Sunday, March 22, 2009

Fourth Sunday of Lent

2 Chronicles 36: 14-16, 19-23; Ephesians 2: 4-10; John 3: 14-21
Admission to the Kingdom cannot be bought or earned. The Father's love is her gift to us, completely free and unconditional. But like any gift, it is ours to accept or reject. What will your answer be?

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Third Sunday of Lent

Exodus 20: 1-17; 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25; John 2: 13-25
"Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified." In other words, most people approach Truth by searching for proof, physical or intellectual. (Just look at the response to Jesus by the people of Jerusalem in today's Gospel.) But those who truly follow the Way proclaim a love that is not subject to proof; it simply is what it is. We make Truth out to be more complex than it is, because we assume it must be that way. But life is so much simpler than it appears. We needed the Old Law, but its time passed away. Jesus gave us the New Law, but now its time has passed as well. The truth of both is simply this: Love. That is all God, Jesus, and the prophets have ever desired of us. Love. Infinitely complex and yet amazingly simple. Love. Stop trying to understand and codify it; just do it. Love.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Second Sunday of Lent

Genesis 22: 1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Mark 9: 2-10
We belong to our Creator, not ourselves. Nothing we have, including our bodies, is truly our own. It is all on lease from the Landlord. From this perspective, there can be no burden in following God's will, because we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I am yours Father, say the word and I shall follow.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

First Sunday of Lent

Mark 1: 12-15
"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." I say these words to you today, just as my brother spoke them so long ago. Now is the time for God's Reign to begin. The Kingdom is not some future utopia; it is faith, hope, and love. Embrace these with all your heart, live them as best you can every moment, and you will find yourself there before you know it. Our Father's good news is that her Realm lies within each of us, if we only choose to believe. So let me say it again with my own words: Now is God's time, for something wonderful is upon us, so be at peace, and believe in the truth of love.