Here is the reflection I shared with the gathered community at prayer on the eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time, just days before the beginning of the Lenten season.
On Wednesday of this coming week, we will begin the liturgical season of Lent. Masses will be celebrated here at Saint Peter’s at 9:30am and at 7:00pm on that day. Students from Saint Luke’s School will be here to join us for the morning Mass, and while we are celebrating that liturgy, one of our deacons will be visiting at Corpus Christi school, celebrating a liturgy there as well.
Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of a new liturgical season, another invitation for God’s people to begin again. While the prospect of new beginnings always holds the excitement of something fresh, there can sometimes be a part of us that is – well – just a bit reluctant to welcome change, even though we may know perfectly well that change is exactly what is needed. God knows our hearts even better than we do. He knows that the prospect of change can sometimes be scary for us, so he reassures us today through the words of the prophet Isaiah: I will never forget you. In these five little words, our God wants to reassure us, even to convince us that his love for us is so strong that he will always be ready to welcome us, that he will always be willing to embrace us, that he will always be waiting to console us. God is convinced of these truths, but I’m not always sure that we are.
Studies have shown that even in the womb, a child will find comfort in listening to the sound of its mother’s voice. Infants quickly know what postures and positions are comfortable, and what tones of voice convey security or danger. As we grow, there seems to be an innate ability within each of us to respond to situations that we find reassuring and to others that evoke fear and uncertainty. Ask any teenager, or those who are close enough to them, and they will tell you that while they still gravitate toward the places and circumstances they find most comfortable, there are lots of questions dancing around in their minds, and there is often lots of uncertainty in their lives: questions about friendships and peer pressure, questions about value systems, hopes and dreams that seem attainable or illusive, and sometimes these questions persist well into adulthood.
The gospel passage we heard today speaks directly to those who harbour such questions in their hearts. Jesus told his disciples: do not worry about your life. Don’t allow concerns about being seen in the right places or about fitting in stop you from dreaming about who you are meant to be. Don’t allow concerns about outward appearances stop you from living life to the fullest of your potential. In short, don’t be afraid to live life, and don’t be afraid to dream dreams, and don’t be afraid to believe that God loves you, that others love you, for no other reason than the fact that you are who you are. If we follow this advice, we won’t be concerned about whether we’re wearing the latest fashions, only that the clothes we wear are clean and presentable. We won’t be worried about whether we have the physique of a model, only that we are in good health. We won’t be concerned about whether others approve of who we are, but we will be concerned for their well-being and we will seek opportunities to help them find ways to better themselves.
Do not worry about your life, but seek instead, as Saint Paul says to the community at Corinth, to be servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Each of us has been called by Christ to believe that we are profoundly loved by God, but how can we come to believe this truth if we don’t first take the time to hear Christ tell us that we are loved? Once we have experienced this love, we must seek opportunities to call others to experience it too. That’s what it means to be a servant of Christ and a steward of God’s mysteries.
The coming season of Lent gives us an opportunity to examine our lives in the light of faith. It allows us to take stock of who we are, and who we’ve become. It provides us with a chance to strengthen our relationship with God and with others. Are you willing to embark on the journey? Let’s do it together. Let’s open our hearts in the coming weeks, and allow the Lord to speak to us: I will never forget you, I love you, come to me.
I will not forget you
On Wednesday of this coming week, we will begin the liturgical season of Lent. Masses will be celebrated here at Saint Peter’s at 9:30am and at 7:00pm on that day. Students from Saint Luke’s School will be here to join us for the morning Mass, and while we are celebrating that liturgy, one of our deacons will be visiting at Corpus Christi school, celebrating a liturgy there as well.
Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of a new liturgical season, another invitation for God’s people to begin again. While the prospect of new beginnings always holds the excitement of something fresh, there can sometimes be a part of us that is – well – just a bit reluctant to welcome change, even though we may know perfectly well that change is exactly what is needed. God knows our hearts even better than we do. He knows that the prospect of change can sometimes be scary for us, so he reassures us today through the words of the prophet Isaiah: I will never forget you. In these five little words, our God wants to reassure us, even to convince us that his love for us is so strong that he will always be ready to welcome us, that he will always be willing to embrace us, that he will always be waiting to console us. God is convinced of these truths, but I’m not always sure that we are.
Studies have shown that even in the womb, a child will find comfort in listening to the sound of its mother’s voice. Infants quickly know what postures and positions are comfortable, and what tones of voice convey security or danger. As we grow, there seems to be an innate ability within each of us to respond to situations that we find reassuring and to others that evoke fear and uncertainty. Ask any teenager, or those who are close enough to them, and they will tell you that while they still gravitate toward the places and circumstances they find most comfortable, there are lots of questions dancing around in their minds, and there is often lots of uncertainty in their lives: questions about friendships and peer pressure, questions about value systems, hopes and dreams that seem attainable or illusive, and sometimes these questions persist well into adulthood.
The gospel passage we heard today speaks directly to those who harbour such questions in their hearts. Jesus told his disciples: do not worry about your life. Don’t allow concerns about being seen in the right places or about fitting in stop you from dreaming about who you are meant to be. Don’t allow concerns about outward appearances stop you from living life to the fullest of your potential. In short, don’t be afraid to live life, and don’t be afraid to dream dreams, and don’t be afraid to believe that God loves you, that others love you, for no other reason than the fact that you are who you are. If we follow this advice, we won’t be concerned about whether we’re wearing the latest fashions, only that the clothes we wear are clean and presentable. We won’t be worried about whether we have the physique of a model, only that we are in good health. We won’t be concerned about whether others approve of who we are, but we will be concerned for their well-being and we will seek opportunities to help them find ways to better themselves.
Do not worry about your life, but seek instead, as Saint Paul says to the community at Corinth, to be servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Each of us has been called by Christ to believe that we are profoundly loved by God, but how can we come to believe this truth if we don’t first take the time to hear Christ tell us that we are loved? Once we have experienced this love, we must seek opportunities to call others to experience it too. That’s what it means to be a servant of Christ and a steward of God’s mysteries.
The coming season of Lent gives us an opportunity to examine our lives in the light of faith. It allows us to take stock of who we are, and who we’ve become. It provides us with a chance to strengthen our relationship with God and with others. Are you willing to embark on the journey? Let’s do it together. Let’s open our hearts in the coming weeks, and allow the Lord to speak to us: I will never forget you, I love you, come to me.
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