Lent is upon us again my friends.  We may come to this season with some “baggage,” of not so fond memories of long fasts and long church services to go to, feelings of guilt perhaps about not being good enough and part of the reason that Jesus needed to come and die on the cross.

   If any of this sounds true for you, then I would like to invite us all to come to this season with some fresh ideas and see perhaps, these 40 days as a gift given by our Church to help us “open up” and grow closer to our God who loves us beyond all imagining, and came not because of our sinfulness, but for love of us so as to show us ways to live better, our one wonderful life—each of us. 

   Just as Jesus found it necessary before beginning his public life to go apart and prepare for the challenges he would face; we too need such times to do the same.  He knew that the challenges would be many—to speak truth to power, to let all his sisters and brothers—all of us, that is, know not only how much we are in fact loved, but to address those “lording” their power and position over the less fortunate to change their ways, to call all of us to be our best selves for ourselves and for others. 

    Today, we have the opportunity to receive ashes on our foreheads, which we will do after the homily today.  Receiving ashes is a simple, but very telling reminder of our vulnerability and impermanence in this life. The gift of a human existence is temporary, in other words, and our life in Christ is always calling us to that reality and challenging us to be our best for whatever time we have.

    In truth probably, none of us relishes thinking along these lines—I know I don’t, and I don’t think Jesus did either, in his humanity, and this was part of his agony in the garden I believe, knowing that his time in this life would end.

    Lent calls us then to struggle with these questions of impermanence, of justice for all—sharing the goods of this world, extending mercy as Paul writes of our God to the Romans in today’s 2^nd reading: “Here there is no difference between Jew and Greek, all have the same Creator, rich in mercy toward all who call.”

   The first reading from Deuteronomy is a testament of gratitude for all that our God has done.  Lent can be a time when we become more grateful for the gifts in our lives that we regularly take for granted—gifts that in the impermanence of our lives could be gone tomorrow. Again, that was one of the unforeseen gifts that Michael gave us in his unexpected death—to treasure each day and make it one that we can look back on and see that we were able to do something good for someone, even if that “someone” was ourselves.

   In working with each of you through my ministry here and in the greater community of our outreach, I meet and work with many, very good people who are so generous with their time, talent, and treasure.  And within the generosity we shower upon others who we know have less than us; we must try and remember to share a bit with ourselves, because an “empty cup” can’t continue to give.  It’s a balance my friends.

   A positive thing that we might do this Lent is to spend some time, “in the basement of our hearts,” as someone once said, with our brother Jesus and discover how we truly look at ourselves.  Can it be said that we love ourselves, treasure our existence, are grateful for each day?  We can only face our world and all its needs, and do a good job of it, if we start from a place of love.  Maybe we will discover, “in the basement of our hearts” that there is an old wound to our spirit that needs healing.  Maybe we need to forgive ourselves for the times we have been less than Jesus asks of us.  Whatever we may find there, perhaps we can come to terms with it and move on to a healthier place, beginning to love ourselves again as God always has.

   My friends, for those of us who come out of many years’ experiences in the past of fasting, abstinence and other “penances” that signify, Lent, much of this is quite a task to take on; and end up, still appreciating a time like Lent.  Usually, it comes in the Church Year, at least in our climate, in the dead of winter and it might make us feel dull, but through the 40 days, we begin to glimpse spring, when new life begins to burst forth.  This new life not only shows itself in material ways around us, but there is every chance that this new life will be seen in us as well if we have allowed ourselves to open up to the larger world around us—the world that so desperately needs true followers of our brother, Jesus.

   The prophet Isaiah, in one of the Mass readings of this past week challenges us to be about the “fast” that our God truly wants—the “fast” that calls us to care for the least among us.  With this in mind, I share some commentary that I heard on public radio this past week. 

   The guest in the time slot I was listening to brought up the great suffering of the Ukrainian people at present in Putin’s war.  He rightly acknowledged their suffering, but went on to say that, in his experience, when the same kind of suffering-killing-injury, and destruction happens in countries of black and brown-skinned people, the same animosity and disgust against the perpetrators with a willingness to do something doesn’t seem to be present. 

   And being that this was a radio commentary, I wasn’t able to see this brother’s skin color, but from his next comment, I knew he was dark-skinned.  He was addressing the inherent, often unnoticed racism in several newscasters who were reporting on the people fleeing Ukrainian cities.  One of the reporters said, “These people look just like us (white skin) and many are Christian.” 

   Now to a white person and a Christian, this may have sounded fine and brought forth emotion and solidarity, but if you were a dark-skinned Muslim, you can imagine the reaction to this statement that does not match the lack of concern they likewise felt in their own times of trouble. 

   It shocked me when I heard this and had to wonder if I too have, in the past, sounded “racist” in comments I have made.  Of the many books that have been written in the past few years on racism, the authors seem to agree that racism is in our very DNA.  The same can likewise be said of “sexism.”  I know that I want to talk this over with my brother, Jesus, in the “basement of my heart” this Lent. 

   So, it would seem that a different kind of “fast” is before us to consider this Lent—one that can truly purge, not just our physical bodies, but our spiritual and emotional selves too—of racism and sexism—flaws that we perhaps aren’t even aware of.  This is not to say that physical fasting and abstinence aren’t good because many times such practices give us the strength to move on to the much harder issues—uncover them to the light of day and do something to change our behaviors.  Unfortunately, I think, many times we don’t extend the “fasting” beyond the physical. 

   Interesting that our country and its airwaves yearly sponsor, Black History Month in February, and a month to women in March.  On the face of it, we might say, this is good! But looking deeper, we might say, why is there a need to do either if we believe as Paul said in today’s second reading, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, all have the same Creator.” 

   Looking then to today’s gospel from Luke, I found it interesting that to all of the devil’s temptations, Jesus turns to the Scriptures to make his response.  Perhaps if each of us did the same more often—turn to the Scriptures for guidance in the ways to go, or as I always say to us, “Follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we would have a better track record trying to become our best selves.

   I find great comfort in today’s Psalm 91 response and especially in those times when I’m not clear on the way to go— “Be with me God, when I am in trouble…” 

   So my friends, as we begin once again, this really beautiful time of Lent—a gift, if we can see it as such, to come to know that One better that we profess to follow, then, I believe we can come through these 40 days more open, more loving, more willing to be all that we can be for ourselves and for others.   Amen? Amen!

Friends, this is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time for a while as we move into the holy season of Lent with Ash Wednesday this next week.  The ashes are a sign of our vulnerability in this life and point the way to a new and different life one day with God. I say, “a new and different life” because our God is with us, every day, closer to us than we are to ourselves, it has been said; but this will be different! In fact, we are told that we can’t even imagine what God has prepared for us! These thoughts are no doubt close to us this week as we reflect on Michael Maher’s passing and the fragility of life. We will talk of this more as we move into Lent, but for now, let’s look at the messages of this week.

   Our day in and day out life with our God as followers of our brother, Jesus, can be said quite well, I think in Paul’s challenge to the Corinthians today: [Be] “fully engaged in the work of Jesus.” 

   We might ask then—just what does this “work” entail? As you know; I am fond of saying, “It’s all about love!”  In any situation, we must apply the law of love, especially when we aren’t sure of the way to go in a particular situation that we are confronted with.  If we can answer that, love is being served, that we are doing the most loving thing in what we are choosing to do, that the needs of others and not just those of myself will be addressed, then we can be quite sure that we are more “fully engaged in the work of Jesus” as Paul says. 

   And more specifically, Sirach zeroes in on our actions saying that, “It is in conversation, in a person’s words that we will know their worth.”  It is another way of saying, “You will know the truth—the good of something, “by the fruits.”  In our own time this past week, three white men were convicted of hate crimes against a black man by merit of their hate-filled posts on social media. 

   Sirach’s words are fulfilled in Jesus’ words today from Luke, “All people speak from their heart’s abundance—a good tree does not produce decayed fruit any more than a decayed tree produces good fruit.”  I have been especially challenged of late as I look at my own reactions to some of the world’s many, many instances of injustice. A war waged on an innocent country by a bully a world away but affecting that world and its people and many others around our beautiful earth through commerce and daily living needs. So, I have to answer myself and address the anger I feel and express verbally at times and ask if it has gone beyond “righteous” anger.

   I think many times my friends, we confuse seemingly righteous actions with what is the right thing to do, and we can only discover that in the depths of our hearts and work for a balance.     

   As I listened to the news coming out of Washington and around the world this week, I found that when it comes to the issue of one country waging war on another country, and especially with Putin’s Russia, the two political parties in our country can seem to find agreement for the most part on what our country needs to do, when they can’t on anything else that involves the needs of people in their day-to-day lives.

   I think that the words from our prophets today, serve us well.  “Be steadfast and persevering, fully engaged in the work of Christ,” that we all speak from the abundance in our hearts, and that our words speak louder perhaps than our actions.  Whether a person is believable or not seems to stem from the impression they have made on us—which includes their words, as well as their actions! 

   Diane Bergant, Scripture scholar, speaks to this issue in her commentary on today’s readings.  As we all know, and she makes the point of saying; one only has one chance to make a good first impression.  The trouble with this, she continues, is that our culture often holds up less than good criteria for what makes a “good, or acceptable” person—many times the criteria have to do with external things; the clothes we wear, the shape of our bodies and so on.  And how unfortunate if we never go any deeper than that!

   It is only in living—through our life experiences, and with others, she suggests, that we come to see what is most important about those we meet in our lives—what they are made of–on the inside.  This is called, “wisdom”—something we hopefully come to in our lifetimes.

   When we are driven by the externals alone, she goes on, the genuine person loses out.  Part of our anger and at times, hopelessness, it seems to me, in viewing day-to-day issues is the lack of genuineness, of truth, of those willing to speak truth to power, boldly and with conviction, demonstrating what are the tenets of integrity-truth and faith perhaps, upon which many of us stand. 

   I was encouraged this past week in hearing a story out of India that shared that the country has no “anti-vaxers.” One has to wonder why that is when in our country, the anti-vaxers have literally slowed down the time when our country can move back into more “free” lives.  It would seem that this is one of the down sides to our gift of freedom.  Additionally, I think it comes from many in this country, from high places especially, using the good will of others to support their own selfish needs.

    According to Sirach, Bergant reminds us, the true test of the “pot” is seen in the firing.  In other words, none of this will be easy—change is always hard and especially for those who have been entrenched so long on a certain path. 

   But again, as Paul reminds us today; we must be “fully engaged in the work of Jesus.” If that had been the case, many ills in our country and Church, i.e. slavery, burning so-called “witches,” the sexual abuse of children could never have gone on as long as they did. And it isn’t enough for us to lay blame, but we must all be part of the solution that we want to see, instead of, part of the problem. And this, granted, can be unclear at times. 

   Just because we see something as good, doesn’t mean that we should necessarily do it—have we included the needs of all, including ourselves and possibly others that we work with in what we are about to do?

   Jesus had no time for hypocrites, a word that in the Greek, Bergant reminds us, means play-acting or pre-tense. It was Jesus who stressed that we should never correct others before we have corrected ourselves—the story of the speck in their eyes versus the plank in our own. Self-righteousness clouds our view of our own faults. 

   So, my friends, let us pray for strength, for all, to be steadfast in the belief that our God loves us all and we do this best by keeping our eyes on Jesus.  Sometimes we make the mistake of believing that Jesus never said, “no” that everyone who asked, got a “yes.” The truth is that he always tried to challenge people to be the best they could be in order to be good and just to others and sometimes, the “other” was in fact, themselves.  Amen? Amen!”

My friends, once again this homily was written with Michael Maher in “my rear-view mirror,” so to speak.  His passing—his death, as one of you said to me, “makes me so very sad!”  Yes! And yet, we know that life and death are a reality for each of us…In my past bereavement work, I have often said to families, “Our heads understand that, but it just takes a while longer for our hearts to catch up.” So, this is where we find ourselves today. 

   As I began work on this homily—I started with the Scriptures, as I always do, and I sought out some added wisdom, especially, for the first reading from Samuel.  The story of David sparing Saul’s life is, Scripture scholar, Diane Bergan says, “a striking example of respect and forgiveness, of doing unto others what we would want them to do unto us,” as our brother Jesus teaches in today’s gospel from Luke. 

   Jesus’ examples of “turning the other cheek,” giving repeatedly, not only the top garment, but our inner garment too to those who would ask, spells out quite well the extent to which we must consider sharing with others.

   I think that Jesus always made the point of carrying the example to the extreme because he knew of our human tendency to give less than we are capable of giving.  The idea, I believe, in praying over Jesus’ message is to look for a balance in our lives that cares for ourselves, at least doesn’t leave us out, with enough left to do our share in raising others to a level of dignity that each person deserves. 

   Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians today, reminds us that we must not only model ourselves on the first human—Adam, but on the second human—Jesus.  In other words, we must remember that we are comprised, each of us, of both human and spiritual tendencies; and blending the two; we can come, more and more, to image our brother, Jesus, the Christ. 

   Diane Bergant writes more on this golden rule of, “doing unto others as we would have them do unto us” by saying that sometimes our culture encourages us toward an opposing rule, that of, “doing unto others before they do unto us.”  We all struggle within our lives—the body against the spirit, to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves—it’s the journey each of us makes with our one, wonderful life. 

   These past two weeks, as our community has been “storming heaven” for Michael’s healing and through to his death on this past Wednesday, stories have been coming to me from all corners of this city and beyond about how people’s lives have been made better because of his “doing [for] others…”  He didn’t do any of it because he expected a return, but simply because that was who he was and perhaps that is the way, we can carry on—by emulating those actions we saw as good in him, in our own lives.  Our time has perhaps come to carry on for him. 

   Michael was an extremely gifted man—he excelled in archery, woodcarving, of which, Sophia, Feminine Face of God stands here in testament.  He enjoyed cycling, kayaking, he was an educator, and in all these areas, he had a group of friends that he shared these pastimes with. He shared whenever asked and as another of you said, “The only time he said, ‘no’ was when he was already, otherwise occupied.” 

   So my friends, with regard to how we respond to our world and the people we encounter and associate with, as baptized followers of Jesus; we are always called to take the high road, never acting out of the human tendency “to do first” before it is “done to us,” but most assuredly, to do unto others as we would expect and want them to do unto us.  Anything less is simply, not Christian, nor in the footsteps of our brother, Jesus, nor we might add, our brother Michael. 

   And as I stated earlier, this means keeping ourselves as part of the equation—it is never good or right to allow ourselves to be abused with the notion that this example of “turning the other cheek” is what Jesus wants us to do.  Balance, always balance, respects the fact that our God loves me as well as all others.  An alternative way to speak about the golden rule is to say, “Love your enemies, and love yourself.”  It’s a package!

  In conclusion then, I started today with some reflection on our brother and friend, Michael Maher—one who will be missed by us all because of the ways he touched the world that we all share.  Sometimes after a loved one has died, there is the tendency to make more of them in death than they were in life.  None of my sharing here today was to say that Michael was perfect—he had his faults as we all do, but I can say, in all honesty, that he never stopped trying to be his best—to stop caring about others and helping in the ways that he could.  If that can be said of any of us after we are gone, we would, I believe, have succeeded in our one, wonderful life. Each of us as Paul basically says to us in today’s 2^nd reading are of earth and of heaven—Michael is now of heaven. —Amen? Amen!

My friends, this Sunday’s homily comes out of my heart that is deeply saddened as I know many of your hearts are as well over our brother, Michael, who lies in wait in a coma in the hospital in Lacrosse—healing, we hope, but also grieving too over the fact that he may not be able to come back to us, as we have known him.  Time will tell; but for now, we hold onto hope because we simply don’t know. 

   Our Scriptures for this Sunday are, amazingly, about hope and trust.  The prophet Jeremiah gives us the following: [Those who turn away from God,] “are like a bush in the desert with no hope,” and, “blessed are those who put their trust in God, with God for their hope.” 

   The psalmist too, in Psalm 1 proclaims, “Happy are those who hope in God.”  And additionally, our brother in faith, Paul, in the 2^nd reading from Corinthians, says it again, “our hope is in Christ.” 

   Now Paul, of course, is speaking about the Resurrection of our brother Jesus and because of his rising to a new and inexplicably, wonderful life; we too have that assurance for ourselves, that one day, we will experience this new life.  And that is important on a very personal level as we contemplate the fragileness of human life as we know it, here and now. 

   Our gospel today from Luke takes all of this a step further as we read from the Beatitudes, “Blessed are you who are weeping…you will laugh.”

   Jeremiah seems to be comparing the human heart and the emotions contained within to “trusting in God,” saying that, “to trust in God,” is the best thing. I would say that “trust” in someone, God, or another, doesn’t come out of nowhere.  We come “to trust” because we have seen something else first and I would suggest that “something else” is “love” or at least, “caring.”  Love, as we know, is usually “paired” with the heart, as the source of this wonderful, human emotion, at its best.    Now, granted, the word, “love” has been misused throughout time and let us be clear, the love that I am speaking of here doesn’t stem from, as Jeremiah seems to suggest, “selfishness,” but from “a deep caring” for the other.

   The author of many spiritual books, Cynthia Bourgeault, has said that the “heart” is about, “seeing the Holy in all that is.”  This next week, we celebrate “Valentine’s Day” –a day even though, majorly commercialized, is intended, at its best, to be a day that we let those who we truly care about, know that they are truly loved. 

   I began this homily sharing my sadness over our brother Michael’s accident and one of you shared with me this past week that on the day that he was injured, he was about two kind acts, taking the food route for Home Delivered Meals as a substitute for another, and bringing meals to folks in need.  I think we all would agree, he was about “love” that day. 

   When speaking about “true love” –in its best sense, we talk about, “the heart being broken open.”  This is to say, that the center of emotional response really is, the heart.  We never talk about “the head” in this way.  

   In the best sense my friends, we want “hearts that can break open” because that means that, as Jesus asked, our hearts would be of “flesh” and not “stone.”  I believe we can all understand the meaning that Jesus intended—that the people,  and the world that we meet each day could, as Bourgeault said, be seen and treated as “Holy” –to be respected and cared for.   

This past week—a lovely piece came through my Face Book feed entitled, “We Are the World” –a musical rendition done by the Clarksville Elementary School children.  To see the answer to all that may be wrong with our world so simply and beautifully put by children, is to “break open the hearts” of those who listen to it –causing us all to realize that, if we have the will, we can make this world good for all. 

   Love can be illusive –we may not always know if we are acting out of love, but as Jesus said, “We will know by our actions” –anything that brings good and not bad, is surely, at its base, about love.

  I always think of Tevye’s question to his wife, Golda in Fiddler on the Roof: “Do you love me?” Golda goes through a series of tasks that she has done for him for 25 years; cleaning his house, preparing his food, giving him children and so on.  He persists, “But Golda, do you love me?” To which she finally says—that basically, doing all that, “I guess I do!”

   Jesus, in many ways and in many places talked about love and its good affects in our lives, and how in fact we would know it when we saw it.  He talked about it in common terms so that people would be very clear on what love was.  He used parables –stories about peoples’ everyday lives –that of the Good Shepherd, the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal and so on—each and all, stories of love.   

   If we look closely at Jesus’ short life among us, we can only truly understand the meaning of his life through the “eyes of love.” Any other explanation really makes no sense.  Unfortunately, the standard belief for many, if not all of us growing up, was about a vengeful, heartless Father-figure who needed to be appeased for the failings of humankind.  Think of how much more wonderful it is to imagine a God who loves created life so much so as to send Jesus to basically show us how to live and to ultimately, bring us home. 

   So my friends, bringing us full circle, this week’s readings call us to hope and trust in a God who loves us immeasurably –who only wants good for us and not bad.  This same God, while not changing what life brings, necessarily, is always “walking with us,” giving us the strength and comfort that we need. 

   This past week, as we have prayed for one of our own, Michael, his daughter Becky has told me she has felt the strength of all of those prayers.  Again, we recall our loving God’s words today – “Blessed are you who are weeping.  You will laugh.”

   Friends, we are called today to trust and hope and love our God who has first trusted, hoped and loved us—in Jesus.  Jesus did his piece, “broke open” his heart for us and now we are asked to do the same for others.  Amen? Amen!

So my friends, we continue on in Ordinary Time, in these cold, somewhat dark days of winter, with Christmas and related feasts fully behind us.  We personally, always keep some outdoor lights on through the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple, and then, we too, have to move on in our Christian lives, answering some of the same questions that the prophet Isaiah is presented with in today’s first reading:  Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?  Our God poses these questions to Isaiah and each of us and we should answer them along with Isaiah.  Hopefully, we can respond as he did in today’s first reading: “Here I am, send me!”

   So, why is it important that we see these questions as ours to answer along with Isaiah?  The simple answer my friends, is, that’s what we signed up for, or our godparents did at our baptisms—but then, we each, confirmed their “yeses” at our confirmations. 

   The word, “Christian” is not just a noun, as in a name, but a verb because it demands that we follow in our brother Jesus’ footsteps.  If we don’t at least attempt to face our world as he did, then we can’t claim the name, pure and simple. 

   Paul says as much in his letter to the Corinthians that action follows the name.  He admits that for a time he “persecuted the Church,” but, “God chose him anyway,” the Scriptures say, to be the best God knew he could be!  And Paul gives God, all the credit, “By God’s favor, I am what I am.” 

   And Paul, in effect, says one thing more in the above words.  He lets us know, reflecting on himself, that there isn’t an end to God’s love for each of us or God’s belief in each of us—in what we are capable of giving to our world.

   Our present time in our country and Church leaves many of us discouraged as we don’t see a tone, saying that collectively we truly care about each other.  There are loud cries for personal freedom, regardless of the freedoms of others, who also have needs. 

   The founders of this wonderful country of ours, in our beginning documents, were never intent on the “one” as much as the “all”–“We the people” –they wrote.

   And in our Church, something that Jesus never really instituted, but more so, showed, the right way to live, and never wanted us to categorize life as, dos and don’ts, black and white, but to see more broadly what was needed and taught that we should always, each of us, try and do, “the loving thing.” 

   I think many times, we all stop short of being our best, because it is easier, to do the minimum and I include myself in this.  We see this played out in the gospel message today.  If we see this selection as merely, Jesus performing a miracle—a great catch of fish, then we would be missing the true significance of the event. 

   Yes, there was a “great catch of fish”—but that was just to get his future followers’ attention.  What Jesus was really after, was, for lack of a better way of saying it, “catching” each of them, showing each of them and ultimately, all who would follow, ourselves included, how best to live our one, wonderful life. Whether in our country, or in our Church, it is always best, to live with all the others, besides ourselves, being considered.  To live arrogantly with only ourselves in mind was never what any of us was created for. 

   The huge catch of fish in today’s gospel should signal to us, what great things can happen when Jesus is in our lives.  The call to Isaiah—the call he first heard travels down through history –it was a call that came to Jesus—was heard by him and acted upon.  It is a call to us as well.  It is one that we too must respond to and say, “Here I am, send me!”

   Jesus our human brother knows only too well, the fears that we too walk with.  In today’s gospel he answers those fears— “Do not be afraid.”  Additionally, the gospel today telling of the great catch of fish lets us know that the only way that all the “fish” could be brought in was if they all worked together, sharing their boats, their strength, and their expertise.   None of us manages in this life trying to go it alone either. It has been said, time and again, that the reason COVID and its restraints on our personal freedoms is not over, is because we are not working as a nation to make that so!

  We need each other for hope, for mutual support, for added strength when ours runs low.  At present, we are all praying collectively for the welfare and healing of one of our own—Michael Maher.

   There are many ways to bring “the fish” home and that is why we are all so wonderfully, but differently made.  Our Church, beginning with Pope Francis, is asking us all, to be, “fishers” of all humankind, as we prepare for the 2023 Synod on Synodality. It will only be a success if everyone can be included—can be heard—women as well as men, poor as well as rich, heterosexuals as well as homosexuals, and so forth. There is room in the boat for all!  Jesus’ love incarnate was always about seeing the whole picture of how really big our God’s love is, for each of us, in all our diversity, called to serve and to bring each other home.  Amen? Amen!