Looking Ahead …
This Weekend
In a Gospel that is so inclusive and filled with song, we are hearing a particularly challenging portion of the Gospel of Luke who we’ve been hearing from over the past weeks. Last week’s challenge to love our enemies is daunting. This week we hear the question, “Can a blind person lead another blind person?” The answer is obviously “no,” but Jesus goes on to emphasize the importance of a teacher or mentor to lead when a student or disciple is somewhat blind. The spiritual seeing continues with the command, “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in the eye of another.”
To remove the large barriers to our spiritual sight can be very challenging, but it may be a significant spiritual exercise in order to see an enemy, experience or institution in a clearer way. Such clarity can open us up to understanding. This may clear the way for dealing with enemies either personally or institutionally. Our perception or belief of that which makes another an enemy might even be the beam in our eye. Keeping another in the enemy category may even be the beam.
In my homily last week, addressing the challenge to love our enemies, I referenced part of the Our Father when we express a desire to connect the divine will and kingdom with ours here on earth. If we are really sincere about connecting those two wills and kingdoms, we must love unconditionally, and loving unconditionally might depend on removing what blocks us from clearer vision.
But, the challenge doesn’t end with the removal of the blockades in our eyes and hearts. It continues with recognizing what blocks the sight of others. In other words, we all have things that obstruct our vision; some are splinters, some are beams.
Ash Wednesday
This coming Wednesday begins Lent. We are continuing pilgrimage language to guide us as our Adventures in Grace; a pilgrimage guides us all year long. Our Lenten theme this year is:
Adventures in Grace: The Nature of Mercy
The readings sited above set us up well for a classic aspect of every Lent – Mercy. This Lent will include a commission on Ash Wednesday requiring the classic response on the part of all of us to extend Mercy. The response will be AMEN.
This coming Friday, March 4 we will have live Stations of the Cross in Church at 7:00pm led by Deacon Dennis Brown. Virtual Stations of the Cross will be offered throughout Lent.
Our next FM multi-generational Mass will be next weekend March 6 at 9:00am and we will hear the story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert.
Adventures in Grace will bring a different spin on our annual parish Lenten Mission. We will delve into the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick with the word Mercied as a focus on two nights, Monday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 15.
Our Lenten Social Justice Project will be a partnership with Precious Blood Ministries in the Back of The Yards neighborhood of Chicago. PBM serves youth, families and community members who are impacted by violence. They offer a restorative justice approach to conflict while building a sense of community. This entails many unique efforts, but one of them is to have perpetrators of crime and victims of their crimes to sit down and meet in person. It is a courageous and special form of reconciliation. Our Sacrament of Reconciliation ritualizes what often takes place in this restorative justice process – namely, to put back together something that has been fractured or broken. Men and women who are currently incarcerated are also supported by this ministry.
Please access our website for more information on all activities and events during Lent, and indeed all year around.
Also, keep your sights on our annual Gala Rock Fest on Saturday, April 23.