THURSDAY 2ND WEEK
Bernadette Corso C ‘14

Remember the Lord and You Will Never Forget

“I, the LORD, alone probe the mind and test the heart…” Jeremiah 17: 10

Every morning, each person wakes up to a world full of challenges, distractions, and worries that they need to face each day. Sometimes, our day-to-day lives can seem like a blur as we try to accomplish all of our duties and goals. It is easy to get caught up in all of these things, working so hard to accomplish all of these goals that sometimes we can forget to do some of the most important things in life. In this week’s gospel, Jesus teaches that the things we don’t do are just as important as the things we do. The rich man of the parable learns too late, that, consumed by his wealth and splendor, he failed to be compassionate and generous throughout his life, and as a result, is suffering after his death.

Even in our failings, God is willing to cross the chasm that we have created between us and Him through the sacrifice of his precious Son, Jesus. Through his death, Jesus restores the communion with God that we lost due to original sin, showing us his endless mercy and proving that love will always conquer evil.

As we go through our daily lives, it is important for us to remember God in all that we do, because He is the person who will help us remember to do all things with love. Try to make everything you do a gift to Him.

Lord, fill our hearts with your spirit and love, so that we may always have eyes open to see your will clearly, and the courage to follow it. Amen.

Jer 17: 5-10, Ps 1: 1-4, 6, Lk 16: 19-31

WEDNESDAY 2ND WEEK
Zak Barry Sem. C ‘14

Hide Yourself in the Lord’s Service

“You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” Matthew 20: 22

The disciples are learning to desire the kingdom of God, but like ourselves, they are slow learners. James and John have come to believe in the Lord and in His message, but not yet understanding it fully, they come to Jesus with a bizarre request – to have the places of honor in the Lord’s kingdom.

It is a noble thing that they are coming to see the greater value in the life to come than in being honored here on earth, but they have yet to learn the greater value of service – a lesson that all disciples of the Lord must learn, as evidenced by the indignation of the other ten.

Jesus calls them all to Himself and outlines the difference between his kingdom and those of the Gentiles: “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall by your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.” These words He will make eminently clear to them later in his passion and death, offering his life as a sacrifice for many.

This sacrificial service is foreshadowed in Jeremiah, who is persecuted by the people of Jerusalem seeking to destroy him. But Jeremiah steadfastly turns to the Lord, pleading Him to “remember that I stood before [Him] to speak on their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them.”

Only by such selfless service of righteousness and truth, as displayed by Jeremiah and by the Lord Himself, will make us sharers in the kingdom of God – acts motivated by genuine love of God and love of neighbor.

Mary, loving mother, be at my side always teaching me to love as you loved, serving others without counting the cost. As the mother of James and John came before the Lord to intercede on their behalf, bring my prayer before your divine son, not that I may be kept the place of honor in his kingdom,
but that I may have the grace to serve Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, even to my final breath. Amen.

Jer 18: 18-20, Ps 31: 5-6, 14-16, Mt 20: 17-2

TUESDAY 2ND WEEK
Brian Baldini C ‘13

Humble Beginnings

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever
 humbles himself will be exalted” Matthew 23: 12

Without humility in our daily lives, we cannot be fully devoted to Christ. This was the downfall of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospels. Jesus made it clear to us all that preaching without practicing makes a man nothing more than a hypocrite.
There is no better time than Lent to examine ourselves and see if we are living humbly. To be Christ-like is to be humble, as he practiced his teachings through the very end when he humbly sacrificed himself for all of humanity. Humility is a habit that cannot be turned on and off. We must live humbly every day, not forgetting we are the servants of God. As we perform our Lenten duties like abstinence from meat, fasting, and giving alms, we should do so quietly and discreetly. Let us not seek praise or recognition. God is the only person who needs to know. When struggling to be humble, it helps to recall those few scriptural words heard when receiving ashes to mark the beginning of the Lenten journey: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Lord, Grant me the grace to be humble as your son was.
 Fill me with humility so I may love others more than myself.
 Allow me to do your work without desire for praise and glory. Amen.

Is 1: 10, 16-20, Ps 50: 8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23, Mt 23: 1-12

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK
Eamonn Clark C ‘14

Meeting God

“You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
John 12: 8

It would seem as if today’s gospel tells us that “the poor” do not need to be taken care of. Of course, Jesus understands the needs of the poor and gives us commands to help them. Why does he not agree with Judas then? Jesus responds the way he does not only because perhaps he knows the intentions of Judas, but also because the action of Mary is perfectly well ordered and due: no other use of the oil could be better than to anoint the Christ in preparation for his death (and eventually during his burial). Surely it would have been meritorious to sell the oil and give the money away to those in need, but Mary has an extraordinary opportunity to show her charity directly to God rather than through others. Here is God right in front of her! Her action is one of pure worship, which is not opposed to temporal activism (like aiding the poor) but instead complements and perfects it. This opportunity is also fleeting, while the poor we “will always have” and will need more money each day.

When God comes very near to us, it is best to put all of our efforts toward sincere self-emptying and worship after the example given to us by Mary. Perhaps what we will offer God is not manifested by precious oil, but maybe it is our total trust, our time, our talents, or something else.

Lord God, help me to realize your presence and to draw close to it. Fix my whole heart, mind, and soul upon Yourself that I may love You sincerely. Amen.

Is 42: 1-7, Ps 27: 1-3, 13-14, Jn 12: 1-11

MONDAY 2ND WEEK
Caitlin Kerwin C ‘13

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

“Let the groaning of the imprisoned come in before you; in accord
 with the greatness of your arm preserve those doomed to die.” Psalm 79: 11

This verse reminds me that we are all imprisoned by our sins, and God is the only One who can free us. During Lent we are reminded that God sent His only son to die for us and open the gates of Heaven. God is the light at the end of the tunnel. We should all be striving for Heaven, but we can only be on the right path if we follow God’s will. God can free us from the worldly distractions and lead us to a prosperous life that leads to an eternity with Him. Those who are imprisoned (all of us) must ask God to lead us to do His will so that our souls may be preserved and we might have eternal life in Heaven.

Lord, Help me to see your light in the world and follow your will. Preserve my soul so that I may live forever with You. Please help me
 to give up my worldly needs so that I may love You more entirely. Amen.

Dn 9: 4b-10, Ps 79: 8-9, 11, 13, Lk 6:36-38

SECOND SUNDAY
Deacon Jeremy Freehill Sem. C ‘13

Can You Take Me Higher?

"It is well that we are here.” Luke 9: 33

Peter, James, and John saw our Lord’s glory. The glory of Jesus' divinity manifested through the sacred humanity he had assumed, and the disciples desired to stay with Jesus on the mountain. However, neither Jesus, nor the disciples, could stay. This is because Jesus had to suffer, die, and then rise. He had to accomplish the Father's will and so redeem fallen mankind. The disciples, for their part, had to suffer too. They would have to witness their master being brutally killed, but also become witnesses of his resurrection and so proclaim Christ's victory over sin and death to all the world, even amidst persecution. This suffering thus meant that they would have to accept and carry their own crosses, as they not only watch him suffer, but also endure persecution and trials for proclaiming the truth. And so he gave them this graced moment of his Transfiguration. He gave them this mountaintop experience of his divinity and love to strengthen their faith, so that they would ultimately remain faithful to him.
In our lives, we too have moments where it seems we are on the mountain with Jesus. We can sense his presence and experience his holiness and love. This may have been while offering ourselves to Him at Holy Mass, after receiving him in Holy Communion, in our personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, or personal prayer in our room. A moment of grace given by our Lord to bolster our faith in him, so that we too may ultimately remain faithful in carrying the particular crosses we posses. Yes, there are trials, temptations, and even persecutions that come our way, but Jesus will always help us to be faithful. He offers us the graces necessary to be his saints and one day behold his glory for all eternity in Heaven.

Dear Jesus, please draw me ever closer to you and grant me a greater faith in your divinity as my Lord and my God. I desire a stronger faith that will not waver in the face of suffering. So take me up on the mountain with you, so that after I come down, I can endure with you any suffering that will come my way. Amen.

Gn 15: 5-12, 17-18, Ps 27: 1, 7-9, 13-14, Phil 3: 17-4:1, Lk 9: 28b-36

SATURDAY 1ST WEEK
Jeff Abel
Director of the Office of Social Justice

Forgive and … Embrace?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you”
 Matthew 5: 44

Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew offers quite the challenge to each of us, and as it is pointed out, one that is counter to how many of us live. It’s inevitable that over the course of our lifetimes we will be wronged by others (just as we will inevitably do wrong to others), and what we've been taught is to ‘forgive and forget.’ Often, it’s not the event or situation that we forget, it’s those involved; we work to write those individuals out of our lives completely. But in today’s Gospel reading, we are reminded of our call to love people more fully, regardless of situation or circumstance. The very people we are challenged by most – those who we find hardest to care about – are those we must embrace closer. Maybe it’s those who have hurt us in the past, maybe it’s a college roommate with whom we aren't necessarily compatible, or maybe it’s those who we find in the fringes of our society. To embrace them means to embrace Christ’s call to love.
Loving as Christ did isn't simply done by recognizing Christ in ourselves and sharing it, it is also done by recognizing Christ in those individuals and situations around us. As we stay attentive to His presence in our lives and the lives of others with much prayer and much persistence, our hearts and our world will be filled with more love and less hate and apathy.

God of love and God of peace, we pray that you may guide us
 in our discipleship of love. Help us see your face, your hands, and your heart in those around us, and lead us to lives where your love can show through our thoughts,
 our actions, and our words, even when it is most challenging. Amen.

Dt: 26: 16-19, Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8, Mt 5: 43-48