Because of the moon cycle, Easter falls later in April, on the 17th.  Thus Ash Wednesday is a mere week and half away, March 2nd.  Hopefully our Mass times will allow individuals and families to participate, beginning the season of Lent with ashes on our forehead, marking our mortality and relationship with God. 

A year has passed since the last of the virus restrictions have been lifted, and a sense of normalcy has returned to our liturgies, our gatherings, and parish life.  We are still aware of parishioners’ well being and respect their efforts to protect themselves.  Hopefully as the virus infections subside more individuals and families will feel welcome and safe within our gatherings for the Eucharist.  To note, Bishop Nickless has given no indication when the Sign of Peace will be re-instituted or the Blood of Christ offered during Communion.  Rather, we are grateful for those who are participating in the Eucharist, coming forward to receive the Presence of Christ, whether on the hand, the tongue or kneeling—wearing a mask for protection or not.  As reflected in the Last Supper, though we each receive the Eucharist individually it is a communal Sacrament, together sharing the hope and healing only the presence of Christ can offer.  

Our gospel passage this weekend presents us with the time honored and rarely achieved calling “to love our enemies.”  Often we conclude our enemies are such as the countries or groups who oppose our liberties and democracy: Iran, North Korea, the Taliban or ‘the Communists.’  Most likely our enemies are those individuals who are part of our life, in some manner or another.  Individuals with whom we disagree, who misunderstand us, who disrespect us, who are demeaning.  As G.K. Chesterton reminds us, “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.” 

In his commentary on this gospel passage Pope Francis exhorts us to commit to the challenge of Jesus’ words: "Having been loved by God, we are called to love in return; having been forgiven, we are called to forgive; having been touched by love, we are called to love without waiting for others to love first; having been saved graciously, we are called to seek no benefit from the good we do.”  He concludes how the “worship of God” contradicts the “culture of hatred;” and we can remove ourselves from the culture of hatred by not giving into the “cult of complaint.”  He explains: "How many times do we complain about the things that we lack, about the things that go wrong! Jesus knows about all the things that don't work. He knows that there is always going to be someone who dislikes us. Or someone who makes our life miserable. All he asks us to do is pray and love. . . .This is the revolution of Jesus, the greatest revolution in history: from hating our enemy to loving our enemy; from the cult of complaint to the culture of gift. If we belong to Jesus, this is the road we are called to take."

Diverting from this weekend’s gospel passage, I discovered an interesting similarity to the faith of the students who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Within the individual interviews in preparation for the reception of Confirmation (on March 27th), most of the students gave the same response to question of prayer.  When asked when they pray on a given day, some said before meals, others in the morning, but most of them replied “at night before going to sleep.”  No certain prayers spoken, simply talking with God in a spontaneous manner.  Prayer in that format, at the end of the day, allows them to be more relational with God, honest about the events of the day: failures, successes, selfishness, kindness, relationships, fears, blessings.  Refreshing, considering how I was taught by my mother—as was so many—by kneeling down before the bed and reciting certain form prayers.  And remembering family members and those who were sick.  To this day, how my mother taught me has remained a foundation of my faith and relationship with Christ through periods when I floundered and times when God’s presence is so personal.  Like those students, I too have adopted spontaneous prayer within my ritual of recited prayers.  (Though sometimes I fall asleep in the midst of my ‘night prayer; 'with good intent however, Jesus finishes the prayer.)  Jesuits have a simple guide for spontaneous prayer, with meditation and silence: “When have I walked with Jesus this day; when have I not walked with Jesus this day.”  A simple guide opening an honest look at the moments when we have been selfish, and moments when we were blessed.  Within the diversity of our Church, our Catholic-Christian faith we can learn from one another, knowing that within our journey of faith God challenges us to renew, adapt, replenish.  Please offer a prayer or more for those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation; they are a blessing in our Church and the face of our Catholic faith before others (through the grace of the Holy Spirit).

God Bless, 
Fr. Tim

FYI: “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” (Oscar Wilde)