Homily: Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Thursday After Ash Wednesday (Lk 9:22-25) “Another Way of Being”

Peter’s profession of faith is a turning point in all the gospels. Jesus asks the apostles two questions. The first is, “Who do people say that I am?” The second question is, “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter’s answer to that question reverberates through the ages. “You are the Messiah of God.” Jesus is identified with these words. We could say that everything in the Gospels leads to this statement, and everything flows from this statement.

After Jesus says this, he must correct all preconceived notions that the disciples had about the Messiah. The Jewish people had been taught the Messiah was to be a great political leader who would lead the nation of Israel to prominence in the world.

What does Jesus say about the Messiah? Jesus tells his followers that the Messiah is to be a suffering servant. He will rule over the world, but it will not be by force. He will conquer the world through charity. If anyone wants to be a true follower of Jesus, they must die to the own selfish ambitions and learn the way of humility.

We are confronted with this truth during the Lenten season. We must give up our need to control everything in our life. We must let go of our desire to come out on top in every circumstance. We must move to the lowest place. We must be willing to turn the other cheek when we are insulted. All these things are not how we have been trained. We are like the Jews who followed Jesus, we have had the wrong set of expectations drilled into our heads.

One way of practicing this new way of being is to try to listen more to what God is saying. We can spend more time in silence during the six weeks of Lent. We can try to be the last ones to offer our opinions when there is a decision to be made. We can say, “I need to pray about it.” Our call as Christians is to give up our will and abandon ourselves to God’s designs.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Is Jesus the type of leader I would want to follow? Why or why not?

2.   Do I listen before I speak? Can I practice doing this during Lent?

 Dear Parishioners,

             We will be having more times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent. On Saturday we will extend our hours for confession. The time will be from 2:45 to 3:45 in the St. Damien Center. The Reconciliation Room is in the hallway outside the gift shop.

            On Wednesdays we will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 5 to 5:30 p.m. This will be right before the Stations of the Cross.

            May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,

            Fr. Mark