Lead us not into temptation....

Lead us not into Temptation...

Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent: Matthew 4. 1-11

As Christians, our core prayer for over two thousand years has been the "Our Father", the prayer Jesus himself taught us. Yet have you ever thought deeply about the petition, "lead us not into temptation"? Does it seem strange that we should be asking God to keep temptation away? Wouldn't God do this out of his love for us? 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Greek verb is a little tricky to translate- the Greek means both "do not allow us to enter into temptation", and "do not let us yield to temptation". The Catechism goes on to say that "we ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in a battle 'between flesh and spirit'; this petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength".

The battle is very real; and we can look to Christ Jesus as the model for resisting temptation. And by looking at today's readings, we can deepen our resolve to avoid sin and turn to God.

With the Genesis account of the fall of Adam and Eve, (Genesis 2. 7-9, 16-18, 25; 3.1-7) we are witnesses to the first temptation- to be like God and be without Him. We recognize this sin of origin to be one that is inherently lacking in trust of a loving and faithful Creator. The union was breached, and sin entered the world.

The second reading from Paul's letter to the Romans (5.12-19) beautifully unites the story of the Fall with the story of our Redemption in Jesus Christ: "For just as one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous." 

 And so we come to the account of Jesus' fast in the wilderness. He has come, remember, right after his baptism in the Jordan, and is now preparing for his mission. Satan arrives and offers three temptations. There have been countless interpretations of the meaning of these three, and one of the best I've come across is by Richard Rohr, OFM, in a Lenten Anthology God For Us.  Fr. Rohr explains them this way:
The three temptations here in Matthew are the universal temptations to three abuses of power:
1) the misuse of social or cultural power (turning stones into bread in a way that would be spectacular and draw attention to himself);
2) the misuse of religious power (to stand on the parapet of the temple and to quote scripture for his own purposes);
3) the misuse of political or dominative power (looking down at all the kingdoms of this world from a high mountain position)
Throughout the temptations, Jesus reveals himself as the "new Adam", obedient to the Father's will. He comes out of the wilderness, abiding in this Love.

 For us... The temptations of Jesus are our temptations as well. To abuse whatever power we have: as spouses, parents, teachers, managers, workers, religious... whatever our vocation, we can misuse our power, or throw our power away (another misuse!). If we allow our egos and desires to get in the way, we fall into the great temptation of being our own god. During this Lent, take time to reflect on how you may be tempted to misuse the power and gifts given to you. And pray fervently to the Father that He will
... lead us not into temptation.

Lent: "Spring Training"

Lent: "Spring Training"

Gospel Reading for Ash Wednesday: Matthew 6.1-6; 16-18

When I was at the ACSTA's Symposium on Catholic education two weekends ago, I had the privilege of being at a table with Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary. Before the sessions started we were chatting about how can we best bring the Good News to people of today. Bishop Henry told me about an interview he had with a reporter, who didn't get why we "do Lent" (as an aside, the reporter told Bishop Henry that he was a Catholic!).

Bishop Henry said something like this:

"Look at it this way. It's just like spring training. Every year, the ball teams go down to the Southern USA with a few extra pounds, some rusty skills and some bad habits. Spring training gets them ready to be the best they can be for the season ahead.

That's what Lent does- by following the disciplines of Lent, we become better prepared disciples to celebrate the glory of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It gives our bodies, minds and souls a "spring training"

What a great metaphor for Lent! Thank you Bishop Henry!

So what are these "disciplines" of Lent?

There are a lot of excellent resources that explain why them. I suggest you read this article that I found from the National Catholic Register. It gets at the heart of the three disciplines: Praying, Fasting, and Giving Alms.

The three disciplines have been around way before the time of Jesus, and simply put, they help remind us of our own weaknesses and sinfulness. By fasting, we are reminded that we are not controlled by our own desires, and we have the capacity to give up a "good" for a "greater good"- life in God. We intensify or increase our prayer time, reminding us that to live in God's love, we need to listen to His voice. Finally we decrease our material wealth, and our egoism, by giving of our time, talent and treasure to those less fortunate than we. We are stewards of our wealth, not owners- giving reminds us of that.

In the Ash Wednesday Gospel, the "kick-off" to our spring training (oops, I mixed sports metaphors here!!), Jesus gives us an important warning- the disciplines are meant to put a hold on our pride and ego, not intensify it. Unlike spring training camp, where the sports media watch every move, the Lenten disciplines are a call to humility- to be loud and proud about the disciplines is, as Jesus says, what the hypocrites do. 

It is a delicate balance- on the one hand, you should explain what you are doing during Lent to children and other seekers as a way of sharing your faith, but on the other hand you don't want to trumpet your efforts. So be "pure and humble of heart" and you can't go wrong.

Some considerations as you begin your lenten journey:

Here are some tips to think about for a great spring training:

1. If you pray only in the morning, or at night, do both.

2. Pray, out loud, a blessing before each meal. Here are some great prayers before meals.

3. If you give something up for Lent, and "break" your promise, don't give up! Start again the next day

4. Find a book on spirituality, prayer, the life of a saint etc. and read from it every day.

5. Read the Gospel reading of the day during Lent. At this site, you can get it e-mailed every day.

6. If you have ab I-pod, I phone etc., try "Pray as You Go."

7. Go to confession. This year, the Archdiocese of Edmonton's Day of Confessions is March 18th. Check you local parish for the times

8. Also check your parish for extra prayer events. At my parish we'll be having the Stations of the Cross every Friday, followed by a Fish Fry put on by the Knights of Columbus. Prayer and Fellowship- doesn't get better than that!

9. Besides giving up food, why not try to "fast" from impatience? Gossip? Worry? These are tough, but the three disciplines will help.

10. Above all, journey this Lent with a joyful and humble heart.

Happy Spring Training!

The Spirit of Communion

The Spirit of Communion

"...but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven..." Matt. 5.44

Gospel Reading for the 7th Sunday of OT: Matt 5. 38-48

(Note: while most of these posts are inclusive to the Christian community at large, the reflection below is of particular interests to teachers, parents, trustees and all those committed to Catholic education)

This past Friday night and Saturday I was blessed to attend the Catholic Education Symposium sponsored by The Alberta Catholic Trustee's Association. I have been also been tasked to summarize the findings and created a guide that can be used for school boards across the province. My first task will be to bring together all the comments, ideas and strategies that came out of the discussions from the 200+ delegates.

So on Sunday, I took a step back and allowed Sabbath to enter in before I begin. And as it always does, being fed by Word and Eucharist connected powerfully to what I had just experienced.

One of the keynote speakers at the Symposium was Archbishop Michael Miller from Vancouver, who presented to us the "five marks" of Catholic school identity. He neatly summarized the key points found in the documents of the Sacred Congregation of Catholic Education. ( To read about the five marks go to http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/education/ed0395.htm)

One of the marks that identifies a school as Catholic is a spirituality of communion. This has a multiple layers of meaning:

• The Catholic school is a community first, and an institution second
• Human dignity and desire for the common good are core values
• The Catholic school goes beyond collaboration, team-work and co-operation- since we live a spirituality of communion, we are connected to each others as children of God, and live in the love of the ultimate communion of Persons- the Trinity.

So, when we read this section of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew's Gospel, we can recognize right away that Jesus is asking us to enter into that very life of the Trinity. It has no room for revenge, retaliation and hatred. There is only room for love.

This is our core curriculum. This is what we mean by "faith permeation". All teachers, no matter what grade or area of subject specialty, are called to teach the Gospel of love.

Always. Every Day. No need to have "Random Acts of Kindness Week" if we are living and teaching Matthew 5. No need for Anti-bullying campaigns if we live and teach the Gospel of love.

Of course we struggle to be "perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect". But I don't think Jesus is setting before us an impossible task.
 
It is an invitation. An invitation to enter into the life of the Trinity. To enter into spiritual communion. To love our enemies. To do good to those who harm us.

To be children of God once again.

For this week: Consider how you can reach out to those who have caused you pain - a student, a co-worker, a family member. First, pray for them. Then do good towards them in word or action. Do not expect kindness in return. Continue to pray for them.
 

Drive-Through Morality

Drive-Through Morality

Gospel for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Matthew 5.17-37


Every day we are faced with choices. There are the everyday routine choices of what to eat, what to wear, what route to take to work and so forth.
We are also faced every day with choices to act morally- is what I say or do today going to be an act of creation and love, or of hate and destruction, in my life, in the lives of who I encounter, and in my life in God?

So many choices. And often, we make decisions about our moral life as if we are going to a drive-through (or "thru" as it is misspelled at McDonald's. Don't get me started...)

What I mean is we can easily believe and follow certain teachings of the Church, and then neglect or outright refused to accept others. Then we go further by teaching our children, our friends, and our students our version of the what it means to be a Catholic. We run the danger of giving half-truths about our faith, especially about our morality.

 This is nothing new, but we'll come back to this.

Hearing today's Gospel from Matthew at Mass this morning got me thinking about what it must have been like to be a devout Jew during the time of Christ. So many laws, and so many interpreters of the law! It's no surprise when we hear Jesus being questioned about the Law- which was the most important? Which ones should be ignored? How should we interpret the Law? Can we get rid of some of it?

So again, Jesus surprised, and no doubt disturbed, some of the disciples when he showed his absolute love for the Law. For it was in the Law that the people could learn to encounter and love their God. It was not about legal wrangling and making excuses. It was about LOVE. Living the moral life is simply living in God's love. Totally and without excuse.

So we hear Jesus say that it's not enough to refrain from murder- you must avoid anger, insult and slander.

It's not enough to avoid adultery- you must also break free from lustful thoughts.

And don't expect that your offerings at the altar are pleasing to God if you haven't reconciled with those who have "something against you".

It reminds me of how the Catechism of the Catholic Church breaks open the whole of our Christian morality by showing its roots in the Ten Commandments.

Here's and example of what I mean. Far too often, we think, "hey I'm OK, I'm not breaking the commandments". And although we may not have. for example, physically killed anyone, how many times have we killed someone's spirit with cruel sarcasm, gossip or innuendo? 

Maybe as Lenten project this year, you could read, and pray with, Part Three of The Catechism entitled "Life in Christ". It's a really great help in shedding light into some of our dark corners.

It will also curb our propensity to pick and choose a drive-through morality. 
I'm not saying that we should not listened to our conscience, but if we are to be true to ourselves, we need to have an informed conscience.
That means that if we disagree with something that the Church teaches on morality, we must find out exactly what it does teach. Go to the source, not the media's interpretations of what the Church teaches. 
And don't forget to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment.

Because a drive-through morality is not the "righteousness" that Jesus refers to when he says:
"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt 5.20

For this week
Is there a particular moral teaching of the Church with which you struggle? Go to the Catechism and read what it says about it. And read Chapter Three article 1 on "The Moral Law". It will help give you the "big picture" on our Catholic Christian morality.

 

Virtual Salt, Digital Light

Virtual Salt, Digital Light

"You are the salt of the earth... ...You are the light of the world..."

Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time:
Matthew: 5.13-16

The exhortations of Jesus to his disciples (US!!!) to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" are eternal metaphors for our Christian lives. It is a call to each and every one of us to renew our commitment to the announcing the Good News.

As individuals, and as a Church, being "salt and light" is all about how we communicate within our culture. I would therefore give the blog reflection over to His Holiness, Pope Francis. Here is an excerpt from his homily on the 48th World Communications Day, January 24, 2014:

As I have frequently observed, if a choice has to be made between a bruised Church which goes out to the streets, and a Church suffering from self-absorption, I certainly prefer the first. Those "streets" are the world where people live and where they can be reached, both effectively and affectively. The digital highway is one of them, a street teeming with people who are often hurting, men and women looking for salvation or hope.

By means of the Internet, the Christian message can reach "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).Keeping the doors of our churches open also means keeping them open in the digital environment so that people, whatever their situation in life, can enter, and so that the Gospel can go out and reach everyone. We are called to show that the Church is the home of all. Are we capable of communicating the image of such a Church? Communication is a means of expressing the missionary vocation of the entire Church; today social networks are one way to experience this call to discover the beauty of faith, the beauty of encountering Christ. In the area of communications too, we need a Church capable of bringing warmth and stirring hearts... 
For the full transcript, go to  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/messages/communications/documents/papa-francesco_20140124_messaggio-comunicazioni-sociali_en.html

For this week...
Think about how you use Facebook, Twitter and all digital media in the classroom or in your home. Are there ways that you can be "salt and light" through them?

Light one Candle

Light One Candle

"...a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for the glory to your people Israel..." Luke 2.32

Gospel for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord: Luke 2.22-39

Although the lights and decorations are packed away, and carols have long since disappeared from our lips and our IPods, there something distinctively "Christmas-y" about today's Gospel... Mary and Joseph present the infant Jesus as was the custom...

The story seems a little out of place. I mean, if we are trying to construct a chronology from Sunday to Sunday, what are we doing re-introducing the infant Jesus? Wasn't it three weeks ago that we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus, following it up with John the Baptist's proclamation, and then Jesus beginning his adult ministry?

Why are we "going back"??

It makes profound sense, not from a "narrative" sense, but from a "thematic" one.

It is all about the revelation of Jesus and the gift he is to the world.

In Jesus' baptism, God Himself reveals that " this is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased..." 

John the Baptist "reveals" Jesus as the "Lamb of God", a foretaste of the victory over sin and death through the blood of the Cross...

Last week, Jesus "reveals" himself as the one who "proclaims the good news of the Kingdom"- God's reign has come!

And this week, in the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Simeon "reveals" Jesus as the "light of the world" "...a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel..."

So as we continue in the "ordinary time" to reflect on the mission, ministry, teaching, and preaching of Jesus, we keep in mind what has been revealed to us:

Jesus as Son of God

Jesus as Lamb of God

Jesus as The Reign of God

Jesus as Light of the World.

For this week:

 If you are a teacher or parent, light a candle this week with your children, reminding them (and you) that Jesus is the "light of the world". It is also a tradition in some countries to make crepes on this day. To learn more about Candlemas, go to http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/candlemas

Have a great week!

 

Dropping Everything

Dropping Nets

Gospel for the 3rd Sunday in OT: Matt 4. 12-23

If you are a follower of my blog,you'd have noticed I went AWOL for a couple of weeks. My wife and I took a trip to the islands of Maui and Kauai in the beautiful state of Hawaii. I heard we hit a warm spell back home, and was pleased to hear it- it wasn't as bad of a shock to our bodies upon our return!

There were certainly some wonderful highlights and memories. One which I'll never forget is hearing the sound of whale song while scuba-diving! But for both of us, the lasting memory will be the time spent with friends who were there- isn't it always about relationships?

There was one vivid image from the trip that brings us to a reflection on Sunday's Gospel. While walking on the beaches of paradise, Shirley and I noted a strange, but a far too common behavior- people plugged into their phones, I-pods, etc. Teens, middle aged, seniors- it didn't matter. Now I understand from my own running experience the motivation music provides, but many of these people were strolling on the beach, or lying in the sun.

So, despite the fact the God provides us with the amazing soundtrack of crashing waves, pounding surf, and the call of birds overhead, we insist on blocking it out with our own devices. 

It reminds us of how distracted we really are. Even, in our leisure, we need to be plugged in.

We can't drop our nets.

And now consider our everyday lives of work, caring for home and family, and all our busyness. It's all good, and it is what we are called to do.

The problem is we don't recognize that it is a call.

In Sunday's Gospel Jesus sees Peter and Andrew at their work, "for they were fishermen". A hard job, but one that would provide food for their families. Jesus invites them to follow him - a completely radical move, since in Jesus' day disciples sought out a rabbi, not the other way around.

Immediately they left their nets and followed him. It is one of the most awe-inspiring lines of the Gospel. How could they just leave everything and follow a teacher they did not know? Certainly they did not see anything "profitable" in following an itinerant preacher. Where were they going? For how long? Would it be dangerous? What would people think?

It is the mystery of VOCATION.

 When we consider our own life in Christ, we need to be reminded of key aspects of our vocation:

1. We have been called. It is the great gift of our faith to know that we have not sought God, but that God sought us first. Most of us in the Catholic Christian tradition received the waters of baptism as infants, but we come to recognize our call over and over again in our lives. It is one of the main reasons we celebrate Easter every year.

2. To accept the call, we must drop everything. Not in the exact same way as the apostles, although some do- think of the canonized saints in our Church. The point is we need to drop what we think is the reason for our work and our busyness, and realize that we are called to live with Jesus. The call is really a call to conversion, to turn our lives around. To bring Jesus fully into our lives, means to "drop our nets". It means to drop our egos and let Him in!!

3. Our lives are not about us any more. Those of us who are married recognize the great joy, and the great loss, that came with our new lives. We lost that "freedom" of being single, and found to our great joy, that our lives were now fuller in union with our spouse, and we were even more "free" (please don't take this to mean that the married state is "better" than living a single life- it's just a different way of living out our call). It is the same for all those who raise children- the marriage changed completely and the love and sacrifice became more intense. Why? Because parents now realize their lives are not about themselves alone. 

This is the essence of vocation. "I will make you fishers of people". Jesus calls us with our skills, our failings, to bring people to himself. If we are a parent, a teacher, a banker, a politician, a priest, a waiter, a retiree... no matter what we do or who we are, we are made for others. To be in union with them and with God, right now and forever.

So drop everything. Come. Follow Him.