March, 2017 Ash Wednesday is March 1, and with it, we enter into the Lenten season again. While Lent may seem to be familiar and old hat for most of us, its s a season that captures the hearts and minds of many of our people. In fact, we often note with a smile that if there is anything we want to try for the first time, do so during Lent. Catholics will do things during Lent they won t do at any other time of the year! Our Impact focus this month is two-fold: making the season a time in which to listen to God more intently, and following the example of the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus at the well, to let go of all that holds us back from embracing a more intentional way of living faith. May you and your people be richly blessed in this season of spiritual abundance. Leisa Anslinger and Amberly Boerschinger Homily Connections March 5: Lent calls us to metanoia, to turn our minds and hearts away from sinfulness and toward God. We may contrast Eve and Adam, who gave in to temptation, with Jesus, who remained focused on God in the face of temptation. In his response to the tempter, Jesus teaches us how to be steadfast in our commitment to God and God s ways. Connecting with everyday life: Everyone is tempted by something. Beginning the season by acknowledging our temptations and making a new commitment to turn away from sinfulness and toward God may have lasting impact on our lives and the lives of all we touch. Be concrete in asking people to be honest with God and themselves in facing their temptations. It is not enough to say, I have been tempted. It is important to say, I am tempted by Use your own examples as would be appropriate. This is a perfect time to encourage participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Mention regular and special Lenten opportunities, and share the way the sacrament impacts you, spiritually, emotionally, and practically. ** Note: Twenty-Third Publications is offering a FREE resource, written by Leisa Anslinger, for use in the parish bulletin this season. It focuses on ways in which we may be called to turn away and to turn toward God during Lent. You may find the resource on the publisher s website here: http://www.twentythirdpublications.com March 12: On the Second Sunday of Lent, we always hear the narrative of Jesus transfiguration. Like the disciples who went to the mountain with Jesus, we are called to listen to the Lord. Note that Jesus came to the frightened disciples, touched them, and told them to not be afraid. Committing ourselves
as followers of Christ may be scary at times, and yet, we know that in putting our faith and trust in God, we will be drawn to see him in his glory. Connecting with everyday life: What does it look like to listen to God? Offer some specific examples, such as setting aside the first few moments of each day, or the last few, for prayer; reading and praying with the daily readings, Morning, or Evening prayer. Mention specifically how the psalms speak of the deepest longings of our heart; spending time in adoration; participating in Mass every Sunday/feast day/ daily when possible; sharing with a spiritual companion, mentor, or spiritual director; asking friends and family to help you discern important choices. Use examples to which people of all ages can relate, such as teens discerning vocation and/or career; parents discerning where they will live and taking into consideration the impact of a home and its location on the life of the family; older parishioners who discern when it is time to move into a smaller home or to live with an adult child, for example. Daily decisions are also made in the context of faith paying attention to a co-worker who seems lonely or upset, taking time to study with a friend who is struggling with a class, standing up to a bully on the playing field, and so on. All of these are examples of the ways in which faith may impact life, as we commit ourselves to listening to God this season. March 19: Today, we hear the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. See page two of the Impact PDF for a reflection on this gospel. The first reading reminds us that God knows our thirst. Do we trust him to supply water? The water we need versus the water we think we need? If the water doesn t come as we expect it to do we reject it as we are warned from doing in the Psalms? Do we harden our hearts when God s provision doesn t look like what we think we asked for? The second reading takes it a step further to remind us that we should not despair, our hope will NOT disappoint, God will PROVE his love for us. God knows we are human and we need those tangible signs and proof from time to time. Connecting with everyday life: There are many aspects of the gospel that may lead to elements of reflection today: In what ways do you recognize your thirst for God? How is your spiritual thirst quenched through participation in Mass and Reconciliation? How do you see those who are preparing for initiation opening their hearts and minds to Jesus? How do they inspire you? What do you need to leave behind? What obstacles would Jesus name if he were speaking to you as he did the woman? How does God speak to you today? In what ways do you share your faith with others? March 26: The story of the man who was born blind and who was given sight by Jesus is a dramatic story of faith, and lack of it. The narrative calls us to consider spiritual sight, and what prevents us from seeing God in the everyday moments of our lives. Connecting with everyday life: Today would be an appropriate time to invite parishioners to spend time recalling moments in which they have seen God at work in their lives or the lives of family and friends. Share a time in which you have known God s presence through the sharing, giving, or attention of another. Invite parishioners to think about how they may be the person through whom another sees God today. Do they see and acknowledge God working in their lives, or are they blind to God s grace and blessing? Consider establishing a sharing board in a gathering area or in an online
FB/Twitter post. Where do you see God today? Answers could be shared anonymously in the bulletin and in next weekend s homily as a feedback loop/connection. At Parish Meetings or in Adult Faith Formation this Month Opening Prayer Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. Upright is your word, O Lord, and all your works are trustworthy. You love justice and right; the earth is full of your kindness. Our soul waits for you, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who is our light and life. Amen. (Adapted from Psalm 33:4-5, 20, 22) Listen to Sacred Scripture: Mt 17:1-9 (Gospel, Second Sunday of Lent) Read: Are you listening? from the March issue of Impact Share: your thoughts, using these questions to guide your reflection: What or who helps you to listen to the Lord? How can you use what the Lord is saying to you more fully in your daily life, decisions and conversations? Commit: Make a resolution to spend time in prayer, to fast, and to give to others this Lent. Offer one another a sign of Christ s peace.
Inspired to Impact: Encouragement for the Pastoral Staff Listening is a hard subject for so many of us in ministry. Listening to God, listening to co-workers, listening to the individual members of large parish families is never easy. Perhaps instead of the word listening we focus on being present. God is able to listen to so many because He is ever-present. As humans, we are bound by time, but we can take a page from God s book and really make the effort to be present. Here are 3 ideas for remaining present during this busy, solemn, and often demanding holy season. Be present to God and your soul: As people in ministry, we often get it in our heads that there is one good way to pray and that more is better. If your prayer, your listening, is suffering, consider simplifying for Lent. Consider a shorter prayer routine that allows you to remember God s voice through more of the day. Allow yourself more time with the Lord, but offer less words. It is better to say one Our Father fervently and devoutly than a thousand with no devotion and full of distraction. St. Edmund Be present to your co-workers and volunteers: When someone needs your attention, clear your hands of all papers and supplies. Instead of standing in doorways or hallways, sit down. If you re speaking with a child, crouch down to their level and make eye contact. Make eye contact at all times seeing someone, really seeing someone, can transform their life, not to mention their day. Maybe, just maybe, if the opportunity arises, ask the Lord to make you brave and reach out for the hands of another in spontaneous prayer. Could be at church, in your home or even at the local coffee shop. Be present. Be present to your members: Try to learn 5 new names during Lent or meet 3 new families or individuals. Make sure you wear your name tag EVERY time you re at a parish event. Walk around and make yourself available during fellowship after Masses or community building events instead of catching up in small groups with all of the regulars. If you re social media savvy, consider planning and publicizing a live 15 minute Facebook chat with your members to answer their questions about you and the parish. Consider a staff column in your bulletin or newsletter that highlights fun facts or backgrounds of the staff. Think outside the box and help your members know your face and your desire to grow with them in love for Jesus!
Are you listening? This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. Peter, James, and John went up on a mountain with Jesus, where they saw him in his glory. As they fell prostrate in fear, Jesus touched them, saying, Rise, and do not be afraid. (Mt 17:5) May we, too, set aside our fear, listen, and follow the Lord. Eve and Adam didn t listen. They had everything they needed in the garden, most especially, a living relationship with their Creator God. Yet, they were blind to their blessings and decided they wanted more, not even knowing what more might mean. Others we hear about in the Sunday readings this month did listen: Abram, Samuel, Moses; the disciples, the Samaritan woman and her townsfolk; the man whose sight was restored: all listened and were never the same. Their thirst was quenched; blindness gave way to sight; in listening, they encountered the living God. The season of Lent calls us to listen more intently to the voice of the Lord. In Lent, we resolve to change our minds and hearts in order to more fully follow Jesus. Like the disciples on the mountain, we may be afraid to open ourselves to God. We wonder, what changes might we need to make? What temptations do we need to turn away from? What blessings are we blind to? During Lent, we are invited to risk allowing the Lord to lead us into an unknown and yet surely life-giving future. God desires what is best for us and for all. We need not be afraid. Jesus went to the disciples on the mountain and touched them. He approached the woman at the well, and the man whose sight he restored. Jesus reaches out to us as well. All we have to do is set aside our fear, listen, and follow him. Are you listening? Catholic Life and Faith, 2017
Is something in the way? Let it go. The woman at the well unexpectedly met Jesus. He saw beyond her isolation and drew her into a profound dialogue. Jesus named the very things that separated her from others. The woman did not allow herself to be weighed down by her past, but rather, opened herself to an encounter, to understanding, to belief, to conversion. She was so moved by her experience that she left her water jar behind and ran to the village to share the good news. Catholic Life and Faith, 2017 What is your water jar? In this Gospel passage we likewise find the impetus to leave behind our water jar, the symbol of everything that is seemingly important, but loses all its value before the love of God. We all have one, or more than one! I ask you, and myself: What is your interior water jar, the one that weighs you down, that distances you from God? Let us set it aside a little and with our hearts; let us hear the voice of Jesus offering us another kind of water, another water that brings us close to the Lord. Pope Francis, March 23, 2014 Catholic Life and Faith, 2017 Seeing and Being Seen This Lent, let us allow ourselves to be seen by God. The disciples were themselves with Jesus. They did not hide their fear, confusion, and questions as they walked and talked with Jesus on the way to Jerusalem. The woman at the well and man who was born blind did not keep the complicated parts of their lives from the Lord. They did not hide their isolation and desire to be accepted by others from his loving sight. Sometimes, we are spiritually blind. We fail to see God s presence and action in our lives, and we do not see ourselves clearly. Jesus sees beyond our limitations, weakness, and sinfulness, and helps us see God s love and powerful mercy. Held in God s loving sight, the messy situations, conflicts, fatigue, and persistent longing for peace in our lives and world may not seem quite so impossible to resolve. When we look at life with the assurance that God is with us through it all, our spiritual blindness is healed. Like the man who was born blind, our eyes will be opened to God s ways. The situations may remain, but our view of them changes. In turning our sight toward God during Lent, we are given clearer vision for the future. How have you seen God at work recently? How will you allow yourself to be seen by God this Lenten season?
Impact this month Listen to God in prayer Listen through fasting, in order to be more attentive to your hunger for God Listen by giving to those who are in need Listen by being attentive to your heart and mind throughout this season Ideas for Practicing Listening in Daily Life Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. Mark 9:7 Check your body. Make sure you are facing the other person and making eye contact. If you re on the phone or talking via text, DON T multitask, make sure they know you are pay attention. Whoever has ears ought to hear. Matthew 11:15 Check your surroundings. Remove any distractions that will keep you from focusing. If you need to, tell the other person them, I will be better able to listen to you once I am done with. Trying to listen while doing other tasks usually does not allow one to clearly hear the message. On another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, Hear this! Mark 4:1-3 Check for feelings and understanding. Listen to understand, not simply to hear or respond. Consider the content and the feelings behind the words. Listen for the feeling that the person is trying to convey to you. Are they expressing joy, sadness, excitement, or anger either through their words, their tone or their body language? Turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding; Proverbs 2:2 Check what you heard. When the person has finished talking, paraphrase back to them what you heard them saying. What I am hearing from you is... or It sounds like Don t put words in their mouth, but make sure you clearly understand what they are saying. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
Check your response. Listening is not always about solving. When we offer advice especially when it was not asked for this can shuts down communication. The person first needs to know that you have understood them. Whoever answers before listening, theirs is folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13