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Fourth Sunday of Lent [C]
Today’s readings At the heart of it, Lent is about two things. First, it’s about baptism. That’s what the participants in our RCIA program are reflecting on these days, and two of them are preparing to be baptized at our Easter Vigil Mass this year. And baptism leads us to the second purpose of Lent,…
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Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Today’s readings “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Some people – Catholics included – see the things that we Catholics do as external, and superfluous. And indeed, when we do these things in perfunctory, rote kind of ways, then we are definitely missing the boat. But all of these things can be…
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Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Today’s readings Today’s Scriptures address another one of the ways that we fallen human beings tend to avoid the truth. Sometimes, when we are confronted with the truth, we attack its source. If we cast doubt on the one bringing us the truth, then we don’t have to follow his or her words, right? The…
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Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
Today’s readings How many people have we condemned to prison? I mean this, of course, in a figurative way: how many have we condemned to the prison of our disfavor because of past hurts that we refuse to forget? Forgiveness is a process, and it may take some time to truly forgive and forget an…
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Third Sunday of Lent [Scrutiny I]
Today’s readings NB: This homily is based on the readings from cycle A, which was read just for the Mass of the Scrutiny. Last year about this time, I got the flu – bad. It was one of those rare occasions when I was so sick, I couldn’t even get out of bed. I had…
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Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Today’s readings So in today’s first reading, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers. What a foreshadowing this is, isn’t it? It certainly foreshadows Israel’s slavery in Egypt that led to the Exodus, but it also foreshadows the selling of Jesus into the hands of his executioners by one of his own brothers, Judas…
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Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Today’s readings “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” That’s a loaded question if ever there was one. But just like James and John, all of us Christian disciples will indeed drink of Jesus’ chalice. And just like James and John, we will have to accept all that comes with it. …
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Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Today’s readings A phylactery was a black leather box that was worn on the arm or the forehead, containing scriptural verses. Maybe the modern equivalent would be a “WWJD” bracelet, or a cross worn around the neck, or even a t-shirt or sweatshirt with a Scriptural verse on it. These are wonderful reminders of who…
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Monday of the Second Week of Lent
Today’s readings Aren’t the Lenten readings challenging? But this is what it means to be a disciple. We have to be willing to have our whole world turned upside-down; to do something completely against our nature; to let God take control of the life we want so much to control. “For the measure with which…
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Second Sunday of Lent
Today’s readings I think that two words sum up what we are being told today in our Liturgy of the Word: WAKE UP. There is a lot of waking up going on: Abram falls into a deep trance and is enveloped in terrifying darkness, he then wakes up to see God ratifying the covenant. The…
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