We ran out of room last week but it is not too late to remember St. Katharine Drexel. She is the Philadelphia heiress who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and Xavier University in New Orleans. She died March 3, 1955 and was canonized Oct. 1, 2000.
Lent is well underway. It is a long standing custom to give up something for Lent. Some common things are: giving up smoking, drinking of alcohol, candy, etc. We give up something in Lent as a penance, since it is the penitential season preparing for Easter. This is like in the Bible when people put on sack cloth and ashes. It is a reminder of God’s love for us, as we give up something to show our love for God. This becomes clear in our Ash Wednesday liturgy when we are asked to do three things: pray more, fast, and give to the poor. So then pray, fast, and give alms for the forty days of Lent. As Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, we spend 40 days in Lent with prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
In today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus, we have an expansion of the Ten Commandments as part of the 613 rules and regulations Moses gave his people. Most of the reading deals with our relationship to God. This Lent let’s really work on that through prayer in private and at church.
In today’s Gospel Jesus changes things. He drives the merchants, who were selling things and changing money, out of the Temple to declare it a holy place. Then the big change, when he says “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” “But he was speaking of the temple of his body.” We are temples of the Holy Spirit as we are taught by Confirmation. We are the Church. We build and honor church buildings, but we, the people of God, are the Church.
In our second reading, St. Paul tells the Corinthians and us that “we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jew and Greeks alike, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” As our psalm tells us, “Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.” They often say, “Stop and smell the roses.” Well, during Lent, let’s stop and listen to God.
Stacey Clark is signing people up for the 90th Anniversary Committee. Please see her, if you would like to help out.
The National Black Catholic Congress has published a Pastoral Plan of Action. It can be found on their website. Remember that February is Black History Month. Read a little Black History this February. It is a great part of the American Experience.
Let us continue to pray for peace in the world. Let us also pray for vocations to the church. Let us pray for the sick of the parish. Let us pray that all will come to respect life. Let us pray for one another and for the canonization of Father Tolton.