These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.”
(Lk 16:19-31)
In the first century, dogs were pets for sure . . . but the dogs in the street were scavengers. As Jesus tells the story, the rich man dies and is buried. The poor man dies . . . and the dogs get him. What a story . . . for all of us!
"Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
(Mt 20:17-28)
It was March 3, exactly 1,700 years ago today when Emperor Constantine decreed that the “venerable day of the sun,” the Roman dies solis, should be a day off, that is, a public holiday without labor. Christians had of course marked Sunday long before the year 321AD, as the day of Christ’s Resurrection. They had marked it such, however, while the day was a work-day. Constantine changed that, and Sunday now became recognized not only as a specifically Christian holy day but also as a day of public rest.
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
(Est C:12,14-16,23-25)
The story of Queen Esther is one of those fabulous Bible stories which captures the imagination. When faced with mortal anguish, Esther knows exactly what to do . . . she has recourse to the Lord . . . she prays, and the Lord triumphs! Today's picture is the painting of Queen Esther (1878) by Edwin Long.
R. Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart
for I am gracious and merciful.’
R. Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
(Joel 2:12-13)
Even now . . . which means, that there’s still time. It’s never too late.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
(Mt 6:7-15)
The prayer that Jesus gave us is full of lessons for us all. Not only do we ask for daily bread, we also ask for forgiveness, just as we forgive. And of course, that’s the kicker! To be forgiven, we must also forgive. As Jesus will point out to us: the measure with which you measure, will in turn be measured out to you. And so Lent calls us to be generous . . . generous in forgiving, generous in giving, generous in love.
