1. -- Lanie LeBlanc OP - 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time
2. -- Dennis Keller OP - 1st Sunday of Lent
3. -- Fr. John Boll OP - 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time
4. -- Dennis Keller OP - Ash Wednesday
5. --(Your reflection can be here!)

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Sun. 8 C 2025

In our Gospel reading this Sunday, Luke continues to tell us more about Jesus's self-help agenda for Jesus's listeners and for us. The main idea, I think, is that we need to look inside ourselves first before we look elsewhere at what is wrong with our tiny spot in the world, close up like in our families or the greater world in general.

Jesus is the Master Teacher. Jesus knows how to live well and do the Father's will. Jesus is our road map, so we really should take his words to heart, figuratively and literally.

The Catholic/Ecumenical Edition of The Message uses some insightful words to get to the crux of this point. It reads: It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Who we are comes down to favoring goodness over evil internally and repeatedly.

Leading with our heart, not some negative presumption, prejudice, hurt or entitlement, is God's way. It is true that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are wonderful gifts, given to us, but also nourished by grace and our willingness to embrace them.

Let us spend some time as we approach Lent to do a quick heart check. What gets in the way of the goodness within us? What needs to be gone in order to re-fill our lives with the joy that living in God's good graces brings to us.

Blessings,
Dr. Lanie LeBlanc OP
Southern Dominican Laity
lanie@leblanc.one

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First Sunday of Lent March 9, 2025

Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Responsorial Psalm 91; Romans 10:8-13;
Gospel Acclamation Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:1-13

The readings this Sunday, the first of our season of renewal, are a little disjointed. Deuteronomy seems to be a reprise of the work of God for the Hebrew nation. It is Moses speaking to the people, reminding them what God has done for them. Who could have achieved the release from the slavery imposed by Pharoah? No one could have achieved that. And why would God take notice of this sizeable but insignificant people without a homeland? The patriarch, says Moses, was a wandering Aramean – this patriarch being Jacob. They were immigrants in a land where they flourished and became a nation there. There they became enslaved by – oh yes – a nameless dictator. Nameless, it seems, so as to be an example of what a dictator does, that is enslave. Pharoah is the generic name that signifies any and all tyrants of every age. God saves when at least the enslaved understand the pain, suffering, and loss of dignity and worth imposed on them. The reading indicates that God is a savior when humanity gets into trouble that robs them of worth, of dignity and liberation. Being freed from Pharoah applies to every generation.

The reading from Romans speaks of Jesus as Lord. It this Jesus, this human and divine person who walked among us two thousand years ago, yet remains with us even now in our troubled, violent times. God raised this Jesus, making his victory over the way of the world and the curse of death a victory that is humanities as well. Death no longer is a permanent thing unless we choose it to be such. In the Resurrection of Jesus, we are all raised and saved from oblivion. That is our faith.

The gospel from Luke makes us totally aware that Jesus indeed has a human nature. In his childhood, in his youth, in his adolescence, and in his career as a young adult Jesus experienced what we experience. In his mature adulthood as he began in his human nature came to understand his mission, his purpose, he was tempted even as we are tempted to take short cuts that would deny the divinity of his mission. In each of the three temptations, Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy, the book of our first reading. This gospel certifies Jesus’ grasp of the Hebrew scriptures. Bread is absolutely necessary for the survival of human creation. Food is a necessity. Providing free food, free nourishment would catapult Jesus into great popularity. Recall that later in the two multiplications of loaves and fish that the people wanted to declare him King, successor to the throne of David. The side effect being was the hoped for destruction of Roman occupation. That’s not the freedom, liberation Jesus came to bring. Such a kingship would not have liberated, would not have been the change of heart of any person. So that temptation would have rendered Jesus using the powers claimed by Satan. The second temptation was Satan offering use of his power to manipulate and coerce the adulation exercised by Satan. That would have been blasphemy, a turning away from the Father. That is clearly idolatry. There are many forms of idolatry – treating as a god power, wealth, notoriety, influence. Pursuit of those gods is idolatry, a turning away from God that is often not recognized as sin. When power, wealth, influence, and fame become what is served by a person, that is idolatry and leads to the ruin of character. The third temptation is testing God: it amounts to “if I do this, I expect you God to do such and such.” It’s about attempting a deal with God. God’s approach is much different. God creates a covenant with humanity – it’s not a quid pro quo. There is no contract. A covenant is a quantum leap beyond any deal.

This gospel is a warning to us as we begin this period of character growth. Be careful to examine our hearts. What are our loves? What is the pursuit of our energies? Do we consider ourselves gods? Or do we find comfort in understanding even in down times that God totally loves us as we are and as we can be? Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the tools this Lent to growing our characters. In that growth, our person becomes strong and resilient in the face of threat, anxiety, and violence. We are a work in progress and God is with us in that work.

There is a quote from Deuteronomy that some will use to avoid almsgiving. Jesus says in the gospels, “The poor will always be with you.” Some will use that quote to say that programs, efforts to eliminate poverty shouldn’t be a priority because Jesus allowed for poverty. That’s because those naysayers fail to understand that Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 15:11. The full quote that Jesus is speaking is this. “There will always be poor in your land. I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy.” This entire quote is certainly an answer to those who parse Jesus’ words.

Dennis Keller dennis@preachersexchange.com

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2025-03-02 Homily
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Sirach 27:4-7; Psalm 92; I Corinthians 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45

Back when I was a young priest at Tulane University,
I had a problem,
I could not see well enough to remove splinters from my fingers.

Just imagine what might happen
    if I tried to help you with a splinter
        with this needle point tweezers. (Hold it up)
            Without seeing clearly.
It would be a bit dangerous, and could cause some real pain.

So, I went to Dr. Monica Monica, an Ophthalmologist, for help.
After allowing the Doctor to help me with my eyes,
I was not only able to see well enough
    be gentle with my own fingers,
    but with those of anyone else I might try to help.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is helping us to see clearly.
With his central parable, He tells us,
    “Remove the wooden beam from your own eye first;
    then you will see clearly
    to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

    There is a program known as CPE, (Clinical Pastoral Education) created to train hospital chaplains.

It does not focus on the methods of ministry,
    but rather is designed to help ministers
    remove the obstacles that interfere with their ability
    to be fully present to others.
It focuses on helping the minister
    to discover their own biases, brokenness, fears, and difficulties
    that get in the way of their seeing the other person clearly.
It is all about first removing the beam in their own eye!

At a conference I attended for Priests, a speaker said
    that if you ever need to correct another person,
    go first to prayer and ask the Lord to show you your own sin
    and only after you have brought it to the Lord,
    will you have the mercy and compassion
    to go and help your Brother or Sister with their issue.

It is as Jesus says,
    “then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

Why would seeing and removing the BEAM in my own eye
    make a difference in helping another person
    with some splinter in their life? ...
Because, to remove a splinter, We need to SEE clearly!

First, We need see JESUS clearly,
When we take our own brokenness and sin
    to the compassionate Christ, we see how much we are loved
And Having known the forgiveness, healing and love of Christ,
    we become like him in desiring those same things for others.

Next, We need to see THE PERSON clearly
    not just the brokenness or sin,
    but the Person who is Beloved by God,
    redeemed by Christ,
    and called to live and proclaim the good news, just as we are.

We will see our fellow suffers’ splinter clearly
    in the context of the whole person
                AND
    in the context of Christ’s forgiveness,

And ....

Although there is always some pain with removing a splinter,
    we will treat our Brothers or Sisters
    with gentleness, respect, compassion and love.
    Just a Jesus has done for us.

Fr. John Boll OP
 

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Ash Wednesday

March 5, 2025

Joel 2:12-18; Responsorial Psalm 51; 2nd Corinthians 5:20-2;2;
Gospel Acclamation Psalm 95; Matthew 6:1-6 & 16-18

Each year we come to the season of Lent, busy. Life keeps going on in its usual and customary manner. We remain engaged in supporting ourselves/our families. We stew about the trouble of the world, or, a lot overwhelmed, we stop watching what is alleged actual factual news. Despite campaign promised to reduce grocery prices, we discover that control over bird flu has increased a hundred percent the cost of the stable protein supply that is eggs. With so much noise of politics and threats causing anxiety about the future how can we concentrate on God? God is so transcendent, so far out of our environment that God seems irrelevant except as a power of last resort. Well, maybe not. Just maybe we’re looking for God in all the wrong places.

The letters of the Apostle John insist that God is love and whoever lives with love, has God as an abiding resource – within themselves. He continues, how can we think we love God who we can’t see and despise, ignore, judge, rob, abuse, murder our neighbor whom we do see. Such a dichotomy is impossible. God is an integral part of the dignity and worth of each person who lives. If we fail to love one another, then we are not loving God. That’s the great truth of Jesus. Reading the gospels – all four of them – it is apparent that Jesus loves all. The signs and wonders Jesus worked are all about returning persons whose condition separates them from an active role in community to an active role in communities. Jesus condemns few – primarily hypocrites. Hypocrites are those whose mouths declare one thing especially levying obligations on others while they themselves don’t get the meaning of God’s revelation.

We are instructed by the prophet Joel to rend our hearts and not our garments. Even when we believe the heart is the center of affection, of love, we think of it as only the organ of interpersonal love. Joel insists that physical suffering, self imposed fasting, performing works of mercy, respecting the Creation that supports us and in our Common Home, all these acts of Lenten practice are what it means to rend our hearts. If we stop eating candy, drinking favorite adult beverages, attend theatrical events, eating steaks or enjoying lavish dining opportunities, then what happens to the expenditures we would have made? If those go into a vacation plan, or a down payment on a new or used car, or new clothes to celebrate Easter, Lent is merely a way of serving ourselves. Fasting is about saving, letting go of something – not someone – we care about. In that saving we create a resource with which to demonstrate love to the other. Think of the judgement scene in Matthew chapter 25. The Judge views goodness in how we treat others, how we give drink to the thirsty, food to the starving, clothing to the naked, shelter to the homeless, comfort to the sick and imprisoned, care for the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant in our midst. All the savings from fasting is a saving meant to save others – the others most of us rarely encounter. Lent is a change to focus on engaging with those others much less fortunate, abused, rejected, trafficked, imprisoned, and suffering from disease. It seems, as witnessed by spiritual writers through the centuries after Jesus returned to the Father, that loving those others, those on the margins of society, discovering them as persons in need – that such engagement in fact is how we love God.

There is another part to Lent. That is forming a stronger relationship with God, the Trinity of three Unique, Individual Persons. We form that relationship by speaking with that Trinity. There is a ritual talking that is the Mass and Sacraments. The Rosary has been a popular prayer device over the centuries. Using those ten Hail Mary’s as a timing device to think about the mysteries is a way to connect with God – often through Mary. She is definitely our Mom. The prayer that comes from our troubled and grateful minds and rising from the centers of our hearts to God makes our relationship much more personal. Problem we have so often is that we rattle on and on and fail to be quiet to hear with our hearts and minds God speaking back to us. That part takes practice as we tend to think we’ve got to fill the silence with thoughts and words. God doesn’t often contend with the noise in our heads and hearts.

Lent is a time to grow our characters. Character is an asset of our personhood. Growing that in a Christian-religious sense makes Easter a wonderful sunrise, illuminating our life in a direction that is shalom, that is the peace of the Kingdom of God. May it be so this lent. The big three are fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. The gospel tells us how we should approach these big three. Listen to it well.

Dennis Keller Dennis@PreacherExchange.com

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Volume 2 is for you. Your thoughts, reflections, and insights on the next Sundays readings can influence the preaching you hear. Send them to preacherexchange@att.net. Deadline is Wednesday Noon. Include your Name, and Email Address.
-- Fr. John