PASTOR S MEANDERINGS MARCH 2017 SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

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1 PASTOR S MEANDERINGS MARCH 2017 SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (A) STEWARDSHIP: Bear your share of the hardship for the Gospel, St. Paul tells Timothy in today s second reading. What sacrifice is asked of me for the sake of the Gospel? How willing am I to bear my share. Pascal God is proved not only by the zeal of those who seek Him, but by the blindness of those who seek Him not. READINGS FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT 19 MAR 17 Ex. 17:3-7: This is one of several stories about the Israelites complaining to Moses, in this case about being thirsty. God instructs Moses how to provide water for them. Ro. 5:1-2, 5-8: The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, giving us faith and hope. Jn. 4:5-42: The encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, where He reveals His true identity to her and offers her living water. St. Therese of Lisieux The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother. SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY While many people are much more familiar with the celebration of St. Patrick on March 17, there is another saint who can be praised by Western Christians in the month of March: St. Joseph. His day always occurs on March 19. This day is in Western Christianity the principal

2 feast day of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is the foster-father of Jesus Christ. It has the rank of a solemnity in the Roman Catholic Church; Catholics who follow the Missal of 1962 celebrate it as a first class feast. Previous to 1962 it was celebrated as a feast of the rank of double of the first class. It is a feast or commemoration in the provinces of the Anglican Communion, and a feast or festival in the Lutheran Church. St. Joseph s Day is the Patronal Feast day for Poland as well as for Canada, persons named Joseph, Josephine, etc., for religious institutes, schools and parishes bearing his name, and for carpenters. It is also Father s Day in some Catholic countries, mainly Spain, Portugal, and Italy. This date was dedicated to St. Joseph in several Western calendars by the 10 th century, and this custom was established in Rome by Pope St. Pius V extended its use to the entire Roman Rite by his Apostolic Constitution Quo Primum (July 14, 1570). Since 1969, Episcopal Conferences may transfer it to a date outside Lent. Between 1870 and 1955, a feast was celebrated in honor of St. Joseph as the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church, the latter title having been given to him by Pope Pius IX. Originally celebrated on the third Sunday after Easter with an octave, after Divino Afflatu of St. Pius X it was moved to the preceding Wednesday. The feast was also retitled The Solemnity of Saint Joseph. This celebration and its accompanying octave was abolished during the modernizataion and simplification of rubics under Pope Pius XII in It is still maintained by Catholics who follow the missals of before then. As the traditional holiday of the Apostles St. Phillip and James, May 1, had faded from the memory of most Catholics by the mid-twentieth century, that of Joseph the Worker was created in order to coincide with the celebration of international Labor Day (May Day) in many countries. The feast of Sts. Philip and James, which had been celebrated on that date since the sixth century, was moved from its traditional place (to May 11) to make room for St. Joseph the Worker. In the new calendar published in 1969, the feast, which at one time occupied the highest possible rank in the Church calendar, was reduced to an optional Memorial, the lowest rank for a saint's day. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates St. Joseph on the Sunday after Christmas. PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH Silent and well known carpenter in Nazareth, model of workers, by the work of your hands you gave your contribution to the work of the Creator, and you provided for the needs of the Holy Family. Intercede for all workers, especially for the unemployed, in their anxieties for tomorrow, so that through the guidance of God, the great Architect and Builder, they all may use their strength and talents to make visible God s new creation,

3 to offer a concrete service to society, and to earn wages worthy of their efforts. With confidence and trust we make this prayer through Jesus. Amen. ST. JOSEPH S TABLE As in previous years a St. Joseph s Table will be placed in the Commons next weekend for your use. Bread items, commercial products will be collected and then donated to local food bands and charities. What is the St. Joseph s Table? Well read on: Saint Joseph s Day, March 19th is, in Italy, also Father s Day which isn t at all surprising as St. Joseph was, of course, the foster father of Jesus. This feast and festival which always falls in the midst of Lent is especially commemorated and celebrated in Italy in general and Sicily in particular. The tradition of the St. Joseph Table of food ( la tavala di San Giuseppe ) has its origins in Sicily. Legends from the Middle Ages attributed the end of a devastating drought to a prayerdevotion that the Sicilian people made to St. Joseph. This celebration is a symbolic thank you and renewal of the Sicilian people s devotion to Saint Joseph. It is a shared celebration with the entire community where the riches of food are given as alms to the poor: Traditional etiquette is that no one can be turned away from this table. As it is a living tradition, it has many interpreters and many food entries have been added and deleted along the way but two constants remain: no meat and sesame-coated breads in symbolic shapes. A St. Joseph s Day Table or Altar is a makeshift shrine-cum-dinner-festival held in one s home, or more recently a church hall or club hall. The host family or group creates what amounts to a kinetic work of art. This table is rife with symbolism, particularly the decorative breads. Sicilian bakers sprinkle copious amounts of sesame seeds which resemble and symbolize teardrops on the many different types of St. Joseph s Day breads. The breads themselves are made from the same dough that forms Italian bread a recipe that came from Italy with my great-grandfather and come in the following shapes for St. Joseph s Day: The Latin Cross: The ultimate symbol of our Lord s suffering and salvation. The Bambino: The baby Jesus to whom St. Joseph was foster father. St. Joseph s Staff: Legend has it that St. Joseph s staff blossomed into a lily, a symbol both of life and death. St. Joseph s Purse: This symbol is a reminder to give alms to the poor during Lent. A Sheaf of Wheat: Wheat is a reminder that, when a single, tiny grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it bears much more food at harvest time and that the early spring harvest of greens is almost here. St. Joseph himself: He is always represented in profile and hunched over with a cane, symbolizing that he was (according to tradition) an old man, while Mary was a much younger woman.

4 St. Joseph s Beard: This is actually just the Sheaf of Wheat turned upside down, but young children delight when their fathers and grandfathers hold their beard up to their face. It is another reminder of Joseph s wisdom and old age. Heart: A symbol of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that flourished throughout Italy in general and Sicily in particular in the 19th century. The Crown of Thorns: This is in remembrance of Christ s passion and a reminder that, despite the day s feasting among Lent s fasting, Lent is still a season of sorrow but of hope, too! The St. Joseph s Day altar, in addition to the breads above, contains a plethora of non-meat dishes due to the fact that St. Joseph s Day always falls during the penitential season of Lent, and meat is forbidden on the Fridays between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The very first greens of springtime, dandelions and cardones ( burdock ), are sprinkled on pizza. Fish and seafood from both the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, especially anchovies and sardines are served on Foccaccia (Italian flat-bread), and Biscotti Di Camillo (a twice-baked Italian toastbread). Other St. Joseph s Day staples include eggplant Caponata, excellent for dipping with Italian bread; as well as Pasta con Sarde, Egg frittas, bean dishes, olives, and especially lentils. Beautiful as the Saint Joseph s Day Table is to behold, it is a practical work of art: it is meant to feed not only friends and relatives but, traditionally, to feed the hungry strangers, those who cannot host their own Table either due to poverty or a particularly bad harvest in their family or having run out of food over the wintertime. Stunning to behold and delicious to partake in, a Saint Joseph s Day Table is a tradition which is still carried on to this day. As no feast is complete without dessert, no Saint Joseph s altar would be finished without the flourish of sweet items such as biscotti and cookies; Biscotti Di Prato (twice-baked almond dunking-cookies), authentic Sicilian fig-filled Bucaletti Cucudatti, Biscotti Regina (another anise cookie, covered in those same sorrowful sesame seeds); Biscotti di Vino, the venerable biscuit made with red wine (and also covered with sesame seeds), Pane di Spagne (a larger, more airy biscotti), and Biscotti Amaretti (almond macaroons) a cookie fundamental to any Sicilian dessert platter. LENTEN EXERCISE FORTY PRAYERS FOR 40 DAYS Monday 13 Mar To reduce arrogance. I see my chief obstacle to holiness is pride. I will overcome it, declared Ven. Andrew Beltrami. Prayer: Dear God, let me clearly see and overcome arrogance and pride when they appear in my person. Scripture: Prv. 16:18 Tuesday 14 Mar For a deeper desire of God. St. Alphonse Liguori correctly observed that he who desires nothing but God is rich and happy.

5 Prayer: Dear God, increase within me the very desire to know you more clearly and more deeply. Scripture: Ps 119:18 Wednesday 15 Mar To be kinder. Mary, Queen of Scots, prayed, O, Lord, let us not forget to be kind. Prayer: Dear God, enlarge and expand kindness within me so that I am kinder than is necessary. Scripture: 2 Kgs 25:28 Thursday 16 Mar For a humble spirit. Blaise Pascal endorsed humility when he wrote, Do you wish people to think well of you? Don t speak well of yourself. Prayer: Dear God, no matter how many virtues I may have, let me retain a spirit of humility and modesty. Scripture: Mt 6:3 Friday 17 Mar To drop judgment. Mother Teresa wisely observed, If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Prayer: Dear God, let me put an end to being judgmental. Scripture Mt 7:1 Saturday 18 Mar To forgive. Reformed theologian Lewis Smedes said, Gandhi was right: if we all live by an eye for an eye the whole world will be blind. The only way out is forgiveness. Prayer: Dear God, help me become a great forgiver so that I am not waiting in ambush for revenge. Scripture: Acts 7: Pope Francis' message for Lent 2017 The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ s victory over death. This season urgently calls us to conversion. Christians are asked to return to God "with all their hearts (Joel 2:12), to refuse to settle for mediocrity and to grow in friendship with the Lord. Jesus is the faithful friend who never abandons us. Even when we sin, he patiently awaits our return; by that patient expectation, he shows us his readiness to forgive (cf. Homily, 8 January 2016). Lent is a favorable season for deepening our spiritual life through the means of sanctification offered us by the Church: fasting, prayer and almsgiving. At the basis of everything is the word of God, which during this season we are invited to hear and ponder more deeply. I would now like to consider the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (cf. Lk 16:19-31). Let us find inspiration in this meaningful story, for it provides a key to understanding what we need to do in order to attain true happiness and eternal life. It exhorts us to sincere conversion.

6 1. The other person is a gift The parable begins by presenting its two main characters. The poor man is described in greater detail: he is wretched and lacks the strength even to stand. Lying before the door of the rich man, he fed on the crumbs falling from his table. His body is full of sores and dogs come to lick his wounds (cf. vv ). The picture is one of great misery; it portrays a man disgraced and pitiful. The scene is even more dramatic if we consider that the poor man is called Lazarus: a name full of promise, which literally means "God helps. This character is not anonymous. His features are clearly delineated and he appears as an individual with his own story. While practically invisible to the rich man, we see and know him as someone familiar. He becomes a face, and as such, a gift, a priceless treasure, a human being whom God loves and cares for, despite his concrete condition as an outcast (cf. Homily, 8 January 2016). Lazarus teaches us that other persons are a gift. A right relationship with people consists in gratefully recognizing their value. Even the poor person at the door of the rich is not a nuisance, but a summons to conversion and to change. The parable first invites us to open the doors of our heart to others because each person is a gift, whether it be our neighbor or an anonymous pauper. Lent is a favorable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ. Each of us meets people like this every day. Each life that we encounter is a gift deserving acceptance, respect and love. The word of God helps us to open our eyes to welcome and love life, especially when it is weak and vulnerable. But in order to do this, we have to take seriously what the Gospel tells us about the rich man. 2. Sin blinds us The parable is unsparing in its description of the contradictions associated with the rich man (cf. v. 19). Unlike poor Lazarus, he does not have a name; he is simply called "a rich man. His opulence was seen in his extravagant and expensive robes. Purple cloth was even more precious than silver and gold, and was thus reserved to divinities (cf. Jer 10:9) and kings (cf. Jg 8:26), while fine linen gave one an almost sacred character. The man was clearly ostentatious about his wealth, and in the habit of displaying it daily: "He feasted sumptuously every day (v. 19). In him we can catch a dramatic glimpse of the corruption of sin, which progresses in three successive stages: love of money, vanity and pride (cf. Homily, 20 September 2013). The Apostle Paul tells us that "the love of money is the root of all evils (1 Tim 6:10). It is the main cause of corruption and a source of envy, strife and suspicion. Money can come to dominate us, even to the point of becoming a tyrannical idol (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 55). Instead of being an instrument at our service for doing good and showing solidarity towards others, money can chain us and the entire world to a selfish logic that leaves no room for love and hinders peace. The parable then shows that the rich man s greed makes him vain. His personality finds expression in appearances, in showing others what he can do. But his appearance masks an interior emptiness. His life is a prisoner to outward appearances, to the most superficial and fleeting aspects of existence (cf. ibid., 62). The lowest rung of this moral degradation is pride. The rich man dresses like a king and acts like a god, forgetting that he is merely mortal. For those corrupted by love of riches, nothing exists beyond their own ego. Those around them do not come into their line of sight. The result of

7 attachment to money is a sort of blindness. The rich man does not see the poor man who is starving, hurting, lying at his door. Looking at this character, we can understand why the Gospel so bluntly condemns the love of money: "No one can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money (Mt 6:24). 3. The Word is a gift The Gospel of the rich man and Lazarus helps us to make a good preparation for the approach of Easter. The liturgy of Ash Wednesday invites us to an experience quite similar to that of the rich man. When the priest imposes the ashes on our heads, he repeats the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. As it turned out, the rich man and the poor man both died, and the greater part of the parable takes place in the afterlife. The two characters suddenly discover that "we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it (1 Tim 6:7). We too see what happens in the afterlife. There the rich man speaks at length with Abraham, whom he calls "father (Lk 16:24.27), as a sign that he belongs to God s people. This detail makes his life appear all the more contradictory, for until this moment there had been no mention of his relation to God. In fact, there was no place for God in his life. His only god was himself. The rich man recognizes Lazarus only amid the torments of the afterlife. He wants the poor man to alleviate his suffering with a drop of water. What he asks of Lazarus is similar to what he could have done but never did. Abraham tells him: "During your life you had your fill of good things, just as Lazarus had his fill of bad. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony (v. 25). In the afterlife, a kind of fairness is restored and life s evils are balanced by good. The parable goes on to offer a message for all Christians. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers, who are still alive. But Abraham answers: "They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them (v. 29). Countering the rich man s objections, he adds: "If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead (v. 31). The rich man s real problem thus comes to the fore. At the root of all his ills was the failure to heed God s word. As a result, he no longer loved God and grew to despise his neighbor. The word of God is alive and powerful, capable of converting hearts and leading them back to God. When we close our heart to the gift of God s word, we end up closing our heart to the gift of our brothers and sisters. Dear friends, Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in is word, in the sacraments and in our neighbor. The Lord, who overcame the deceptions of the Tempter during the forty days in the desert, shows us the path we must take. May the Holy Spirit lead us on a true journey of conversion, so that we can rediscover the gift of God s word, be purified of the sin that blinds us, and serve Christ present in our brothers and sisters in need. I encourage all the faithful to express this spiritual renewal also by sharing in the Lenten Campaigns promoted by many Church organizations in different parts of the world, and thus to favor the culture of encounter in our one human family. Let us pray for one another so that, by

8 sharing in the victory of Christ, we may open our doors to the weak and poor. Then we will be able to experience and share to the full the joy of Easter. EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE Confession Guide for Adults 1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me. -Do I give God time every day in prayer? -Do I seek to love Him with my whole heart? -Have I been involved with superstitious practices or have I been involved with the occult? -Do I seek to surrender myself to God s word as taught by the Church? -Have I ever received communion in the state of mortal sin? -Have I ever deliberately told a lie in Confession or have I withheld a mortal sin from the priest in Confession? -Are there other "gods" in my life? Money, Security, Power, People, etc.? 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. -Have I used God s name in vain: lightly or carelessly? -Have I been angry with God? -Have I wished evil upon any other person? -Have I insulted a sacred person or abused a sacred object? 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord s Day. -Have I deliberately missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation? -Have I tried to observe Sunday as a family day and a day of rest? -Do I do needless work on Sunday? 4. Honor your father and your mother. -Do I honor and obey my parents? -Have I neglected my duties to my spouse and children? -Have I given my family good religious example? -Do I try to bring peace into my home life? -Do I care for my aged and infirm relatives? 5. You shall not kill. -Have I had an abortion or encouraged or helped anyone to have an abortion? -Have I physically harmed anyone?

9 -Have I abused alcohol or drugs? -Did I give scandal to anyone, thereby leading him or her into sin? -Have I been angry or resentful? -Have I harbored hatred in my heart? -Have I mutilated myself through any form of sterilization? -Have I encouraged or condoned sterilization? -Have I engaged, in any way, in sins against human life such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization? -Have I participated in or approved of euthanasia? 6. You shall not commit adultery. -Have I been faithful to my marriage vows in thought and action? -Have I engaged in any sexual activity outside of marriage? -Have I used any method of contraception or artificial birth control in my marriage? -Has each sexual act in my marriage been open to the transmission of new life? -Have I been guilty of masturbation? -Do I seek to control my thoughts and imaginations? -Have I respected all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other people as mere objects? -Have I been guilty of any homosexual activity? -Do I seek to be chaste in my thoughts, words, actions? -Am I careful to dress modestly? 7. You shall not steal. -Have I stolen what is not mine? -Have I returned or made restitution for what I have stolen? -Do I waste time at work, school, and home? -Do I gamble excessively, thereby denying my family of their needs? -Do I pay my debts promptly? -Do I seek to share what I have with the poor? -Have I cheated anyone out of what is justly theirs, for example creditors, insurance companies, big corporations? 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. -Have I lied? Have I gossiped? -Do I speak badly of others behind their back? -Am I sincere in my dealings with others? -Am I critical, negative or uncharitable in my thoughts of others? -Do I keep secret what should be kept confidential? -Have I injured the reputation of others by slanders?

10 9. You shall not desire your neighbor s wife. -Have I consented to impure thoughts? -Have I caused them by impure reading, movies, television, conversation or curiosity? -Do I pray at once to banish impure thoughts and temptations? -Have I behaved in an inappropriate way with members of the opposite sex: flirting, being superficial, etc.? 10. You shall not desire your neighbor s goods. -Am I jealous of what other people have? -Do I envy the families or possessions of others? -Am I greedy or selfish? -Are material possessions the purpose of my life? A GUIDE TO CONFESSION How to go to Confession 1. You always have the option to go to confession anonymously, that is, behind a screen or face to face, if you so desire. 2. After the priest greets you in the name of Christ, make the sign of the cross. He may choose to recite a reading from Scripture, after which you say: "Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (state how long) since my last confession. These are my sins." 3. Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. You might even want to discuss the circumstances and the root causes of your sins and ask the priest for advice or direction. 4. Listen to the advice the priest gives you and accept the penance from him. Then make an Act of Contrition for your sins. 5. The priest will then dismiss you with the words of praise: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. You respond: "For His mercy endures forever." The priest will then conclude with: "The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace." And you respond by saying: "Thanks be to God." 6. Spend some time with Our Lord thanking and praising Him for the gift of His mercy. Try to perform your penance as soon as possible. PRAYER BEFORE CONFESSION O most merciful God! Prostrate at your feet, I implore your forgiveness. I sincerely desire to leave all my evil ways and to confess my sins with all sincerity to you and to your priest. I am a sinner, have mercy on me, O Lord. Give me a lively faith and a firm hope in the Passion of my Redeemer. Give me, for your mercy s sake a sorrow for having offended so good a God. Mary, my mother, refuge of sinners, pray for me that I may make a good confession. Amen.

11 BEST LENTEN PRACTICES The entire season of Lent is a penitential season. The liturgical color for Lent is purple (just like Advent) to show that it is a special time of penance. Taking up additional practices, such as self-imposed fasting outside of the obligatory times, Lenten devotions and spiritual reading, Stations of the Cross, a daily rosary, serving the poor, etc., all enhance the penitential and spiritual aspect of Lent. Make the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) an important part of your Lenten penitential practice. Many parishes have special times for confession during Lent. One traditional devotion towards this sacrament is to make a general confession of your whole life using an examination of conscience. Attend Mass on Ash Wednesday. While it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, all are encouraged to attend to receive ashes on the forehead. Attend Mass on Holy Thursday to commemorate the institution of the Eucharist, called the Mass of the Lord s Supper. At 3 o clock on Good Friday, pause and make a special effort to keep this hour sacred. This is the hour of Christ s death on the cross, after which redemption for mankind was completed. Praying the Divine Mercy chaplet is ideal at this time (it just takes five minutes), or check your local parish schedules for a 3 o clock Good Friday service (see below).

12 If possible, try to clear your schedule in order to participate in the traditional Veneration of the Cross service on Good Friday. Continue your Good Friday fast up to the start of the Easter Vigil to correspond to the entire time from Christ s death on the cross until his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Attend the Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday to welcome the Easter Sunday feast. Pray for those being received into full communion with the Catholic Church at this Mass, that they will remain faithful to Christ and his Church, grow in holiness, and become saints. On Easter Sunday and throughout the Easter season, fully celebrate the joy of Christ s Resurrection and the conquering of sin and death he merited for us. Greet one another with the Paschal Greeting/Easter Acclamation, Christ is risen! and the response, He is risen indeed!