These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ (Lk 18:9-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030924.cfm
The Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”) is an ancient prayer of Christian spirituality and comes from the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Desert Fathers and Mothers recommended the Jesus Prayer to their disciples and bequeathed its profound simplicity to us. The heart of all prayer is the name of Jesus. As the Catechism reminds us: The Hail Mary reaches its high point in the words “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus” (CC 435).
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mk 12:28-34)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030824.cfm
It’s always risky asking Jesus questions . . . you usually get more than you bargained for. Which is the first of all the commandments? Jesus takes two verses from different books of the Bible and puts them together . . . love God and love neighbor. Loving God is a cinch . . . it’s the loving neighbor part that trips us up! Looks like we’re going to be working on love of neighbor not only every day of Lent but for the rest of our lives!
Thus says the LORD: This is the nation that does not listen to the voice of the LORD, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech. (Jer 7:23-28)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030724.cfm
“Selective hearing” is a universal problem that can have eternal consequences. Perhaps that’s why Lent patiently calls us to LISTEN: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts (Psalm 95).
Moses spoke to the people and said: “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live . . . Take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children's children." (Dt 4:1, 5-9)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030624.cfm
As the old grandpa said, “When we stop remembering, we forget.” It is important to remember the graces we have received and to tell them to the next generation.
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. (Mt 18:21-35)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030524.cfm
Peter asks the $64,000 question: how often must I forgive? Of course it’s an excellent question for those of us who like to measure forgiveness. Thank goodness the Lord isn’t as stingy with us as we are with others!
