Of Women, Perfume and Tears

Imagine the scene: A woman, an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, the anointing of Jesus by the woman who anticipates the anointing of Jesus’ body. She is criticized by those around her. She continues her acts of love and attention, caring for and valuing what she could do for Jesus. He speaks for her. He defends her. He affirms her. “She has done what she could.”

Jesus’ words are powerful! “Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me…Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

An unnamed woman ministers to Jesus right before preparations for the Passover meal. In the end, Jesus is buried in a tomb under the watchful eyes of two women. When everyone else ran, thinking all was defeated by the death of Jesus, they stayed. No wonder then, that Jesus first appeared to a woman who was watchful and caring, once more.

“She has done what she could…and what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Wherever the gospel is proclaimed, throughout the whole world! Imagine all that is told in memory of her.

What does it mean for us to embrace Jesus as the Lord of our lives?  What parts of ourselves are waiting for us to surrender, to lavish on Jesus!

Coming to the Light

“…whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”

Which do you prefer? Light or darkness? Do you ever choose to be in total darkness? I loved living on a farm, away from all the city lights. I am also old enough not to have experienced lights on many of the devices we use in homes today. It is very difficult to get my house totally dark today. So I am one of those persons who loves to drive out to some place where I can see the light of the stars at night. There is something about being able to distinguish darkness and light!

Light and darkness is a great metaphor for reflection in Lent. Have you ever preferred darkness to light? Some people pout, cling to depression, hold on to anger rather than embrace the light of grace. Some people lament all the evil that is going on in the world. They can name the suffering loudly and clearly. They can grumble about all that is wrong with family, church, country, and world. To stay there is to choose darkness.

Evil is a darkness that makes us mute, not able to speak, paralyzed with fear and a lack of faith. We shut down with a sense of powerlessness. Evil also makes us obstinate or stubborn in our mistakes and wrong views. We can become overly critical and lose any sense of reason.

And evil overcomes when it undermines our unity with emphasis on what irritates us and uses differences as an excuse for failing to see the light.

What does it mean then to come to the light? We use expressions like “Enlighten me!” Can you “shed some light on this”? At ACTS retreats we sing “Light of the world, shine on me!” over and over again.

Essentially, for me it means to ask what did Jesus do? How did Jesus turn darkness into light? It wasn’t easy. Love, mercy, compassion, healing, and ultimately the largest sacrifice of all—suffering and death—because “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son.”

Jesus’ sight—his paying attention—led him to heal many who lived in darkness. He gave voice to changing unjust practices and laws. He cured those who were paralyzed by illness and social stigma. He poured light on so many social sins of his day. He spoke and he acted.

Where do we see light? How do we cast light in the darkness we encounter today? How and when do we seek God’s grace?

Try making a chart listing examples of darkness in one column. Then do the same for light. May courage, faith, resistance, resilience, and God’s grace be with us! May our works be clearly seen as done in God!

Jesus With a Whip

When you think of cleaning house, I don’t suppose the image of a whip comes to mind. Is there anything in your life that needs to be shown the exit, or “driven out”? Lent is a good time for some house cleaning. Lent is a good time for some “soul” cleaning too. Our bodies are, after all, temples of the Holy Spirit and occasionally we cleanse those as well. Yes, Lent is a good time for house cleaning and soul cleaning.

One Lenten practice that I recently read about on Facebook suggested that we find a huge bag. On each day of Lent, we choose one item to discard, to part with. At the end of Lent we donate the bag to charity. This is an attempt to simplify, to “tidy up”, to part with things that clutter. In a way, separating ourselves from possessions leaves us more open for something new—a new spirit, a new heart, a new valuing of time with God.

Pope Francis tells us that Jesus does not cleanse our souls with whips.

Do you know what kind of whip Jesus uses to cleanse our soul?  Mercy. Open your heart to Jesus’ mercy! Say: “Jesus, look how much filth! Come, cleanse. Cleanse with your mercy, with your tender words, cleanse with your caresses.” If we open our heart to Jesus’ mercy, in order to cleanse our heart, our soul, Jesus will trust Himself to us.

Homily of His Holiness, Pope Francis, Third Sunday of Lent, 8 March 2015

In the last two weeks, some of our candidates have experienced the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Several of them have described the experience as a cleansing, a freedom that comes from God’s mercy. They felt the unburdening. They embraced God’s mercy in listening to the priest’s tender words of encouragement and in many cases hugged someone. God’s mercy lives in our temples, in our houses, and in our souls.

Not Withholding

In Genesis, we read, “I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” We all know how God put Abraham to multiple tests. The ultimate test was God asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. We can all imagine what it was like for Abraham to go through the horror of planning this sacrifice. And we can also sense the relief at God’s messenger’s last minute intervention.

It is Abraham’s “not withholding” that is total obedience of God’s command. The reward is God’s ultimate blessing of “descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore.”

What is it that God asks us not to withhold if we are to be faithful to God’s command? How am I using this time of Lent to “not withhold” but give freely of my time to pray, to fast and to give alms? How am I giving time and attention, love and respect to my family? Am I growing in generosity? Am I a witness of being so devoted to God that I would be willing to sacrifice?

A Desert Survival Kit

The season of Lent invites us to enter the desert. In the Gospel this weekend we read “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert….for forty days, tempted by Satan….and the angels ministered to him.”

Imagine yourself on such a journey into the desert. What temptations would you face? Who would be the angels, the helpers ministering to you?

The desert isn’t always the arid land depicted in this image. The desert can be any place where we are alone, isolated from those who might be accompanying us, guiding us, keeping us honest and accountable. What are some of the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors that we indulge in that take us away from our path to God and that threaten our relationships with the people most important in our lives?  When are we most vulnerable to such temptations?

Perhaps our temptations are addictions to viewing pornography, to accumulating more than we need of material possessions, to abusing power in relationships, to blaming others for things going wrong. Perhaps they are participating in some of the social sins like failure to recognize the dignity of persons who are gay, undocumented, poor, homeless, old, of a different race, creed or ideology, or political party.

Our journey in Lent is one of movement, of change, of conversion. Some would suggest that we create a “Desert Survival Kit.” What would be in yours? Do you have favorite prayers, Scriptures, people who are your spiritual guides, mentors or people who wish you well and you can trust, and activities that help you most when you are tempted?

And we pray always: “Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.” Help us too to remember daily the words we heard when we received our ashes: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

The Lepers Among Us

How does it feel to be “exiled?” What if it is in your own family, your workplace, or in your own community? To whom can you turn when it happens?

Then think of all the people in our city, in our country, and in our world who are the “exiles” of today. Exiles are those who experience discrimination, are the victims of stereotypes, are socially excluded, isolated, or bound by having to keep things secret. In Jesus’ day, these were the persons isolated by laws and customs, by culture and tradition. Today the “unclean” might be those who feel unwanted and unloved. They don’t “belong” here—in this group, in this school,  in this country, in this family.

Don’t we all know those feelings?

Our hope is in the reassurance that Jesus notices, sees, cares and does something about it. He heals the lepers, and the healing is more than physical. Jesus told the leper to tell no one what had happened, but the newfound freedom results in incredible, unbounded JOY.

We too notice, see and if we care we can do something about the lepers among us.

For example, I can start with myself. I can pray that when I feel “unclean” or unloved, God will heal me. Sometimes I doubt my own capacity to be loved and be lovable. God can help there! In Genesis we read, “God looked at everything God had made and found it very good.”

I can stop being the person who makes others feel like an outcast. I can pray for all who are feeling isolation and social exclusion. I can name the discrimination or exclusion and, like the prophets, make it known to others. I can demand that it STOP.

I can also spend time with someone who is feeling unclean, unwanted, and unloved. I can learn new things about the persons who experience exclusion. I can come to understand some of the common reasons why the person is experiencing “exile.” I can communicate God’s love for the person by listening and learning about their situation. I might even have the strength to advocate and work for social change.