Lent affords us an opportunity to have the lens of our spiritual eyeglasses adjusted, to go from the nearsightedness of our spiritual vision to see the Christ who lives through us, and in us, and with us, the Christ who is in the poor and downtrodden, the Christ who is our neighbor, the Christ who is standing at the door of our hearts and souls, gently asking if we would so kindly let him in so that he can dwell with us.
I had the great privilege of being on pilgrimage in the Holy Land with my seminary classmates almost 11 years ago. We were given the opportunity to travel to the Holy Land with the seminary rector and some other seminarians. At the time, I was a transitional deacon, so I enjoyed exercising diaconal ministry at many of the holy places.
Every year as we begin the season of Lent, someone will ask me the question, “What are you giving up for Lent?” I could always remember from a very young age looking at Lent as a time in which you “gave something up.” What confused me, especially as I grew older, was why I would give something up that was not good for me and then, after 40 days, go back to it?
As a kid growing up, my parents instilled in me that all I needed to do to be happy and successful was to be myself. I could remember early in my life, especially in school, times in which I needed to be something else or “imitate” someone else to get attention, prestige or acclamations.
This year, St. Peter Claver Church celebrates its 100th year of establishment. The founding pastor, Servant of God Msgr. Bernard J. Quinn founded this church in honor of St. Peter Claver. This Jesuit missionary priest ministered to the Black slaves who were in Colombia. He dedicated his priestly ministry to ultimately become a slave among the slaves.
“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed!” What might happen if a latter-day Jonah were to stroll down Flatbush Avenue shouting something like that about Brooklyn?
God is going to call you. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, God is going to call you. Of that, faith gives me confidence. As for how or when or through whom, though, I don’t know!
We begin our Scripture reflection this weekend with David feeling conscious of the fact that he was comfortably staying in a lavish house while the Ark of the Covenant, where the Lord dwells, was inside a humble tent.
The Gospel this weekend invites us to take a closer look into the per- son and mission of John the Baptist. Last week we heard about him in the Gospel of Mark but this week we go deeper into the question of who he is. “He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” In other words, he will be the first to publicly witness that Jesus is the one they have been waiting for a long time. The Messiah.
We are encouraged this week to see things in a different way. It challenges us to empty ourselves like Jesus did so we might be able to empathize with the suffering of others. In doing so, we are able to connect and journey with them while giving us the opportunity to lift their gaze up to the one who can give us hope.
