Reflection: In today’s readings, everyone seems to be putting on brave faces. Isaiah sets his face “like flint” before an insulting and humiliating crowd. Jesus sits calmly at table with Judas and doesn’t rat him out for his betrayal, even when Judas directly asks, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Judas may have the greatest poker face of all, because he sits through that entire dinner- even through the Institution of the Eucharist!- without cracking under the weight of his own crime. Each of them has a certain face they need to present to the outside world.

But amid these rock-like demeanors, there’s a deeply vulnerable Psalm. “Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak. I looked for sympathy, but there was none; for consolers, not one could I find…. Lord, in your great love, answer me.”

Sometimes, we have to face the world while our hearts are deeply aching. In those times, it may be necessary to set our faces like flint so we can deliver an important message, have a difficult conversation, or stand firm against persecution. It can be tempting to keep those walls up all the time, even in prayer- after all, the brave face is what keeps us from totally falling apart, right?

Don’t fall into that trap. There is no need to keep those walls up in front of God. In fact, this week is an especially good time to let Him into our weakest, most callous places. God may strengthen us to endure humiliation from the outside world, but that is not how He treats us in our vulnerability. When we cry in great distress, God answers us in even greater love. We can be strengthened without being hardened.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me the strength and perseverance to face my greatest hardships. Soften me in prayer, that I may see You as my Redeemer and not another enemy to face.

Closing: As you prepare for Triduum, reflect on Jesus’ strength and vulnerability in His Passion. How can you show your face to Him, as He shows Himself to us in that ultimate sacrifice?

Sarah Hensler is the Assistant Archivist for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She attends the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains.

April 2 – Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Readings: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15

Invitation to Prayer: “LORD, I am your servant, your servant, the child of your maidservant; you have loosed my bonds. I will offer a sacrifice of praise and call on the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 116:16-17)

Reflection: All together, this evening’s Mass readings reveal the inner, cruciform dimension, and the twofold direction of worship. Said another way, the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy has a fundamental, vertical dimension in worship offered to God alone. But it also has a horizontal dimension — one that moves us to love of neighbor

In the First Reading, the sacrificial lamb offers its blood for the sake of Passover freedom and its flesh for Passover food — all for the sake of an exodus to the place where God’s people could freely worship God. In the Second Reading, St. Paul recounts Jesus’ Passover. In the Last Supper, Jesus identifies himself as the sacrificial offering of the new covenant and his body as the “place,” the Temple where God is definitively worshiped in spirit and truth. The whole movement is vertical — inviting us to lift up our hearts in thanksgiving that is right and just.

But the Gospel brings out another dimension, a horizontal one. The Eucharist transforms us, it conforms our lives to Christ that we might love like him, or, better, that he might love others through us. I’m reminded here of a reflection by Ven. Madeleine Delbrêl:

Lord, Lord, at least let this rind that covers me not be a barrier to you. Pass through. My eyes, my hands, my mouth are yours. This woman so sad before me: here is my mouth so that you can smile at her. This child is almost gray, he is so pale: here are my eyes so that you can look upon him. This man so tired, so very tired, here is my whole body so that you can give him my seat, and my voice so that you can say very gently to him: “Sit down.” This boy, so smug, so foolish, so tough, here is my heart for you to love him with, harder than he has ever been loved.

Liturgy flows into life. Liturgy moves us to love our neighbors as God loves them.

As we enter into the liturgy tonight, we can pray that the Lord will open new horizons for us, and in both directions. We pray that he stretches the vertical horizon of our worship, that we would offer him the whole of our lives. And, we pray that he widens the horizontal, that we might offer to our neighbors nothing less than the very love with which God has loved us.

Prayer: Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like your heart. May your gift in the Eucharist transform my heart and my love of God and neighbor.

Closing: Attend Holy Mass this evening if you are able, and allow the Mass to move you. Then, watch for its effects in your interactions with your neighbor.

Brad Bursa is director of evangelization for Stella Maris Family of Parishes in southern Clermont County. He and his wife Katie live in Cincinnati with their eight children. 

April 3 – Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
Readings: Isaiah 52:13—53:12, Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25, Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1—19:42

Invitation to Prayer: “We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way.” Isaiah 52:13—53:12

Reflection: What better describes our current digital age than “each following his own way?” I am a college English teacher, and in years gone by, my students would all but beg me to show them a movie in class. It was a time-honored, late-semester ritual: I would show my weary, spring-feverish students a clip from a fun movie to demonstrate a particular English point. They would then plead to see the whole movie. I would sputter on about how this would put us behind. They would implore and cajole harder. In the end, I would reluctantly relent (as was always the plan), and they would enjoy their movie treat that they had together wrested from me.

Then “each-follow-his-own-way” smartphones arrived. One spring, I showed a fun movie clip as usual. A few students who still had flip-phones made their case to watch the whole thing. Though the class hadn’t fought very hard, I still gave in (because that’s what I had planned for the day). But a few minutes later, as I looked out at the students as the movie played, I realized that the world had changed. Only four or five students were actually watching the movie. The rest has seized the opportunity of a class movie to stare covertly into their smartphones, each absorbed in his or her private world of texting or video-watching or Candy Crushing or Facebooking while the movie played to a virtually “empty” theater.

I don’t show movies anymore. Students today don’t want a raisin oatmeal cookie of educational entertainment when they can feast on a personalized buffet of lava cakes and crème brûlée.

In this corrupted Eden we have exiled ourselves into, there are a thousand different kinds of trees bearing enticing fruits for students – and for every one of us – to pick. Some are delicious and nourishing. Others are poisonous. A cacophony of competing, persuasive voices cry out: “Eat this sweet, sweet fruit!”

“No, eat this one! It’s sweeter! ”

But like Adam and Eve, we’re often not good at distinguishing the voices of those who love us from the voice of snakes in all their pretty disguises. As we try to nourish our souls, what sounds like perfectly sound reasoning often tricks us into adding some savory death-cap toadstools to our truffle risotto, convinces us to sprinkle some pretty, digitalis-dripping foxglove petals in our chamomile tea, and persuades us to spice up our chili with some mouth-watering, ricin-laden castor beans.

God made us to be city-folk, residents of the City of God. Instead, we got ourselves dropped into the wilderness by Adam and Eve’s poor life choices, and we wander around, not having earned our Wilderness Survival scouting badge, trying to forage for pine nuts and grubs and not be eaten by cougars. Left to follow our own paths, we would last be seen walking alone in circles through the forest, nibbling on pokeweed berries and then vanishing into the mist forever.

But God knows our imperfect nature. God knows about the snakes. God knows we will definitely choose poorly sometimes. However, God also knows we usually long to be good, to make right choices, to walk through the flames of our fear, anger, and doubt to get to the Goodness of God we sense on the other side. God knows that, like the participants in today’s Gospel, each of us is, at various times, the frightened Peter, the self-righteous high priest, the aloof “not-my-problem” Pontius Pilate, the wound-up “Crucify him!” bellower, and maybe even the treacherous Judas himself. However, God knows we, His good creation, also sometimes capable of being like Jesus in today’s Gospel. And that’s good enough for God to send us His son to be a caring guide, a true friend, and a straight-up savior – to step between us and the charging bear, though it was we who poked the sleeping bear in the eye with a stick, not He.

At our best, we come together on the path that God’s wants us on, not the one we decide looks better than God’s, and we help each other and listen to Jesus, who not only tells us how to get out of the wilderness and back to his Father’s city, but literally dies for us so that we can make it home. Today’s readings show us how dispiritingly low we can sink as we seek our personal ends, but at the same time, they dramatically show us how very, very awesomely much God still believes we are each worth, and how much He still loves us and wants us to be saved! Today Jesus dies for us. Let’s wait a few days and see what happens.

Prayer: God Who is Love, Please help me look up from the little screen of my daily cares and give every ounce of my attention to comprehending the magnitude of the events of Good Friday and how they will affect the joy or the anguish of my eternal life.

Closing: As I walk along the path I have chosen, is Jesus walking at ease beside me, or is He urgently beckoning to me from a path that leads in a different direction?

Alex Lobdell teaches English at the Chang Gung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan and is the former Director of Communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, Montana.

April 4 – Holy Saturday

Invitation to Prayer: The space between grief and hope.

Reflection: Waiting. It’s not the easiest part of the human soul. On this day the Church is dark. the Tabernacle is empty. No candle flickers. The church waits.

Holy Saturday is that quiet day when the world seems to hold its breath between the sorrow of Good Friday and the joy of Easter Sunday.

The horrors Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas, and John witnessed just 24 hours earlier still lingered in their minds. Several years of amazing moments—following a man they knew was changing the world before them—now seemed to end in silence.

Mary, the Mother of God, held her bloodied Son in her arms. Thirty-three years earlier, she had held Him on that glorious night of the Incarnation. Then there were angels and wonder. Now there is grief and stillness. Perhaps she pleaded for an answer, wanting some sign—yet she was greeted with a day of silence on the Sabbath.

Because life demands it, they went on with their lives that Saturday—in shock, in sadness. We’ve all experienced those days. Waking up and wondering, Did that really happen? Seeing our loved one everywhere the next day, only to feel our hearts sink when we’re suddenly confronted again with the reality of loss.

Perhaps that is what Holy Saturday is all about: that there is always hope in the depths of despair.

Perhaps waiting is not empty time at all, but an exercise; A path that slowly leads us to hope.

Between Saturday and Sunday, nothing changes—and yet everything does. The stone has not rolled away, but hope has already begun to stir.

Hope before the miracle is rarely dramatic.

It looks like:

• Getting out of bed when your heart is heavy
• Going to work when grief still lingers
• Lighting a candle in a dark church
• Whispering a prayer when heaven feels silent
• Trusting that God is still at work, even when we cannot see Him

This connects deeply to the ordinary faithfulness of daily life—the quiet perseverance that happens long before resurrection joy becomes visible.

Prayer: There are times dear Lord I’m overwhelmed with doubt, despair. I’m asking you this day to calm my life, help me to take a deep breath, and learn the joy of the sacrament of the present moment

Action: Take a solo half an hour walk and immerse yourself in silence and look at the glory of the spring and rebirth

Greg Hartman is the New Media Editor for The Catholic Telegraph

April 5, 2026 – The Resurrection of the Lord
Readings: Acts 10: 34a, 37-43; 1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8; John 20: 1-9

Invitation to Prayer: “Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer your thankful praises!” (Sequence for Easter Sunday, Victimae paschali laudes)

Reflection: The reason for our celebration today is not a surprise to any of us. As Peter says in the First Reading, “We know what has happened.” We know that Christ has risen from the dead. We celebrate this each Easter, each Sunday, each Mass – as the primary point of our faith: sin and death do not have the last word, for God himself has triumphed over these and opened for us the way to eternal life. Indeed, we know what has happened. But do we believe it? Does it matter? Does it change the way we live day in and day out?

Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that “a little yeast leavens the whole dough.” So it is with our faith. God has placed us in this world – in each of our particular circumstances of family, work, life, and opportunity – in order to sow a little bit of his goodness into our particular surroundings.

A little yeast leavens the whole dough. God doesn’t expect each of us to change things dramatically, or to be the savior of all creation – there is only One who has done that. What he does expect, though, is that our faith – our belief in the fact that, in his love for us, He became one of us, taking our human nature to himself, so that he might teach us how to live, before suffering and dying for our redemption, then, rising from the dead and opening the way to eternal life – He expects and hopes that our faith in a God who loves to the point of laying down his own life for us – will change us so that we can lay down our lives for each other and continue his work of making our experience in this world more of a foretaste of the life to come.

We celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord by turning away from the malice and wickedness of the world and embracing the sincerity, truth, and charity which come from God alone. The life of a Christian is not like that of every other person on this earth. By our baptism we share in both the death and resurrection of Christ, giving us the opportunity to bring the grace of redemption into every circumstance and situation. Living that reality is the way which God offers us to change the world around us. Let us do so today, tomorrow, and every day, so that we can spend eternity rejoicing with God and the angels and saints forever.

Prayer: Almighty God, grant that I may receive anew the grace to live as a true believer in the Resurrection, Christ’s triumph over sin and death – so that I can do my part to bring into the world around me that truth which changes everything.

Closing: Having arrived at our celebration of Easter after the spiritual preparation of Lent, reflect on the graces received during these past weeks. How has God called you to change your life going forward?

Father Jason Williams serves as Chancellor of the Archdiocese as well as Master of Ceremonies to Archbishop Schnurr. He was ordained in 2016 and completed his licentiate in canon law through The Catholic University of America in 2022.

Invitation to Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of Your love!

Reflection: I love games in all their forms! You name it—board games, card games, video games, sports—I love them all! The opportunity to spend time with friends and family in friendly competition or working together toward a common goal brings me so much life.

One of the reasons games are restful and enjoyable is because they have rules. The rules tell you what you can and cannot do. They create guardrails that help avoid arguments and allow everyone to have fun.

But learning a new game can be challenging. Sometimes you read the rules and think, “Wait… what do you mean I can’t do that?!” It can feel restrictive at first. Yet the more you play and understand the rules, the more freedom you experience—and the more fun the game becomes.

When I reflect on today’s readings, I’m reminded of that experience. We hear the Ten Commandments and think, “Okay, I know these. I can handle that.” They’re the foundational rules—the basic framework for living.

Then in the Gospel, Jesus raises the bar. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for the sick. Visit the imprisoned. And He tells us that how we respond to those in need is how we respond to Him. Wow, Jesus—that’s intense!

But here’s the reality: the Ten Commandments are the foundation, and the Gospel reveals their heart. The commandments tell us what not to do; Jesus shows us what love looks like in action. Lent isn’t just about avoiding sin—it’s about actively loving others.

I think that today’s readings are reminding us of the “rules” for being good Catholics: Stay rooted in the commandments, and from that foundation, love boldly and generously. If we can do this well, we won’t see the rules as restrictive, but we’ll find them so freeing and allow us to life live the way it was designed to be experienced.

Prayer: Come Holy Spirt! Give us the graces necessary to live out the 10 Commandments and love our neighbors boldly and generously!

Closing: Todays Responsorial Psalm says, “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.” May today’s readings give us a new Spirt and new life as we embrace of the rules of Christ.

Alex Bodenschatz, Youth Minister at Saint Gregory the Great Family of Parishes

February 24 – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Readings: Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19; Mt 6:7-15

Invitation to Prayer: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Reflection: Prayer is so essential to our spiritual lives that we should follow the words of Saint Paul: “pray always”.  In the Gospel reading for this Tuesday of the first week of Lent, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray.  He begins by teaching that prayer is not about “babbling many words.”  We do not pray to change God’s mind or to convince Him to do our will. That is not the essence of prayer. Jesus is very clear: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

So, how do we pray? Do we come to God with a list of requests, thinking that if we ask enough or in the right way, He will grant our wishes? Consider how a child might plead with a parent until the parent finally gives in. Is this how God wants us to approach Him in prayer?  I think not.  Prayer must be constant in giving thanks and praise, and then we may ask, plead or even beg.  We pray well by not asking God to answer our prayers in how we think is best.

Rather, in prayer, we should fully sacrifice ourselves to God’s will and ask, plead or beg for the humility to listen and accept His answer, allowing God in His goodness to change us to conform to His perfect will; to accept and follow the plan that God has for each one of us.The Lord’s prayer we hear proclaimed today – the Our Father – is the perfect prayer of acknowledging who God is and how He will take our hand and walk with us in the times of joy, and in this Lenten season, in the time and commitment to fast from daily pleasures and take every step with Jesus through the desert, every step up the mountain, seeking the glory of the Easter morning.

Today, throughout Lent and in the days and season that follow, we do well to reflect on how we pray, especially in reciting the Our Father that, in knowing it so well, sometimes is recited without complete attention to the words.  With intent, let us focus anew on each word in that prayer that Jesus Himself gave us.  Let us place all our faith, all our trust, and all our hope in Him.  If we commit to very intentional prayer as one of our Lenten sacrifices, we will indeed be praying just as Jesus teaches us to do.

Prayer: From the Collect of the daily Mass: “Look upon Your family, Lord, that, through the chastening effects of bodily discipline, our minds may be radiant in Your presence with the strength of our yearning for You. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.”

Closing: Take in the words of the prophet Isaiah we read today: “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth: it shall not return to Me void but shall do My will.” (Is 55:11)

Deacon Ed Bayliss is assigned to the St. Gregory the Great family of parishes of Guardian Angels, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. John Fisher.  He also serves as OCIA leader and deacon at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains.  Ordained to the diaconate in 2022, Ed and his wife Kim live in New Richmond.  They have been blessed with 5 children and 7 grandchildren.  

February 25 – Wednesday of the First week of Lent
Readings: Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Luke 11:29-32

Invitation to Prayer: A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. (Ps 51:12)

Reflection: There are two big topics in these readings. The first is repentance, an idea we talk about all the time. We, like the people of Ninevah, are flawed, constantly making mistakes and needing to reorient ourselves to God and our best natures. The beginning of Lent certainly seems like a great time to give extra focus to repentance: perhaps (if we’re not already doing it) planning to spend some additional time considering where we have turned away from God, turned away from the primary commandments to love God and love others, and how we might (like the Psalmist) make a prayerful shift away from that behavior. I’ve always loved the definition of repentance that refers to a radical turning away from sin and turning toward the open arms and love of God.

The second topic that I see is the ability to change God’s mind. This one is quite a bit more difficult for me. If God is omniscient then God knows what’s in our hearts and if we’re going to repent. If God already knew that the people of Ninevah were going to fast and turn away from evil, then why was God planning on destroying them? Even knowing that God gives us the freedom to choose to follow God or not, it still seems that God knows how we’re going to choose.

I can’t pretend to understand what the prophet meant when he wrote this, but I do wonder if this is more about God – in God’s ever-forgiving, ever-loving way – giving the people of Ninevah one more chance, one more way, to change. Maybe God knew all along what God was going to do, but God needed to approach the people in a different way, a way that might finally get them to…repent.

So maybe there aren’t actually two big topics, but actually just two different ways to approach repentance – we need to do it, and God is always giving us the opportunity to do so. Wow, God is so good to us.

Prayer: Holy Creator of the universe, of the earth and its people, you have allowed humanity to run astray in wholesale madness throughout history, wherefore nothing remains for us but to sink to our knees in tears before you who created us. (Karl Rahner)

Closing: As we journey through Lent, humbly (and without judgement) consider the many ways you have turned away from love of God and neighbor and the many ways that God continues to reach out to you, offering you forgiveness and new opportunities to love – especially the poor and vulnerable.

Andrew Musgrave has served as the Director of the Catholic Social Action office since 2019. He is a member of the Crescent Family of Parishes, and he is married to Ana with whom he has two amazing daughters, Layla and Juliet.

February 26 – Thursday of the First Week in Lent
Readings: Esther C:12, 14–16, 23–25; Psalm 138; Matthew 7:7–12

Reflection: Every record tells the truth about what was valued and what was not. As an archivist, I see how actions, not intentions, are what endure. In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers what may be his clearest guide for faithful living: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” The Golden Rule draws faith back to something both simple and demanding. Love of neighbor becomes the measure, not in theory, but in practice, especially when it is difficult, inconvenient, or costly.

Lent asks us to examine not only what we believe, but how love is actually lived in the ordinary, unseen moments of our days. What is preserved tells a story. Omissions matter. Silence speaks. This season invites us to look honestly at our own lives and ask what kind of record we are creating. Choosing love, especially when it costs us something, may be the most faithful record we leave behind.

Prayer: Loving God, shape our hearts so that our faith is known not by what we claim, but by how we care for our neighbors.

Closing: As you reflect today, what story is your life telling, and where might God be inviting you to let love leave a clearer trace?

Michelle Wirth Smith is the Archdiocesan Archivist. She is a proud alumna of Ursuline Academy. She currently lives in Cincinnati with her husband and three children.

February 27 – Friday of the First Week of Lent
Readings: Ezekiel 18:21-28; Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8; Matthew 5:20-26

Invitation to Prayer: “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” Matthew 5:22

Reflection: Like many people, I seem to spend a lot of time in a car commuting to work, chauffeuring children to their activities and running errands non-stop. During my trips, inevitably I become quickly annoyed with the driving of others. Someone cuts me off, another speeds past me at a rate that would make a NASCAR driver proud, another runs a red light well after it has changed, yet another makes an illegal turn across multiple lanes…I’ll stop before I become even more enraged! When this happens, I become extremely self-righteous, indignant and judgmental. I find myself fantasizing about how I would like to teach the anonymous driver a lesson and if that cannot happen, I wish upon them some sort of divine retribution. “Since there’s never a police officer around to catch these maniacs, perhaps God will cause them to wreck and maybe, just maybe they will finally learn their lesson and drive appropriately!”

Today’s Gospel reading is taken from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus takes Old Testament law and advances it beyond the surface interpretation. In expanding the commandment “You shall not kill,” Jesus moves the focus from the external act of violence to the internal attitudes that give rise to it—anger, contempt, resentment, and demeaning speech. He shows that sin does not begin with the hand but with the heart. Words like “Raqa” or “You fool” might seem insignificant compared to murder, yet Jesus reveals that these expressions of contempt chip away at the dignity of another person and contribute to the erosion of love. In God’s Kingdom, the standard is not merely refraining from doing harm but actively guarding the heart against anything that destroys communion with him and each other.

Jesus then shifts to the importance of reconciliation. His imagery is striking: even if you are standing before the altar, ready to offer a sacred gift, you must pause if there is unresolved conflict. Worship cannot be separated from relationships. God desires mercy, forgiveness, and restored unity more than ritual offerings. It is a powerful reminder that our relationship with God is intertwined with our relationship with others. We cannot draw close to God while knowingly remaining distant from our brother or sister.

The final image—settling with an opponent on the way to court—underscores the urgency of reconciliation. Anger left unresolved hardens into bitterness. Wounds left unattended deepen. Jesus invites us to take swift steps toward peace, not out of fear of punishment, but because reconciliation is the path to freedom. The “prison” He describes can be understood not only literally but spiritually: the imprisonment of a hardened heart, the captivity of resentment, the chains of hostility.

At its core, this Gospel is an invitation to examine our hearts with honesty. Do we hold onto anger? Do we speak or think of others with contempt? Do we delay reconciliation out of pride or fear? Jesus offers not merely a warning but a way forward: humility, mercy, forgiveness, and a heart opened to grace.

This teaching can feel impossible on our own—but Jesus does not ask us to transform ourselves by sheer willpower. If we are to enter into his kingdom, we must trust Him, let His Spirit soften what is hardened, heal what is wounded, and reorder our hearts so that love becomes the measure of our righteousness.

The next time we are behind the wheel, perhaps we would well remember this teaching.

Prayer: Lord, though You are merciful, You are also just. We turn to Your mercy today, seeking forgiveness and grace to overcome the sin of anger and all that comes with it. Free us from judgmental thoughts and help us love others with Your merciful Heart. Amen

Closing: As we progress through Lent, be aware that it is impossible to be saved by our own merits. Commit to the need to trust in the Lord and surrender to him, for none of us can ever hope to be righteous enough on our own.

Al Kovacic is the Director of Campus Ministry at Elder High School. He also coaches cross country and track and field at Villa Madonna Academy (KY) and enjoys spending time outdoors. Al and his wife Melinda have 4 sons and reside in Villa Hills, KY as members of Saint Joseph Parish in Crescent Springs.

February 28 – Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Readings: Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Psalm 119: 1-2, 4-5, 7-8; Matthew 5: 43-48

Invitation to Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, and help us love more like Jesus and be faithful following after him.

Reflection: I write this reflection from an airplane. Oh, what a great Gospel to read during air travel! There are so many opportunities to be perfected: the 3:30 am alarm, the hurrying, the waiting, the question of caffenation or sleep, the line forming, the line not moving, the line held up by that one guy, the knowing how expensive it all is. Then, the reading of this Gospel and the perspective-shifting wake-up call. The flight attendants who are trying to do their jobs are not my enemy. The intercom voice that is too loud for this hour of the day is not my enemy. My rowmate, who uses the armrest while wearing a puffy coat, is not my enemy.

How everlasting are Jesus’ words! It was astounding to his listeners of the Sermon on the Mount to consider something other than retaliation or vengeance or, at base, an old-fashioned grudge to hold. And here we are, 2000+ years later, still in need of the message, whether participating in modern aviation or not.

Jesus knew how sin would make it so difficult for us to even like other people, let alone love them. Then, to think of how we would be tempted to treat those who hurt us or someone we love? He knew we would need his help. While participating in an Alpha (www.alphausa.org) at my previous parish several years ago, one of the presentations invited us to consider the fact that no one in history has improved upon Jesus’ moral teaching. When faced with the call of today’s Gospel message and readings, that is certainly clear. I can think of no philosophy or worldview since then that would serve the world better than if we followed God’s commandments, loved our enemies, and tried to be perfect as God is perfect. If we are trying to be like our heavenly Father, who is Love itself, we will not be able to stop ourselves from loving our enemies or even those who slightly annoy us. The encouragement is clear: keep God’s statutes, obey his voice, seek him with your whole heart.

And that God you seek? He did not just speak about loving enemies or praying for them. He actually did those things from the cross. So when we take up our cross and follow him and try to love like him, he knows how hard it is and will not leave us alone to fight against our true enemy. Through it all, he can make us holy – in our homes, in our work, in our schools, in our neighborhoods, in traffic, and yes, even while experiencing the miracle that is flight (thank you, Wright Brothers).

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for never giving up on us and giving us endless second chances to be perfect. Grant us perseverance.

Closing: What area of your life needs to be perfected? What is one practical step you can take to be more like Jesus today?

Molly Gallagher is a YDisciple Coach for NET Ministries and parishioner at St. Cecilia of the Eastside Catholics in Cincinnati.

March 1 – Second Sunday of Lent
Readings: Genesis 12:1-4a, Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22, 2 Timothy 1:8b-10, Matthew 17:1-9

Invitation to Prayer: “May your mercy, Lord, be upon us; as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:22

Reflection: “Come on – settle down.” I seem to remember my dear mother saying this often to a highly energized oldest son running around her house. If ever I needed a proof of God’s humorous justice, I could look to my life as a teacher of high school freshmen (who I love dearly, if you’re reading this) and consider how often I now toss that phrase around. No matter if you are 14 or 42, this is probably not what you want to hear – it’s an indication that the fun you’ve been having might have run its course.

To the God that we worship, however, the invitation to settle comes because He knows our restless hearts better than we could ever know them ourselves. Consider the patriarch Abram (later to be called Abraham). His call from the Lord is one that promises blessings to him and his descendants if he will get up, leave everything he knows, and inhabit the land that God has in mind for him. This invitation to a new homeland must have sounded both terrifying and attractive to our nomadic father-in-faith. But God knows the heart of Abram, and indeed the whole human race – broken and scattered across the world in a myriad of cultures and languages after the calamity of Babel a mere chapter prior to this story in the book of Genesis. God knows that humans desire to have a home.

Separated by centuries marked with waves of conflict and strife for Abraham’s descendants, Jesus presents another invitation to home for his closest disciples. Peter, James, and John get to witness a foretaste of the heavenly glory that God has in store for those who love Him. Christ is transfigured before them, and other paragons of faith – Moses and Elijah – converse with him freely. Peter is so overcome that he says what all of our hearts utter when we experience who God really is. “Lord it’s good that I’m here… please tell me that I can stay.”

But no earthly homeland can satisfy, and no mountaintop experience in this life can be a suitable place for us to pitch our tents permanently. We, like the disciples of this Gospel story, are to be driven by every small glimpse of heaven to venture toward our true homeland. But this is no scattering of Babel, or trek through the desert, or any of the amazing human journeys charted in the Bible and throughout human history. Instead, it is the march of the “holy life” to which Paul exhorts us to be faithful. It is a trek through our own hardships – born for the sake of the gospel and eased by the grace of God – that leads to Heaven, the place where we will truly be at home, and able to say “Lord, it is good that we are here.”

Prayer: Lord, every step I take could lead me closer to You or farther away. My heart beats restlessly because it does not yet rest in You. Help me to hear your call, follow your Voice, and one day reach the home You have prepared for me. Amen.

Closing: Place yourself in silence today, with ears ready to hear the answer to the question: “Lord, where do you want me go?”

Bradley Barnes is a theology teacher and campus minister at Newport Central Catholic High School. He has served in parish and school ministry and is a speaker for local Catholic events. Bradley and his wife Meghan live in Anderson Township.

 

March 2- Monday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings: Daniel 9:4b-10; Ps 79:8, 9, 11, 13; Lk 6:36-38

Invitation to Prayer: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Reflection: Often, as we approach Lent, we consider the resolutions we might make, promises or practices that will help us to turn away from sin and closer to our Lord. The resolution is often directly connected to a bad habit, temptation, or lack of discipleship-living that we discern should be addressed; something that needs to change in our mind, heart, or way of life in order to become more fully the person God has created us to be. The resolution, if undertaken in a spirit of prayer and commitment to our Lord and his ways, can be life-changing, transformative. Yet even with this sacred potential, the resolution may also lead us to focus our attention on ourselves, patting ourselves on the back for our sacrifice and commitment, rather than recognizing the great and tender mercy of God.

Today’s readings offer a helpful dose of attention to God’s great love and our call to live as God intends. On the surface, Jesus’ instructions are simple. Don’t judge or condemn others – that’s up to God. Instead, be merciful and forgiving. In these simple directions, however, Jesus raises the bar because we are called to do so generously, so that our actions towards others may reflect and express the gracious love of God which knows no bounds.

It is still early in the season of Lent. If our faithfulness to our resolutions is waning, we still have time to renew our commitment, not only to the practices we have set before ourselves but to the deeper conversion toward which the season is intended to lead. In directing us to be merciful as our Father is merciful, Jesus helps us to appreciate just how lavish God is in love: good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.

Prayer: Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! Deepen our desire to be close to you, growing as your good and holy people in this season of Lent. May our journey lead us to live generously so that all may know the depths of your gracious love.

Closing: What service, charity, or work of justice are you called to give as a sign and sharing of God’s love for all? Make a commitment to this action as part of your Lenten observance.

Leisa Anslinger is a Parish Vitality Specialist for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She has served in parish and school ministry and is an author and speaker. Leisa and her husband Steve reside in Lebanon, Tennessee.

March 3- Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23; Matthew 23:1-12

Invitation to Prayer: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Reflection: Today we are invited into the most profound experience of our Catholic faith, humility. The foundation of all the virtues. The bedrock of our soul. The enlightenment of charity, the growth of purity, the depth of mercy, forgiveness, and sacrificial eternal love. Our willingness to desire, to embrace, to accept God’s will in our lives no matter the circumstances.

Most recently, I’ve been given the opportunity to pray with a young married man, four children who has accepted his immobilization with a love that is so pure, so Marian in nature “may it be done to me according to your will, O Lord;” that his humility has touched my heart and soul and brought me to my knees. His acceptance of God’s will in his life and embracing it with his wife and children is remarkably self-giving, life-living, free, total, faithful, fruitful, and courageous in every aspect of married love.

In our culture where instant gratification, relativism, and tolerance reign supreme; what a gift, what a blessing to experience such humility to God’s will in one’s life in its most pure form, in its most difficult situation, yet most alive. Which reminds me of one of my most treasured quotes from scripture “Take up My yoke upon you and learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart” Matthew 11:29.

My dear friends, this young man and his family have taken up Jesus’ yoke with grace, with a humble heart. If our end goal is getting to heaven, where our soul lives on forever, to build up the Kingdom of God, to invite and serve others with the love of Christ Jesus in us, then humility must become the rich soil of our heart and soul. It must become who we are. St. John Vianney said “you must accept your cross; if you bear it courageously it will carry you to Heaven.”

Reflecting and praying on the things of Heaven let us adopt the spirit of gratitude, the spirit of knowing our dignity lies in the knowledge that we are sons or daughters of Christ, that we are nourished by the Eucharist and rooted in God’s will for our life. Let humility be our ladder towards the one who lived and died with a humble heart, our Creator, Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Father God, grant us the spirit of humility, the spirit of sacrificial love, the spirit of serving others, the spirit of carrying our cross, the spirit of embracing You in every aspect of our life, according to your will for us, O Lord. May our humility become our freedom from ourselves.

Closing: May this Lenten season remind us of the invitation into the sacredness of humility, into the life of Jesus and Mary and the life of this young man and his children as an inspiration for us. Moreover, in our encounters with others as we strive to build up the Kingdom of God, for we have heard it spoken today; “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Deacon Henry Jacquez, ordained April 2013, serves in the Queen of Apostles Family of Parishes, married to his wife, Betsy for 46 years, and is a father of three children Christina, Mark, Eric and blessed with eight grandsons; Nathan, Ryan, George, Weston, Lincoln, Teddy, Harrison, and Quincy.

March 4-Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings: Jeremiah 18:18-20, Psalm 31: 5-6,14,15-16, Matthew 20:17-28

Invitation to Prayer: Lord Jesus, I trust in you even when it feels like my enemies are surrounding me. Send me your Spirit to guide and protect me so I may serve you more fully today.

Reflection: Have you ever felt surrounded by the enemy on all sides?

The enemy can take many forms such as our own struggle with sin, negativity of a coworker or boss, a family member who is antagonistic or you name it. The readings today remind us that Jeremiah and Jesus felt pulled and even attacked from every side. |

We can feel this same way from time to time. It can be overwhelming. As we attempt to serve in our families, church, and in our jobs there are times we feel defeated. In these moments it is hard to avoid complaining or turning in on ourselves. We may even feel cheated out of the recognition we feel we deserve for giving to others. We need to remember each time we strive for the good and avoid all the temptations around us, we cast the light of Christ into our world. Sometimes, this encourages others and to be honest sometimes, it pricks their hearts. When they respond negatively, do not worry. Be encouraged and strengthened in knowing Jesus fully understands. He was surrounded by negativity and those trying to stop him. His own apostles were vying for position as well. Rather than getting caught up in the worldly way of looking at success and recognition, he called others to serve and love. He shared the way of light to them. Jesus came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. There is great peace in living simply serving and loving others. It is nice to be recognized and loved back, but we know this does not always happen. But wait, it does happen. The Father always sees what we do and our goal in the end will be to hear, “welcome home good and faithful servant.”

During this Lent, let us not worry about the enemies surrounding us, pray for them and ask Jesus to continue to give you the heart of a servant.

Prayer: Jesus, you came to be a servant to others. You trusted your Father’s plan and simply followed. Help me to trust you more and to give my life for others even when it is difficult. When my enemies surround me, help me to lift each of them up in prayer. Give me the strength to serve and love more deeply. Help me to love those who are most difficult. I pray they see Christ in me. Amen.

Closing: Make a list of the people or things you struggle with the most at home and work. Where is God calling you to let go of things and people so that you can serve better? Who on your list needs prayer and support? Who might you need to forgive? Pick one person or situation to pray about this week and ask Jesus what he would like you to do.

Veronica Murphy serves as Director of Leadership Formation and Curriculum for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She is a member of St. Maxmilian Kolbe Parish and is married to Bruce Murphy.

March 5 – Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings – Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, and 6; Luke 8:15; Luke 16:19-31

Invitation to Prayer: “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” (Ps 40:5a)

Reflection: This week’s Gospel is a familiar one. We read of the rich man with the poor man Lazarus at his door, though the rich man would not spare Lazarus a glance, let alone give him the food scraps that fell from his table. When Lazarus and the rich man died, it is Lazarus who was granted comfort in the afterlife while the rich man suffered torment. Moreover, the passage speaks of a chasm that separates the rich man and his family from eternal reward, a chasm so great that even the words of the dead could not persuade them to change their ways for they will not listen.

Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) reads “riches do not bring freedom from sorrow and are of no avail for eternal happiness” and goes on to paint the picture of a society where wealth classes are not opposed to one another, but work together to ensure the flourishing of all (22). Each person has duties to uphold, whether they are rich or poor. The poor have duties of being sincere in their work, but it is the wealthy who have much more responsibility to ensure dignity and respect is granted to those of the working class. For those who benefit the most, the more accountability they must hold.

Think about yourself and your own situation. What are your thoughts on those who are poorer than you and those who are richer than you? No matter where we stand on the spectrum, it is not the quantity of material goods we possess that determines our value as human beings. “God has not created us for the perishable and transitory things of earth, but for things heavenly and everlasting” (21).

Prayer: Bless us, O Lord, so we are not led astray, But find delight in Your law. For it is You, Lord, who is all good And unchanging in Your ways. Watch over us so that all may prosper; For it is in Your sight that evil vanishes. (amended from Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6)

Closing: In what ways do you feel judged by others because of your standing in society? In what ways do you judge others? Strategize ways you can overcome your judgements and be a light to others.

Jill Foster is in the Catholic Social Action Office in Dayton. Having spent time as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in Haiti, she now uses her experience to work with parishes and partners to manifest God’s love out into the world.

March 6 – Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a, Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Invitation to Prayer: When life is heavy or doesn’t go as we would expect it, we remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Reflection: In today’s Old Testament reading we hear the story of Joseph, son of Israel, being sold into slavery by his brothers. Then in the Gospel reading we hear Jesus’ parable of the owner of the vineyard who tries to receive the produce of his vineyard from his tenants who in the end kill the owner’s son trying to TAKE the inheritance.

My wife and I still have young kids in our house so it’s not uncommon for one child to try and TAKE something—a toy, food, etc.—from one of their siblings. This inevitably leads to tears and fighting with one or both children saying, “It’s not fair; I want it.”

I think today’s readings are a good reminder that even when things are unfair, heavy, or don’t go the way we expect them, God is still working and the last things we need to do is try to TAKE things into our own hands. The Psalm really helps us understand this as it points to how Joseph’s slavery became the opportunity for the Lord to work marvels and begin building the Kingdom of Israel.

So too, Jesus will face the heaviest and most unfair punishment of all… the sinless one sacrificed on a Cross for us. But through this injustice, God will work marvels and build the Kingdom of God here on Earth resting on this very Cross. Not because Jesus TOOK things into his own hands, but because He surrendered himself to his Father who works all things for our good.

Prayer: Jesus, you desire eternal happiness for us and goodness in this life as well. Help me to remember that you work all things for our good even when I don’t see it. Help me to remember the gift that is your passion, death, and resurrection so that I too may embrace my crosses for the building of your kingdom. Amen.

Matt Reinkemeyer is the Director of Leadership Giving for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Stewardship Office. He helps coordinate the annual Catholic Ministries Appeal where he loves the opportunity to connect the generosity of donors with ministries that carry forward the works of mercy here in our archdiocese.

March 7- Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Invitation to Prayer: I will get up and go to my father and shall say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

Reflection: What can be said about the Prodigal Son that hasn’t been said?

In the Gospel of Luke 15:11–32, the parable isn’t only about reckless rebellion. It’s also about forgetfulness, hunger, pride, relief, and homecoming. And if I’m honest, I’m not dramatically running to a “far country” every day—I’m just drifting by going task to task. living functionally independently, and remembering God mostly in crisis.

There’s an old saying that there are no atheists in foxholes” and in light of the story. The prodigal didn’t remember his father when he had plenty. He remembered him when he was starving. Hunger woke him up.

But the heart of the parable isn’t the son’s desperation. It’s the father’s love.

He isn’t pacing inside with crossed arms.
He isn’t demanding repayment plans.
He isn’t rehearsing speeches.

He is scanning the horizon.

He’s always waiting on the porch when I stray in my sinfulness.  In the story, the father runs—something dignified patriarchs in that culture didn’t do. Before the son can finish his rehearsed confession, he’s embraced, robed, ringed, restored.

The deeper movement of the parable isn’t:

“I should try harder not to wander.”

It’s:

“Even my half-hearted return is met with full-hearted grace.”

And then there’s the other son, the older brother, who never left physically but was just as distant relationally. He stayed busy. Responsible. Dutiful. Yet resentful. That, too, can be me: serving, accomplishing, going task to task, yet not joining the father in joy.

Maybe the invitation isn’t only repentance from sin, but repentance from hurry.
Not only returning when desperate but learning to remain when things are steady.

In Christian thought, especially in writers like Henri Nouwen, the Prodigal Son isn’t just a story about coming home once. It’s the rhythm of a lifetime:

• We wander.
• We wake up.
• We return.
• We’re embraced.
• We forget.
• We wander again.
• And the Father keeps watching the road.

I call out to Jesus when I need Him instead of walking with Him. But even that cry is relationship. Indifference would be silence.

Perhaps gratitude isn’t something natural between tasks. Perhaps it grows when you pause long enough to notice: He was already there before I called.

Lent, in the tradition of the Bible, is not only about returning after wandering — it’s also about choosing not to wander in the first place. “Staying home” can mean:

• Staying close in daily prayer rather than drifting spiritually
• Remaining faithful in ordinary duties
• Guarding your interior life
• Choosing communion over self-assertion
• Trusting the Father’s house is enough

The younger son had to learn that freedom without relationship becomes emptiness. The elder son had to learn that staying physically home isn’t the same as staying in the father’s heart. Lent invites both sons to conversion.

Prayer: Lord, when I feel ashamed, remind me You are not ashamed to call me Yours.
When I want to hide, give me courage to turn toward You.
When I cannot feel Your presence, help me trust Your promise.
Even in my sinfulness, You are nearer to me than I am to myself.

Action: The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an amazing grace. This Lent, take time to prepare through an examination of conscience, and receive the sacrament in preparation for the glorious Resurrection.

Greg Hartman is the New Media Editor for The Catholic Telegraph.

March 8 – Third Sunday of Lent
Readings: Exodus 17:3-7, Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9, Romans 5:1-2, 5-8, John 4:5-42

Invitation to Prayer: “If you knew the gift of God!” The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. (CCC 2560)

Reflection: The phrase, “water is life,” has become much more meaningful to me and my wife, having just bought a house with a rain-fed cistern and no connection to public water. When I was a kid, rainy days were – at best – excuses to hang out in the living room and read a ton of books; these days, I find myself deeply grateful for the rain itself, and what it means for us in clean dishes and laundry, running toilets, and our next sip of water. It’s also quite fun to see storm clouds on the horizon and proclaim to my wife, “we can take showers today!” (not that we don’t shower when it doesn’t rain, mostly, but I get a great kick out of it).

Being reliant upon the rain (and water haulers) means I’ve had to learn to treasure a precious resource I’d largely taken for granted up until now, and I feel like I’ve gained a new appreciation for the thirst of the Israelites and the hard work of hauling water that the Samaritan woman must have done, not to mention our farmers and everyone else whose livelihood is dependent on the weather.

When it comes to the spiritual life, though, do I acknowledge the same need, longing, and gratitude for the living water that Jesus offers to me? And even beyond that: when I go to him, do I trust that he will fully satisfy me and the good desires of my heart, not just partially?

In the various deserts of fear, stress, or loneliness that we all experience, it’s easy to turn to the “public water” of social media, the opinions of others, or the endless deluge of supernormal dopamine stimuli, to try to slake our undying thirst to love and be loved. Rather than a water that leaves us unsatisfied, however, Jesus promises, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

As we hunger and thirst to build the kingdom of Heaven here on earth – to be a more loving spouse, a more patient parent, a more compassionate friend, a more generous coworker – let’s turn to him this Lent, to be filled by “the love of God [that] has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us,” so we might be able to, like the Samaritan woman, share the Good News and the Living Water with everyone around us.

Prayer: Jesus, I trust in you.

Paco Patag delights in helping others discover, receive, and respond to their vocation, and is grateful to be able to do so as the Associate Director for Adult Evangelization & Pastoral Ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He and his wife, Beth, and their daughter, Lily, are parishioners in the Divine Mercy Family of Parishes.

March 9– Monday of the Third Week of Lent
Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-15ab, Psalm 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4, Luke 4:24-30

Introduction: Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Reflection: The people gathered with anticipation, aware of the growing rumors that he might be the Messiah. Yet because he was “one of them,” they struggled to see beyond the familiar. They measured him by what they thought they already knew.

How often do we do the same?

We live in a culture that subtly trains us to evaluate others by productivity, appearance, independence, or social ease. Those living with disabilities or mental illness often bear this burden most heavily. They may be reduced to diagnoses, limitations, or stereotypes rather than embraced as whole persons—beloved, gifted, and created in the image of God.

But Jesus never stops at the surface. Throughout the Gospels, he consistently sees the person before him—not a category, not a condition, not a reputation. He looks upon the heart. He restores dignity. He calls people by name. And in doing so, he reveals the heart of God.

During Lent, we are invited into deeper self-examination. When Jesus speaks of removing the “beam” from our own eye (Gospel of Matthew 7:3–5), perhaps one beam for us is indifference—the quiet distancing we practice when vulnerability makes us uncomfortable. Perhaps it is fear of what we do not understand, or the unconscious belief that worth is tied to ability.

When we allow God to soften our hearts, something changes. Mercy begins to grow where judgment once lived. Patience replaces discomfort. Curiosity replaces avoidance. And community becomes less about sameness and more about belonging.

Mercy builds communities where every person—especially those who struggle silently or visibly—knows they are not a problem to be solved but a gift to be received.

May we be generous in love, abundant in understanding, and fearless in building a culture of belonging—reflecting the One who always sees beyond what is visible and draws every heart closer to himself.

Prayer: May we notice where we measure instead of love, choose presence over avoidance. Help me to listen before labeling, and see Christ in those the world overlooks.

Lisa Averion is the Associate Director for the Office for Persons with Disabilities

March 10 – Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
Readings:  Daniel 3:25, 34-43; Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9; Joel 2:12-13; Matthew 18:21-35

Invitation to Prayer: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.

Reflection: In my childhood neighborhood you could tell which TV show was making the most impression on us, because the phrases would linger in our exchanges for days, months, possibly years. One of the most popular was Tommy Smothers retort to his brother Dick, “Mom liked you best!”

In our comments to one another, Tommy’s words in anger and frustration, seemed to fit perfectly in many situations during childhood. Even after growing up we would toss the phrase at one of our sibs and then grin.

Sadly, by employing that phrase “Mom liked you best,” we were hiding the truth from ourselves – we are loved too. Sometimes we forget the love and focus on how we got shortchanged or are reminded of our shortcomings. To be forgiven for any misdeeds, we had to acknowledge they were there.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, the king forgave the giant debt of his servant. Not only that, he took away the possible punishment of selling off his servant’s family to pay for the debt. A big act of forgiveness!

The servant in turn acted not in gratitude for the king’s gift of forgiveness and love but choked a servant who owed him a smaller sum. He acted on his fear and revenge, forgetting the king’s love and forgiveness. The king then condemned him for not having pity.

Now it’s our turn this Lent and going forward to make the Kingdom of Heaven a reality on earth. We are called to focus on love and forgiveness, setting aside what society says we can extract from our neighbor. We have to forgive and love not only the seven times, but the seventy-seven times!

Prayer: “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful.” (Joel 2: 12-13)

Closing: Today forgive those who annoy you and/or who have not asked for forgiveness. If one time doesn’t wipe away the anger, remember you have another 76 times to do it!

Pam and Bob Long have been married for over 51 years, giving birth to three children and welcoming three grandchildren and a son-in-law to their family. Pam is the Director of Love in Action for the St. Stephen Family of Parishes in Hamilton, Chair of the Archdiocesan Catholic Social Action Commission and serves in a volunteer leadership role with Catholic Relief Services’ advocacy efforts.

Lenten Reflection for March 11 – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Readings: Dt 4:1, 5-9; Ps 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20; Mt 5:17-19

Invitation to Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we come before you today to read and reflect on your word, prepare our hearts to receive your laws and commandments as a gift intended for our protection and freedom. Fill us with a love and respect for Your statutes.

Reflection: I am a rule follower through and through. I like to know the structure and expectations of me, so that I can ensure I meet those expectations. Rules allow for more freedom and the truest form of freedom. Today’s readings dive deeply into decrees, statutes, commandments, and laws. God provides these to us as a loving Father. In wanting what is best for us, His children, He gives us a framework in which we are invited to live.

In the first reading, Moses said to his people about God’s laws, “Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’” God does not give us laws to abide by to restrict us, but instead to protect us and make us a wise and intelligent people. As a parent, I do this daily for my children. I ask them to look both ways before crossing the street, because I want to protect them. I tell them not to get too close to the stove, not to restrict their freedom, but to prevent their pain. I know that parenting through providing guidelines and rules if a good thing, but I also know that I can sometimes have a distorted view of God’s laws.

What are ways that I can more closely follow the Lord’s commandments to enter into the Promised Land? This Lent, I have been striving to attend daily Mass. Entering more deeply into the story of God speaking to Moses and Moses leading the Israelites out of captivity has allowed me to reflect on the things that are holding me captive and distracting me from my relationship with the Lord. For me, these things include my phone, my desire to be busy, my desire to sleep in, and my desire to be entertained. I challenge you to do the same. Let’s spend some time reflecting on what is distracting us from our relationship with the Lord. I invite you to ask the Lord the following questions in prayer.

• What is keeping me from communion with You?
• What commandments do I need to follow more closely to be united with You?

Prayer: Jesus, prepare our hearts to receive you more fully. Help us to see your commandments as a gift from the loving Father you are. Give us a greater awareness of what is preventing us from following you and what we need to do in order to unite our hearts with yours.

Andrea Patch is the Eastern Regional Director for NET Ministries. Andrea and her husband reside in Cincinnati with their four children

March 12 – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Readings: Jeremiah 7:23-28; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9; Luke 11:14-23

Invitation to Prayer: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Ps 95:8)

Reflection:  On the whole our culture does its level best to control God.  It seems mankind has been that way for quite a while for we see that quite clearly even in the Gospel.  Rather than admit that they had witnessed the power of God and, at the very least, a prophet of God was among them, the Scribes and Pharisees accuse Jesus of being in league with the devil himself so that they might dominate and control Our Lord!

That, I think, is the most readily identifiable characteristic of our age too:  seeing religion, the sacred, and even God himself as but one more thing to dominate and control.  You see, the value our culture places on everything is reckoned in terms of three things; three metrics by which everything is measured; these being power, pleasure, or profit.  And if our culture cannot dominate or control something or someone, and thereby increase its power, pleasure, or profit, it simply tosses aside whatever or whomever it may be.  We too must be on our guard against this, for it would be a mistake to think that we have not been influenced by our culture.  We cannot help but be influenced by it to some degree, for we live in it and are part of it.

Israel too, as we read in the 1st reading, refused to accept the truth Jeremiah was sent to proclaim to them.  Perhaps they thought it would be humiliating to admit they had been wrong.  But it is not undignified or demeaning to acknowledge the truth.  It is, rather, a sign of humility to acknowledge who we are:  sinners in need of redemption.  And the truth is, there is a God and He is God and we are not.  And in that truth is the source of our freedom, hope, and joy.  For God is a God of love, one who walks with us, one who stays by our side in our trials and tribulations.  And this was true long before the Incarnation.  God himself once said of Moses, for instance, that he is someone whom I speak with “face to face.”  Let that sink in for a moment – God speaking to someone face-to-face.  What might that be like?

But the truth is, God wants to speak to us face-to-face too.  That’s why, in the fullness of time, He sent His Son to do just that.  God spoke but a single Word; that Word being his Son whom he sent so we could see him face-to-face.  And the Son has the same grandeur, power, and authority as the Father; He is the image of the Father; even the unclean spirits obey him!  But therein lies the supreme irony.  Though everything is subject to God, though He is all powerful, there are two things God cannot do.  What are they?  As we have been told many times, and it is true, God is love.  So, the first thing God cannot do is:  He cannot not love.  That is His nature, that is who He is:  God loves.  The second thing He cannot do is force anyone to love him in return.  The reason for this is simple:  for love to be love, it must be freely given; love cannot be commanded or compelled because then it would no longer be love.  And we see the most extreme manifestation of refusing to love, metaphorically, in the image of the Gates of Hell.  You see, the Gates of Hell are not there to keep those in Hell in, but to keep God out!  The Gates of Hell are chained, barred, and locked from the inside, not the outside!

That’s what makes the cavalier and casual attitude of our culture towards God so very tragic.  Because it turns the infinite love of God for his beloved, for you and me, into unrequited love; a love that is not appreciated or returned.  God wanted to tell us of His love face-to-face and so He spoke to us a single Word:  His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  If there had been only one person to save, God would have done the same thing.  For that is love.  Love doesn’t count the cost, nor does it count noses to ensure there are enough to make loving “worth it.”

You see, the response from the psalm today, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts,” is not a call to obedience, it is an invitation to love.

Prayer:  Lord, may my heart be so attuned to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, that I may always act in love towards everyone I meet; especially those who are the most difficult to love.  And may I thereby grow ever deeper in love of you, I ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Closing:  Let us love as Our Lord did by asking God for the grace to recognize opportunities to love throughout the day today.  Let us also ask for the grace to cast out of our hearts the spirit of fear that so often prevents us from doing so.

Deacon Rusty Baldwin is assigned to the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes. He has been married to his wonderful wife Heather for 42 years. They have 8 children. He is retired but keeps quite busy serving in various roles in his Family of Parishes.

March 18 – Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Readings: Hosea 14:2-10; Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17; Mark 12:28-34

Invitation to Prayer: I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. Repent; the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

I’m always looking for a shortcut. How can I get to my destination sooner? How can I avoid the traffic tie-ups and construction? Sometimes that involves taking the back roads, the road less travelled. Yet many times, the fastest way is to stay the course, to endure weather, traffic, and construction, in order to get directly to my destination. Since my ultimate destination is heaven, isn’t there a shortcut??

The question posed by the scribe in today’s Gospel might just as easily be asked by any of us. “What is the first of all commandments?” Maybe we want to avoid the commandments that present pitfalls or are just plain hard to do. That’s human nature. Maybe we think our way is best. That’s human pride. Maybe we just want to cut through all the complexities of being a Christian living in the world, and get straight to the heart of it. If Jesus would just give us a shortcut to heaven, wouldn’t that be great? How about just two commandments? We can do that!

By boiling it down to two commands, Jesus is taking it up to a new level. He is showing us the straight path. If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and if we also love our neighbor as ourselves, we are fulfilling the entirety of the Law, the entirety of the Lord’s call to us. If we want to build the Kingdom of God here and now, it is what we must do. Jesus didn’t just show us the path we might take. These aren’t suggestions, these are God’s commands.

But really living these commands is sometimes easier said than done, isn’t it? Keeping our whole mind on God is a challenge, let alone whole heart, soul, and strength. As the prophet Hosea tells us, “Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.” Sometimes to find our way, even on the straight path, we have to focus and take one step at a time. We have to keep moving in the right direction—the direction of heaven.

And that is what Lent is for. Repent. Fast. Pray. Give alms. Doing these things help to strengthen us physically and spiritually to keep on the straight path. To keep trying to live these two greatest commandments. Take one step at a time and keep your eyes on the Lord.

Questions for reflection: What is my greatest challenge in loving God? What is my greatest challenge to loving neighbor? Am I honestly taking those challenges to prayer? Am I offering a sacrifice of myself to God—a humble and contrite heart?

Prayer: Jesus, help me when I stumble on the path. Help me to be honest about my challenges in growing closer to you. Help me to know God and to love Him. Help me to know my neighbors and to love them.

Deacon Jesse Fanning serves the Mother of God Family of Parishes (NE-5) in Kettering, and assists the Archdiocese with the formation of aspirants to the permanent deaconate.

March 14 – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Readings: Hos 6:1-6, Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab, Lk 18:9-14

Invitation to Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of Your love! “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” – Ps 95:8

Reflection: Honestly, this might be one of my favorite parable’s Jesus shares with us. The simplicity of the tax collector’s prayer stands out to me.

“O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

As a sinner myself, I utter these words every day. In this time of fasting, penance, and almsgiving it can be easy to forget that God wants our hearts, not our deeds. What do I mean by that? God loves us just the way we are. You don’t have to do anything to earn His love, nor is there anything you can do that will make Him love you less. For as we hear in the psalm, “It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.”

Yet here we are in Lent sacrificing something. Maybe it’s sweet treats, alcohol, TV, or something else, we are offering a sacrifice of love. And why are we doing that when the Lord desires mercy? It’s simple really, we do it out of love. I bet all of us have given up something for love. For example, I dated a lovely young woman a while back, and I spent a lot of time with her. I wanted to get to know her and I wanted to show how much she meant to me, so I would buy her dinner, coffee, flowers, etc. I said no to a lot of things to spend time with her, and although we are no longer together, that is what we are doing this Lent. We’ve all said no to something (given something up), so that we can get to know Jesus more. This is not a mandated sacrifice like the Jewish laws of old (see the book of Leviticus), but rather this is an act of love. For if it was mandated, we can fall into the trap of saying “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity.”  If we follow the letter of the law, we run the risk of looking at our brothers and sisters and saying look at all the good things I do compared to all the evil they do.

So, what do we do with this? Simple, we recognize that when we point at others, we have 4 fingers pointed back at us. Thus, the need for us to say, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” The sacrifice we offer isn’t to gain forgiveness or love from God, rather it’s to help us make room in our hearts to receive more Love.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give us the graces necessary to humble ourselves and to accept your mercy in our lives.

Closing: “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” – John 6:60. No one said following Jesus would be easy, and neither is being able to admit that we are broken and in need of God’s mercy. May we all be as humble as this Tax Collector and say “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

Alex Bodenschatz, Youth Minister at Saint Gregory the Great Family of Parishes

March 15 – Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a | Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 | Ephesians 5:8-14 | John 9:1-41

Invitation to Prayer: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. (Ephesians 5:14)

Reflection: I LOVE the story of the blind man in John’s gospel. There are so many relatable parts (some encouraging, some a little humbling). First off, and perhaps most importantly, is the goodness of God. When Jesus and His disciples encounter the blind man, Jesus patiently shoots down their bad theology (‘it’s not his fault or the fault of his parents that he was born blind’) and then – without being asked and against cultural norm – gets super close and dirty and touches – heals! – the blind man. How lucky we are to have a God that comes right up by our side, right up in the messiness of our lives, and pours out grace and mercy and healing! Our God is an awesome God.

Second, we experience the unbelief of the Pharisees and Jews. They don’t believe it until they see it (and then – even after they do – they are skeptical). How many times has someone told me about something miraculous in their life and I harbor some (or a lot) of skepticism? How humbling to recognize my lack of faith in the power of God! Lead me, guide me, along the way.

Third – and maybe most fun – is the snarkiness of the blind man’s parents and then the blind man himself. When asked about their son and how he came to be healed, the parents say “We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” In other words, ‘Don’t try to scapegoat us! This is NOT a problem we’re responsible for.’ And then, even better, the blind man, when questioned again about the same thing, he says, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” He goes on with this zinger: “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does God’s will, God listens to him… If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” Humility aside, how good does it feel to be able to stand confidently in my faith in God and thoroughly dismiss the arrogance and outside-of-the-cup focus of a naysayer? Get behind me, Satan.

Prayer: In 1 Samuel, Lord, we are reminded of your wonder and might. You teach us that ‘not as man sees do you see, because man sees the appearance but you look into the heart.’ Help us to always remember that you are with us – no matter the circumstance – calling us to humility, service, and confidence in your love.

Closing: As we come into the second half of our Lenten journey, take a little extra time with God: rejoice in God’s love, trust in God’s power, and look for new ways to share the good news.

Andrew Musgrave has served as the Director of the Catholic Social Action office since 2019. He is a member of the Crescent Family of Parishes, and he is married to Ana with whom he has two amazing daughters, Layla and Juliet.

March 16 – Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Readings: Isaiah 65:17-21; Psalm 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b; John 4:43-54

Reflection: “Go; your son will live.”

With those words, the royal official leaves Jesus and begins the journey home.

Can you imagine that walk? No one to call, no way to check, just the road and the slow, unbearable stretch of not knowing. Hope and fear tangled together in every stride.

This is where faith meets him, not in calm certainty, but a man walking a long road with only a promise to carry him forward.

We know how the story ends. The servants will meet him on the road with the news that his son is alive. But the official does not know that yet. For a time, he must live in the space between the promise and its fulfillment.

In many ways, that space is where most of us live as well. We pray. We hope. We entrust our worries to the Lord. And then we continue down the road, waiting to see what God will do.

Prayer: Lord, give us steady hearts in the waiting and faith to trust You before we see the outcome.

Closing: As we continue through Lent, may we remember: we are not lost in the middle, we are being formed there. Like the royal official, may we trust the word of Christ and keep walking home.

Michelle Wirth Smith is the Archdiocesan Archivist. She is a proud alumna of Ursuline Academy. She currently lives in Cincinnati with her husband and three children.

March 17 – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Readings: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; John 5:1-16

Invitation to Prayer: When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. John 5:6–8

Reflection: The first image that grabs my attention with today’s readings is water. Water appears in scripture so often as a symbol for slavery and death becoming new life. Think…Noah’s ark, the parting of the Red Sea, Joshua crossing the Jordan with the Israelites, Jesus’ own baptism to name but a few. In the reading from Ezekiel, the water of life doesn’t come from a mountain or a spring; it flows from the threshold of the Temple. This signifies that all true life and healing originate from God’s presence. As the water flows toward the “salt waters” (the Dead Sea), it makes them fresh. This is a reminder that there is no “dead” area of our lives—no matter how barren or salty—that God’s grace cannot reach and renew.

This reading pairs beautifully with the passage from John where Jesus heals the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Just as the water from the Temple brings life to the desert, Jesus—the new Temple—brings healing to a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. The pool from the water could not seem to bring him the new life he desired. It was his encounter with Jesus that changes everything.

At first glance, Jesus’ question (“Do you want to be well?”) to the man seems obvious. However, it serves as a challenge to us all concerning our own spiritual paralysis. We can become so accustomed to our “mats”—our habitual sins, our grudges, or our self-pity—that we lose the true desire for the radical change that healing requires. Saying yes to Jesus’ question sounds easy, but how often do we hesitate and hang onto our “mats” because they have become comfortable pieces of our daily lives? We have no need to wait for someone to “put us into the water” for healing. Jesus is telling us to rise, take up our mats and walk! Will you listen and respond?

Prayer: Lord, You see me exactly where I am. You know how long I have been carrying my burdens, my illnesses, and the spiritual paralysis that keeps me from moving toward You. Just as You approached the man at the Pool of Bethesda, I believe You are approaching me now. When You ask, “Do you want to be well?” help me to answer with a sincere and humble “Yes.” Amen.

Closing: Is there a “mat” in your life—a habit or a past hurt—that you have been lying on for a long time? Today, imagine Jesus standing before you, ignoring the “pools” you’ve been waiting for, and simply asking if you are ready to be made whole.

Al Kovacic is the Director of Campus Ministry at Elder High School. He also coaches cross country and track and field at Villa Madonna Academy (KY) and enjoys spending time outdoors. Al and his wife Melinda have 4 sons and reside in Villa Hills, KY as members of Saint Joseph Parish in Crescent Springs.

Wednesday March 18 – Wednesday of the Fourth
Readings:  Is 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18; Jn 5:17-30

Invitation to Prayer: I am the resurrection and the life, says The Lord; whoever believes in Me will never die.

Reflection: As Catholic Christians, we believe in the oneness of Jesus with God the Father.  We are blessed because, sadly, there are many that do not yet believe. After believing in the oneness of Jesus and God the Father, what must we do next?   As Isaiah tells us in the first reading at Mass today, we must obey God’s teachings. We must “sing out … and rejoice” and in so doing, we answer the call given to us in Baptism, that is, to help Jesus spread the good news of His salvation, for this is His command for each of us.

The Gospel reading today presents Jesus’ response to the Pharisees anger for the paralytic man having been healed on the Sabbath.  Jesus’s teaching, as He so often does, brings us back to the psalm, reminding us of our Savior’s oneness with the Father and His role as the giver of eternal life.  Jesus is the tender and merciful remedy Who heals our spiritual blindness and frees us from sin.

As we journey in this world, our human nature may at times lead us to move away from Jesus and disobey His commands. We fall and choose to embrace the teachings of this world, creating distance between us and Jesus.  But all is not lost, no matter how despicable the sins that we have committed. The infinite love of Jesus is always there for us; it’s there for us to take and to ask for.  We do well to surrender to God and accept His infinite love and mercy.  This Lent, and for all the days and weeks to follow, Jesus invites us return to Him and turn our backs from the evils of sin.

Perhaps today, as we sit with these readings from Scripture, we can take time to ask where we have encountered God this Lent.  With a commitment to maintain our Lenten promises in seeking the glory of the Easter morning, now is the time to ask for the grace to move from the errors of spiritual blindness to a clearer, trusting vision of the One True God’s presence in our life.

Prayer: Most Holy Father in Heaven, You sent us Your divine Son to dwell among us and be our Savior. All that Your Son did was in union with You, fulfilling Your glorious works.  I am eternally grateful that You have adopted me as Your child. I commit to do all I can to fulfill Your will, becoming a greater instrument of Your works in the world.

Closing: Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, schooled through Lenten observance and nourished by Your Word, through holy restraint we may be devoted to you with all our heart and be ever united in mercy and compassion for everyone we meet.

Deacon Ed Bayliss is assigned to the St. Gregory the Great family of parishes of Guardian Angels, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. John Fisher.  He also serves as OCIA leader and deacon at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains.  Ordained to the diaconate in 2022, Ed and his wife Kim live in New Richmond.  They have been blessed with 5 children and 7 grandchildren.  

March 19- Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Readings: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a

Invitation to Prayer: “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord; they never cease to praise you.” (Psalm 84:5)

Reflection: It’s tough to be a dad these days. And believe me I know because I am in the thick of it—I have four girls and two boys, ages six to 16! Sometimes it seems like the problems start at 6 a.m. and don’t stop until everyone’s in bed. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m blessed. I’m not struggling to provide food or shelter for my family or anything like that. Still, we live in a time with lots of unique challenges.

When it comes to being a dad, there’s pressure. For all human history, fathers have been looked up to for their wisdom and strength. Whenever a child is going through something they go to their father, because chances are he’s been there. I remember when I was young thinking my dad knew everything and could handle anything. Now I’m the dad and I question myself.

Our children are growing up in the digital age, and they are going through challenges that we never experienced and often have difficulty understanding. On top of all the normal growing pains, there’s incredible technology (including A.I.) and social media, which have changed everything! We do our best to limit and moderate it, but it’s tough. When I see my children struggling to navigate through all this, I often feel helpless, worried, and not sure what to do. Men are supposed to be able to fix things, right?

Today is the feast of St. Joseph, a man who had to deal with things that nobody else had to deal with. He was called to be the husband of the Mother of God and the foster father of the Christ child. What a task!

So, what can we learn from him? How did he handle that situation? He was humble, prayerful and obedient to God’s will. Joseph was holy, but he did whatever he had to do to protect those in his care. He gave his all and then vanished quietly into the background. He is a perfect model for us. We should always start with prayer and humility and put our family first.

This brings me to Lent—a blessed time that the Church gives us each year. It is so important for us to hand on our Catholic traditions to our children and lead them down a holy path, participating in the Liturgical Year of the Church. The digital age makes this even more crucial! Perhaps it’s easier for youth to do homework these days, but it’s a lot more difficult for them to discover who they are and recognize God working in their lives. We must help our children enter the desert with Jesus and rid themselves of harmful distractions as much as possible. Like Joseph, we must all recognize that we are utterly dependent on God and put Him in the center of our lives.

Prayer: St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to you God entrusted His only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen (Pope Francis, Patris Corde).

Closing: Pray the rosary with your family tonight. Do what you can to limit screen time, especially for yourself. And, as we enter Spring, make sure you and your family are going out to enjoy creation—where God waits to be discovered.

David Cooley is the Editorial Director of The Catholic Telegraph. He and his wife Lindsay have six children and live in Anderson Township.

March 20 – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Readings: Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22; Psalm 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23; John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Invitation to Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, and give me courage.

Reflection: As I read through these readings, I did so as one typically would: from the first reading to the psalm to the Gospel. While reading the psalm, I was comforted by the words “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” Then the Gospel reading led to a certain level of discomfort. Jesus is not moving about freely. People are questioning him. Some want to kill him or arrest him. Yet in the middle of it, Jesus’ words are comforting.

“You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”

He is sent by the Father – who is true – to be close to the brokenhearted. Jesus is not afraid to draw near. Even in the discomfort, he is sure, steady, and, best of all, close. Any distance I find between myself and him, I put there. He sees all, knows all, and still draws near. By choice, our God became a human with a mission – to save me, to make me holy, to give me eternal life.

If I were to take a good look at my life, I would see a few pockets that I am keeping from him. There are things in my life that I am not surrendering to the good God who gave everything to save me. How short-sighted of me. When will I learn that God wants to draw near to my heart always, but especially when I am struggling? Hopefully, it is today. And the next day. And the day after that. But the day after that, if I need to learn the lesson again, I am grateful to know I have a God who is patient. He wants me to be with him in eternity; he can certainly wait as I walk through each lesson, even if it is one I have learned before.

Prayer: Lord, help me draw near to you.

Closing: What area of your life have you been keeping at a distance from God? Bring it to him today.

Molly Gallagher is a YDisciple Coach for NET Ministries and a parishioner at St. Cecilia of the Eastside Catholics in Cincinnati

March 21- Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Readings: Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12; John 7:40-53

Invitation to Prayer: “So a division occurred in the crowd because of him…Then each went to his own house.”

Reflection: This message we hear in John’s Gospel today is so true. Didn’t Simeon’s prophecy foretell us that “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.” (Luke 2:34) Isn’t this the reality of our day. The only difference now is that we are the crowd, and the crowd is still divided on Jesus.

John’s Gospel opens the door of interpretation from the crowd, the chief priests, and the Pharisees of who is this Jesus, where is he from? Is he truly the Prophet and if so, how can he be from Galilee? Scripture says he must come from Bethlehem, from David’s family. Who is this Jesus? This back and front questioning mirror the reality of today on just about every issue in our lives, like religion, politics, abortion, transgender ideology, war, immigration, and the death penalty. Everyone has their own ideas to those issues, and they take them into “their own heart, their own house.”

This Lenten season I have plunged myself headfirst into the likes of Fr. John Riccardo’s book, “Heaven Starts Now, becoming a Saint Day by Day,” and from Paradisus Dei, Mark Hartfiel’s book, “Encountering Christ in The Beatitudes, the Art of Living,” with the expectation of deepening my personal relationship with Jesus. A good thing right, but some people I’ve encountered praying in front of Planned Parenthood these last several weeks, they do not see as I see.

The beauty of our Catholic faith, our identity in Christ Jesus is to share our story with love, to see Christ in them, to invite them into the presence of God. This Lenten season we are called to dive deep into the life of Jesus; to learn Jesus, love Jesus, and live Jesus. Fr. Riccardo states, “the only goal we need to focus on, is the Omega, which is sainthood. The grace is given. All it takes is our work and our cooperation with it.” Mr. Hartfiel states the Beatitudes depict “the precision and clarity…the inner secrets of his Sacred Heart, the blueprint to holiness and Divine Love.”

My dear friends, cooperation with God’s grace and embracing Jesus into “our heart,” “our house” is transformative, a heavenly communion. Our responsibilities as Catholics, sons and daughters of Christ Jesus are to deepen our relationship with Him, share our faith with others, serve others out of our love for Jesus.

In turn, knowing in the depth of our heart, we are loved by God, and we were created in the image and likeness of God. This is the grace of our faith; this is the beauty of the Lenten season. We are called to become more like Jesus and to see Him in others. We are called to share our story with the hope that division will be wiped away, and the glory of Jesus will radiate through all humanity, our beacon of hope.

Prayer: Father God may our personal relationship with Jesus continue to deepen and inspire us to share our story of Jesus’ presence in our lives with others, in the hope that they too, will come to recognize Jesus in themselves and others.

Closing: May the remainder of this Lenten remind us of the beauty of our Catholic faith, own relationship with Jesus, and how we might share our story with others in building up His Kingdom.

Deacon Henry Jacquez, ordained April 2013, serves in the Queen of Apostles Family of Parishes, married to his wife, Betsy for 46 years, and is a father of three children Christina, Mark, Eric and blessed with eight grandsons; Nathan, Ryan, George, Weston, Lincoln, Teddy, Harrison, and Quincy.

March 22 – Fifth Sunday of Lent
Readings: Ezekiel 37:12-14,  Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45

Invitation to Prayer: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!” Psalm 130:2

Reflection: In almost every medical show I’ve watched, a familiar scene plays out, albeit with slight variations. A patient is brought in on the brink of death, and there is a frantic rush for all on duty to pour their best into saving this person. Medical jargon is shouted, tensions rise. As the patient’s life signs wane, chest compressions begin. Against all odds, there is a doctor or other health care professional who will not give up, no matter how desperate the circumstances. In my favorite version of this scene we, the audience, believe all hope to be lost… only for the patient to dramatically recover their vitality!

I suspect we all know what it feels like to be this patient. Life has a way of crashing down on us hard: maybe through finances, family struggles, mental health issues, or just feeling like you’ve lost a foothold. It can feel like there is no hope, or that we are dead on the table. In those moments, we’re not just like a fictional character in a dramatic hospital narrative. We are the target audience of our readings today.

In our first reading, the prophet Ezekiel is speaking to a people bereft of hope, because they had lost their land and were struggling in exile. How could they ever escape this fate, brought upon them by their own sins, and be happy once more? The Psalmist cries out of the depths with a song of longing for forgiveness and mercy. If the Lord only accounts our sins to us, how could anyone ever have hope? The Gospel presents us with one of the most famous stories of a man lost, not to metaphorical death, but to four days of decay in a tomb. How could there ever be a future for one such as this?

Saint Paul gives us an answer in the second reading: Jesus. Our Lord who knew that He would take on our exile, brokenness, pain, and loss so that He could raise not only Himself but us as well. Christ feels the loss of His friend Lazarus – and, in a sense we can see Him weep for us too. The one who loves us so much cannot bear to see His beloved in the grave. So, dramatically, our Great Physician reaches into the maw of spiritual death and offers us a hand out. He descends into the depths that sin has bought us and refuses to quit. There is not a moment that His arm is not outstretched to us. He constantly beckons: “O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back…”

Whatever death you might be experiencing this Lent – disappointment at work, hurt from a family member, or perhaps even the physical loss of a loved one – God desires to give you His Spirit through Jesus Christ. In that Spirit, we are promised new life, freed from the shackles and burial bands of our dismay like Lazarus led from the tomb. Let us not waste the chance. Let us not fail to hear Jesus cry to us in a voice loud enough to be heard in our tombs: “Come out!”

Prayer: Lord, the tolls of daily life can close in around me like a tomb. When I am hard pressed and failing, let me turn to you and cry to you from the depth of my despair. I know that you never fail to hear me. Amen.

Closing: As the week begins, perform a small examination of conscience. What is holding you back or holding you down? Consider if you have ears to hear Jesus call you out from your grave.

Bradley Barnes is a theology teacher and campus minister at Newport Central Catholic High School. He has served in parish and school ministry and is a speaker for local Catholic events. Bradley and his wife Meghan live in Anderson Township.

March 23- Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Readings: Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5,6, Jn 8:1-11

Invitation to Prayer: There is a wideness in your mercy, Lord.

Two women. One falsely accused and condemned to death; the other solely accused (it takes two to commit adultery, yet only she was brought to Jesus) and condemned. One justly exonerated, the other shown great mercy. We see ourselves in these women – we are at times treated unfairly, find ourselves in harsh circumstances, fail, fall, and fall short. We cry out for justice or silently look to the Lord for forgiveness. We may also see ourselves in the accusers, the deceitful, hypocritical ones whose actions are revealed by the light of God’s truth.

The simple yet powerful hymn, There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy, could be an apt reflection on the stories of redemption we hear today:

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea; there’s a kindness in His justice which is more than liberty. There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good; there is mercy with the Savior; there is healing in His blood. For the love of God is broader than the measure of our mind; and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind. If our love were but more simple, we would take Him at His word, and our lives would be illumined by the presence of our Lord. (Frederick William Faber)

What are we to do with such great love, justice, and mercy, poured upon us in our weakness, failing, and trial? Jesus, the embodiment of God’s truth, light, and presence says to us, as he did to the woman accused of adultery, “Go, and from now on, do not sin any more.” In these waning days of Lent, let us journey with our Lord to the cross and to resurrection. Let us accept the wide, expansive love of God and embrace Jesus’ way of mercy and justice. May we show and share forgiveness and care for others as members of Christ’s Body who are called to embody the light of God’s truth and love.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we know our failings and weakness. We cannot always comprehend the vast wideness of your love and mercy. Still, we trust that you will always be with us when we turn to you and away from sin. May our continued Lenten journey lead us to accept and to share your great love, even when, especially when, it is difficult to do so.

Closing: To whom should you show and share God’s mercy, justice, or love? Pray about this in this fifth week of Lent, and resolve to do as your heart and conscience guide.

Leisa Anslinger is a Parish Vitality Specialist for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She has served in parish and school ministry and is an author and speaker. Leisa and her husband Steve reside in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Tuesday, March 24 – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent 
Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21; John 8:21-30

Invitation to Prayer: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever.”

Reflection: In the Gospel from John, in some of the clearest words we will see in the Bible, Jesus tells the Pharisees who he is. He is “I AM” and “belong[s] to what is above.” At this point, Jesus has healed people, fed thousands, walked on water, and performed many more miracles (with witnesses!) all the while preaching to the masses with no rebuttal. After this conversation, he will continue preaching and performing miracles, even raising the dead! And yet there are still those who doubt. Christ even warns them that even if the Pharisees look for him—look for God—they “will die in [their] sin”.

Perhaps the Pharisees are too rigid in their ways to believe, too concerned with their wealth and status to give it up for the Son of God and follow him. They are more concerned with finding what they agree with instead of what Jesus is calling them to. By putting their faith into themselves rather than listening to the world around them, they deafen themselves to God’s word. They are in an echo chamber where the only voice they believe is the one that is convenient and beneficial to them.

Sometimes I struggle to hear God’s voice. There are so many competing voices deciding what’s good and what’s evil, who deserves support and who deserves condemnation. It’s easy to get caught up in the emotions of others, especially if you are a sympathetic person. And as we see from the Israelites in the first reading from Numbers, people can complain. We experience worries and suffering. It’s not wrong to cry out and ask for help, to go to God with your worries. God is always there by our side. But we cannot blame others. We must not let the other voices detract us from what is really important, God’s call to love. If our complaints, other’s complaints, cause suffering, that is not God’s will. Therefore, we must set aside the voices we hear and choose to listen to God instead with a humble heart and spirit of gratitude. Only then can we clearly see Jesus and the work he invites us into.

Prayer:

Lord, hear my cry and let me come to you.

There is so much pain in the world

And I am helpless.

But you are not helpless, Lord,

You have a plan for this world and for me.

Give me sight to see and ears to listen

And a steadfast heart

So that when you call, I will follow, joyfully.

Amen.

Closing: What is something you are struggling with? How do you bear that struggle in your daily life, how does it affect you in your interactions with others? Go to God and lay it at his feet and ask him for help and to show you the way.

Jill Foster is in the Catholic Social Action Office in Dayton. Having spent time as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in Haiti, she now uses her experience to work with parishes and partners to manifest God’s love out into the world.

March 25 – The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10, Psalm 40:7-8a,8b-9,10,11, Hebrews 10:4-10, Luke 1:26-38

Invitation to Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray to live completely in your will. May the doing of your will be the delight of my soul. May I never be separated from your will but rather follow you like Mary whose “yes” brought your Son into this broken world. Amen.

Reflection: In reading these scriptures, I often wonder am I strong enough? Have I grown enough to say like Mary, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word?” I wonder if I truly understand the depth of those words and the implications. The faith, wisdom, and understanding it takes to truly lay down your life for the will of God takes either the innocence of a child or a lifetime of growing deeply in relationship with Christ. So, I ponder in prayer asking the Lord to show me where I am still weak and need to grow? I want to be ready to say yes to all that God wants for me even when it is difficult. I must admit, I am a seeker of signs at times and question a great many things. But, I want to grow in grace and wisdom in my relationship with Christ “to know” I am doing the will of God. I desire to be steady and faithful in my vocation as well as life choices. I pray that if the Lord did indeed ask me to do something difficult to stand up for him, that I would naturally do what needs to be done without question. What if someone challenged me about my faith? Would I be prepared to give an answer in love? When I meet someone in need, would I be ready to do what needs to be done or help in a way that is truly beneficial? Yes, this is what I want. So then, I ask the Lord, where do I need to grow now? I want deep faith and fortitude like Mary, so now I ask myself, what am I willing to do to grow in this deeper unwavering faith that needs no sign?

Prayer: Jesus, your mother received a message from an angel which challenged and stretched her understanding, her response was a resolute, yes. Open my heart to the areas and ways you would like me to grow so that I can respond with a resolute yes and do your will. Walk with me along this journey of growth and send me your Holy Spirit to guide my path. Amen.

Closing: Prayerfully ponder like Mary about the areas you feel weakest in the faith. Is it easy to give in to gossip? Do you have some habits you would like to get rid of like cursing? Do you have any doubts you have about the faith? Learning to become strong in the Lord means tackling areas of weakness but bring the Lord with you. Humility makes you strong! Take a moment to pray specifically about where the Lord would like to work next with you. What is resonating in your mind and heart? Bring this area to Jesus and talk to him about it. Then, ask Jesus what steps he would like you to take next to grow.

Veronica Murphy serves as Director of Leadership Formation and Curriculum. She is a member of St. Maxmilian Kolbe Parish and is married to Bruce Murphy.

March 26 – Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Readings: Genesis 17:3-9; Psalm 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; John 8:51-59

Invitation to Prayer: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalm 95:8).

Reflection: Imagine being a kid and a distant relative calling to tell you that for your birthday, they were going to bring you the nicest remote-control car money could buy. And so, you counted the days in great anticipation until your birthday and when this relative would visit. And then, when that day finally came and that relative showed up, they instead brought the real car, not simply a remote-control version. But now imagine being upset at that relative because, let’s face it, you’re still a kid and you were looking forward to the remote-control car. You can’t drive the real car yet—you’re not old enough. But imagine being so mad you started yelling and hitting this relative saying “Why did you bring me a real car?!” instead of expressing gratitude for the great gift.

In today’s readings we hear of God’s covenant with Abraham to make of him and his descendants a great nation with kings and a multitude of people and a permanent possession of the land of Canaan. And then in the Gospel, Jesus, the High King, the Son of God, comes and offers not just a land and a nation, but everlasting life in the “land” of Heaven and eternity. And what do they do? They try to stone him.

I would like to think that I’m not like the little kid in our fictitious story or the Jews in the temple area of Jesus’ time. Yet how often do I let my heart get disappointed when things don’t go as I expect them to? God works everything for good for those who love him (cf. Romans 8:28) and He remembers his covenant forever. This Lent perhaps I can lean into looking for God’s blessings in those moments of disappointment, find a way to express gratitude, and put down that hardened stone in my hand and in my heart.

Prayer: Jesus, you desire to give us not just good gifts, but the best gift ever—Yourself forever in Heaven. Help me to move past my own conceptions of how you are working and instead lean into your plan even when I don’t fully understand it. Soften my heart to the mysterious and amazing ways you work in my life. Amen.

Matt Reinkemeyer is the newly appointed President & CEO of the Catholic Community Foundation after serving as the Director of Leadership Giving for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Stewardship Office. He loves the opportunity to connect the generosity of donors with ministries they love and to create lasting support for the great work that happens in those parishes, schools, ministries and organizations. Find him at givecatholicohio.org

March 27 – Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Readings:  Jer 20:10-13; Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7; Jn 10:31-42

Invitation to Prayer: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.” (Ps 18:6)

Reflection:  Jeremiah the prophet would never be mistaken for an optimist by any stretch of the imagination.  God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to tell the people of Judah that they were sinning and to preach repentance.  In Judah, idolatry was widespread and child sacrifice was rampant.  Predictably, Jeremiah’s message was not well-received; he had many enemies and very few friends.  Often, like in the reading today, Jeremiah would complain to God about his lot in life and about the persecutions leveled against him, to which God would essentially tell him:  “You haven’t seen anything yet!”  Through Jeremiah’s life and example we learn two things:  (1) great opposition does not change our mission;  Jeremiah continued to trust in the Lord and didn’t waver despite the attacks he endured.  He continued to exhort Judah to return to the Lord their God; and (2) following God doesn’t mean we stop being human; even a mighty prophet like Jeremiah experienced quite human emotions.  Tradition tells us that years later Jeremiah was stoned to death by his enemies, just like Jesus’ enemies often wanted to do to him!

In the Gospel today we pick up the story immediately after Our Lord had told the Jews, “I and the Father are one!” and Our Lord is again threatened with stoning.  To this Jesus quotes from Psalm 82 in which it is written, “you are gods.”  This psalm, according to St. Augustine, rightly refers to mankind as gods (lowercase ‘g’) by virtue of our being made in the image and likeness of God (capital G).  How much more so then, Jesus explains, can the one eternally begotten of the Father and sent by the Father say, “I am the Son of God?”  Like Jeremiah, Our Lord’s words didn’t pacify his enemies much.

None of this explains, however, how we are to understand this enigmatic phrase from the Psalms, “you are gods.”  But this isn’t the only place in Scripture where divinity and how we will share in it is alluded to.  St. Peter in his 2nd epistle Chapter 1 verse 4 addresses this quite directly: “The Word became flesh to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature.’”

Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.  He is divine by nature, we are not.  But the Bible, the Magisterium, and all the Saints point us to the fact that Our Lord in his great love for us – a love in which he desires to give us all that he is – also wants us to share in his divinity!

Did you know that at every single Mass when the chalice is being prepared by the priest or deacon, he quietly says:  “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”?  Worthily received, Holy Communion makes us more and more like Our Lord himself in His humanity AND divinity!  Think about what all this means.  If this doesn’t astound you, nothing will!

And how do we know we are becoming more and more like Him?  It’s not simply by what we say.  Our words must be proven by what we do.  “If we perform our Father’s works then we may know that the Father is in us and that we are in the Father.”

Prayer: Lord, help me to stand firm in my Lenten resolutions.  Give me the grace to persevere in the face of opposition to my faith from the world, the flesh, and the devil.  May I be a witness to the world like Jeremiah and (even!) like Our Lord; a witness willing to suffer for the sake of love.  I ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Closing:  Our Lord said, “Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” and demonstrated through many signs and wonders that by his grace we can be holy, that by his grace we can become saints.  May we be among those from the Gospel who said, “…everything John said about this man was true.” and begin to believe him.

Deacon Rusty Baldwin is assigned to the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes. He has been married to his wonderful wife Heather for 42 years. They have 8 children. He is retired but keeps quite busy serving in various roles in his Family of Parishes.

March 28 – Saturday of the Fifth Week
Readings: Ezekiel 37:21-28; Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13; John 11:45-56

Invitation to Prayer: Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. (Ezekiel 18:31)

Reflection: Every time I read Scripture something new leaps out at me. Some phrase I hadn’t paid attention to comes to the fore. Some meaning I hadn’t seen before. Maybe it is the same for you. After all, Scripture is the inspired word of God and He speaks to us in every age. In today’s Gospel what leaps out at me is the passage referring to Caiaphas, “He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation.” Caiphas prophesied. He wasn’t a fortuneteller; he was giving us a message from God! This is not my mental image of Caiaphas which came from a movie: a big man with a big beard, a big hat, and a big bass voice singing “He is dangerous.” No, Caiaphas was relating the word of God. That is what prophets do.

So, what was God trying to tell us through Caiaphas? Jesus died for our sins. My sins. Your sins. We know that Jesus died and rose again that we might live. John’s Gospel goes on: “…and not only for the nation but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” Jesus died for all of us, everyone on earth, for all time. Everyone who was and everyone who will ever be born, until He returns. All of us. Jesus took the weight of everyone’s sin on Himself. God loves us so much that He sent His son to do that!

Almost two thousand years have passed since that Gospel was written. Many of us probably don’t often think ahead to the time when Jesus will come again. The time when we have to be ready, heart and soul. Perhaps we are like the Jews in the Gospel who wonder, “What do you think? Will he come to the feast?” But Jesus promised us He would return and he promised us His Advocate, the Holy Spirit, would remain with us. God loves us that much!

This final week of Lent is a good time to contemplate. Contemplate how this Holy Week begins with Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem to attend the Passover feast. And how it builds to Christ’s passion and death…for us. What should we do to prepare our hearts? How can we keep growing toward joining Jesus at the heavenly feast? Spend some time in prayer and ask Jesus what he is calling you to this Holy Week. Make plans to join Him at the feast. He will come again.

Questions for reflection: What is God calling me to this Lent? What can I do to prepare my heart for the feast? What do I need to ask God to grant me to continue to build His kingdom here?

Prayer: I ask your help, O Lord my God, that I may walk eagerly in that same charity with which, out of love for the world, your Son handed himself over to death. I ask this through by the intercession of Mary, through Christ our Lord.

Deacon Jesse Fanning serves the Mother of God Family of Parishes (NE-5) in Kettering, and assists the Archdiocese with the formation of aspirants to the permanent deaconate.

March 29 – Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
Readings: Matthew 21:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14—27:66

Invitation to Prayer: “The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”

Reflection:  Going from the account of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem to the harrowing retelling of his crucifixion in the space of a Mass feels like whiplash. Within just a few days, the people go from acclaiming Jesus as the king of Israel, to condemning him to the death of a criminal. How is such a sudden change of heart possible?

Perhaps the reversal isn’t so shocking when we recognize how easily we ourselves get carried away by the winds of changing opinions, emotions, or circumstances. Don’t we often sway from high to low as the events of our lives sweep over us? In the case of the Jewish people, the reality of the man Jesus Christ was jarring to say the least, compared with what they had come to expect of the Messiah – a promised savior, coming in glory to overthrow the rule of the Romans and establish God’s earthly kingdom. (Barabbas, on the other hand, seemed to fit that picture more closely.)

In contrast to this display of human inconstancy surrounding him, Jesus demonstrates very different qualities: an overall sense of resolve; steadiness in the face of tumult; and even peace until his very death. He is neither carried away by the emotions of the crowd, nor is he perturbed by false accusations, nor desperate to escape his torture and crucifixion. That’s not to say that he wasn’t afraid. In the garden of Gethsemane, he sweats actual blood as he enters his passion. Nonetheless, immediately after asking his Father to take the cup away, he expresses his complete trust, saying, “Still, not my will but yours be done.” Similarly, though some of Jesus’ final words, from the beginning of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” might seem to convey some final doubt, the psalm taken in its entirety is a profound expression of faith in God’s kingship and salvation.

Rather than looking for fulfillment from worldly success, security, pleasure, or fame, Jesus’ peace comes from his relationship with his Father, before whom he had perfect humility and in whom he placed complete trust. In our lives, as we dream of building up God’s kingdom, it can be difficult when what lies in front of us doesn’t look the way we think it should. Sometimes, Jesus doesn’t fulfill our hopes as a victorious conqueror; perhaps he more often invites us into a path of trust in the midst of suffering. When that happens, rather than allowing ourselves to be tossed about by the storms of life, we can resolve to imitate Jesus in placing our lives entirely in the hands of our loving Father, trusting that he is the source of peace and the fulfillment of all our desires.

Prayer:  

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Paco Patag delights in helping others discover, receive, and respond to their vocation, and is grateful to be able to do so as the Associate Director for Adult Evangelization & Pastoral Ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He and his wife, Beth, and their daughter, Lily, are parishioners in the Divine Mercy Family of Parishes.

March 30 – Monday of Holy Week
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-7; Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14; John 12:1-11

Invitation to Prayer: So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” (John 12: 7-8)

Reflection: What’s Mary to do? She had just tried to show her appreciation to Jesus by anointing his feet with an expensive perfumed oil and drying them with her hair. She did not grab a towel but instead gave what she possessed – her hair. We would call it caring to the very fiber of our being. After all Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Judas, on the other hand, chides Mary for not selling the oil at a great profit and giving it to the poor.

Jesus offers a distinction that solves the dilemma. Mary is right for deeply acknowledging Jesus physically in front of her. He also reminds us that people experiencing poverty will always be with us.

So what to do about people who are poor? Can we shoo them off, keep them out of sight and promise to deal with their issues another day or maybe never? I’ve heard some say that since the poor will always be with us, they can in effect take a number and not expect to be given any assistance, because there is always tomorrow.

If we are building the kingdom that Jesus tells us God wants, He reminds us to care for people who are poor and their concerns as they stand in our midst – in our community, our nation and our world – and every day. Our faith teaches about a preferential option for the poor. We must attend to the needs that people who are poor have – food, shelter, medical care, education – and in our political decisions we must assure that their needs are heard and receive attention.

And how are we to be fortified in this task of taking care of our brothers and sisters experiencing poverty? We do this through the Eucharist by allowing Jesus to use every fiber of our being to love those who do not have what they need so they can have the honor of human dignity in this life.

Prayer: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42: 1)

Closing: As we approach Holy Thursday and the institution of the Eucharist, look for ways you can help people who are experiencing poverty. Consider volunteering with Catholic Charities or the Archdiocese’s Catholic Social Action Office.

Pam and Bob Long have been married for over 51 years, giving birth to three children and welcoming three grandchildren and a son-in-law to their family. Pam is the Director of Love in Action for the St. Stephen Family of Parishes in Hamilton, Chair of the Archdiocesan Catholic Social Action Commission and serves in a volunteer leadership role with Catholic Relief Services’ advocacy efforts.

March 31 – Tuesday of Holy Week
Readings: Isaiah 14:1-9, Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17, John 13:21-33, 36-38

Invitation to Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of Your love!

Reflection: I am struck by Jesus’s words in response to Simon Peter, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.” I am fascinated on how Jesus is both revealing what is about to happen to him, but also what will happen to Simon Peter. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his passion, letting them know he will be leaving them. Yet he also tells Peter that he will follow later, raveling that Peter will also die a similar death, martyrdom for the Church. Affirming Peter’s desire in the next line where he says, “Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

As we approach the triduum and the passion of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, let us remember that Christ paid a debt he did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. By offering the ultimate sacrifice of His own body and blood, the price for our salvation was purchased once and for all. This is a beautiful gift, and the only thing we’re asked to do in response of receiving this gift is to follow Jesus with all our hearts, mind, and body, as St. Peter will ultimately do as well.

Jesus tells us John 15:13 that “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” As we are about to witness the greatest act of love, may we seek to find ways to lay down our own lives for those we love. It can be as simple as holding the door, smiling, and saying “hello,” to people as they walk though, or just putting down our phones and turning off the tv to a distraction free dinner and conversation with family. Regardless of what you do, find a small way this day to lay down our life for a friend, in remembrance of what Jesus is about to do for us.

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, help us to remain vigilant in this final week of Lent, and as we await the triduum, move in our hearts so that we too may have the desire to follow you now and lay down our lives for you.

Closing: As we remember the passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, may we all receive the graces necessary to fully lay down our lives for Jesus now.

Alex Bodenschatz, Youth Minister at Saint Gregory the Great Family of Parishes