Welcome
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.
Saturday of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lent, April 9
I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Ez 39:21-28)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040922.cfm
The promise of a covenant of peace has been fulfilled in the peace Christ has won for us by the blood of his cross. The challenge of course is to find our way to that peace in our world, to live as one people, putting an end to all division. And so we ask the prayers of the Theotokos (the Mother of God) for the Ukrainian people and for the people of Russia. In the video, English subtitles appear at 5:38.
Media
Friday, Week V, Lent
I hear the whisperings of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!” All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. “Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.” The LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just who probe mind and heart. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked! (Jer 20:10-13)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040822.cfm
“Holy Week pain, Easter hope in Ukraine” is an excellent article by Jesuit Father Tom Reese who talks about an experience he shared with our young friend, Chris Smith, S.J., when they attended the Divine Liturgy at the Ukrainian Catholic Shrine of the Holy Familly in Washington, D.C. Chris is from the Basilica of Saint Lawrence parish in Asheville. We carry the Ukrainian people with us this Holy Week. https://religionnews.com/2022/04/05/holy-week-pain-easter-hope-ukraine/
Media
Thursday, Week V, Lent
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: “My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. (Gen 17:3-9)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040722.cfm
Jews, Christians, Moslems . . . we all look to Abraham as “our father in faith.” We pray for the Ukrainian people who are also children of Abraham.
Media
Wednesday, Week V, Lent
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:31-42)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040622.cfm
We know that Jesus is the Truth that sets us free. And like the three youths in the fiery furnace, we praise God for our salvation. “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestors,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.” We pray for the deliverance of Ukraine. Glory and praise for ever!
Media
Tuesday, Week V, Lent
So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM. (Jn 8:21-30)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040522.cfm
The mystery of the Cross draws closer and the revelation of God’s glory in Christ. And the promise—all who look upon him will be saved. I AM is the name of God revealed to Moses on the mountain.
Media
Monday, Week V, Lent
Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while teaching in the treasury in the temple area. But no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. (Jn 8:12-20)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040422.cfm
The “hour” referred to in the passage is the hour of Jesus’ glorification on the Cross. In ancient times this last section of Lent was called Passiontide. We pray that God will deliver the Ukrainian people from their sufferings.
V SUNDAY of LENT
Forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus. (Phil 2:8-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040322-YearC.cfm
We are on a journey . . . to the Easter (Pascha) that never ends. The key to this journey as Saint Paul tells us is “forgetting what lies behind, but straining forward to what lies ahead.” The stories of the Woman Caught in Adultery and of the conversion of Saint Paul remind us that the encounter with Jesus changes everything. May the Ukrainian people keep their eyes on the prize.
