2nd Week of Lent
A CALL TO BE GREAT IN THE LORD
Trusting in the Lord is a prominent theme in this Second Sunday of Lent. If we are going to live our covenant, loving God enough is—to trust to him. Abraham’s faith in God is such that he does not hesitate to leave his land and go to an unknown place that God would lead him. And think of the trust of his son, who on the Mount of Olives begged for deliverance but nonetheless went through with what was asked of him. Then, on another mountain, three of his disciples witnessed his transfiguration and saw his true nature as the Son of God in the company of the prophets. “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” This is not just a colorful story – we who hear it are just as surely told these words. Will we be obedient to them?



Reflection & Small Group Questions

3rd Week of Lent
"He told me everything I have done"
The gospels of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent in Year A of our three year cycle of readings are some of the most powerfully resonating passages in the Bible. They tell stories of great deeds Jesus did and of the people he encountered. One of the common threads running through them is an apparent gap between what Jesus is trying to teach and demonstrate and the understanding of those around him—a gap requiring a leap of faith from those who wish to follow him.

The gospel of the 3rd Sunday of Lent is a classic example. First of all, Jesus and his disciples are in Samaria, a place where they are without doubt "persona non grata." The Jews despised the Samaritans. Notice how specific mention is given to the fact that the disciples did not reprimand Jesus for even speaking to a woman who evidently had at least three strikes against her in their eyes - she was a woman, a Samaritan (half Jews) and was "living in sin."

In Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan Woman, it is as if there are two different conversations going on at once—the woman speaks in terms of this world and what is concrete, while Jesus (from her perspective) seems to speak in riddles. The mere fact that he, a Jew, would even ask her for a drink throws her off balance, and then her starts talking about "living water"— whatever that is! But as they continue to speak she becomes more and more impressed by him and perceives the truth in what he speaks. Later, she draws others to him, who can say eventually: "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the World."



It is also revealed that the disciples have no better an understanding than the Samaritans do. This scripture teaches us about faith. In a sense, to become a follower of Christ, a certain leap of faith is required, especially at first. Like with the Samaritans, our belief becomes stronger as our acquaintance with Jesus grows. The woman encountered Jesus as she went about her daily, everyday task—the others encountered him first through her testimony ("He told me everything I have done!"), but then grew in faith as they encountered him for themselves.

This process continues today. In joining our community the Catechumens, who are now "the Elect", are making a leap of faith. At first they experienced some level of inspiration from God to find out more about Catholicism. As they asked more questions and entered more fully into relationship with Christ they grew in faith. Now they will arrive at a point where they will be able to stand before hundreds of us on Holy Saturday night and be baptized - a very public witness on their journey of faith.  So should all of us be inspired to witness to the one who knows everything we have ever done, and who calls on us to grow in faith this season of Lent.  For God's mercy, like "Living Water", is truly abundant and overflowing.



Reflection & Small Group Questions

1.  Jesus reaches out to the woman by asking something of her—a drink.  How has God reached out to you in every day actions?

2.  The woman confronts Jesus over religious disagreements between the Jews and the Samaritans.  What religious disagreements keep you in confrontation with the Church's beliefs?

3.  Have you experienced a conversion that moved you from one understanding to the opposite understanding? 

4.  Have you become a witness of Jesus in your life as the Samaritan did?

4th Week of Lent
Blind and Sighted and Sighted and Blind
The story of the man born blind is a story of brokenness.  We  all are broken people—we are broken because we are born into it—a broken world.  We are born into original sin.  Our culture wants us to pretend that we are not broken.  That we don't need redemption and healing, and that "everything in the world is wonderful and everything we do is great." 

Today, the man who was born blind was saved by Jesus, but others, who are sighted, were blind in various degrees.  The Pharisees thought by their following the law in great detail they could save themselves. The parents could not believe in the salvation of their son since they were afraid.  Others couldn't believe that it could happen; maybe it was someone else.  

Our culture leads us to believe that Jesus can't save us—"if we think we can, we can handle it ourselves."  but it is only through Christ that all things are possible.



Reflection & Small Group Questions

1.  In the Old Testament reading, why do you think that David was chosen by god to be a leader rather than his brothers? 

2.  In what ways has Christ given you sight?

3.  What sinfulness have we been born into that we just assume are natural in our lives?

4.  Do we really believe that Jesus can open our eyes to what will make us happy?

5. The Gospel of John, Chapter 9, is a story about Baptism.  What does washing in the waters of the pool of the "One Sent" do for the blind man? What does Baptism do for us? 

5th Week of Lent
Dead Men Walking
Today, we have the dead raised to life in Jesus.  It is a foreshadowing of Jesus rising from the dead and also our rising, in Jesus, from the dead.  But in Jesus, we are not just talking about resuscitation of life—the way we were before death. This new greater life that comes with Jesus and our living his way of life does not just come after death.  We are talking about ourselves walking in a new life that comes from living Jesus' life vs when we were dead and think we are living, but really are Dead Men Walking. The fact is if we have not taken on Jesus as our Savior—we are Dead Men Walking.

God gives us new life now and each day.  We don't have to wait until we physically die for God's way of life to give us life.  His way of life is life.  God is our new life now, but to receive this new life from Jesus, we need to become his disciples and live his way of life.  If we don't live his way of life—we do not have life and we are indeed Dead Men Walking.

What is the way of life of Jesus?  
Jesus gave us the two commands of life:  Love God with our whole soul, whole mind and our whole self and the second is to Love our neighbor as ourselves.  These are the greatest and only way.

Life, as we know, is not in the things we own, the power we have, the force we control, but it is in the love of relationships.  People without relationships are lonely, overworked, depressed, and without purpose.  Life is a rat race and then you die.

People with relationships are constantly being filled with life.  People who have Jesus as the root of their relationship find a new, richer, deeper life.  Some just have Jesus as an acquaintance—someone we enjoy, someone we get together with occasionally, someone who occasionally is a joy.  Committed Christians see Jesus as walking with us and we walking with Jesus.  It is a partnership where I go Jesus goes and where Jesus goes I go.  It is not a here today and forgotten tomorrow.

Walk with Jesus is not easy.  This journey with Jesus will lead to the cross and suffering (next Sunday, we will hear the Passion of Jesus), but it will also lead us to the joy and greatness of the Resurrection.  The events of the liturgical cycle are not just a reminder to us, not just a acting out, not just a historical event, but a dynamic of what is happening in our life with Jesus each and every day as we walk with him.



Reflection & Small Group Questions

1.  The prophet Isaiah speaks God's words, "My people, I will help you rise from your graves."  What were you dead to and are now alive, with God's help?

2.  In Romans, Paul speaks against too much indulgence and tells us the Spirit give life.  In what ways are you too indulgent?  For help:  Go to Our Extravagant Needs (click here) under the Fasting & Abstaining section.

3. Jesus says to the crowds gathered at Lazarus raising, "Untie him and let him go free." Where are you bound by things, or who do you bind up in your wishes?

4.  Jesus shows his true humanity when he cries and was deeply troubled by his friend's death.  Do you just see Jesus as God?  Do you understand him as going through life in a human way as you do?  Read the Passion Narrative of Matthew in preparation for next week, but read it, not as a play acted out by God, but through Jesus' eyes as truly human.