healing

Let us trust in the Good Shepherd who loves and will take care of us.

“[T]he shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:4)

Jesus, distinguished himself as the Good Shepherd who cared for his sheep instead of “thieves and robbers” who sought to harm the sheep. In referencing, “thieves and robbers” Jesus continued his calling out those Pharisees from chapter nine. Those who did not listen to his voice and those who were not leading God’s sheep with care.

The imagery of the shepherds is an echo back to past abuses such as in the time of Ezekiel who spoke out against those leaders who had “been pasturing themselves”, and who failed to “strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured”. Thus the sheep of God’s flock, “were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts. They were scattered and wandered over all the mountains and high hills; over the entire surface of the earth my sheep were scattered. No one looked after them or searched for them” (Ezekiel 34:2-10).

God, the eternal Shepherd, spoke through Ezekiel and said: “I will take my sheep out of their hand and put a stop to their shepherding my flock, so that these shepherds will no longer pasture them” (Ezekiel 34:10). Jesus is the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Jesus is the Son who God sent to do just that. Jesus has come to gather the lost sheep and bring them to green pastures, and lead them with his voice to eternal life.

Even today, we have experienced so much abuse of power and corruption, self-seeking and self-aggrandizement, that we are weary and have lost faith in our leaders and institutions. Yet, all is not lost. Jesus is still among his flock and calling his sheep to himself. Let us not be deaf to the call of the Good Shepherd because of the “robbers and thieves” that have climbed over the fence and into the sheepfold.

Let us instead, listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd. We do so when we make the time to be still and wait upon the Lord to call. We do so when we resist the temptation to run away or react out of fear. We do so when we are patient and trust in the voice of the Good Shepherd who has our best interest in mind and will care for us. Jesus will not harm us, he loves us. We may have been wounded or hurt when we have gone astray or even when we thought we were safe in the sheep pen. We can trust Jesus when he seeks to come close. His healing may provide suffering for a time, as healing will do, but as we remain close to him, his healing balm will prevail. We will be healed, renewed, and restored.

Jesus loves us, knows and calls each of us by name. Mary Magdalene in her grief didn’t recognize Jesus when she met him after his resurrection, but when he called her by name she recognized his voice. May we, like Mary, remain still long enough so that we can allow the Good Shepherd to come close, trust him, and his voice even amidst the cacophony of so many other voices, robbers, and thieves. May we be patient and only move when the Good Shepherd calls our name and then follow his lead.

Photo: Accessed from IG Post: Strength_in_jesus_1

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, May 12, 2025

“I will not reject anyone who comes to me.”

“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me” (Jn 6:37-38).

Jesus does not reject us when we seek him out and when we come to him. He accepts us because he knows that we come because we have on some level listened to his Father and allowed our hearts and minds to be moved by his love. Jesus has come to do his Father’s will which is to lead us all to salvation, to be redeemed and restored to the proper order of freedom from our enslavement to sin. Even when we turn away, are diverted by distractions, misled by our sin, or misunderstandings, Jesus will seek us out. In the depths of our souls, we all seek the love of God that we have been created for.

This is why Jesus met Cleopas and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus. Even though they were walking the wrong way, Jesus did not tell them that. He came upon them, walked among them, and opened up the Scriptures to them. In doing so, the fire that had been dimmed by the despair of Jesus’ death, was rekindled in Jesus’ breaking open the word for them, in sharing salvation history for them, such that when Jesus moved to continue on, they invited him to stay with them. Then, in the breaking of the bread, they recognized Jesus who they thought they lost. They experienced in their presence and were nourished by “the bread of life” (John 6:35).

It was through sharing a meal with them that they recognized him. How many meals had they shared together before his death? A close reading of Sacred Scripture shows how important table fellowship is for Jesus and his followers before his death and after his Resurrection. True, Jesus eating with his disciples after his Resurrection shows that he is no ghost, he is human, but also he is reestablishing the cornerstone of his ministry, table fellowship.

Not only are the basic needs of sustenance met, but also in sharing his time and conversation with anyone willing to eat with him, no matter their level of ritual purity, they were touched at the deepest hunger within their hearts, which is to belong, to be accepted for who we are. The majority of the crowd that Jesus spoke to has continued to come to him because he fed them with only a few loaves and some fish. In the miraculous multiplication, Jesus provided for their bodily nourishment, but also was also inviting them to experience the deeper spiritual nourishment of the soul which can only be nourished by his Body and Blood.

Jesus loves us, he wills the best for us. Many resist this truth for different reasons. It could be the callouses, scars, and growing cynicism as a result of wounds inflicted by others, those who did not fulfill expectations, betrayal. Each of us could have experience the same and have also been let down by those we have looked up to and trusted. If we are involved in a relationship long enough, we will experience disappointment or worse. This is because sooner or later, when we draw close the masks will come down and who we truly are, the fullness of our wounds and our gifts will come to the fore. Conflicts will arise because we are finite and imperfect, human beings. We are still a work in progress.

None of us are perfect. We are all on a journey. On our own, we will consistently fall short of our goal. That is why we need a savior. We need someone that we can trust that will be there for us when we are let down and when we fall down face-first into the mud. Someone who, when that happens, will lay down in the mud with us, look us in the eye, and smile.

Even if we are not able to look past the predicament, or smile in return, we might just be able to catch his eyes looking at us and then we will see him offer us his hand. We can then rise together, and stand again. That is how Jesus shows his mercy and love for us. He enters into our chaos and meets us in the midst of the muck and mire of our mistakes, wounds, and sins. He loves us there, and when we are ready to accept his offer of love, he invites us to get up, and begin to walk again.

As our relationship grows and deepens and as our trust strengthens, we begin to believe that we belong and have dignity. We begin to heal and realize that we are a part of something greater than ourselves. Then with wobbly steps, begin to offer attempts of the same mercy, forgiveness, and unconditional love to others that we have received. This is the path of discipleship. This is the road we are on, together. This is not a hundred-yard dash but a long and winding road. Let us be willing to: persist, be led, love, be there for, and accompany one another as we take the hand of Jesus and allow him to lead us on the Way. Jesus will not reject any of us who walk with him. May we help others as Jesus helps us when we fall to rise up and begin again.

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Painting: Figure of Christ by Heinrich Hofmann

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, May 7, 2025

If we are willing, Jesus has come to set us free from our sins and lead us home.

It is interesting to note that in today’s Gospel reading from John, Jesus spoke to those who “believed in him” (Jn 8:31). But the more he talked, the less they seemed to understand who he was: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” His listeners balked at the word “free”, asserting that because they were ancestors of Abraham they have never been enslaved by anybody.

In the United States of America, freedom is also highly valued. Many of us would probably react very much in the same way. We may have different ways of expressing why we feel that we are free, but we would certainly assert that we are not enslaved to anybody or anything.

Jesus’ words ring just as true then as they do today: “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” Jesus shined his light on the truth that many of us do not see, which is our enslavement to sin. If we truly seek to be free, then we need to acknowledge this point. What many of us claim to be freedom, doing whatever we want to do, when we want to, and how we want to do it, is not true freedom. We cannot even hear the clanking of the chains or feel the weight of the shackles chaffing at our skin as we raise and shake our fists to assert our freedom of indifference!

Our response to Jesus’ statement: “who commits sin is a slave of sin” ought not to be one of hiding, denying, rationalizing, attacking, fleeing, or refusing to acknowledge such a thing as sin. It is better to embrace the truth that Jesus is placing before us. In this way, we allow his light to expose the darkness in our hearts where sin speaks and we realize where we have said yes to the father of lies. Becoming aware of our fault for those things we have done and have failed to do is the first step in becoming truly free.

When Pope Francis was asked in an interview, “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” he answered, “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance.” We are all sinners because of the fact that we all in some form or fashion place idols before God. This is not a negative or defeatist attitude, quite the contrary. When we call out our sins in truth, we can be freed from them. When we think our life is about us first and foremost, and ignore or rationalize our sin, we allow them to have power over us.

We become free from our sins by acknowledging that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This does not mean that we are awful people. It just means that we have fallen for an apparent good instead of the true Good that God wants for us. We have missed the mark of our true fulfillment. We need a savior to free us. Jesus accepts us as sinners but does not want us to remain in our sins. We do not have to be perfect nor have our house in order for him to come close, for he is already waiting for us. We do not need to be worthy, we just need to be willing to open the door when he knocks, and invite him into the chaos of our lives so that he can heal us with his grace, love, and mercy. When, “the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.”

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Photo: Jesus is always, always looking for us and seeking to carry us back home.

Link for the interview with Pope Francis from America Magazine, September 30, 2013

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Let us seek to inform and not convince.

Jesus affirms who he is and whose he is in today’s Gospel of John. Despite those who do not believe that he is the Messiah, Jesus again makes his point very clear: “I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me” (Jn 7:28-29). Jesus is the Son of God made man and he belongs to the One who sent him, God the Father.

As Jesus was challenged in his time, he continues to be challenged today. That level of challenge has increased even to the degree that his human existence is even dismissed in some circles as a mere legend. Even as a historical figure, some speculate that Jesus did not walk the roads of Galilee and Judea as recorded in today’s Gospel. This need not be a reason for alarm. Though it is a reason to know our Tradition, the deposit of faith that has been preserved and passed on from Jesus to his Apostles and disciples, and to those early Church Fathers and Mothers named and unnamed, and passed on up to us to this day in an unbroken apostolic succession. We need to know the Bible, how to read and receive the sacred word, to understand its context, and schedule a daily time to encounter the Word proclaimed in worship as well as privately in reading, study, meditation, prayer, and contemplation.

It is important to know what we believe, who we believe in, and whose we belong to. In this way when we are challenged, we do not need to stoop into a defensive crouch, but instead listen to the person’s points, their critiques, and ask questions of what they believe and why they believe what they believe. We can defend our position while at the same time being open to understanding where our questioners are coming from. We can then respond with the truth, just as Jesus did, with an open mind and heart of surrender to allow the Holy Spirit to be present through us.

When we are anxious, defensive, argumentative, seeking to be right, or fearing to be wrong, we limit what Jesus can do through us. God is not about numbers and quotas, he is about building relationships, one person at a time. It is more important to build relationships than to win arguments. We can learn much from St. Bernadette of Soubirous who when challenged time and again regarding the validity of her experiences and encounters with Mary responded, “My job is to inform, not convince.”

Lent is a good time to learn, grow, and to continue to develop our relationship with Jesus, as we continue our journey of faith, to share what we have received in a spirit of charity and dialogue with those we interact. We are all on this journey of seeking the True, the Good, and the Beautiful together. It is important to respect and love those who have differing perspectives outside of and even within the Church, be open to the reality that we can learn from each other, and allow God to guide each of us through our common challenges and step by faithful step grow closer to God and one another.

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Photo: James Tissot Nantes – “Jesus Teaches the People by the Sea.” The Father sent Jesus to heal, teach, and do what he was sent him to do and Jesus did. As we come to know Jesus, his Father, and the love of the Holy Spirit, we are to do the same.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, April 4, 2025

Just as the Father gives life, so does his Son.

The words of today’s Gospel from John is an answer to Jesus’ healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda we read yesterday. The issue at hand for those who are incensed by Jesus’ healing is that he has done so on the Sabbath. Jesus does not help his case with his critics though. For he says he healed on the Sabbath because he was directed to do so by his Father: “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes” (Jn 5:21). Jesus does not make concessions with those who oppose his actions of healing. He clearly states the truth about who he is, the Lord of the Sabbath. Those that did not believe Jesus was who he said he was, believed that he was a blasphemer of the highest order and the reason why they plot to kill him.

So too in our own age, there are many ways to express our understanding and belief about who Jesus was in his time and is today. If you haven’t thought about Jesus beyond his name in a while, about who he really is and why he is relevant to our lives, then allow St. Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, who lived from 297 to 373 AD, to offer a point to ponder today. Athanasius held firmly to and taught with conviction that Jesus is, “the Son of God [who] became man so that we might become God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 480). This statement is an acknowledgment that we cannot be saved on our own merits, through our own will power, and discipline alone. We become the fullness, we actualize who we are created to be, through our participation in the divinity of Jesus the Christ.

The reality that Jesus, fully human, is at the same time the second Person of the Holy Trinity, became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity is something worth meditating upon and praying about. There is much writing and discussion about how many people are leaving the Church, while at the same time so many are still hungry, starving, for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. This is true for those who leave as well as those who remain whether either could or would articulate it in that way. Could it be that we have forgotten the foundation not only of our faith, but that we are followers of Jesus Christ?

By returning periodically to the words of St. Athanasius, meditating upon and praying with them, we just might remember who and whose we are. In this way, we will not have to face what lies before us this day alone. Jesus who healed the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda, is reaching out his hand to us today as well. He is inviting us to take his hand and allow him to lead us to experience his healing touch and divinity which we crave to experience.

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Painting by Greg Olsen

Mass readings for Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Jesus is willing to come close to us, do we want to be healed?

Has there ever been a time when you were picked last for the team, whether on the playground, P.E., or gym class? I remember being on both sides, being picked last, and picking others to join and having to pick someone last. I preferred being chosen last rather than having to be in the situation to choose a classmate last. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus comes upon a man who has experienced an even worse situation.

This man had been in need of healing for thirty-eight years. Apparently, there was a limited time to get into the waters of the pool at Bethesda to experience the healing properties that it afforded, for each time the water stirred, while the man moved to get closer to and enter the water, “someone else [got] down there before” him. This is worse than getting picked last, as he doesn’t in a sense even make the team!

But with Jesus, the last shall become first. Key ingredients are belief, faith, and a willingness to be healed. Jesus does not impose, even in the case of healing, Jesus invites. He asks the sick man, “Do you want to be well?” When the man in need of healing explains the limitations he has experienced in the past regarding getting to the pool, Jesus does not hesitate. Jesus commands him to rise, pick up his mat and walk. The man is no longer the one picked over, the one ignored, the one unseen. The sick man encounters Jesus and is healed by his word.

Jesus approaches us in the same way that he encountered the sick man by the pool of Bethesda in today’s Gospel. Jesus meets us in our need, where we are, no matter our station in life. He does not leave us on the outside looking in, he does not leave us wondering if we are loved or if we belong. He does not only come to encounter us but if we are willing, to forgive, heal, and empower us to be about the mission given to us by his Father. Jesus gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Each and every one of us is a gift from God and has been graced with something to contribute to others, something unique to help make the kingdom of God a reality.

I invite you to enter a place of silence and stillness, without and within. Settle into a place with no or little distractions, breathe in deep and exhale a few times, one deep breath for each person of the Trinity, and then close your eyes. See your self as you are in your present seated position, breathing, experiencing your shoulders relaxing, and just being still. Then notice Jesus walking toward you as he did with the man at the pool of Bethesda.

Jesus is present, right here and right now, for you. There are no boundaries, no limitations, only those you impose on your self. You are no longer misunderstood, left out, or picked last. Jesus is present. Embrace the moment of knowing that you are loved, heard, and that you belong in the kingdom of God. The important question to answer is, “Do you want to be well?”

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Painting: close up of Head of Christ by Rembrandt

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, April, 1, 2025

Jesus has come to heal, do we believe?

We hear often in the Gospels how those who believed in Jesus received healings, exorcisms, and were forgiven of their sins. We have also read accounts such as from the Gospel of Matthew that he “did not work many mighty deeds” in Nazareth “because of their lack of faith” (Mt 13:58).

In today’s Gospel account from John, Jesus speaks to a royal official whose son is close to death. Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left (Jn 4:50). On his way home to his son the man is met by the slaves from his household and they told him that his son would live and when they compared notes, they realized the healing occurred at the moment Jesus spoke and the man believed.

What do faith and belief have to do with Jesus being active in our lives? The way of the Gospel, the good news, is all about invitation and acceptance. Jesus enters our world, our reality, gently and humbly. He came as a poor infant, completely dependent on Mary and Joseph for his very survival. He would live the majority of his life in the obscure village of Nazareth most likely working as a day laborer. When he begins his public ministry he does so by inviting people to be a part of his life, to enter into a relationship with him and his Father. People are free to say, “no” or to say, “yes” to that invitation.

Faith is trusting that what Jesus says is true and that he is who he says he is. Belief is the act of our will that aligns with our faith, our trust in him. Jesus invited the man to believe that his son was healed and the man believed and walked away with full confidence that his son would be healed. Belief is followed by an affirmative act of the will. I can believe my car will run, but unless I get in it and turn the key, I am not going anywhere.

This miracle was not just for the man and his son. As with each miracle, Jesus is teaching a lesson to those present. The preliminary statement to the people of Galilee is, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe” (John 4:48). This was a challenge to the man and to those present. The father believed Jesus and went on his way. Did the people who were seeking signs believe as the father did? Because this father did, his son was healed.

Jesus is fully human and fully divine. He has come to show us the promise of the life his and our Father wants to give to us. Jesus, the first born of the new creation, is collaborating with his Father: “To set right a world that has gone wrong” (Barron, 92). Jesus comes into our lives each day to show us a new way, a better way. Are we willing to walk the path of this new way with him and believe as did this man seeking a healing for his son?

Just as the sun rose this morning, Jesus is present to each and every one of us. Just as Jesus was present for this man and his son, so he is present to us as our divine healer, teacher, and savior. May we trust in Jesus with everything, may we thank him for everything, and may we surrender everything to Jesus who became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity.

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Painting: “I am one with the Father” by Greg Collins

Barron, Bishop Robert. Lenten Gospel Reflections. Word on Fire, 2020.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, March 31, 2025

Jesus helps us to repent, to prune, and to uproot so that we may receive the life of God within us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus presented the importance of repentance, of changing our minds and hearts, to turn away from our sins and to turn back to God. This means we need to acknowledge anything that we are placing before God. Anything or anyone that we place before God is going to be off the mark, for we are to seek God and his kingdom first and all else then has a better chance to be properly ordered as we grow in our relationship with God.

In our first reading, Moses is faced with an interesting sight, a bush on fire. The interesting feature is that this bush is not being burned. Moses draws closer and is welcomed by the voice of God to remove his sandals and approach. Moses does and God calls Moses further to go to Egypt to free his people. Although, we do not read in this account about Moses resistance to this invitation, Moses does resist but repents from his hesitation and lack of trust in God and follows his guidance. Because he does so, Moses frees the Hebrews from their slavery.

Jesus then in the Gospel of Luke has been sent as was Moses, but God to free us from our slavery to sin. He recalls to historical tragedies in which men from Galilee are horrifically and sacrilegiously killed at the hand of Pontius Pilate, and then tragically, how eighteen people were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. In both cases, Jesus stated that the reason for their deaths was not because of their sins while at the same time after relaying each account he shared with his listener’s: “If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did” (Luke 13:3, 5).

Just the prophetic rhetoric that causes the jaw to drop and the mind to be shaken awake. Jesus will follow with a gentler expression of the mercy of God by sharing the parable of a fig tree. The owner of the orchard wants to cut it down because it has born no fruit. The gardener appeals to the owner: “‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:8-9).

Jesus is the gardener who has asked to cultivate, prune, and weed. This is why since he began his public ministry he said, “This is the time of fulfillment, the kingdom of Heaven is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus’ mission is to help us to understand the importance and need to repent, to turn away from sin and turn back to God. He is inviting us to nothing less than “a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward evil actions we have committed” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1431).

Jesus does not define us by our worst mistakes, yet he also recognizes that we cannot just go along and do whatever we want to do on our own terms apart from God. In doing so, we will continue to not bear fruit because with each action and decision opposed to the will of God, the source and sustenance of our lives, our growth becomes stunted and disordered. Jesus meets us where we are, loves us as we are, and then cares enough to show us the branches that need to be pruned and the weeds that need to be uprooted. Are we willing to receive his love and nourishment? Are we willing to repent and begin to prune and uproot? If so, pray this prayer with me to Jesus.

Jesus, help me to recognize that your grace is sufficient and builds upon our nature. May we trust in you as our Divine Gardener to: prune our pride, that we may bear the fruit of humility; our envy, that we may bear the fruit of mercy; our anger, that we may bear the fruit of meekness; our greed, that we may bear the fruit of generosity; our lust, that we may bear the fruit of chastity; our gluttony, that we may bear the fruit of temperance; our sloth, that we may bear the fruit of diligence; and our sadness, that we may bear the fruit of joy.

Photo: One of our oaks struck by the tornado last year. The dead limbs were cut, branches pruned, and new life has begun.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, March 23, 2025

Lent is a time for reconciliation and to come home to the Father.

Those who edited the lectionary readings for the day chose to present the parable of the lost son and skip the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. This trilogy of parables is found in Luke chapter 15. Reading the three together allows us to get a better sense of what Jesus is showing. There is great joy in finding what has been lost, there is great joy in being found! Maybe we can recall something or someone that had been lost and then found, or have we ever experienced a time where we had been lost or separated, or a time when we have experienced a time of reconciliation from someone that we have been estranged from?

I was somewhere in the age range from about six to eight when I came to the realization that I was separated from my parents in the Enfield Mall in Connecticut. I believe it was close to Christmas and we were in the toy store. I must have become distracted by something interesting, and stayed to investigate, while my parents and sister continued on. At some point, I became aware of that fact. It did not take long for the anxiety and fear to rise within me and the tears to well up. I walked through a few isles with no success in finding my family and then I headed toward the entrance that led out into the main mall.

Before continuing on I remembered my mother telling me that if I ever got lost, that I was to stay where I was and she would find me. As I stood indecisively and wondering what to do, a woman noticed my predicament and led me to a stone bench outside the store. We sat and she stayed with me until my parents returned. I am sure the time of separation seemed a lot longer to me than the actual time, and much of the memory is fuzzy, but the anxiety of separation had an impact on me as did the relief and joy of reconciliation!

In my story as well as each of these parables, there is a great joy for that which has been lost and found. How many of us are not even aware of our separation from God or each other? While I was in my own world of material wonder, I was left behind. The son who had squandered every bit of the inheritance he asked of his father before his death, realized not so much that he had really messed up, but that he was in a dire situation, and he made the right decision to come back home. His father never stopped looking for him, he actually saw his son returning “while he was still a long way off” and “filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him” (Lk 15:20).

This father is not seeking his son to bow before him and prove his repentance, his loyalty, and allegiance. The father runs to his son without hesitation. This act is no small thing, for an elder to run to a younger family member was unheard of and simply not done. He was breaking this social taboo, most likely to redirect the focus away from his returning son; the one who had betrayed his father, the son who would receive glares and snide remarks. Instead, the father rushed out with a reckless abandonment of love to embrace his son. The jaw-dropping, followed by echoes of gossip surely rose in chorus about the father’s present actions, not his son’s past actions.

God is watching and waiting, seeking opportunities to run to us with compassion and love to welcome us home as the father did in the parable of the prodigal son. God is also like the shepherd who does the absurd in his outpouring act of love, leaving the ninety-nine sheep to go and find the one stray. God seeks each and every one of us just like that shepherd. God is represented by the woman who rejoices over finding one seemingly insignificant coin, for God rejoices in our turning back to him because not one of us is insignificant to him. We are all precious to God, each in our own unique way, and he loves us more than we can ever imagine.

No matter the reason that we have strayed, no matter the temptations and distractions we have fallen for, and/or how far we have wandered away, God loves us more than we can ever mess up. Lent is a season to open our eyes and recognize where we are in our relationship with God and with each other, to recognize the separation our choices have caused, and begin to turn back to God and those we are estranged from within our lives. There is indeed great joy in the healing of relationships and reconciliation! Lent is a time to be found, Lent is a time to come home.

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Painting: “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Esteban Murillo

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, March 22, 2025

We too are called and we too can be forgiven as Levi was.

Think about how good we feel after coming to be on the other side of healing from a bad cold or the flu, recovering from a twisted ankle, a broken collar bone, or other health conditions. If you have ever experienced an asthma attack or had the breath knocked out of you, it is such a relief to able to breathe fully again. We experience a feeling of wholeness that was missing during the midst of our suffering where we may have pondered a time or two whether or not we would ever get better.

The same can be said for estranged relationships. There is a distance of separation that can be agonizing, an inner gut-wrenching experience that gnaws away at us. We wonder if there can ever be a coming back together. When there is reconciliation, forgiveness, and amending of the brokenness of relationships, we can experience such a relief, lightness and joy that we never imagined possible while in the midst of the conflict, the silence, and the separation.

Sin our relationship with God and one another, and unchecked and unbridled sin can rupture those relationships. The Pharisees and the scribes questioned why Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, and Jesus replied: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (Lk 5:32).

Jesus is a light in the darkness. For Levi and his friends, who were following a path into darkness. Jesus shone his light in their darkness and they realized they could walk another path and they did. A great celebration of fellowship ensued in Levi’s home because these men and women, who had been outcasts, who were separated from the greater community were forgiven, welcomed, and embraced. They were loved by Jesus as they were. They did not have to change first for Jesus to call Levi and gather with them.

They were welcomed into the kingdom and reign of God. Their ticket to reconciliation and healing was accepting the invitation of Jesus, to receive and experience his love and welcome. Levi and the other sinners did not run from the light of Jesus, but were willing to recognize their need for healing, were willing to repent, to turn away from their prior ways of life and so were reborn!

They were divinized because of their willingness to participate in the life of Jesus. Levi chose not to just be a repentant sinner, but continued to follow Jesus. He gave his whole life to him and allowed himself to be transformed. He chose not to walk along the path of darkness anymore, but once seeing the light of Jesus continued to follow the Way. He continued to follow Jesus such that it was no longer he who lived, as Paul had experienced, but Christ who lived in him (cf. Galatians 2:20)!

Jesus invites us each day, as he invited Levi in today’s Gospel, to follow him. We are given the same invitation and opportunity for healing, discipleship, and transformation. Will we resist rationalizing and justifying our sinful thoughts, actions, and habits, welcome the light of Jesus that reveals our venial and mortal sins, and admit that we are in need of healing, and repent so to be forgiven and released from all the energy we have expended in protecting and hiding from ourselves and our God who loves us more than we can ever mess up?

Quietly spending time daily, especially in the evening and recalling our day, by asking Jesus to reveal to us those ways in which we have not lived according to his will is a wonderful practice. Jesus does not reveal our sins to us to condemn or shame us, he does so in the hope that we will identify, renounce, and confess them. Then he will forgive us. Even when uncovering deeply rooted and mortal sins, through the intimate encounter with Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation we will be forgiven and freed from these as well.

Jesus loves us as we are. Yet holding on to our sin, keeps us at a distance from experiencing the greater breadth and depth of his love. We only need to be willing to be contrite, to embrace sorrow for the harm we have inflicted with our personal sins, and go to the Divine Physician in our time of prayer and/or Reconciliation. Once absolved, the heavy weight is lifted and we are healed, we are better able to engage in penance to atone for our sins committed, better able to forgive others as we have been forgiven, and to love as we have been loved!