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.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 34)
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032026.cfm
As the church teaches us, violence and war is never the answer to human problems. With the current war many innocent people are suffering. Scripture tells us that God is near to the brokenhearted. Maybe those who cause the violence had better pay attention. Today's picture is of the Peace Angel I made from pieces of broken pottery at the Yoko Ono NO WAR Exhibition at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, in 2024.
Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. (Mt 1, 16. 18-21. 24)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031926.cfm
Although Scripture doesn’t record a single word from Saint Joseph, his faith speaks loudly through his actions. https://youtu.be/f5RLChQZz-M?si=OggjM57HioHsAgcQ
But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. (Is 49:8-15)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031826.cfm
Feminine images of God sometimes surprise us with tender ferocity. Those of us who were raised by single moms have always known that God watches over us like a mother bear! https://youtu.be/uatCU8QzdyA?si=VyhWLr35M2zLl-am
I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the right side of the temple, south of the altar. (Ez 47:1-9, 12)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031726.cfm
The church has always seen the water flowing from the temple as a sign of the baptismal waters. As we prepare to renew our baptismal promises at Easter together with all the newly baptized, let us touch that water again and ask the Lord to grant healing to this broken world and to lead us in the way of peace. Saint Patrick reminds us that we were baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. https://youtu.be/6IbSGCvSTsE?si=mqBXnyipVdqVdaMb
Thus says the LORD: Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. (Is 65:17-21)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031626.cfm
A new heavens and a new earth would mean nothing if God didn’t make us brand new too. And God chooses not to remember the past, but instead chooses to make us a joy and a delight. We should not confuse the Israel of the Bible with the State of Israel today. The Jerusalem of the prophet is not so much a place, as people. It is God dwelling with us. https://youtu.be/MGNU0Wz2ors?si=VIZawpCseJot-Mav
