From the Pastor – Second Sunday of Lent

From the Pastor – Second Sunday of Lent – February 25, 2018

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) posts notes regarding all the Books of the Bible. In its introduction to Paul’s Letter to the Romans (our Second Reading), the USCCB says, “Of all the letters of Paul, that to the Christians at Rome has long held pride of place. It is the longest and most systematic unfolding of the apostle’s thought, expounding the gospel of God’s righteousness that saves all who believe; it reflects a universal outlook.”

Paul’s Letter to the Romans is in fact the longest of his letters in the New Testament (Romans is more than 7,000 words; that is much shorter, of course, than the shortest Gospel, Mark, which is still more than 11,000 words.) However, as stated by the Bishops, the Letter to the Romans explained in a more detailed way Paul’s theology and spirituality than any other letter.

Regardless the length, today’s reading contains a statement with which many of us are familiar, but which has great meaning: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The significance of that is that if we are on the side of righteousness, which should be a major goal of our Lenten experience, there should be nothing to threaten us.

We understand that we will be judged. Paul’s point is if we are judged “not guilty” by God, who can bring an additional charge with any merit? Or, if Jesus is our advocate, promoting our benefit, then who can condemn us? This is the time to place our trust in God, and in His love.

Pastoral Pondering

Since New Year’s Day a group of men in the parish has been participating in Exodus 90 and a group of women in Proverbs 90. The purpose of both is to help those participating focus on what Scripture calls “the higher gifts” (1 Cor. 12). It is very easy for us to get caught up in the “things of the world” (1 John 2:15) and to forget those things that are eternally important.

In the men’s program, participants receive daily email messages with a passage from the book of Exodus and a brief reflection. The meditation for Day 45 focused on the Sense of the Sacred. In Exodus 19:1-15 the Lord instructs Moses to teach the people of how they are to prepare for their encounter with Him at Sinai. The people are to wash themselves and their clothes, fast, and pray. They are also warned not to come close to the mountain or even touch it under pain of death. They are also told that they are to be God’s “own possession”.

In the reflection, the writer ponders how important it is to realize a sense of the sacred in our lives, especially in the way in which we approach Holy Mass and the House of God. The Israelite took great pains to observe God’s instructions to Moses. We too are called to realize that what we do at Mass is different from anything else that we do in the world.

Unlike the Israelites who were forbidden to even touch the mountain, we are invited to actually receive God into ourselves through the Eucharist. However, we have to be mindful that such an august gift requires an appropriate response on our part. How we prepare to assist at the Holy Sacrifice should be no less important for us than preparing for their encounter was for the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. This is the point of the meditation I mention above. As the meditation’s author points out:

“Americans have lost the sense of the sacred. Rarely do we stand in awe before the Lord and ponder our insignificance before Him.  Consider for a moment our own parish Churches; in most places, the days are gone when people treated the sanctuary with great sensitivity and respect; days when people rarely entered the sanctuary unless properly vested and prepared. The Hebrew people were advised to wash their garments and prepare to receive the Lord. Today, grown men can be see attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass ungroomed, wearing flip flops, shorts and a tank top and, God forbid, if they are questioned or challenged about their appearance, they scowl and are incensed, demanding they not be judged. ‘At least I am here,’ is the shallow defense presented.

In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we are presented to God, who abides spiritually in the Sacred Scriptures and substantially in the Eucharist, present “under the appearance of bread and wine”. A Catholic who desires the relationship given above, to be “my own possession” as God said above, will properly discern what is before him and will humbly present himself to the Lord properly prepared and as ready as he can be. Anything else is an offense against God and is a sacrilege!”

Over the next few weeks, I will be writing about different aspects of reverence that will help us all more fruitfully experience our encounter with God.