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Sunday Reflection

- Faith

Sunday Reflections provided by the Archdiocese of New York - Office of Adult Formation
February 21, 2021
First Sunday of Lent

“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” From today's Gospel, Mk 1:12-15.

Today we will start by bringing to mind the image of the crucified Christ (if you have a crucifix nearby we invite you to take a few moments to contemplate it). Among all the questions we may have when it comes to the crucified Christ, the most common one may be: “Why?”, “Why did God become man to suffer and be crucified?”, “Why would someone willingly accept such a death?”, “Why would someone undergo the pain and the rejection?”. For many of us it may be difficult to accept that the answer can be simplified to one word – love. God sent his Son to die for our sins out of love. Christ accepted the cross out of love for you. It wasn't imposed, it wasn't forced upon Him, He chose to accept it and embraced it to fulfill God’s promise of salvation.

Jesus calls us to pick up our cross daily and follow him, how can we grow in love to accept our cross? A good first step is to accept the desert, just like Christ did. When Jesus was in the desert He chose to remain in it, and He chose to pray and not give into temptation. For us, not having the full divinity of God, it is challenging to endure the difficulties of this desert that is our Lenten journey. Perhaps we have chosen to give up a specific show or food we enjoy. Let’s dig deep and think about how we can love the Lord better starting with this Lent? What is keeping us from spending more time in prayer? What is keeping us from trusting Him? Trust may be a tall hurdle for us. Do we trust His will with our ill family members and friends? Do we trust that He wills what is best for us (even if what is best for us right now is difficult and painful)? Take a few moments to reflect on these questions. That struggle that has come to mind, take it to prayer, perhaps your Lenten desert will look different this year.

Let us choose not just to go into the desert but to open the doors of our hearts, minds, and souls, and allow the Lord to transform us and strengthen our faith, so that this Easter we be fuller, holier versions of ourselves, that radiate the Lord’s love and bring many others to come to know Him. Our beloved Cardinal shared on his Facebook page this past Ash Wednesday, Lent is a “journey from the outside to the inside, and back outside...It starts with outside as we’re marked with ashes that’s the external, an outside sign of our sense of repentance for our sins. It moves from the outside to the inside, as it takes root in our heart with prayer, and our sacrifices and our self-denial that we’re aware of internally. Then it moves back to the outside in acts of charity and generosity and selflessness and sharing.” Just as Jesus’ loving act was not for himself but for others, so ours should also be. Let us not give into the temptation of isolation. Let us use the gifts of technology for good, by continuing to reach out to others with a phone call or video call to see how they are doing. You may think of new ways to give to others. After all, shouldn’t our loving Lenten sacrifices be more than just for ourselves, and its effects last more than 40 days?

February 14, 2021
“If you wish, you can make me clean.” From today's Gospel, MK 1, 40-45.

Fear is not a new thing these days. In fact, fear has become part of our daily lives. Our surroundings are full of fear, each time we step outside we feel afraid, perhaps subconsciously if not consciously. We wear our masks as a way of protecting ourselves and others from possible infection Can it be possible that even before this pandemic, death was a threat to our lives just as much as today? The answer is: yes. The threat to our life and to humanity as a whole from the beginning of time has been sin.

Let’s take a look at today’s Gospel story of the leper. The leper who left their quarantined area to see Jesus, risking being punished for doing so, told Jesus “If you wish, you can make me clean.” He acknowledged Jesus had the ability to do so, he expressed his faith in Him. In that same affirmation of faith, he was surrendering what the future of his life would look like to this possibility of Jesus choosing to cure him. You may be asking yourself what the leper has to do with sin? “It is possible to see leprosy as a symbol of sin, which is the true impurity of heart that can distance us from God. It is not in fact the physical disease of leprosy that separates us from God as the ancient norms supposed but sin, spiritual and moral evil.” (Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, Angelus on 15 February 2009). As we approach Lent, it is important to ponder the things that may be deadly to our souls such as resentments, grudges, and anything that can cause us to sin. What are those spiritual illnesses that we have exposed ourselves to? And how are we seeking the Lord’s healing hand? Just like when we go to a doctor and need to tell the doctor where it hurts, so we also need to tell Jesus those parts in need of healing. We need to give Him access and permission to work in us. Let us follow the example of the leper and affirm our faith in the goodness and power of the Lord and say “if you wish, you can make me clean”. What a wonderful way of exercising our free will.

Our Lord wishes to make us clean! This is a given, but do we wish the same? If so, then we must be ready to have Him remove the aspects of our lives that may be hurtful to let go of. In doing so we will be made free, we will have more peace in our daily lives and more joy as well. When we say that we want to be made clean we surrender to the Lord’s will. In this process we don't choose what stays and what leaves in our life, but trust that God has a reason. We are also invited to accept the things we cannot change at this moment, those that may not be easy to face. If you find yourself in a place where it seems like nothing is going well it may be a struggle to trust Him. Yet that is part of our Christian calling, we are called to trust in His bigger plan for our own salvation. Just as we read in Scripture “For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands give healing” (Job 5:18). In our prayer today, let us ask the Lord, “What is the gift that you want me to receive through my reality Lord? How do you wish to make me clean?”

February 7, 2021

"He told them, 'Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.'" From today's Gospel, Mk 1:29-39.

The excitement of a new year lies in the idea that a new year brings an opportunity to start fresh. Of course, with the new year there is a natural tendency to set new goals, to commit to change and improve ourselves. We do this because we have hope, hope of a better life and of renewal. This year it may be difficult to be hopeful because of the news of our present time. We hear bad news from various media sources and sometimes it gets a little old not to mention discouraging, despite the resolutions we may have set for ourselves. Today’s Gospel message reminds us of the Good News, the news we can count on.

Jesus knew His purpose in this world and faithfully followed it. He came to preach the good news, and to fulfill the prophecy of the long-awaited Messiah. He came to heal the people on earth and give them eternal life. Yet Jesus’ mission did not simply end when He ascended to heaven. He is still with us now to heal us and fill us with hope. His desire to heal us and offer us eternal life does not change with the happenings of our world. No matter the headlines and bad news, Jesus is still our best news.

Jesus cares about our problems. It may sound impossible to believe that Jesus will care for you out of all the people in this world, but He does! Our Lord knows you personally and intimately. He knows your dreams, your goals, your fears, and all the desires in your heart. Jesus knows you by name, and just like more than 2000 years ago He wanted to reach out to every person in the villages He visited, He also wants to reach out to each one of us today. Let us intentionally embrace the Good News, and let’s hold on to the love of God, especially in these times. Remember St. Paul’s words to the Romans, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 38-39).

Holy Name of
Jesus Church

2 Broadway, Valhalla, NY 10595

Sunday Reflection