Reflection : Lotteries are part of the fabric of Canadian life. It can seem like every gas station and convenience store has some sort of lottery tickets available. A few years ago there was a report about a survey that asked people what they would do with the money if they won the lottery. The results, unsurprisingly, showed a pretty self-centred focus on the spending of the money. It centered on paying off bills, buying new homes/cars etc., quitting jobs to travel. While some said they would also “help” family members only 2% of those surveyed said they would give any money to a charity.

Over and against this survey we also know that many people are quite generous when confronted by the needs of others (the earthquake in Haiti for example).

Clearly the gospel story provides us with a stinging commentary on selfishness, especially when selfishness is characterized by indifference to the plight of the poor by the rich. It provides us with a reminder that the response we make to instances such as the plight of Haiti is the right response. It is, to say the least, somewhat sobering to listen to Jesus’ warning that if we neglect the less fortunate now, then we will be neglected in the afterlife.

The message is to share some of what we have with those who have far less than we do. The message is to recognise how much God has blessed us and to trust in God to continue to bless us as we share. Jeremiah wrote: If we trust in humans we become a desert. If we trust in God we become a fountain. In Lent we are invited to remember that “all that is in the heavens and on the earth are thine…all things come from thee” and that we are trusted to use some of what God has given us to help those who need help…”of thine own have we given thee”.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be grateful for all you have given us. Help us to use these gifts to help others. Amen

Reflection : Unfortunately our history has been marked by the murder of good people. Two of the more memorable are Mahatma Ghandi and the South American Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero. Both worked on behalf of the poor. Both worked for peace and justice. Both were killed by people who supported oppressive regimes and were threatened by the idea of change. There have been, in the centuries since Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, countless other good people who gave their lives while serving the most needy and working for a just and peaceful world. Many times these people’s good work was unrewarded. At other times they faced criticism and punishment.  Sometimes they were killed.

In our readings for today, we are faced with the cost of discipleship—the cost of being a follower of Jesus in a predominately non-Christian culture and world. If we choose to follow Jesus and take our baptismal vows seriously, we will work for justice and peace and strive to help those who need help and try to respect the dignity and sacredness of every human life. We will be criticised for doing that. We will pay a price for being faithful.

Jeremiah asks God to explain to him why “good” is repaid by “evil”. Jesus tells us that his way is a way in which there will be suffering. He tells us his followers will accept this “cup” as part and parcel of life.

Prayer: Lord we struggle at times with accepting the price that comes with following you. Help us to drink the cup that you drink. Amen

Reflection : Mother Teresa used to say that we should help those who suffer because it is Jesus who we discover in the midst of the suffering. Mother Teresa was a humble, very determined, woman who did not place herself above the sick and dying but considered them her equals.

The first step in recognising the Christ in others (see baptismal covenant page 159 Book of Alternative Services) is to see ourselves as their peers. In the gospel Jesus says it this way: “Whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” (23:12). Jesus condemns the Pharisees because they are so puffed up with their own clothing, position and language that they cannot see beyond themselves. In the first reading, Isaiah denounces the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah because they have ceased to care for the wronged, the orphaned and the widowed.

Lent invites us to look beyond ourselves. Perhaps we might know of someone who has been wronged or is poor, orphaned or widowed, sick or lonely etc. We might keep them in our thoughts and prayers today and reach out to them as our equals. The psalmist writes “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you…” Psalm 50:15

Reflection : It may feel like it is still quite some time away but when springtime comes, many of us will become gardeners. Many of us find something fulfilling as we dig in the earth, plant seeds and seedlings and nourish them with fertiliser and water for their growth. The plants rely on our care for their welfare. They can’t plant themselves, trim themselves or fertilize themselves. Once we accept responsibility for them, they become connected to our caring.

Our readings for today present us with a God who is compassionately connected to our growth. In the first reading from Daniel, we sense that the repentant nation of Israel stands in need of knowing itself cared for and nourished by God. The people have turned away. They have not listened. They need the compassion of God to raise them up again. Jesus tells us that we, his followers, are to be a people overflowing with care and compassion. Each person we encounter in our daily lives is to be treated with compassion and we are to the best of our ability to accept responsibility for caring for their well-being.
Lent is certainly a season in which we are invited to check on our sense of compassion. If we find that our attitude towards others has become hardened, we are invited to ask Jesus to help us to have a compassion that overflows.

The psalmist writes “May your compassion come quickly to us, for we are brought very low.” Psalm 79: 8

Reflection : On the Sunday before Ash Wednesday we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration. A reminder that occurs between Jesus’ baptism and his death and resurrection of who it is in whose name and presence we gather each Sunday. The Transfiguration is a moment that expresses the truth that while Jesus is fully human he is also fully divine. In the gospel it is not until his resurrection, not even when Jesus performs some of his most spectacular miracles, that his divinity is as expressly revealed as it is at the Transfiguration.

The Transfiguration occurs immediately after Jesus predicts his Passion and death. This was the first time that the apostles had heard him speak in this manner. Undoubtedly, his prediction caused some grumbling, a little doubting and a hint of uncertainty and confusion among his followers. So God hands three of them an experience that could inspire courage.

The voice of God, coming from the clouds, is also an indication of the purpose of the Transfiguration. “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” This is a clear exhortation to the apostles to listen to Jesus and not to the voices of the scribes and Pharisees and all the other “voices” that call out for attention.

The power of the witness of the Transfiguration is not limited to Jesus’ first followers. It is also meant for us. If we might be inclined to dismiss the teaching of Jesus, or to listen to the “other voices” that call out to us for our attention, the Transfiguration is a clear remedy. “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him”

In our first reading from Ezekiel, God tells Israel what their love will be like. The reading gives the impression that God knows all about the process of love and the people of Israel are in the dark. God has to teach them the proper protocol of love. Jesus also teaches the people what it means to love in the way that God wants.

In Lent we are invited to spend time each day in prayer before God, asking him to teach us his way of love and, through listening to and meditating on God’s Word, learning the way of God’s love. If we open our hearts and our minds and focus on God alone, the Lord will teach us, as he revealed to Israel, the contract of love. We remember the words of the Psalm “Happy are they who observe (God’s) decrees/ who seek (the Lord) with all their heart.” Psalm 119:2

Today Jesus gives us a look at his own prayer life. His style of prayer was the prayer of petition—asking the God he called Father to help him out. He gives us a second insight into his own prayer with his insistence on persistence. Petition plus persistence will eventually bend God’s ear. God gets serious after the third call.

Our readings today remind us of the possibilities in God’s intervention in our lives. Each of us has access to God as we make daily persistent prayer part of our daily lives. Of course prayer can be a bit frightening because many times God answers us in a way that may be different from what we thought we wanted. God sees much deeper and farther than do we. What we receive from God will be “good things” from God’s abundant wisdom rather than from our limited ideas.

We are reminded as well of the golden rule—to treat others as we would want to be treated. It is a good thing to check on how we are doing with that when we begin to pray.

Hallowed be thy name: We ask that God’s name be made holy in us—in our hearts and our lives. We ask that we who live in relationship with Jesus through our baptism continue to become more like him, that his agenda become more our agenda, that through that God’s name be hallowed.

Thy Kingdom come: We pray that the God’s Kingdom proclaimed and begun by the Jesus who lived, died and was raised from death for it will continue towards fulfillment. That its values will shape our lives and, one day, reign in God’s world.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven: We pray that our lives may be shaped by God’s saving will for our lives and God’s world.  All that Jesus taught and did was “the will of God.” We ask that in the face of obstacles and temptations to draw us from God’s will, we may have help and strength to do his will.

Give us this day our daily bread: This request has a literal and a spiritual component. Spiritually Jesus is “our daily bread”—our relationship with him nourishes us for our Christian journey. In addition, we believe that God knows our needs and we trust that, if we “strive first for the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33), what we need will be provided.

And forgive us our trespasses: We acknowledge that we are sinners who fall short of being completely faithful but we recognise God’s great love, mercy and forgiveness and believe that God truly forgives us.

As we forgive those who trespass against us: There is a condition for our being forgiven. Jesus tells us that our sins are forgiven if we are prepared to forgive. Much of Jesus’ teaching emphasises this reality. If we want God to forgive us, we must be ready to forgive others.

And lead us not into temptation: Here we pray not out of fear that God himself will lead us astray, but rather to ask that God show us the way away from temptation. And that “he will not let you be tested beyond your strength” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Whether or not we use that strength to not walk down the way of temptation is, of course, up to us.

But deliver us from evil: We pray to be kept safe from the power of Satan, the Evil One, and all that he stands for. We pray that God will overcome evil in our lives.

Note: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever . This doxology is not part of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. It was added by the church later on as it is fitting to praise God at the end of our prayers and worship.

We pray with the psalmist “Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me out of all my terror. Psalm 34:4

Today’s readings give us a vision of how we are to come before God in the sacred space we call a church. Both suggest that we are to come before God having treated other people with kindness and love. A good Lenten practice is to pick someone in your life whom you will pray for each day. Place an image of that person in your mind and surround him or her with prayers of kindness and love.
We pray with the psalmist “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart find favour before you” Psalm 19:15

Jesus’ call to follow him liberates us from the prejudices by which people are often classified in our culture. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time did not believe God’s forgiving love could be offered to tax collectors, foreigners and others deemed sinners. The religious elite classified these people as outcasts. Jesus, on the other hand, announces his intention to include sinners and outcasts as partners with him in his kingdom.

Jesus, in the gospels, made a sharp distinction between the self-righteous and sinners. Those who recognise themselves as sinners can receive God’s forgiveness. The self-righteous, on the other hand, believe they have earned and deserve God’s love and see no need to receive God’s forgiving love that Jesus came to offer us.

Lent reminds us to recognise ourselves as sinners. We accept Jesus’ invitation to turn from those things that seek to draw us from the love of God and to turn to God. We receive God’s forgiving, healing, renewing love, are reconciled with God and freed to follow Jesus as forgiven sinners. Prejudiced behaviour and attitudes towards others are impossible for forgiven sinners.
We pray with the psalmist: “Teach me your way, O Lord and I will walk in your truth” Psalm 58:11