On the Feast of St. Joseph, we  reflect on his courage in accepting the unique responsibilities entrusted to him by God.  This courage was bolstered by his trust in God and in God's plan.  Joseph didn't have to understand everything to be faithful to God's will.  His determination to love and protect Mary and Jesus is tied to his flexibility and detachment with respect to his own plans. 

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While Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving are the three traditional practices of Lent, prayer should take priority.  We learn from the example of Jesus who put prayer in the first place in his day.  Like Our Lord, we should make sacrifices in order to find time to pray.  Mental prayer is especially fruitful and important.  To raise our minds and hearts to God is restful and reminds us that God is our father and our great friend.  Lacking time for prayer is most often a lack of desire to pray or a failure to really grasp its importance.  To pray well, we should be totally open and sincere with God about our lives and everything happening in our heart. 

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St. Paul's letter to the Romans connects justification with a state of spiritual peace.  God's love for us should be a source of continual peace even amidst problems and turbulent times.  This takes an effort to grow in our faith and to evaluate everything in the light of faith.  Hope depends on the reality of God and his love.   Paul also sees God's love for us as a source of inner and resilient joy.  Knowing that God loves us is a fount of joy that we can tap into even when saddened or distressed by the sorrows of life. 

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At twelve years of age Jesus takes initiative and responsibility for his mission.  To be a man is to take life seriously.   Pleasure seeking and love of comfort will keep us from being true men.  Boredom is a symptom of selfishness and indifference to others.  Jesus invites us to join him in his work of redemption.  This takes growth in our own sense of maturity, self-control, responsibility, and initiative.  

Some of the examples in this meditation may not be suitable for younger children.  

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A theology class given for parents at Montrose School in January 2023.

If God is good and all of his creation is therefore good, what can "evil" possibly be?  The mysterious nature of evil and its connection to nothingness are important topics for Christian reflection.  By understanding evil's strange relationship with goodness and the true source of moral evil, we will be better equipped to recognize and reject it.

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Lent is a season of penance and prayer.  Voluntary denial of our bodies, souls, and our very selves strengthens our spiritual life.   Without silence, deep prayer is impossible.  Without mortification of our habitual distractions, interior silence is unattainable.  Above all, we should practice the denial of our ego.  Self-satisfaction, vanity, and pride can all coexist with other forms of mortification.  For Jesus to live in us and through us, the denial of our self-centeredness is indispensable. 

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Lent is a great opportunity for conversion.   Conversion is a deep change of mind and heart: to leave behind the wisdom of the world in order to have the mind of Christ.  The beatitudes are a call to conversion.  They contradict what the world considers as essential to a good life.  The first beatitude, "blessed are the poor in spirit" is particularly helpful for us in our often materialistic and consumerist culture.  Lent provides us with a season to practice detachment and to foster interior silence, making space for an encounter with God.  

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In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you."  What a difference it makes to know that Jesus is present within us!  Ours is a God who loves us, understands us, and wants to help us.  And he doesn't do this from a far distance, he is more present to us than we are to ourselves.   With him present in our soul, we need never be alone.  

The corporal works of mercy are the scorecard by which we will be judged at the final judgment.  Awareness and alleviation of the needs of others are essential components of Christian life.  Our modern lifestyle and society often hides the most needy from us.  To help others who really need it, we have to be intentional and to fight against our tendency to comfort and self-seeking.  When we commit to Charity, we experience God more intensely, enjoy a peaceful conscience, and often benefit even more  than those we are helping.  

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