Dad’s Lenten Blog

Thoughts during Lent

Tag: bible

  • Three Hours

     All  the suffering, all the tragedy, all the pain, all the heartache, all the failures, all the wars, all the injustices, all the unfairness, all the adversity, all the hatred, all the sickness and all the sin that was, is, and will ever be is summed up today.

    All of that was absorbed by Jesus Christ in those three hours hanging on the cross.

    Three Hours.

    Abandoned by His friends, beaten, whipped, Nailed to a cross with thorns ripping through his head. His pain. 

    In those three hours He took it all on.

    “My God, My God! Why have you abandoned me?”

    Sin is the separation between us and God. In those three hours, He took all of the sin of all men on His shoulders. Maybe for the first time in His life, He could feel that separation. And for Jesus that may have been worse pain of all.

    At 3 PM Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior died.

    What could possibly be like to be an apostle, standing there, staring at the cross? “ How could this happen to this innocent man? He was the Messiah. I watched his miracles. I saw him raise Lazarus from the dead. And now he’s gone”

    What was it like to be Peter. The leader, Jesus’s best friend. He denied even knowing Him, three times. The guilt, the shame, the pain of conscience. Peter’s world had just fallen apart.

    Of course, they would know in a few days that Jesus would conquer death and sin. 

    But today, Good Friday, we need to reflect on this perfect sacrifice.

    “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

    Jesus loves each of us so much. Unconditionally. So much that He was willing to offer His life for each of us. 

    So today, sometime between 12 and 3PM take a moment. Close your eyes and see Jesus on the cross. 

    Close your eyes and look up at the cross and see Him. All your fears, disappointments, pain, heartaches, errors, wrongdoing, and suffering are with Him. Its Ok and right to feel sad, to feel sorry, to feel like Peter. 

    Everything we are, everything we have, all whom we love and our path to eternal life in heaven is because of Him…….

    and those three hours.

  • The Path to Heaven

    Sometimes in Mass I can’t help but to watch the communion line. I think all of us have the same feeling when a small child is brought to the priest and is blessed. It’s such a great feeling inside. Or maybe when we see a young boy serving on the Altar, it gives me a sense of hope in the future.

    Mom and I were always amazed and very happy that when all of you were little, you each had such love for Jesus and Mary. It was almost supernatural. We use to think that you guys as infants could see angels when we were in Church. Each of you loved to stare at and kiss my Miraculous Medal. You had a sense of its holiness and worth.

    I can remember putting each of you to bed and saying our prayers. Even in your cribs, a sense of calm, of peace came over you as I made the Sign of the Cross.

    Why is this universal? We are certainly not the only ones who have seen this in our children.

    Well I think that first and foremost, these little ones have not yet been corrupted by life’s choices, by its falsehoods, by the world. They are the ultimate purveyors of truth. They can see truth and don’t understand untruth. Each of there feelings are real, if injured, they cry, if their feeling are hurt, they frown, if they see something funny, they laugh. When they say they “I love you”, it melts your heart because you know it’s so true.

    When they pray it is from the heart. Maybe they make a mistake, maybe they don’t do it just right, but it’s straight from the heart.

    Children believe because it’s true. Sure, we try to catechise as much as we can. But when they are so little its just simple. “Jesus loves you” and “the Blessed Mother loves you”.

    And they believe.

    Why is this so important?

    “And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.’”

    Jesus is calling us to be like a child. To simplify. To rid ourselves of all the trappings of life and just see the truth. Why do we want to complicate everything? No, Jesus wants us to be like we were when we small children. That is what we have to work towards. How can we love like a child loves? How can we shed ourselves of what the world sees? How can we pray like a child prays?

    Jesus gives us the answer. It’s in humility and in love.

    There are fleeting moments in life where you get to experience a very small piece of joy, What heaven must be like for all eternity. I’ve been so fortunate to have many of those moments with each of you and your mother. And almost all those moments came when you were saying your prayers as a little girl or a little boy. It fills my heart just thinking about it.

    So next time you see a small child in church or you are with your niece and nephews or friends’ children take a moment and pray with them or talk to them about Jesus. I think you’ll be surprised how much they’ll teach you about how to get to heaven.

  • The Perfect Fit

     He was the perfect fit.

    Saint Paul, then called Saul, could not have a better resume. He was a Pharisee, he was wealthy and interestingly enough, a Roman citizen. This man dedicated his life to killing and torturing as many Christians as he could find. Who better to be the chief persecutor.

    I’m sure he gained fame with both the Romans and the Pharisees for his pursuits. He also must’ve struck fear wherever he went. If I close my eyes and think back to what life must’ve been like in Israel at that time. I can imagine very simple and probably hard life. it seems to me that whole family would probably work to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.

    It’s in these homes I think the Christianity took hold. These fortunate people more than likely heard the words of Jesus personally. How life-changing, how impactful, how extraordinary that must’ve been. But now think of what it would’ve been like a year, or two years after Jesus was crucified. Those who believed knew that Jesus had conquered death in His Resurrection. It was in this belief that their lives were transformed. “ Love thy neighbor, as I have loved you“, took on  a new meaning. I just have to believe that all of those early Christians would’ve stood out in a crowd. Peaceful, caring, tolerant, loving, hopeful. Qualities that may have set them apart from non-believers.

    Easy prey.

    And Saint Paul (Saul) was ruthless. We just get a snippet of his persecution of those early disciples of Jesus. But I imagine he targeted not just men, but women and children, whole families. Torture and death. He probably thought by this path of cruelty, these Christians will eventually fade away.

    It’s just an incredible event. Really think about it. That Jesus, soon after his Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, chooses maybe one of the most important figures in the early church. Who is that person He chooses, Saint Paul, ( Saul ). Of all the people, all the early disciples, even the first apostles, Jesus chose him.

    Of course, we know the story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. Now, think about several weeks later after his conversion. Paul goes and visits  the first apostles. Peter, James, John, all of them knew this man and what he had done. Can you even conceive of their astonishment at his conversion? I could just imagine him going to Peter and asking for confession.

    We just don’t know how God can turn suffering into good. We don’t know why God chooses people like Saint Paul. But by Saint Paul’s example, we can be confident in one thing. Jesus can open even the most hardened heart.

    We don’t know how many years he lived after his conversion, but we do know Saint Paul became one of the most important apostles, certainly the most prolific. He went out and preached the Gospel for many years under intense persecution. All of the people, Jews and non-Jews alike, would have known of his past. And as they listened to this man preach the good news they must’ve hung on every word.

    It’s amazing how God works because……… he was the perfect fit.

  • The biggest purchase

     What was your last big purchase?

    Maybe it was maybe it was that trip? Or the plane ticket? The clothes that you wanted? The big fancy dinner? A house?  

    Think about what you had to sacrifice or still are sacrificing to be able to spend that money. Maybe you passed up on a lot of fun things to save money. Maybe you have to put in more time at work. Whatever it is, its a sacrifice. In the end, we all hope it was worth it. 

    Because its when that purchase, whatever it is, doesn’t quite work out or meet your expectations that you realize the things you had to do or give up to get it! 

    It’s called value. And the more valuable something is to us, the more we are willing to sacrifice to obtain it.

    Sometimes, I like to think about Jesus life before He started his ministry at the age of 30. Back in those days that’s a middle-aged man. We have to remind ourselves that Jesus always knew his divine nature and therefore knew what came before him, and what was coming in the future. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

    As we get closer to Easter week and the Passion of Our Lord, we can reflect on just how crazy those days were in Jerusalem. After all, Jesus spent three years healing hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, raising people from the dead, exercising horrible demons, doing miracles beyond imagination witnessed by thousands. He preached to the worst of the worst sinners. He preached to small groups and to crowds that were in the thousands. 

    And just days after he entered Jerusalem as a great prophet to cheers and rejoicing and the laying of palms in his path, he would face the worst possible experience anyone could imagine.

    And yet, He did it. Of His own free will.

    You see, He loves us so much that He was willing to give the greatest sacrifice, His life.

    Sacrifice for what?? It is only by His suffering and dying on the cross that He purchased for each of us the path to heaven and eternal life. He was born and lived His whole life, 33 years, for that purpose. 

    That purchase was for the debt of our sins. The price…. His death on the cross. 

    How could any of us ever feel worthy enough for that generosity?? The thing is, we can’t. But it does make me realize just how much he loves me and you. And all he wants in return is, for us to love each other, to repent our sins and to love Him and be faithful. All good things.

    What is the value of a soul. Of your soul. For Jesus it was…….

    The biggest purchase of all.

  • He’s not finished

    “The signs are everywhere!”

    We’ve heard that expression many, many times. What does it really mean?

    Well for one thing if there’s a sign, someone must’ve placed it for us to see. Also, it doesn’t have to be a billboard or a written letter. Maybe it’s a conversation, maybe a unexpected phone call or visit, maybe an unexpected issue or surprise. How often in that situation have we said, “I think it’s a sign“

    But a sign from who? Well, the answer is…..God. 

    Even for non-believers who may use this expression, without realizing it they are admitting God’s providence in their lives. For who else would or could try to guide us. 

    Now, its also true that we will see signs and for whatever reason we ignore them. But something inside us knows they were right as time goes by. And many times when we come across decisions in our lives, we can look back and see the signs that were there, encouraging us to persevere or encouraging us to divert.

    One that jumps out for me…… When Mom and I were deciding about moving to Tete’s house, I remember lying in bed and praying. “ Please God, if this is what you want for my family, I need a sign, PLEASE”. Well, later that day all Mom’s brothers and sisters, wives and husbands were on the dock and we were talking about what to do with the house now that Tete passed away. When it was asked of us to make this huge commitment, one of your aunts poked me on my back and said look up. There in the sky was a rainbow. But it wasn’t just a rainbow. It was a double rainbow. And it was spectacular. I didn’t need anyone to tell me….. Because I knew, that was the sign I was looking for.

    So what does this have to do with Lent? Well I was reading an account in the Gospel of John of the Easter story. John’s Gospel was unique and that it was an eyewitness account.

    So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.  When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

    So they get to the tomb and there is the shroud of Jesus lying there. But did you ever wonder why John made a point to describe the head cloth being folded/rolled up separately?? Could that have been a sign? But a sign of what?

    Well, whatever they saw, was enough for them, because they believed! But think about it, if there were grave robbers stealing the body, they would have grabbed the body with the linens and all …or…. at the very least they would have  been left all messed up. Many scholars think that the rolled up head cloth was “a sign” because at that time the tradition was that when the master of the house finished his meal he would crumple up his napkin and put it on the table. But if the master was coming back, he would fold the napkin and place it on the table.

    Jesus rose from the dead and calmly rolled his headpiece and placed it on the side of the table he was lying on. 

    What was the sign? It was something significant enough for John to call it out.

    As we say in every mass. 

    He died, was buried and rose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven.

    And He will come again in glory.

    The master of the house is not finished.

  • A Good Vintage

    There is something special about really good wine. Where it came from, somewhere in the hills of France or Italy or California. And there, grapes were harvested, processed, and eventually bottled some times 10 or 20 years earlier. And when one of those wines are opened, its like they have a life of their own, as the air touches the wine for the first time in years the wine comes to life and the flavors just get better and better.

    Why is wine interwoven in our faith and in a bigger sense all human history? I don’t know. But it absolutely plays a huge part. The most significant is the fact of transubstantiation. It is wine, that becomes Christ blood. Jesus could’ve chosen any liquid, water, grape juice, anything, but he clearly chose wine.

    But outside of the Eucharist, it is Jesus‘s first miracle that has such deep meaning for me. It’s not necessarily about the wine, as it is about Jesus‘s mother, Mary.

    There are very few words that that Mary speaks in the Bible. They are all very substantial. But I do love the the night of the wedding in Cana. 

    So, these wedding feasts go on for days and I imagine a lot of wine is drunk. And as we all know the story, the hosts somehow run out of wine early.

    Though the Bible doesn’t specifically say it,  we have to believe that Mary senses the anxiety of the hosts. And so She goes to Jesus and simply says “they have no wine“. That’s it. Maybe She didn’t have to say another word. He knew what She was requesting because She and Joseph were the only ones in the world who knew who Jesus was. What was Jesus‘s reply? “ Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come”.

    Whoa! That was pretty tough response. Almost a rebuke.

    But then something amazing happens, Mary just turns to the servant standing near and says “do whatever he tells you“.

    We know the story, Jesus tells the servants to fill six jars that held 30 gallons each, with water. ( ok, I had to look that up ; -) That would be like 180 gallons. And with the His first miracle, turns that water into wine. And when the master of the wedding tastes it, he can’t believe the quality! Can any of us imagine how good that wine must have been!

    But not only did Jesus fulfill Mary’s request to help someone else. He fulfilled in a way that was bountiful. 180 gallons!!!!! That must have been some wedding.

    Mary is our mother. And as any good mother, She is concerned always for the well being of Her children. A mother senses things about her children. So when Mary senses what was happening, the embarrassment and bummer for all the party goers and the bride and groom, what did She do? She went directly to Her Son. And He could not turn Her away.

    Why do we ask our Blessed Mother to pray for us? Because She loves us only a mother could. And Jesus can’t say no to His mother. She knows what is good for us. What is good for our souls. And She wants us to be with Her Son, forever, in Heaven. 

  • 3 PM

    Why are Fridays singled out in Lent as different?

    Well, the obvious answer is that it reminds us of the day, Good Friday, Jesus died on the cross.

    But it is more than that during Lent. We are also called to fast and specifically abstain from meat. Back in the day when seafood wasn’t as available, this meant a real sacrifice at the table for adults and children alike.

    But we need to go deeper. Fasting, though so important, is just one sacrifice that we offer up. A physical reminder of real sacrifice. 

    Do any of us really contemplate the meaning of Friday? Many years ago in my 30’s, I read Saint Faustina’s diary, called “Divine Mercy in my Soul”. It is where the Divine Mercy Chaplet comes from. An incredible book. But there was one point in that book that stuck with me for a couple of decades. That was the Hour of Mercy……. 3 PM.

    It is the tradition of the church that Jesus died at 3 PM on the very first Good Friday. At the moment of his death, he bore the sins of all mankind. But more important, by giving his own innocent life, he opened up his Sacred Heart, the Fount of Mercy. Where no sin, even the worst of the worst is unforgivable when seeking His unfathomable mercy. 

    “ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” 

    So for all of these years I set a reminder at 3PM. Back in the day it was a beep, and then just a pop-up reminder. But it was 3 PM every day. Maybe some of you remember seeing it. Maybe some of you joined me in that moment. But my prayer is just very simple. “ Jesus, my Savior, forgive me, a poor sinner”

    A couple of phone upgrades ago I got away from it. But its back ! You see everyday we need to be reminded of His love for us. His desire that we be with Him always. 

    So maybe set a reminder for 3PM on the next couple Fridays. And when that reminder goes off. No matter what you are doing, close your eyes for a second and picture Him there, on the cross. 

    And at the moment, believe deeply in your heart, that He did this for you.

  • Waiting

    Something struck me at Mass on Sunday. It was the Transfiguration gospel. It was when at that when at the top of the mountain Elijah and Moses appeared in front of Jesus, they began to speak to each other.

    We are not told of the conversation.

    Here’s the thing. There were no mortal souls in heaven. Every human being ever born from the beginning of time was waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus to enter to heaven. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.  So all the souls of those who had  departed the earth were waiting , anticipating, hoping and I have to believe, praying. 

    So what could’ve been this conversation between Moses and Elijah and Jesus? Neither Moses or Elijah were in heaven. They must’ve known that Jesus’s mission was unfolding. That heavens gate would soon be opened.

    There was a famous visionary named Anne Catherine Emmerick in the 17th century who is had visions of the Passion of Christ. Much of Mel Gibson’s movie was based on those visions. 

    In one story I had read, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and, as we all know, in great anguish of about what was going to happen.

    She described her vision and said, “Jesus, in his great agony, turned and saw the multitude of souls on their knees, praying for Him.” I don’t know why that is always stuck with me when I picture Him there in the garden, but it has. He knew He would be abandoned by his closest friends and followers. The pain and burden about to placed on Him. Maybe that sight fortified Him in some way. 

    How many hundreds or thousands of years were those souls anticipating this moment not fully understanding its magnitude. From the simplest of people to the great prophets. Maybe Jesus told Moses and Elijah to go back and tell all the souls to prepare.?

    Where did Jesus go for three days between His death and Resurrection? We say, in the Creed, that after his death, he descended into hell. But it is not the hell of eternal damnation. It was the dwelling place for  those souls. 

    All the souls who had been waiting. 

  • Front of the Line

    Sometime ago  I was  told the story of a woman who had visions while she was in Mass. She could see all the supernatural things happening as the Mass went on. Well, as you know, this is one persons experience and we do not have to believe it. But something she saw really affected me.

    It was during the Presentation of the Gifts. When the bread and wine and the offerings are brought to the priest. Of course we are usually singing the Offertory Hymn.

    But it was in this moment that she saw something extraordinary. Directly behind the people who bring up the gifts was a line of many, many angelic figures. It was the Guardian Angel of every person in that church.

    In the front of the line, a handful of these angels were joyful and looking towards the altar. In their hands were golden chalices. In those chalices were gifts of prayers and petitions of those individuals in their care that were in the church that offered them at this Mass. As the passed, the angels placed their chalices at the foot of the altar.

    In the middle of the line, were another handful of angels walking up to the altar. In their hands were much smaller chalices, likewise containing prayers. Their faces were stern as they looked toward the altar. As they passed, they too, placed their small chalices at the foot of the altar.

    In the back of the line is where most of the angels were. Something looked very different about them. They were empty handed. Their heads looked down ,with sadness, to the ground as they passed by the altar with nothing to offer.

    You see, the first Guardian Angels had chalices filled with prayers and petitions to offer Our Lord. The second group with smaller chalices only had a few tokens of prayer and petitions. But at least there was something. Then the last group, the bigger group, they had nothing to offer.

    How did this affect me? It was pretty profound! And I will say that, at almost every Mass now I will always try to tell my Guardian Angel to for offer this to Jesus. First, I thank God for all my blessings, which includes all of you.  Second, I try to recall my sins and ask for forgiveness. Third, I pray for or ask for whatever intentions are on my mind. And Fourth, I resolve to do better! And then I ask my Angel to place those on the altar.

    This just takes a few moments, and it has the effect of settling me into the Mass. Sometimes I’m distracted and forget and then the Offertory starts and I try to do a quick one. ( no ones perfect :-). 

    Whether it is truly happening or not, I just love the thought that my Guardian Angel is at the front of that line.

  • Now that is a sacrifice.

    I have always wondered about St Peter. Being a husband, a father and a provider I have always questioned how he could do it. The real sacrifice he had to make.

    I have always struggled, admired, contemplated and reflected on Saint Peter’s decision. So without quoting scripture, the story goes that he was out fishing all night and caught nothing. We fisherman know how that feels. And so he brings his boat ashore and is most likely putting up all of his equipment. And then Jesus walks up, looks at him and tells him to put out a little and put your nets in. If I was Peter, I would be like “I’m exhausted, there is no bite, I wanna go home and sleep!” But of course, Jesus must’ve been very convincing. So Peter obeyed him and put his nets back out. You know the story, the nets filled with so many fish that it almost sunk the boat.

    But it’s what happens next. Saint Peter recognizes that Jesus is something beyond words, something truly holy. “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” These were Peter’s words. Jesus didn’t choose a highly exalted righteous educated man. He chose this working man, more than likely, rough around the edges. 

    “Come, follow me…. and I will make you a fisher of men.” And so Peter left his boat and nets and everything behind and followed him. Wait a minute…… what??? He left everything he worked for his whole life,  he left his wife and maybe his children??? His friends??  His home?? 

    Now that is a big decision. I can’t imagine the sacrifice. Not just for him but also his family. But I always come back to this. That sacrifice beared so much fruit. That “Yes, I will follow you”, though it must have been so hard, resulted in the foundation for Christ’s church on earth. So in your lives remember that even the smallest sacrifices will bear fruit whether you see it or not! 

    St Peter, Pray for Us!!