4th Week of Lent, Friday, Mar 27th

Wisdom 2:1, 12-22 / John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 

Jesus continues speaking to the Jews: “I did not come on my own.”

In 1945 Igor Gouzenko, a staff member of the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, decided to defect to the Canadian government. He took with him secret documents exposing a Russian spy ring. Gouzenko was shocked to discover that the Canadians didn’t believe his story. It was too incredible. Finally, Ottawa police took Gouzenko into protective custody, but only after embassy goons broke into his apartment and wrecked it. Nothing is more painful or frustrating than trying to deal with people who find your message too incredible to believe. Jesus, too, knew this kind of pain and frustration. His message was also too incredible to believe.

COVID-19: Prayer for Our Leaders

Dear God,

All authority is Yours, but You have given authority to leaders to protect and guide us. 

Today, we ask that You would give all our leaders wisdom, discernment, strength, and resolve. Keep them healthy, safe, and rested so that they can continue to guide us through this troubling time.

Give our government leaders wisdom about what needs to be done to stop the virus and stabilize our economy.

Give our spiritual leaders Your discernment on how to meet people’s needs as they continue to glorify Your name and encourage the Church.

Give our medical leaders insight into how to stop the virus. Strengthen their resolve and honor their hard work in creating a treatment for COVID-19.

Give our civic leaders inspiration, courage, joy, and strength to meet the needs of their communities.

And help us, as leaders in our communities, to display courage, hope, generosity, and kindness. Would the way we honor others inspire those around us.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

4th Week of Lent, Thursday, Mar 26

Exodus 32:7-14 / John 5:31-47 

Jesus speaks to the Jews: “My works testify on my behalf.”

Seventy-nine-year-old Clara Hale has served as the foster mother to over 500 babies. “Mama Hale” takes care of babies of drug-addicted mothers until the mothers are able to take care of their babies themselves. Babies of drug-addicted mothers enter life with a drug dependency themselves. That’s what makes Mama Hale’s job so hard. “When a baby is crying for a drug,” she says, “all you can do is hold it close and say to it, ‘I

Annunciation-Mar 25

Annunciation, Wednesday, 25-03-20

Isaiah 7:10-14 / Hebrews 10:4-10 / Luke 1:26-38 

St. Augustine was quoted as saying: God does not ask of us the impossible. He may ask us to do the difficult thing, but He will make it possible. 

Lent 5th Sunday A: Liturgical Prayers

Greeting
May the Spirit
who raised Jesus from the dead
be alive in you.
May we live Jesus’ life to the full now,
that we may be raised up on the last day.
May Jesus, the Lord of life, be always with you.

Lent 5th Sunday A - Lazarus is Raised

The five Sundays of Lent gives the picture of death and Resurrection in faith and in life.
1. The first two Sundays depict Jesus' own death and resurrection in daily life (Temptation/Desert/Rejection and Transfiguration / Mountain / Belovedness)
2. Then we have three Sundays with three scenarios of death and resurrection:
a. The Samaritan woman (sociological death to become the first missionary) - her faith in Jesus
b. The Blind man (Physical and spiritual death to growth in faith - he recognizes Jesus, the man, Jesus the prophet and then Jesus the Lord - daring missionary to proclaim the healing and the Lord despite threats of ostracism) - his faith
c. Lazarus - Physical death to actual resurrection - belovedness to Mary and Martha and to Jesus - their faith
d. Passion Sunday: Moving from another "mount" (donkey) to "crucify him". Life is a constant journey of baptism to the desert to the transfiguration to simple realities of our daily life and mission and occasional anniversaries and jubilees. That summarizes the Lenten season, I suppose.

-Tony Kayala, c.s.c.

4th Week of Lent, Tuesday, Mar 24th

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 / John 5:1-3, 5-16 

Jesus cures a man: The man never gave up hope.

Two frogs accidentally tumbled into a bucket of cream. They thrashed about for an hour, trying to make it up the side of the metal bucket. Exhausted, one of the frogs gasped, “It’s no use!” With that, he gave up and drowned in the cream. The second frog, however, struggled on. He thrashed and thrashed and thrashed about. Then, suddenly, he found himself sitting safely on a lump of butter. It was this kind of perseverance that the man in today’s gospel showed. For 38 years he sought to be cured. He never gave up.

4th Week of Lent, Monday, Mar 23rd

Isaiah 65:17-21 / John 4:43-54

Jesus saves a man’s son: The man trusted Jesus.

Years ago, there was a movie called Quo Vadis. Starring Deborah Kerr, it dealt with the persecution of Christians in ancient Rome. One day after a dangerous filming session, a reporter asked Deborah, “Weren’t you afraid when the lions rushed you in the arena?” Deborah replied, “Not at all! I’d read the script and I knew I’d be rescued.” This is the kind of childlike trust that the royal official had in Jesus’ promise: “Your son will live.”

Lent 4th Week: Mar 23-28

March 23 Monday (St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop): 

Catholic online video: https://youtu.be/qsbldkd-xSo Jn 4:43-54: 43 After the two days he departed to Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was a royal official whose son was ill.

Prayer for Migrants

Blessed are You, Lord Jesus Christ.
You crossed every border between Divinity
and humanity to make your home with us.
Help us to welcome you in newcomers, migrants
and refugees.