The heart of the matter

Today, we have met Jesus at a moment when many people – including tax collectors and sinners – were gathering around him.  Jesus always welcomes those who come close to him, but that day, there were also others in the crowd - the Pharisees and scribes – who were not impressed that Jesus made room in his life for those who were considered outcasts.

The parable that Jesus told was meant to show them that there is room for everyone in the merciful heart of Jesus.  The parable begins with a scene that would have been very well understood by all those who were listening: A man had two sons (Lk 15:11).  With just these few words, every person who heard the story would have understood that this man was very proud, but then the unthinkable happened.  The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me’ (Lk 15:12).  In modern-day parlance, the son was effectively saying to his father: I wish you were dead.  One can only wonder at the discussion that must have preceded such a comment.  How much the father must have been hurt by such a comment!

Like every parable, this story is our story.  I am sure that there are some who are here who could tell a similar story, or some who know someone else who has had to live this nightmare: a son, a daughter, a brother or a sister who has chosen to walk a different road.  Who among us does not know of someone who has distanced him or herself from those who once were considered loved ones?  Perhaps we have not been distanced from family and loved ones, but we have chosen to walk a path that has distanced us from regular prayer because we have chosen to believe that we can live life better if we don’t have anyone else – including God – placing expectations on us.

At some point in our lives, we all choose to walk such a path, and as long as life continues to be enjoyable, we feel like we’re doing well, but at some point or other, we all find ourselves in some situation where we are no longer in control.  For awhile, even when we encounter difficulties in life, we can keep up appearances, but eventually, we come to our senses (Lk 15:17).  It takes great courage to admit that we have made a mistake.  Admitting vulnerability is never easy on the human ego, but the parable of the Prodigal Son shows us that our God has a heart that is infinitely merciful.  No matter how far we may have wandered, no matter how long we have been away, our God is always waiting for us to come home.

The image of the Father in the parable gives us a glimpse into the merciful and forgiving heart of our God.  If our God is willing to come running toward his prodigal children in order to welcome them home, should we not strive to be merciful to those who may have turned their backs on us?  Lent is the perfect time to change our hearts, to come home to our Father who will always welcome us with open arms.  If we ourselves have known the experience of being the prodigal child, I wonder whether that would change the way we relate to others.  Even small actions and words of welcome will speak volumes to wounded hearts.

His Word Today: Important

Good morning everyone,

Today's gospel passage provides a summary of the most important focus for our prayer.  The scribes asked Jesus to explain which of the commandments was the most important.  There were more than 600 rules outlined in the Old Testament, but Jesus explained that they could all be summarized in two: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart ... soul ... and mind, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mk 12:30-31).

These two rules go hand in hand.  We cannot separate them.  We should love the Lord with every fibre of our being.  Thankfully, our God has first loved us, and will always love us.  Our love for God is, and always will be, a response to the love that God has for us.  And the natural response to the knowledge of God's love for us is that we should seek to love others.

Love is the fruit of the relationship we share with our God, and with others.  Are we aware of the love that God has for us?  Have we ever been aware of this love?  Motivated by God's love for us, do we look at our brothers and sisters with love and compassion?  Do we seek to help and serve them because we truly want the best for them?

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Discernment

Good morning everyone,

One of the most well-known gifts that Saint Ignatius of Loyola left to the Church was the practice of the discernment of spirits.  This practice was developed through his own practice of being aware of his surroundings and learning from his own experience.

Many years before Saint Ignatius, Jesus demonstrated the importance of discerning spirits.  We see evidence of this in today's gospel passage.  Some of the skeptics who witnessed his miraculous healings questioned his authenticity, posturing that it was by the power of ... the prince of demons that he drove out demons (Lk 11:15).

Knowing the truth of the situation, Jesus explained: Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste (Lk 11:17), therefore the truth of the situation was - and is - that it is by the finger of God that he did this good work.  We can be confident in this truth, and we can share this good news with others too.  Jesus has overcome the power of the prince of demons and has come to proclaim the kingdom of life and light.  Let us share this good news with those we meet.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Fulfillment

Good morning everyone,

At the hunt of their power, the Roman emperors commanded the territory that stretched as far west as modern-day Britain, as far north as modern-day France and Germany, and  as far east as modern-day Israel. At the time when Jesus walked the earth, the Romans were indeed in charge of most of this territory. Anyone else who inhabited those lands had to comply with the rules that were outlined by those who were in charge.

When Jesus came along preaching a new way of living,  expectations and hopes among the Jewish people were that at sometime soon a new Messiah - which is to say a new ruler - would come along. The disciples and many of those who heard Jesus speak thought perhaps that he would be the one to fulfil this role. This is the context in which today's reading can be understood. Whereas the disciples were hoping that the old laws and rules might be abolished in favour of a new kingdom, Jesus wanted to clarify things. He said to them: Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets:  I have come not to abolish but to fulfill (Mt 5:17).

What about us? Do we have any expectations about Jesus? Do we have hopes and dreams about what our relationship with Jesus might or should be? Have we been disappointed when we discover that our expectations sometimes fall short, or don't seem to be fulfilled at all?  The problem with this mentality is that somehow we think that we can control God instead of being part of His eternal plan. Today, let's just ask our God to use our talents and gifts as He sees fit. Then just sit back and marvel at the wonderful things that unfold.

 Have a great day. 

His Word Today: 77 Times

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Lord gives us a lesson about forgiveness.  It is already an act of humility to admit to ourselves that we are in need of forgiveness.  Perhaps it is someone else that we need to approach, asking for this grace but perhaps it is the Lord himself who needs to forgive us.  The good news is that our God never tires of offering the gift of forgiveness, every time that we turn to him and ask.

Something that is more difficult for us is the act of forgiving others who have done us wrong.  Our human nature does not forget the experience of being wronged, and it seems that our humanity has a natural tendency to seek out vengeance, yet Jesus told Peter (and by extension, he tells us as well) that if a brother - or sister - sins against us ... we must be ready to forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times ... (Mt 18:22).

Today, let us ask the Lord to open our hearts to the possibility that we might consider offering forgiveness rather than judgement.

Have a great day.

Annunciation of the Lord

Good evening everyone,

Nine months to the day before the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord, the Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Lord today.  Saint Luke recounts the details of the encounter between the Virgin Mary and the angel Gabriel who announced to her the news that she would be the mother of the Lord.

The Annunciation of the Lord is the only day - other than the Solemnity of Saint Joseph - when the Church turns her focus from the discipline of Lent to celebrate important moments.  On March 19 and again on March 25, it is as though we take a break from the discipline of Lent in order to truly observe an occasion worthy of celebration.

May this day - which has been celebrated in the Church since the fifth century - be an occasion of joy for all of God's people.

Have a great day.

Turn aside

The Book of Exodus speaks today of a physical motion that is an important part of this Lenten season.  While Moses was tending his father’s flock, he led the animals to the mountain of God where he encountered something very curious and turned aside to look at this great sight (Ex 3:3).  As we continue our journey toward the celebration of Easter, we too need to turn aside from our regular routines so that we can take stock of the lives we have lived, where we are in relation to our God, to others and to ourselves, and where we would like to be.

In all sincerity, we strive to stand before the Lord.  Although we are conscious of our own weakness whenever we are in the presence of God, our heavenly Father wishes only to make us aware of the fruitfulness that is the reward for our faithfulness.  Every one of us has been created in love, and God’s hope for us is that we do far more than merely occupy space here on earth.  We are meant to bear fruit through the loving words we speak and the acts of kindness and compassion we share with others.

Some of us who are here today might still not have given much thought to slowing down the frantic pace of our daily lives during Lent, much less turning aside so that we can truly consider the Lord’s invitation to take stock of the fruitfulness of our lives, yet there is still time to do this.  Like the skilled gardener mentioned in the gospel (cf Lk 13:8), during the season of Lent, it sometimes feels as though Jesus, the master gardener is digging around in our hearts, tending to the soil and feeding our souls.  This can be an uncomfortable process, but such change must take place so that we can grow stronger in our convictions and ultimately bear fruit in the ways we share the joy of our faith with others.

Lent can be a time when we are made aware of some less appealing aspects of our own personalities, yet the journey toward conversion can provide us with essential nutrients that will lead to our growth.  Our ancestors in faith also encountered such opportunities for change.  Saint Paul speaks in the second reading about the gifts that the Lord offers to us as sources of strength for our journey and for our growth.  Like those who have gone before us in faith, we too have been baptized, we too eat the spiritual food of the Eucharist and we too drink from the same spiritual chalice (cf 1 Cor 10:2-4).

Strengthened by these gifts, and relying on the mercy of the Lord, we stand firmly but humbly in his presence to say yes to His invitation to receive mercy and forgiveness.  On two occasions in today’s gospel passage, Jesus points out that he is not as concerned with the gravity of what his children may have done in order to turn away from him (cf Lk 13:2-5).  What is important is that we find the courage to turn aside, to look honestly at our own realities and at the invitation that is being extended to us at this time: an invitation to change our ways, so that the soil in which we live can be renewed.

In the coming days, let us dare to turn aside, to look with renewed sight at the relationship we are currently experiencing with our God, with others and with ourselves ... and let us ask the Lord to renew us in his love.