This blog follows traditional one-year lectionaries.

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Lent I- Matthew 4

The Gospel this Sunday is the familiar story of Christ’s great fast and temptation from St. Mathew 4:1-11. After Jesus’ Baptism, He withdrew to the Judean wilderness for a period of devotion. At the close of His days of prayer and fasting, the Tempter sought to catch him in a moment of weakness. Satan used appealing lures and even tried to confuse matters by quoting Scripture.

Of course, Jesus of Nazareth rejected the temptations of the devil. He knew that it was wrong to serve Satan for any reason. Jesus chose to live on the earth in the ways His heavenly Father wished. He would not turn away from those principles despite attacks or misunderstandings. He would remain steadfast even when it meant rejection by the crowds and death on the Cross. In certain respects, the Temptation of Christ was unique. No one else has ever been so innocent and resisted temptation so completely. He defeated Satan's temptations on our behalf.

Yet, although Christ is unique, in certain respects, His temptations are similar to those of every other human being. So the story of His basic temptations applies to all of us. Temptations are rooted in the needs of human life. All human beings seek some degree of physical or material comfort. All human beings have some natural desire for approval from other people. All of us want some control over our surroundings.

The problem is that these natural needs and desires can draw us away from God and His intentions for human life. So we must be vigilant and disciplined. We must struggle to remain loyal to divine principles in all areas of life.  And we can only remain faithful through the grace and assistance of Jesus Christ each day. Through the Word, Sacrament, and prayer. He can strengthen us in our weaknesses and in our temptations. And although we stumble, He helps the faithful to repent, arise, and keep walking with Him by faith.


Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The First Day of Lent, commonly called Ash Wednesday- Matthew 6

The keys to observing Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent are found in the Scripture lessons for the day. These lessons stress the spiritual aspects of fasting and repentance. The Gospel from St. Matthew 6 makes it clear that a disciple's attitude is key. Our Lord assumes that His followers will fast. However, they are not to be hypocritical or ostentatious. Therefore, as we think of this Lenten season, let us focus on devotion to almighty God. External acts of devotion can be useful, but the main point is laying up treasure in heaven through faith in Christ.

So as we begin Lent, let us focus on our devotion to God and our understanding of Christ’s journey toward the Cross. We do need some outward disciplines.. Increasing our prayer time and Bible study is important. Giving up or decreasing some food, drink, entertainment, or purchases can be useful reminders. Giving more money or time to charity is valuable. These and other practices can be expressions of faith and renewal. But the most important thing about Lent is our attitude. In all we think, say, and do, let us humbly repent, focus on our Lord Jesus Christ, and respond to Him with living faith.


Sunday, February 11, 2024

Pre-Lent: Quinquagesima- Luke 18

This Sunday, Quinquagesima, is the fiftieth day before Easter and the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The Gospel from St. Luke 18 talks about Christ's Way of the Cross. It also shows us two kinds of blindness. The blind beggar by the Jericho road is blind physically. He has faith in Jesus and is healed quickly. The twelve closest disciples, however, have a problem with spiritual blindness. They think that Jesus is the Messiah, but they have not yet understood His way of being the Messiah. They have not yet come to see that He is the Suffering Servant who redeems others through His afflictions. It will take longer to cure them of their blindness. Only by following Him through the difficult days that lead to the Cross and Empty Tomb will they come to appreciate the true nature of His ministry.

As we approach the beginning of Lent, we can apply this Gospel to ourselves. Have we been spiritually blind? Have we seen the necessity of Christ's suffering and death for our redemption? And are we willing to follow Jesus Christ along the difficult Way of the Cross? Only God's grace working through the Word and the Holy Ghost can open our spiritual eyes to the redeeming work of Christ in His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. 

Sunday, February 04, 2024

Pre-Lent: Sexagesima- Luke 8

The Second Sunday before Lent or Sexagesima (Latin- "sixtieth") continues to lead us to prepare for greater efforts in faith and action. But although we must strive for greater efforts, the Collect reminds us that we "put not our trust in any thing that we do." We depend upon God's power, His grace, in all things.

In the Epistle from II Corinthians 11:19-31, St. Paul responds to those Corinthians who do not appreciate his message and mission. They seem to be looking for a leader who is wise or strong in worldly terms. Rather than engage in a debate about his strengths, the apostle Paul ironically glories in his weaknesses. By doing so, he does two things. 1) He actually does point out some of the important ways in which he has served the Gospel. 2) He emphasizes the glory and grace of God. The Apostle teaches that believers are called to serve the Lord in, through, and despite their weaknesses, and then leave the rest to God.

The Gospel from St. Luke 8:4-15 is one of the accounts concerning the Parable of the Sower. This story occurs in three of the Gospels, This Parable is also special because in the text Christ Himself develops an allegorical interpretation. Sometimes, a distinction is made between parable and allegory. In such a distinction, a parable is a brief story that illustrates one key point while an allegorical interpretation develops more symbolic details.

Thus, one can say that the Parable of the Sower points out that the seed (the Word of God) is sown in different soils but still produces much fruit. The allegorical interpretation goes on to look at the different circumstances where the Word of God is received. Understandably. we often want to focus on what kind of soil we are or how we might become more receptive soil. From an individual perspective, our receptivity is something to consider. However, the point of the text does not seem to be primarily about our personal receptivity. In other words, the main point is Christ's ministry and about how His followers can assist in that ministry. The seed has to be sowed; the Word has to be spread. The great Sower and His helpers have a job to do, and they are to spread the Word regardless of the response it receives in diverse circumstances. Although every hearer will not produce good results, some will, and those will produce abundantly.