Visitation Lenten Reflections 2024

  Isaiah 52:13—53:12     Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9     John 18:1—19:42 Today the readings focus on the redemptive suffering of Christ. What did this mean to the early Church, and what does it mean today? The Gospel according to John was likely finalized about 60 years after the crucifixion. By then, those who knew Jesus and saw his suffering had time to ponder why his Passion was necessary. Couldn’t our salvation have been accomplished in some other way—perhaps by simple divine fiat? Jesus’ disciples would have been intimately familiar with today’s first reading. It’s not hard to see why the Church still turns to Isaiah. We get goosebumps when hearing this great prophet’s description of what the Suffering Servant would undergo. Seven hundred years later, early Jewish Christians would have seen the Holy Spirit inspiring Isaiah to foretell Jesus’ crucifixion and explain its meaning. In today’s second reading, Jesus is portrayed not just as the sacrificial victim, but as the high pries

  Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14     1 Corinthians 11:23-26     John 13:1-15 Grown, He walked through towns and countryside, feeding hollow-eyed hundreds who pursued him by day. He learned that the memory of yesterday’s bread could not relieve today’s hunger. On the eve of his death, He at last found a way to keep rejection and hunger at bay. He held his life in his hands and said to his friends, “Take. Eat. This is my body, broken for you.” And when they were filled, commanded: “Feed the hungry. Do this. Re-member me.”   (“Legacy,” from Incarnation, by Sr. Irene Zimmerman, OSF)   Re-reading the Scripture selections for Holy Thursday, this Lenten season I was struck by the focus on nourishment, sated not so much by physical means, but through mindful acts of service. In Exodus’ deliberate and detailed instructions about the observance of Passover protocol, we cannot overlook Yahweh’s attention to the family who may be too small to afford purchasing a whole lamb: “You

  Isaiah 50:4-9a      Matthew 26:14-25 Today's readings center around Judas’ betrayal. It's hard to imagine how Jesus contained his human emotions knowing that Judas was going to betray him. Jesus had chosen Judas and spent 3 years with this disciple and although there is not any mention of their interactions prior to this first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the day before the Last Supper, today it is clear that Jesus knows what is in Judas' heart. Judas had planned his betrayal of Jesus for a period of time before the Last Supper as we are told in this gospel. He previously received thirty pieces of silver from the chief priests and was looking for an opportunity to hand Him over. Judas’ greed and ego kept him from seeing that seemingly unforgivable sin he committed until it was too late. Only after Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross did Judas realize the magnitude of his betrayal. As we are called to live our faith each day I sometimes won

  Isaiah 49:1-6     John 13:21-33, 36-38 The contrast between Isaiah’s beautiful prose about the world’s salvation in the First Reading and Jesus’ calling out of Judas and Peter in the Gospel could not be more stark. Isaiah uses hopeful rhetoric to describe how God fashioned his servant in his mother’s womb, formed him into a “polished arrow,” and deployed him to be a “light to the nations” and to bring salvation “to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah’s decision both to speak in the first person and then to toss in a reference to “Israel” is a bit confusing to a simpleton like me (I have never been confused with a biblical scholar). But I assume Isaiah was foreshadowing Jesus’ future arrival when he referred to the servant as a “polished arrow,” kept in God’s quiver, only to be deployed when necessary to save the world. The phrase “polished arrow” keeps echoing back to me. Meanwhile, in reading the Gospel I am overcome by the unwritten phrase “human weakness.” Jesus reprimands his be

  Isaiah 42:1-7     John 12:1-11 In today’s first reading, we are given an inspired call to action. Through Isaiah, God says “I have formed you and set you as…a light for the nations.” A few years ago, the second weekend of January was one of the worst weather weekends we had in many years. Much of the city lost power due to the ice and people had to either evacuate their homes or live with no electricity. Visitation Parish also suffered from the power outages and on Sunday morning at 9 am, we entered the sanctuary to candlelight and natural light from the windows. It was cool, but not cold yet and most people sat a little closer to the altar since there were no microphones. The crowd was smaller than usual, but all in all the spirits were good. There was no cantor that morning, but the pianist played with gusto. During the collection, he started playing “Christ Be Our Light.” It was so perfect. The notes flew from the piano like water down a beautiful waterfall. His music was pure

  Mark11:1-10     Isaiah 50:4-7     Philippians 2:6-11     Mark 14:1-15:47 Palm Sunday is a strange moment in the church calendar. It begins with a ritual observed only once a year, the waving and blessing of palm branches while we listen to the story of an adoring crowd joyfully welcoming Jesus as he enters Jerusalem ahead of Passover - the festival of liberation. Palm Sunday gives us a foretaste of the Holy Week to come. That mystical triduum of days meant to bleed into one another. Its rituals will jostle us between fasting and feasting, darkness and light, fear and joy. A flurry of incense and prayer will veil these days with feelings of wonder and awe; creating a sense that the distinction between life and death is not what it seems. Jesus entered Jerusalem that day knowing his death was imminent. My father died this past October after three years battling a cancer he knew would eventually kill him. We made the most of those final weeks with him in the hospital and then hospic

  Ezekiel 37:21-28         John 11:45-56 Today’s passages spoke to me in many ways. The main way the first reading spoke to me was the sense of unity. Unity has always been a big part of the Old Testament. For instance, the Israelites‘ exodus, Adam and Eve’s bond, and God’s presence with his people are all instances of unity greatly benefiting everyone involved. There are also plenty of instances where a lack of unity is the source of bad things to come. Some of these include Saul and the burnt offering, the Israelites during the Judges period, or even our world right now. One of my favorite sayings is “There is no such thing as evil, only the lack of good.” In my heart I absolutely believe that to be true, and I feel the same is true for today’s reading. God makes everything good, and God is Goodness itself. We all do, or should, desire to have a personal and intimate relationship with God. Evil is the deprivation of good, and since God is goodness itself, living a life without

  Jeremiah 20:10-13      John 10:31-42 Today’s reading is a reflection on the power that faith in God can give us during times of hardship. When the speaker alludes to being surrounded by enemies, it may not necessarily indicate physical foes, but could symbolize internal struggles or life's challenges. Yet through all this, the speaker remains confident because they believe God is on their side, fighting their battles with them. The speaker seeks God's vengeance on their persecutors, illustrating the belief that those who do wrong and fail to understand the consequences will eventually face divine judgment. This eternal disgrace they're accumulating is a severe and lasting retribution, which contrasts sharply with the ephemeral nature of earthly success. God is commended not as a distant deity, but a personal savior, a refuge, and a source of strength. This points to a deep, personal relationship between the speaker and God, characterized by love, trust, and reliance

Genesis17:3-9     John 8:51-59 In both passages today we see divine promises revealed. Divine promises are promises made by God to the people. In both the Old and New Testament, we see God make covenants with his people even after they disobey him. In Genesis, God establishes his covenant with Abraham. God promises Abraham as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and a Promised Land in Canaan. This promise with Abraham shows that even though God is ethereal and omnipotent, he still desires a relationship with us.  In the Gospel according to John, Jesus makes a similar pact with the people. He promises that whoever believes in Him and obeys His word will have eternal life in Heaven. This is another divine promise. Jesus gives us everlasting life if we follow him. In both readings we see a covenant between God and the people. This reminds me of the promises I have made in my own life. Examples such as my parents promising me a bright future if I work hard; and my teacher

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95     John 8:31-42 Digesting scripture is tricky, mostly because different people have different takeaways based on their own ideas and life. Today’s readings have one main message that profoundly resonates with me. The scene begins when Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago are asked why they do not worship the king. Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago proclaim that they believe in God, and refuse to worship the king. Nabuchadnezzar again asks them to pledge allegiance to him, otherwise they will be thrown into a furnace. This is a question of faith. Questions of faith are seen throughout the Bible; such as Moses and the Red Sea, Saul and the offering, the entire story of Job, and many more. The question that arrived in my head was “Why. Why does God challenge our faith?” I remember we discussed a similar topic in one of my Religion Classes. We were going over the story of Job, my personal favorite in the bible, when my teacher asked the exact question. “Why does God

  2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16        Romans 4:13,16-18,22            Matthew 1:16,18-21,24a Today’s first reading and the responsorial psalm are both in regard to King David and how God promises his kingdom will last forever. God establishes a personal relationship with David and makes a covenant similar to the one made with Abraham in Genesis. God promises an eternal kingdom for David and that a messianic king would reign forever. This is completed in the New Testament through Jesus. The second reading is a letter to the Romans from Paul. Paul is explaining that the covenant with Abraham is not a law but rather becomes true through faith. He is saying that all who have the kind of faith Abraham had will be a part of the eternal kingdom. This is opposed to the thought of the time that God’s promises only extended to the Jewish people and those who followed the laws of Moses. For me, these two readings are connected. I realize through reflecting on this scripture that God is not here

  Daniel 13:41c-62     John 8:12-20 Both of today’s readings address questions of innocence and judgment. In the first reading, Susanna is blameless of the crime the two elders accuse her of. The elders know, Susanna knows it and we as readers know it too. Nevertheless, Susanna has few options beyond claiming her innocence, though the unjust elders could condemn her to death, The unnamed prostitute in John’s gospel provides a contrast to Susanna as she does not protest her guilt or proclaim her innocence. She, too, passively accepts the likely death sentence for her crime. The gospel passage instead points to the collective guilt of the crowd that brought her before Jesus. As we watch this story develop, we are not seeing how the prostitute can escape her punishment. In both readings, the crowds observing these situations go along with the prevailing opinion regarding the respective guilt of these women. The saving grace in both cases is the moral authority and courage of one ind

  Jeremiah 31:31-34     Hebrews 5:7-9     John 12:20-33 I am sure this scenario at the Greene dinner table is not unique: we are all eating dinner talking about our day and someone asks a very benign but sincere question about something and then Denis jumps in and launches into a very long explanation about the break-down of the bicameral mind, and everyone else rolls their eyes or shoots the original questioner a “why did you say that??” and secretly bets how long it will take him to mention his time in Africa. Today’s scripture readings are very familiar. Jeremiah 31:33 is basically a mantra in my prayer  journal. I am also writing this at the New Year so the psalmist’s gratitude of a clean slate (“a clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me”) is also occupying my prayer life currently. But my attention today lies with the poor apostle, Philip, who has been approached by Greeks wanting to be introduced to Jesus. One commentary I read likened it to

  Jeremiah 11:18-20      John 7:40-53 Jesus has amassed a huge following overtime. Included in the crowd he gathered were guards and Pharisees. Many of the members in the crowd were so impressed with Jesus that they believed he was the Christ, the true Prophet. Yet others, with knowledge of the Scriptures, question his origin and assume he is a false messiah. Speaking to the divided crowd, the Pharisee named Nicodemus reminds his fellow religious leaders that this man has done no wrong. “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” His colleagues taunt him for defending Jesus and turn their questioning toward him.    Some in the crowd called for Jesus’ arrest. But the guards were amazed and in awe of him so made no move to lay hands upon him. However, this would not be the end of the conflict for Jesus. Recognizing the truth is probably as difficult today as it was during the time of Christ. So much information from so many areas. What t

  Wisdom 2:1a,12-22     John 7:1-2,10,25-30 “But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” We are more than halfway through Lent, and probably not our first Lent. We know the story. We may find ourselves impatient with the critics in today’s Gospel. The ones who refuse to see Jesus’s holiness because he’s not what they expected. He’s from a known town. He’s too tall, too thin, too dark, too religious, not religious enough, not one of us; he’s just not right to be the Holy One. “People, pay attention”: we want to say.  Listen up. The Holy One is in front of you! We are deeply convinced that in the same situation WE would have recognized His holiness. And yet, how often does goodness/holiness pass us by unrecognized? He/she is too tall, too dark, not like us, too religious, not religious enough, from another country, (and maybe not even Catholic) etc.  In the Easter story, we know the ending. In our own lives, not so much. Do WE see the

  Exodus32:7-14      John 5:31-47 In today’s readings we see God’s anger with the ancient Hebrews because of their disregard for His teaching and worshiping a molten calf. We have many different things in our lives that take us away from our God. Money, pride, sex, fame, drugs, alcohol, stature and convenience to mention just a few. God knows all our sins, and weaknesses, but with HIS divine mercy has given us everything we need to attain eternal life. We have been conditioned and expect everything in our existence to be instantaneous and disregard the importance of quiet and contemplation. When my anxiety becomes hyper acute I sometimes say to myself “where do I go from here?” Then I realize that I don’t have the answers, but God does! HE has given us everything that we need and keeps telling us that HE is all merciful and forgiving. As a physician practicing internal medicine for 42 years my prayer was frequently “God, I need your help, guide my thinking and decisions” in the

  Isaiah49:8-15      John 5:17-30 In The Monastic Heart, a book the parish distributed last year, Sr. Joan Chittister explains that the antiphon or refrain that begins and ends each psalm is meant to distill the psalm into a single idea that we can ponder and understand. We see this quality in today’s antiphon: “The Lord is gracious and merciful.” For us, that assurance sets the tone for the other two readings today, and invites reflections on who God is and what God intends for all of us. In the first reading God promises comfort to his people through a love and commitment that exceeds even that of a mother for her child. That’s a powerful image. In the Gospel, Jesus promises eternal life to those who hear the Word that Jesus proclaims. “The Lord is gracious and merciful” strikes us as the key for a meditation on today’s readings. Even though we sometimes feel we are falling or we are bowed down in the way the psalm mentions, we are consoled by God’s constant love. Personally, whe

  Ezekiel 47:1-9,12     John 5:1-16  Today’s gospel relates the well-known story of the paralyzed man at the pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda. Here the blind, the lame and the paralyzed waited each day for the “moving of the waters.” The first one into the pool after such a disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had. Because the man in the gospel had no one to help him, he was never the first in the pool – for 38 years!! Jesus sees the man one day and asks if he would like to be cured. Then he tells the man to pick up his mat and walk. The man does so and is later berated by some for breaking God’s Law and carrying his mat on the Sabbath. One thing that stands out for me about this reading is our need to help one another. For the man in the gospel, you would think someone, some way, would have helped him. We likely encounter people every day who could use a hand - sometimes in obvious ways and other times in unseen ways. I have been fighting several cancers for the

  Isaiah 65:17-21          John 4:43-54 Isaiah gives us a beautiful image of God’s new creation with nature and humanity in harmony. This fulfills God’s love where He creates “Jerusalem to be a joy and its people a delight.” In the Gospel from John, Jesus heals the son of a royal official to show his compassion with those who believe. This hope and optimism is hard for me to grasp as I write this reflection on the coldest day of winter. I can’t see the beauty of God’s creation when I look out at leafless trees, gray skies, and icy covered snow. With the festivities of Christmas getting farther in the past, I miss the beauty and lights. A cruel winter is all that I can see. Now as I jump ahead to March 11, I realize that we are in the middle of Lent with Ash Wednesday and the promises of Lenten sacrifices becoming rather laborious. Spring and Easter are still weeks away. While the weather is more promising than the dead of winter, I’m still struggling to find the “joy” and “deligh

  2Chronicles 36:1-16,19-23     Ephesians2:4-10     John 3:14-21 John, writing a generation after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans, emphasized salvation; not through sacrifice in the Temple or scrupulously following the Law, but through the agency of God’s only Son and our faith in Him. Jesus assures us that he didn’t come to condemn the world; He came to lead us out of darkness. But we can be certain that those who followed him while he was still walking this earth had to wrestle with these words. They didn’t have John the evangelist interpreting for them. In today's Gospel, put yourself into Nicodemus' shoes. Nicodemus here, but you can call me Nick. Now rabbi, did you just say, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might be saved?” No committees. No vote by the Sanhedrin. Just believe in him. “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned?” That’s it? What’s the catch? There must be a ton of paperwork and a bu

  Hosea 6:1-6     Luke 18:9-14 In today’s gospel Jesus tells a parable about two people who went up to the temple to pray. His point is to explain to the disciples the importance of humility. The first person, a religious leader assumed to be righteous, praised God for making him unique and names others as greedy and dishonest. The second person, a tax collector, asked God for mercy and forgiveness for being a sinner. The tax collector went back to his home feeling satisfied and helped by God, while the Pharisee returned as the same arrogant person. This gospel shows how being conceited and thinking you’re better than everyone else won’t allow you to grow as a person. God knows no one can be perfect and wants us to know that too. He forgives us for our mistakes and sins. Acknowledging your wrongs and others’ role in your successes will allow you to become a more humble person. To me, humility means to show modesty and not brag about personal achievements. I think humility is one

  Hosea 14:2-10     Mark 12:28-34 In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the greatest commandment, which is to love God above all things, to love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. It may be hard to love someone you don’t know or don’t spend time with. But through the ways we love God, we can love others too. We can love using our strength by maybe doing physical works of service, and on the other hand, loving with your soul could mean taking time out of your day to relax or donate. I feel like the easiest method of loving God is through your heart. If you ask anyone, your heart symbolizes love, and you can do many different types of things to love God with your heart. Going to Church and praying every day are very good ways to love God with all your heart.   It also states in the Gospel that “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” You may think that you are far because of things that distract you in life. For me, sports, friends, and scho

  Jeremiah 7:23-28     Luke 11:14-23 For today’s reflection, I chose to focus on the message in the first reading. God is telling the people to listen to Him and His instructions. The people turn away from God and are lost. In this first reading we hear God telling us about how people were making the wrong decision by not following God and not obeying Him. He tries to send prophets to help lead the people in the right direction, but they do not listen. These people, this community is in the wrong, and it may take them time to realize. God knows this and continues to try to help them despite how they are treating him. The final lines in the reading say that their faithfulness has vanished. This sounds unimaginable and painful. I know that God will get through to them with His power and their faith will be restored. This reading is easily related to our lives in which when we make a decision that we know will push us away from God but we continue anyway. I know we all try our best

  Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9     Matthew 5:17-19 How does Jesus fulfill you in your life? He said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets…. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” Jesus came in the flesh to move us and to fulfill us. We need to follow him. He is the way, the truth, and the life; and He leads us on the divine path throughout our life and into heaven. Jesus is not concerned with changing our past; rather, he invites us to live a more fulfilling life by following His ways.   The words Jesus speaks in this Gospel passage would have been confusing to the people at the time. He wanted to shift their focus to the divine and less on following human-made laws. Do you get too caught up in following the rules of society instead of doing what God wants you to do? Rules and laws will always be around us but can we filter through all of it to see Jesus? It is so important to follow Jesus’ path today because there is so much standing in our way in today&

Daniel 3:25, 34-43     Matthew 18:21-35 Today's Gospel has a very good message. The Gospel talks all about forgiveness. Forgiveness is such an important aspect of being kind and having a strong faith. God forgives us for everything we do and still loves us through all of it, so this means we need to repay him by forgiving others in everything they do. The Gospel talks about a Master who forgives the debt that his servant owes by not sending him to jail. This servant is in the same situation later and does not forgive the servant that owes him money. In a way God is this master who forgives us for all we have done; and whenever we don't forgive our peers, we are like the servant who refused to forgive another’s debts. This Gospel reminds me of when something happens that offends me or hurts me, I get upset and I hold a grudge, like staying mad when one of my siblings stole something from me. I look back and I think - “Wow, I really should have forgiven them and not been so

  2 Kings 5:1-15ab     Luke 4:24-30 In the first reading today, we meet Naaman. Naaman is the army commander for King Aram, and he was a leper. When the king told him to go see the king of Israel, Naaman obeyed and went. When he went there, the king of Israel told him to dunk his head seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman was very angry with this instruction. He thought of himself as a very esteemed person. He of course did not want to do this, he thought the Jordan was so dirty and he would never do such a thing. Then, a young Jewish girl approached Naaman and asked him why he didn’t dunk his head seven times. She said, “if the prophet told you to do something extraordinary would you not have done it?” I think this is one of the most important lines in today’s reading, because it shows that Naaman is lucky to have this opportunity to cure his disease, while others who have leprosy who cannot be cured. This story reminds me of Adam and Eve and other characters in the Bible like