Category Archives: Lent

March 8, 2015

4th Sunday of Lent – For God So Loved the World

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Image converted using ifftoany

Study:  When have I experienced a profound moment of love?  How did that moment change my life?

Pray:  Ask for the grace to embrace and share God’s love with others.   Today.

Serve:  How might I put my love into action for another?  How might I show someone the love I have in my heart?

Pastoral Note: The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent provide an option for using the “Year A” readings at Mass for the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process.  At the Cathedral this year, we will be using Year A during these weeks for this very reason – but for those who follow the usual cycle the reflection is offered below.

4th Sunday of Lent Readings – Year B

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast – Year B

Do you ever wonder just how great God’s love really is?  How amazing?  How awesome?  I keep thinking about different analogies that show the reality of divine love when compared to human understanding.

For example:  If my entire awareness of God’s love could be viewed, it would be like a drop of water – compared to the Pacific Ocean of God’s love.  Or a grain of sand – compared to the Sahara Desert.  Or a single blade of grass – compared to the Midwest Prairie.

The fact is, there is no comparison that can truly show the height, depth, power, or magnitude of the love of God.  No analogy, no image, no description can do it justice…yet we can use our limited language to give us a hint:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  (John 3:16-17)

This is God’s demonstration of love.  Look at a Cross; listen to the Stations; read the Passion.  The love of God is not words or clever thoughts.  The love of God is manifest through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – out of love for us.

The question is – Do we believe it?  Do we accept in our hearts that this love is for us?  Do we live with the conviction that God values us, cherishes us, treasures us, forgives us, and loves us with this sort of intensity?

If we do believe, then our lives are forever changed.  If we receive these words and open our hearts, then God will come and transform us.  The Lord’s power is that great; once we say “Yes” to Christ we begin a process that will draw us steadily closer to God and one another.

We have heard these words so often that we can take them for granted.  We can overlook their meaning and miss the point.  Lent gives us time to search into our hearts and recognize this love for what it is – God’s way of calling us home.

May we be ready to respond!

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Lent, Podcast

March 3, 2015

3rd Sunday of Lent – Cleaning House

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

garage

Study:  What needs to be cleaned up in your life?  What “messes” require care and attention?

Pray: Invite the Lord into your heart and ask him for the grace and strength to cast out what does not belong.

Serve:  How can you help someone clean up a part of their life?

Pastoral Note: The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent provide an option for using the “Year A” readings at Mass for the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process.  At the Cathedral this year, we will be using Year A during these weeks for this very reason – but for those who follow the usual cycle (this year it is “Year B”) the reflection is offered below.

3rd Sunday of Lent Readings – Year B

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast – Year B

About this time of year I start getting the itch to dig and clean out old items around the house. I start in those areas where things usually pile up, namely – CLOSETS! (You know, those places where we throw things that we are not sure if we need…)

I pull them out and ask a simple question, “Have I touched this in the last two years? Have I needed it, used it, thought about it? Or can I get rid of it?”
Sometimes we hold on to items (clothes for example) that we simply do not need. We do not use them, and they occupy and clutter space that takes away from other things. Since I am not generally a pack rat, I find this time of year refreshing; it is a way that I can simplify my life and focus on what I think is important.

In John’s Gospel we see Jesus doing his sort of house cleaning. Entering into the temple with a whip of cords, he systematically drives out those who are treating the temple like a marketplace. It is a rare glimpse of the Lord’s anger, and it reminds us of his passion and zeal for the House of God.

Yet we are reminded that buildings are not the only temples where God resides. St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” If the Lord was willing to drive out inappropriate behavior from the temple in Jerusalem, what will he drive out when he enters the temple of our hearts?

To help us, God provided the Commandments – that we might avoid the very things that harm us.  The first reading today proclaims these commandments, reminding us that God has provided a path to help us on our journey through life.  What’s more, these commandments reveal with swift clarity what is does not belong; they point out the very sins that can keep us from the Lord and one another.

In our moments of honesty we know that there are elements that need to be cast out. Sin is a part of our human condition, and all of us have fallen short of God’s grace in our thoughts, words, and deeds. We know that if the Lord were to come into our hearts he would discover secrets and fears that keep us from God and one another.

The point, however, is that God has come! The Lord Jesus, through his death and resurrection, comes through the Holy Spirit into our world. His victory over sin and death give us hope that we may have eternal life. We need not fear the darkness in our hearts; we can offer it to the light of Christ.

The Scriptures tell us that we are a temple. Experience tells us that within this temple there is sin. Yet faith tells us that not only will Jesus come driving out evil, but he will make a place to dwell there within our hearts. You see, it’s his house, too.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Lent, Podcast

February 24, 2015

2nd Sunday of Lent – Transfiguration and Sacrifice

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Transfiguration

Study:  Recall a sacrifice you have made recently.  What was it about this sacrifice that revealed your values and priorities?

Pray:  Ask the Lord for the grace to serve with your whole heart.  Pay attention to anything that is holding you back.

Serve:  Is there someone in your life who is struggling with priorities right now?  How can you help them?

2nd Sunday of Lent Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

What do you think is worth a personal sacrifice?  What would you be willing to give up for someone or something you believe in?

We learn a lot about ourselves by what we are willing to sacrifice.  Our values, personal convictions, and priorities all come into focus with the simple phrase:

Can you give that up?

We make sacrifices all the time.  Some are simple, others complex; some are demanding while others are the act of a moment.  Yet sacrifices reveal the depth of our hearts and our willingness to offer up our lives for something greater, something that we hold precious or valuable.

The thought that Abraham would be willing to offer up his only son – the child of God’s blessing to Sarah in her old age – strikes the modern hearer as barbaric and horrible.  It is a crime against nature: that the innocent could suffer such atrocity sounds more like something from Hell, not Heaven.

Yet Jesus Christ, innocent and without sin, will die a brutal death on the Cross…for us.  The atrocity that confronts us at Calvary reveals the value God places on our human souls – we are loved completely, entirely, and without thinking of the cost the Lord sacrifices his life to take our place for the evil we have done.

This is the power of the transfiguration in the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus, revealed in all his glory with Moses and Elijah, is God’s “beloved Son.”  Coming down from the mountain Peter, James, and John have no idea what lies ahead – they can only marvel at the awesome sight of Jesus as he stands in Heaven…the one who is honored for the sacrifice he makes.

Perhaps then, the real question for us pertains to those things to which we still cling.  What priorities and values do we place higher than Christ?  What is holding us back from embracing the Lord with all our heart?  I suggest considering the following thoughts:

  1. How does my use of TIME reveal my priorities?
  2. How does my use of MONEY reveal my values?
  3. How do I show the PEOPLE in my life that I love them?
  4. How do I live my faith in GOD each and every day?

And if there are things that are keeping me from God & others….

Can I give that up?

**********

The Transfiguration, Raphael; 1516-1520, oil on wood, 405 cm x 278 cm, Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Lent, Podcast

February 19, 2015

1st Sunday of Lent – Repentance and Good News

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Christ in the Wilderness

Study:  Start out this Lent with a good Examination of Conscience.

Pray:  Ask the Lord for the grace to repent.

Serve:  Consider a practical way you can bring “good news” to someone in your life.

1st Sunday of Lent Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Mark’s Gospel is direct and to the point:

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:  “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  (Mark 1: 14-15)

It’s time.  Maybe you got a late start to Lent, maybe it caught up on you before you were ready.  Maybe you’ve been ready, but you needed that little push – that extra kick – to get started and make a change.

It’s not complicated.  Is there something that’s keeping us from God or one another?  Is there something that needs to be different in our words and actions?  Does the pattern of our lives need to be altered toward the Lord’s goodness?  Two simple steps:

  • Repent
  • Believe in the Good News

In the first reading the rainbow is a sign from God that never again will the world be flooded with waters of destruction.  The covenant with Noah is a built on hope: life is worth saving, worth fighting for, worth dying for, and worthy of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.  Once we recognize God’s faithfulness, we can more easily let go of past sins and temptations – turning to the one who love’s us completely.

Is there anything holding us back from the Lord?  Now is a good time to honestly assess our lives, cast out what does not belong, and call upon the grace of Jesus Christ.

After all, he brings Good News – and once we’ve left our sins behind, we can embrace the joy that flows from Heaven.

**********

Christ in the Wilderness, Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bovicino); 1515-20, oil on canvas, 45.7 x 55.2 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Lent, Podcast

February 18, 2015

Ash Wednesday

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Ashes

Study: Reflect on a moment when sin has touched your life.  Where did you find God’s grace at work?

Pray: Take some time for personal reflection.  Make this an Examination of Conscience to recall how God continues to touch your heart and bless your life.

Serve: Consider a simple and practical way that you can care for another this Lent.  Something personal…something real.

Ash Wednesday Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

These are the words we hear today as we come forward to begin a new Lent.  We physically mark our foreheads – smudge them with grimy ashes – to recall the simple fact that we are all sinners and stand in need of God’s mercy.

And what great mercy it is!  Perhaps that’s why we pause.  We need mercy.  We crave forgiveness.  We hunger to be loved simply and gently, no strings attached, no conditions required.

These ashes remind us that we need….God.

Pause today.  We reflect on what is broken or wounded in our lives – to discover where we are hurting.

Then look outward.  This is our opportunity to consider how we have broken or wounded others – recognizing that perhaps another has suffered through our thoughts, words, or deeds.

Ashes.

Repentance.

God’s Grace.

Have a blessed and holy Lent.

 

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Lent, Podcast

February 15, 2015

Preparations for Lent

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Cross

NOTE:  This post was first published on February 26, 2014.  I share it once again because I know that if we take a little time now to prepare our hearts then this holy season comes alive with grace and power.  May this podcast and the ideas listed below help us all make this Lent the best ever!

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast – Preparing for our Best Lent!

Web Resources from the US Bishops 

Study:  Looking back in my life, are there any activities, people, or situations that have helped me to grow?

Pray:  Ask the Lord for the wisdom to recognize the Fruits of the Spirit and the courage to embrace them.

Serve:  Look for an opportunity this Lent to offer a part of your life to helping another – especially someone who has no way to pay you back.

The season of Lent offers a powerful opportunity for conversion, spiritual growth, and developing our relationships with the Lord and one another.  However, I also know that this season has a way of sneaking up on us.  Life moves fast, and we can get caught up in any number of tasks – missing the necessary preparation and perspective to get the most out of these 40 Days.

As a guide, I suggest starting with the “Fruits of the Spirit” that St. Paul writes about in his letter to the Galatians (5:22-23).  They are:

  • Love
  • Joy
  • Peace
  • Patience
  • Kindness
  • Goodness
  • Faithfulness
  • Gentleness
  • Self-Control

First, do we see these in our lives?  Are there people, situations, interactions, locations (home, work, school, community) where we see consistent evidence of their presence?  If so, then how can we help them flourish and grow?  How can we create more opportunities to allow the Spirit to work in our lives?

Second, are these absent in our lives?  Or worse, are their opposites present?  Is hatred, despair, turmoil, and the like alive in our hearts?  If so, how can we make the necessary changes to allow the Spirit into our lives?

Now here’s how this gets practical.  It is often customary during Lent to “do” something or “give up” something for these 40 days.  How about this…

  1. “Do” something that fosters the Fruits of the Spirit in my life.
  2. “Give up” something that is in conflict with the Fruits of the Spirit.

Where do we look?  Try this for starters…

  1. WHAT we do – the Activity
  2. WHO we do it with – the People
  3. WHERE we do it – the Location

“Doing” can include any number of things:

  • Helping a neighbor, family member or friend – in a spirit of kindness and gentleness
  • Drawing near to people who are spiritually good – who make us more loving and peaceful
  • Spending time on activities that help us use God’s talents in a good and holy way
  • Concentrating our efforts on opportunities where we know that God is present
  • Being in locations and situations that foster a strong and healthy life

“Giving up” can look like this:

  • Is there anything destructive, harmful, unholy, or evil that needs to be removed?
  • Are there people who are leading us to harm or destruction?
  • Are there locations, situations, or circumstances that are unholy for us?

Using the “Fruits of the Spirit” as a measurement, we can quickly reveal the pattern of our lives.  If it is spiritually fruitful, then we can strengthen this.  If it is spiritually destructive, then perhaps this season of Lent gives us an opportunity to give it up and start directing our lives in better ways.

Furthermore, Lent has classic opportunities for Study, Prayer, and Service:

Study: Scripture, the Catechism, a Devotional, Spiritual Reading

Prayer: Mass, Confession, Rosary, Scripture, Devotions, Stations of the Cross

Service: at home, the neighborhood, the community, the Church

God keeps inviting, keeps forgiving, and keeps extending grace and mercy to all who seek it.  Now is the time to get ready for a powerful Lent – where we turn to Jesus and allow His grace to transform our hearts.  Give serious thought to what you can do to make this season special, and open your to heart to Jesus Christ.

What will you do?  What will you give up?  Make it a great Lent!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Lent, Podcast

April 17, 2014

Good Friday – What Wondrous Love Is This

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Good Friday

Study:  Consider a time in life when all hope seemed lost.  Where did strength come from?

Pray:  Offer a prayer of acceptance for the love and saving work of Jesus.  Gaze upon a crucifix and reflect on his sacrifice.

Serve:  Acts of love, kindness, and sacrifice come in all shapes and sizes; where might you offer your life today for another?

Good Friday Readings

Have you ever had a bad day?

Let me be brutally clear:  have you ever had a day so bad that it seemed as if the earth had swallowed you up and you were trapped under a crushing weight of pain, sorrow, agony, loss, humiliation, abandonment, or confusion – utterly devoid of all direction, purpose, and meaning?  A place where reality overflows with suffering?

Welcome to the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Nothing on this “Good Friday” looks good at first glance:

  • Betrayal from friends
  • Unjust accusations
  • Corrupt justice
  • Ego and political power trips
  • Cruel humiliation
  • Timid frailty and cowardice
  • Brutal physical punishment
  • Powerlessness
  • Mockery
  • Death

Why?  Why!  Why would God allow this?  What could such horrible suffering teach us about ourselves or God?

Answer: What wondrous love.

Jesus Christ endured this day out of love for a wounded and broken humanity.  He died in this wretched way for our sinful weakness because we could not be healed on our own.  He carried his Cross because of our worst days – the days that we regret over the thoughts, words, and actions that we cannot take back.

The Cross reveals the depth of God’s love: a love without limit or boundary.  There is nothing, NOTHING, that can keep us from the wondrous love of Christ.  Jesus embraces our human faults, sins, and weaknesses – and meets us there with the Cross that should have been our own.  His Cross bridges the gap caused by our sins and restores us to a life of grace.

God’s love shines with a strength that humbles us.  God comes to us in our most fragile and unlovable moments to heal and bless.  This love – freely given and bestowed, provided by the Lord’s grace alone – requires only one thing:

Our acceptance.

We are invited today to look into the eyes of Jesus and recognize the one who knows us completely and loves us entirely.  We have the chance today to accept this love and walk in his light.  Perhaps sometime today we will have the opportunity to get down on our knees and recommit our lives to Christ – who offers this Wondrous Love for our salvation.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Lent

April 16, 2014

Holy Thursday – Sacrament & Service

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Holy Thursday - 1

Study:  Where do you find strength in your spiritual life?

Pray:  Ask the Lord for guidance and wisdom to recognize his face in the poor, the suffering, and those in need.

Serve:  Are you being drawn to help another right now?  How can you serve those God has placed in your life today?

Holy Thursday Readings

Growing up in rural northern Wisconsin, I had the opportunity to work on several dairy farms.  The work was hard, but we were always well fed.  Many times I recall hearing the words, “Eat up, we’ve got work to do.”

It’s a simple message really.  There is work to be done; it will be demanding and require a lot of energy.  If you don’t have the necessary strength you won’t be able to follow through.

The same holds true for the spiritual life.  Life makes many demands upon us, and as we serve and love others we, too, require sustenance for the work before us.

The Lord knew this.  He left us the Sacrament of his Body and Blood – food that nourishes our souls and gives us the grace and strength of Jesus himself.  Receiving Holy Communion, as the apostles did at the Lord’s Supper, is the primary way that we are fed spiritually.

But this grace has a purpose.  At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and gave them an example of service to direct their actions toward one another.  As modern day disciples, we witness our faith every time we genuinely serve others with sincerity and respect.

Consider this:

  • We receive the Body of Christ (Holy Communion) to become the Body of Christ (the Church).
  • As the Body of Christ is transformed (at the altar) we are transformed (in the world).
  • As the Body of Christ is broken (in shared communion) we are broken (sharing our lives in service for others).
  • As the Body of Christ nourishes us (in communion) we nourish others (in action that brings help, strength, and comfort).

In other words, receiving Holy Communion – instituted at the Lord’s Supper – strengthens us for the Lord’s work as his disciples.  May our next reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood give us the grace we need to recognize the face of Jesus and respond with loving service.

?????

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Lent

April 12, 2014

Holy Week

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Holy Week

Study:  Recall a time in your life when you experienced death and new life.  Where did you find the strength?  Who helped you through this time?

Pray:  Spend some time reflecting on the death and resurrection of Jesus this week.  Read Mark 14-16; Matthew 26-28; Luke 22-24; and John 18-21.  Take in as many prayer opportunities as possible in your parish.

Serve:  Who in your life is dealing with life and death issues right now?  How might you be present to them to offer help, comfort, or strength?

Holy Week audio retreats from the US Bishops

We enter into the heart of the Christian mystery: Holy Week offers us a time to pause, reflect, and pray as the Church ponders on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This mystery, often called the Paschal Mystery, recalls us to the saving work of the Lord.  His death frees of from the burdens of sin and death, and his resurrection opens for us the path to eternal life.  This mystery is profoundly experienced over the Triduum – the 3 Great Days:

  • Holy Thursday – the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
  • Good Friday – the Passion of the Christ
  • Easter (Vigil/Day) – the Resurrection of the Lord

On Holy Thursday we find ourselves in Jerusalem, eating with the disciples at the Lord’s Supper and feeling awkward as he washes their feet – wondering how we would react if he did that for us.  We might identify with Peter or Judas – especially when we consider the times we have willingly betrayed or turned our back on the Lord.

On Good Friday we experience the physical pain, emotional abandonment, and personal humiliation on the path to Calvary (also called Golgotha or Skull Place) and look on with horror at the cruel death of Jesus.  We might also consider the times we have helped others – as Simon did when he was forced to carry the Cross of Christ.    And then we stand in profound sorrow with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, helpless as the innocent suffer injustice.

On Easter we wait in vigil and rise early in the morning with Mary Magdalen, only to find to our wonder and joy that the tomb is empty:  Christ is alive!  Our world, like that of the apostles, is changed forever as we experience new hope and life.

A word to the wise – we get out of Holy Week what we put into it.  Here are some simple ways for an incredible experience.

  • Make church services a top priority – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter (Vigil or Day).
  • Take time to read and reflect on the scriptures (see at the top under “Pray”).
  • Make Holy Thursday an opportunity to offer a special act of service or kindness to another.
  • Make Good Friday fasting extra special with a gift to a particular charity that helps the poor.
  • Make Easter a time of gratitude – take a quiet moment to count our blessings and thank the Lord.
  • Find some time throughout this week to tell the people in our lives how much we love them.

May this be a time for all of us to grow closer to the Lord and one another.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Lent

April 8, 2014

Palm Sunday – The Cross

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

The Face of Christ

Study:  Reflect on a time you experienced weakness and suffering.  Where did you find the strength to continue?

Pray:  Gaze upon a crucifix and offer to Christ any struggles you are facing right now.  Bring the needs of your loved ones to the foot of the Cross as well.

Serve:  Is there someone in your life who is carrying a heavy cross right now?  How can you offer comfort and assistance?

Palm Sunday Readings (with Year A reading for the Procession with Palms)

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

How many times throughout our lives have we made the sign of the Cross?  Stop and think:  at Mass; meal prayers; morning & evening prayers; special gatherings; and moments of blessing and grace.  This simple action, which we teach to children at an early age, invokes a connection with the passion of Jesus.

We adorn our homes with the Cross.  A crucifix is a common gift to a new home; crosses are placed in bedrooms and common areas as a reminder that Jesus is the source of our help and strength.

We adorn ourselves with the Cross as well:  a crucifix on a chain; a cross in our pocket; earrings; rings; bracelets; and all the extra cards, bookmarks, figurines, and miscellaneous items that remind us that Jesus died on a Cross.

The passion we read every year on this day focuses our attention on the central mystery of our faith.  Out of love for us God sent His Son, Jesus, who gave his life on the Cross that we might have eternal life.  Through his suffering and death, we recognize that God has made a pathway possible that we might all journey through this life to the gates of Heaven.

The Cross teaches us many lessons:

  • Life is difficult, and at times painful
  • Weakness and sin are part of our experience
  • God identifies with our pain
  • God dies that we might have life

At the core of our teaching the Cross stands as the testament of God’s love for us.  Yet the Cross appears to be an embarrassment – after all, why would God (all powerful, all knowing, supreme) choose to be humiliated?  Does that not mean that God is weak?  Why could God not take away our sins in a way that showed majesty and splendor?

In reality, the weakness revealed in the Cross uncovers our frailty, not God’s.  Jesus endured the Cross because of our broken, wounded nature.  He carried the Cross because we were unable to – as St. Paul writes “The wages of sin is death” in Romans 6:23 – and he bore the suffering, pain, and grief that are the natural result of our sinfulness.  God is not weak, rather God takes on our weakness so that we can be made whole.

The Cross proclaims the truth that God meets us where we are in life.  In our weakness, in our humiliation, in our low moments of doubt and sin God comes to us.  Jesus, like us in every way but sin, understands our pain because through his Cross he shares in the suffering of the world.  He knows us, loves us, and saves us through his Cross.

Every time we make the sign of the Cross may we recall what the Lord endured for us.  Through the Cross we discover our strength as we trust in God’s love and  seek to follow that love as we journey through this life toward the world to come.

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.  Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Lent, Podcast