Happy Easter!
What the Father did in raising Jesus from the dead, He also wants to do in us: God wants to raise us up - literally, at the end of life, but also right now, figuratively, in our present life. God wants to raise us up to a rich life filled with purpose, meaning, deep happiness and joy! Jesus came that we might have Life (with a capital "L"). What's weighing you down? What's holding you back? What things keep you from rising? Jesus rose today so that He could walk with you, carry your load, and give you Life! Invite Him now to be a part of your life again; give Him permission to enter; ask Him again to raise you up - that's all He wants!
We enter now into the holiest week of the year as we walk with Jesus through His final days, culminating with His death and resurrection. We heard today the reading of the passion narrative and we are invited to personally enter into this Holy Week so that we might die with Jesus and rise with Him on Easter. For us, this week will be as holy as we make it - so let's make it a good one!
5th Sunday of Lent
What if you were alive when Jesus was preaching and teaching? What if you were a part of the stories in Scripture? What if you heard Jesus speak to you? God's Word is living and active, and the same God who was at work then is still at work now. Lectio Divina ('Divine Reading') is a way of reading the Scriptures by inserting yourself into the story - the sights, the smells, the sounds, the feelings - you read through a passage slowly, place yourself in the story and experience what God has to say to you through His living Word. Try it! It'll change your life.
4th Sunday of Lent
Pain in our body warns us that something is wrong - physically. Pain in our interior life warns us that something is wrong - spiritually. Both the younger son and the older son in today's Gospel experience pain. It's pain that leads the younger son home. It's pain that keeps the older son from going back inside his home. Pain, as a warning, is also an invitation: an invitation from our merciful Father to come home, to come back inside, so that we can experience the feast that God is preparing for us!