could even extend that meal time into a game night or taking the time to go for an after dinner walk with the whole family. Of course we most likely won’t be able to fit that into our lives every day but once or twice a week might be doable. Think about it, time for just the family.

Maybe a different family member would be in charge of a meal prayer each time. When ending the prayer maybe the prayer leader could ask what each person would like to thank God for. Another family member could plan the menu for the special meal and if they are old enough could help with the preparation of the meal. The ideas are endless if we just take the time to stop and think…

St. Patrick

Who is this saint who captures the hearts of everyone, Catholics, non-Catholics, those of Irish descent and those who have no Irish heritage in their family tree at all? We all claim him as part of our lives especially on his feast day, March 17. You will see most everyone sporting some type of green on that day whether it is clothing, jewelry, socks, hair bands and so on, we even have been known to drink green beer, and a lot of us eat corned beef and cabbage or a Reuben sandwich on rye or pumpernickel bread with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. Does any of this have to do with the actual St. Patrick?

Yes in that St. Patrick was a man of faith who converted the majority of Ireland during his time there. He entered a country where he Druids were the established way of worship and spread the Good News. He was a true evangelizer and that is why we honor and celebrate his life on St. Patrick’s Day. Did he have green beer to drink or wear all sorts of green, I doubt it. He was a Bishop so liturgical colors were part of his way of life of which green would be worn a good majority of the time during Ordinary Time and this is the color he is most often wearing in any images we see of him. Green is also worn on this day because it is a sign of springtime and it was a way to welcome spring. Did he eat corned beef? I am sure there was some type of cured meat that he ate since salting of meat was one way to preserve it, but was it the corned beef we know today? Most likely it wasn’t the same.

St, Patrick was not an educated man but he definitely took his calling seriously and he was a sincere man who lived simply and had a deep pastoral love and concern for his flock. Legend would have us believe that he single handedly converted everyone in Ireland, when in actuality his followers going on missions continued this conversion process which took years.

So as we celebrate St. Patrick today let us keep in mind that we too can be evangelizers of our Catholic faith. We do so each every day when we come in contact with those around us. They see how we act with them and with others and if we are acting in the way of Jesus we are evangelizing.

Family Meals

Think of all the special occasions we join family and friends around the dinner table. I would imagine that most of you like myself have a lot of good memories of stories shared, good food shared and of course the love that we freely share with our family and friends.

During Lent we feel the need to eat less by fasting from certain foods and by abstaining from meat on Friday as well as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In the busyness of our lives we sometimes forget that we need to join our family around the table for a meal. Perhaps during Lent we can become more conscious of spending time around the dinner table with our families. The time can be used to catch up on what is happening with everyone and by doing this we are not only nourishing our bodies but we are feeding our hearts and spirits as well. Maybe we could even extend that meal time into a game night or taking the time to go for an after dinner walk with the whole family. Of course we most likely won’t be able to fit that into our lives every day but once or twice a week might be doable. Think about it, time for just the family.

Maybe a different family member would be in charge of a meal prayer each time. When ending the prayer maybe the prayer leader could ask what each person would like to thank God for. Another family member could plan the menu for the special meal and if they are old enough could help with the preparation of the meal. The ideas are endless if we just take the time to stop and think…

Second Sunday of Lent, Year A

Call to faithfulness

Reading I: Genesis 12:1-4 (call of Abraham)
Reading II: 2 Timothy 1:8b-10 (exhortation to faithfulness)
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9 (Jesus transfigured)

Key Passage: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. (Matthew 17:1–2)

Adult: How has your faith in Jesus transformed you? What difference does your faith in Jesus Christ make in your life?

Child: How has the example of Jesus helped you become a better person and Christian? What does it mean to you to be a holy person?
(from: PastoralPlanning.com)

Almsgiving

What is almsgiving and why do we use such a strange word during Lent? According to the dictionary alms•giv•ing [áamz gìvving] is giving to the poor: in former times, the charitable giving of money, food, or goods to people in need. We use the word during lent because giving of our treasure is a key part of Lenten sacrifice, we give money or necessities to people who need them.

Alms comes from the Greek word for compassion. We are called to try and feel what someone in need is feeling. That is hard for most of us to do so we need to practice that daily during Lent. And, don’t think that this will not cost you anything. You are thinking of course it won’t I’ll just put my spare change at the end of the day in an envelope or jar that doesn’t cost anything. If you really want to practice the tradition of giving of what you have then you should give up purchasing a soft drink, going to a movie, going out for a meal. Going without will put you in a person’s shoes who does not have the means to do this. And then to donate the money you save from not purchasing something to a charity.

This year for Lent St. Olaf is collecting alms for Literacy Volunteers – Chippewa Valley. For every $1 invested in a literacy organization, $33 is saved in support services and $11 is generated within the community by increased productivity. Most of us take for granted the skills we have to fill out a job application, use a computer, making a bank deposit with the correct addition or subtraction skills involved or even reading a book to a child. There are many that struggle with these daily tasks for whatever reason. Please, be generous with your almsgiving this year to support LVCV and the volunteers who use the resources to teach those in need of the service LVCV provides will greatly appreciate it.

Prayer

On Ash Wednesday, March 5 I talked about being able to prayer anytime for example taking 5 minutes out of your lunch break. In our busy lives prayer is such a hard thing to find time for or at least we think it is. I always told myself I pray throughout the day so I don’t need a set time which a lot of us do. Then during Advent last year I thought I will stop watching the morning news and spend time in prayer instead. It worked and I am still doing it as we begin our Lenten journey.

I keep my Bible and whatever prayer resources I am using next to “my” chair and in the morning instead of turning on the TV I pick up one of the resources or my Bible and there I am ready to begin my day with prayer. Now I know that a lot of you have children and need to be present for them in the mornings and the evenings and anywhere in between so making the choice to forgo a morning news show has already been made right? So, take the time when you can grab it to pray that is what I did when I had children at home. Better yet involve them in the prayer time for when it becomes habit for them they will continue to pray as adults.

You might want to have a special prayer area that anyone in your family can pause by to say a quick prayer as they go about their day. If you do have a small table or even a spot on a shelf to use you can change it according to the seasons, during Lent you could have a small bowl of sand and a cross; or during Holy Week add a palm branch; or what wonderful reminders of Spring we have like pussy willows, tulips, Easter eggs etc. If you have a small piece of fabric as part of the prayer area you could change that according to the colors of the liturgical year taking you cue on that from how the church is decorated during each season.

And remember prayer is talking and listening to God so you don’t need to have a lot of prayer books to rely on, just taking a few minutes to catch God up on your day and thanking him for all of the blessing in your life or asking him to walk with you during a particularly difficult time is all you need to get started.

Pretzels

I am sure you are seeing this title and thinking why is this person writing about pretzels on a religious blog. The truth is pretzels have a great meaning in the Christian tradition. Remember that a long time ago Christians kept a very strict fast throughout Lent, not just on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Eggs and butter were not used at all so that meant any bread made was pretty basic using yeast, flour, water and salt. How about that your basic ingredients for a pretzel.

Also, when the earlier Christians prayed they would put their right hand on their left shoulder and their left hand on their right shoulder. Think about that for a few seconds…what image do you see? You guessed it a pretzel like image. They thought by doing this they were forming crosses.

As a result of this some of the Christians began forming the basic bread they made into twisted pieces to look like little arms crossed in prayer “called ‘bracellae’ in Latin and ‘pretzels’ in English.” Sometimes the people would share these pretzels with each other to remind everyone that it was Lent and they needed to be attentive to fasting, prayer and almsgiving. The pretzels were baked on Ash Wednesday for the season and then after Easter disappeared again until the next Lenten Season began.

These days we see pretzels all of the time. They have become a go to snack for a lot of people. So, the next time you pull out a bag of pretzels remember they are not just a snack of the modern day world, but were used as a reminder in the early Christian Church of what Lent is all about.

Copyright ©1991, LTP. Written by Christine Kenny-Sheptous.

First Sunday of Lent, Year A

Overcoming temptation

Reading I: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 (the fall of humankind)
Reading II: Romans 5:12-19 (humanity’s sin through Adam)
Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11 (the temptation of Jesus)

Key Passage: Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

Adult: What helpful advice could you offer someone faced with a temptation?
Child: What helps you do the right thing when you want to do something wrong?
(from: PastoralPlanning.com)

Stations of the Cross

What is this? Isn’t this just an old fashioned thing left over from a former time when people had more time to devote to going to a church building to pray? This is one of the misconceptions we have about praying the Stations of the Cross during Lent or for that matter anytime during the year.

The Stations can be prayed anytime and anywhere. Yes, it is easier to do this in a church building where you can follow the stations and pray at each one. Although, if you have a prayer book for the Stations of the Cross or have them memorized you can pray them anytime and anywhere.

The Stations of the Cross take us through the last several hours of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion, the crucifixion itself and his being placed in the tomb. There are many times during our lives that the journey we are on may parallel those steps. We may have traveled the journey of an illness either our own or that of a loved one. Or we may have seen up close and even personal the loss of a home due to fire, flood or storm. All of these are our own journeys to Calvary and then beyond.

If you have a chance during Lent to attend the Stations of the Cross prayer on Friday afternoons at St. Olaf beginning at 4:00 PM make the effort to do so. This time may be inconvenient and if it is check around to see if other parishes in the area offer them at different time. Or, you may want to check out the Lent resources that are on the table outside the door to the parish library there are several Stations prayer books you could check out so you can pray them at your convenience at home

Ash Wednesday

Today’s gospel tells us to not be overt in our almsgiving, fasting and praying. How do we not be overt in doing that? Certainly people will notice if we are not eating between meals or not spending as much time on Face Book or on our smart phones. And it is hard not to tell others that we are supporting the charity that our particular parish might be supporting during the Lenten season we want them to know it is a good cause and if we are supporting it they should too. Or won’t our families or friends notice that we are spending extra time in prayer?
It is not so much that we shouldn’t do things that people won’t notice but that we do these things automatically without making a big deal out of it. If we can have things become automatic during the Lenten Season then those same things will become automatic throughout the entire year. Can you imagine what it would be like if during Lent one person took 5 minutes out of the day to pray when they normally wouldn’t and someone they know would then see that and think I can take 5 minutes to pray too, then another and another? What a ripple effect that would be. No one was overt in saying I am praying 5 minutes on my lunch hour so you should too, they are just doing it and if someone notices it isn’t because it was announced this is my 5 minutes prayer time.
We sometimes believe that if we don’t do something big and important it won’t make a difference. That isn’t true it is generally the little things that are done over a period of time that make the greatest difference.

Papal Intentions for March

Universal Intention: That all cultures may respect the rights and dignity of women.

Evangelization Intention: That many young people may accept the Lord’s invitation to consecrate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel.