4th Sunday of Lent March 15, 2-015
Two Irish mothers, Kate and Lorna were talking about their sons. ‘My Frances is such a saint says Kate. He’s kinda like the Pope, he works hard, doesn’t smoke, and he hasn’t so much as looked at a woman in over two years.’
Lorna responds, ‘Well, my Patrick is a saint himself. Not only hasn’t he not looked at a woman in over three years, but he hasn’t touched a drop of Guinness or liquor in all that time.’
‘My word,’ says Kate, ‘You must be so proud.’ ‘I am,’ said Lorna, Lord have Mercy I am so blessed. In fact my Parish is throwing a big St Patrick’s party Sunday afternoon. We are so excited we just heard he will be paroled in time to attend and I am bringing along a six pack of Guinness.’
Even when we are dead to our transgressions:
Listen again to Paul to the Ephesians. God who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ — by grace we have been saved.
On March 14, 2015, Pope Frances in his sermon said, “no one can be excluded from the mercy of god”. How many of us have heard Pope Frances has declared next year to be an Extraordinary Jubilee, a Holy year of Mercy? It will begin on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and will come to an end on November 20, 2016, the date when the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King.
Mercy and Grace
Mercy and Grace, the Catholic’s Church’s counter punches to judgment and sin.
In the reading from 2 Chronicles we hear of the infidelity and abominations of the people of the nations polluting the Lord’s temple. We hear the messengers of God were despised, scoffed at and rejected by the people. And we are told the destination to which the people were carried – captives to Babylon.
Chronicles gives us a very graphic picture of humankind’s ability to fall deeper and deeper into sin and away from the practice of faith.
Bronze Serpent Mounted on a Pole – Look Up!
But to top this all off in the Gospel we are reminded about the story of our nature in the desert. It went by fast and we might have missed it. On the way out of slavery to the Promised Land the people Israel, once again lacking in faith and trust in Moses leadership became disgusted and loudly complained. The people complaining were being bitten by poisonous snakes and they cried out to be saved. God commanded Moses to mount on a pole a bronze serpent. Snake bitten Israelite’s who were repentant were and looked up at the bronze serpent on the pole would recover.
So must the Son of man be lifted up so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
The World preferred darkness to Light:
This is the truth, the light came into the world. The world preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. Everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.
Why does man keep secret the location of their evils acts and hide their faces?
One may ask, why does ISSIS video record the evil they are engaging in and broadcast it to the world? Perhaps the more profound question is! Why do they seek to keep secret the location of their evil acts and cover and hide their faces? Whoever lives the truth comes to the light so his works can be seen as done in God.