We all have busy schedules. Between work, school, responsibilities and social lives, where can we squeeze in the time to focus on developing a deeper relationship with Our Heavenly Father? That’s why St. Juliana Parish has brought you the one spot where you can pray, learn and reflect!
The LORD said to Moses,
“Go down at once to your people
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
‘This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'”
The LORD said to Moses,
“I see how stiff-necked this people is.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.”
But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
“Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Why should the Egyptians say,
‘With evil intent he brought them out,
that he might kill them in the mountains
and exterminate them from the face of the earth’?
Let your blazing wrath die down;
relent in punishing your people.
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,
‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.'”
So the LORD relented in the punishment
he had threatened to inflict on his people.
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Our fathers made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
Jesus said to the Jews:
“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John’s.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?”
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Feast date: Apr 03
St. Irene of Rome was the widow of the martyr Saint Castulus, a Roman military officer who was killed for spreading the Christian faith in 286. She lived in the Roman Empire during the reign of Diocletian, and died in 288.
According to legend, she attended to the wounded St. Sebastian after he was shot full of arrows as depicted in the painting by artist Vicente López y Portaña.
I have one of the rarest talents I have come across thus far. Namely, I almost always miss the wastebasket. I could have my hand directly over the top of it and a gust of wind comes out of nowhere inside my house (yeah, right) and the object floats onto the floor. Or, I pushed the flap to the covered trashcan to deposit something inside and the flap swings back and knocks it back out. Other times I practice my rusty basketball shot and miss as well. It seems that no matter how I attempt to dispose of something, I am doomed to fail.
Now this may sound absolutely ridiculous, but it has actually become something that the Lord and I joke about with each other (when I’m done fuming, of course). “Very funny, Lord,” I tell Him. “Ha ha ha ha, I’m not laughing.” I can just imagine him guffawing up there in heaven and slapping His knee. “HA! You missed again! Did you like that wind I conjured up for ya?” And in the end, I usually do end up at least smiling to myself along with Him.
Lately I have been struggling with bedtime prayers with my children and have been talking to them about the importance of having a personal relationship with God. They are always so squirrely, grabbing a toy, starting up side conversations, or simply not paying attention. I tell them that this is the most important time of the day, the time they get to talk to God. At ages 11 and under, I doubt they fully grasp it, but at least I am trying to plant the seeds.
As you are reading this reflection during a time of prayer, I will mention the same to you as well. This is the most important time of your day, the moment you get to talk to God. And that is what Lent is all about, really. A time set apart to foster that personal relationship with God. With only 10 days left until Holy Week, now is a great time to take that effort off the back burner and slide it onto the front burner, allowing God to light your relationship with Him on fire.
Let us not be like the Jews that Jesus is condemning in today’s Gospel. “But you do not want to come to me to have life.” What a tragic day that would be, if we stopped walking toward Jesus! He who “came in the name of [His] Father” is waiting for us with open arms. We simply have to open our own arms and hearts as well in order to receive Him.
So whether it be joking with Jesus about something as silly as missing a trashcan, or crying with Him over the loss of a loved one, I invite you to take your personal relationship with Him one step further. May the remainder of this Lent find you rejoicing in the deepening friendship you encounter with the Savior of the world.
Tengo uno de los talentos más raros que he encontrado hasta ahora. Es decir, casi siempre no atino el cesto de basura. Puedo tener mi mano directamente sobre la tapa y un viento surge de la nada dentro de mi casa (sí, claro) y el objeto flota al suelo. O empujo la tapa del cesto de basura cubierto para depositar algo dentro y la tapa vuelve a su lugar tirándolo afuera. Otras veces practico mi tiro malo de baloncesto y también fallo. Parece que no importa cómo intente deshacerme de algo, estoy condenado al fracaso.
Ahora bien, esto puede sonar absolutamente ridículo, pero en realidad se ha convertido en algo sobre lo que el Señor y yo bromeamos entre nosotros (cuando termino de enojarme, por supuesto). “Muy gracioso, Señor”, le digo. “Jajajaja, no me estoy riendo”. Puedo imaginarlo riéndose a carcajadas allá arriba en el cielo y dándose una palmada en la rodilla. “¡JA! ¡De nuevo no lo metiste!” ¿Te gustó ese viento que conjuré para ti?” Y al final, por lo general termino al menos sonriendo yo también junto con Él.
Últimamente he estado luchando con las oraciones de la noche con mis hijos y les he estado hablando sobre la importancia de tener una relación personal con Dios. Siempre están tan inquietos, agarrando un juguete, iniciando conversaciones secundarias o simplemente no prestando atención. Les digo que este es el momento más importante del día, el momento en que pueden hablar con Dios. A los 12 años y para abajo, dudo que lo entiendan completamente, pero al menos estoy tratando de plantar las semillas.
Mientras lees esta reflexión durante un momento de oración, te mencionaré lo mismo también. Este es el momento más importante de tu día, el momento en que puedes hablar con Dios. Y de eso se trata realmente la Cuaresma. Un tiempo apartado para fomentar esa relación personal con Dios. Con solo 10 días hasta la Semana Santa, ahora sería un gran momento para dejar de lado ese esfuerzo y ponerlo en primer plano, permitiendo que Dios encienda tu relación con Él.
No seamos como los judíos a los que Jesús está condenando en el Evangelio de hoy. “¡Y ustedes no quieren venir a mí para tener vida!” ¡Qué día más trágico sería si dejáramos de caminar hacia Jesús! Aquel que ha “venido en nombre de [Su] Padre” nos está esperando con los brazos abiertos. Simplemente tenemos que abrir nuestros propios brazos y corazones también para recibirlo.
Así que, ya sea bromeando con Jesús sobre algo tan tonto como no meter algo a un bote de basura, o llorando con Él por la pérdida de un ser querido, te invito a llevar tu relación personal con Él un paso más allá. Que el resto de esta Cuaresma te encuentre regocijándote en la amistad cada vez más profunda que encuentras con el Salvador del mundo.
Tami Urcia is a midwestern gal from a large Catholic family. As a young adulthood she was a missionary in Mexico, where she studied theology and philosophy. After returning stateside bilingual, she gained a variety of work experience, traveled extensively and finished her Bachelor’s Degree at Brescia University. She loves organizing and simplifying things, watching her children play sports, deep conversations with close family and friends and finding unique ways to brighten others’ day with Christ’s love. She works full time at Diocesan in the Software Department and manages the Inspiration Daily reflections. She is also a contributing writer on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net.
Feature Image Credit: Samantha Sophia, unsplash.com/photos/boy-reading-holy-bible-while-lying-on-bed-NaWKMlp3tVs
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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