“Tender Life”
Charcoal: Ronald Raab, CSC

Let my steps be guided by your promise; may evil never rule me. (Psalm 119, The Entrance Antiphon for Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent)

During the Lenten season we face the deep suffering of our lives and of people struggling beyond measure. I want to add to your reflection for this season people who cannot carry their cross of suffering, especially our young people. Here are two important articles on the reality of suicide among teenagers. Please pray for our next generation and the hope that all will find God in the midst of their loneliness.

Click here for a new article on suicide rates for rural youth.

Click here for an article from the Center of Disease Control.

“Hidden Face”
Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC

Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? (Psalm 42)  

Drug addiction is often hidden behind the faces of lovers, spouses, friends and neighbors or even our children. Our own faces may conceal such addictions. This addiction corrodes relationships, rips love apart and separates families. I have learned from addicts across the country that the only thing that heals such addiction is a deep, honest and profound relationship with God. Seeking the face of God is a life-long project for those in the trap of such addiction. The hidden face is destructive and hopeless, a life of secrecy, self-hatred and shame. Only the face of God heals. God’s love is available to us.

In this Lenten season, I invite you to pray for and learn more about those of us who suffer from such addictions. We may very well become the face of God as we reach out to other people. Addiction knows no boundaries of relationships, or status or education. Please reach out to people who need you during this Lenten time. Learn more:

Click here to learn more about drug addiction. 

Click here to learn more about substance abuse in high schools.

Click here to learn about addiction and faith-based recovery. 

“Respect”
Painting: Ronald Raab,

The gospel today is about the cleansing of the temple, (John 2:13-25). Jesus is angry that the house of prayer is not respected. Jesus himself becomes the new temple, the new place and cause of worship. His own body will be destroyed in death and risen for us, for the redemption of his people and forgiveness of sin. We are called to respect our human lives since we now bear the name of the Body of Christ here on earth. Today, I invite you to ponder the rich lives and stories of our older members of our communities.

Pope Francis challenged us this week to respect the elderly, to cleanse our negative opinions especially about people who age without good health, without adequate money for housing, food and healthcare. Here is the article from the Vatican:

Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis urged his followers at his weekly prayer on Wednesday to show affection and respect for the elderly, saying they must not be treated as “aliens”.

“It’s a mortal sin to discard our elderly,” said the pope, seen by his supporters as a champion of the poor and marginalized.

“The elderly are not aliens, we are them, in a short or in a long while; we are inevitably them, although we choose not to think about it,” he told 12,000 followers gathered on Saint Peter’s Square.

“A society where the elderly are discarded carries within it the virus of death,” said the 78-year-old Argentinian pontiff.

The pope said that while life expectancy has increased in recent decades, old age is treated like “an illness to be kept at arm’s length”.

He warned his followers: “If we do not learn to look after and to respect our elderly, we will be treated in the same way.”

Click here for another article on the lack of respect for the elderly.

Click here for another good article on why we disrespect the elderly. 

“Women in Poverty”
Charcoal: Ronald Raab, CSC

Pope Francis’ intention for evangelization during the month of March is:“That the unique contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always”. I want to add to his request that we especially pray for elderly women in poverty during this Lenten season.

Click here to learn more about the rise of elderly women in poverty. 

Click here for an article from CNN Money about elderly women.

Click here for a radio interview on homeless women. (Please take seven minutes to listen to this radio interview about homeless women in San Francisco)

For women who live on the streets, the circumstances are even more dire. Women experiencing homelessness are vulnerable and invisible. Women tend to hide and sleep during the day and stay awake at night no matter their age, so not to get robbed or beaten or raped. Women also become caretakers of children, grandchildren or great grandchildren no matter where they live. The burdens put on women in poverty in our country are breathtaking.

Today, remember the strong and vital women that keep the Church alive but also learn more about the invisible women who are surviving longterm poverty.

Give a hearing to the poor, and return their greeting with a deference; Deliver the oppressed from their oppressors; right judgement should not be repugnant to you. Be like a father to orphans, and take the place of a husband to widows. Then God will call you his child, and he will be merciful to you and deliver you from the pit. (Sirach 4:7-10)

“Perseverance”
Drawing: Ronald Raab, CSC

I sketched this image yesterday before the morning Masses. I am really struck by this face because he represents a man who has spent this lifetime doing the work of prayer. The hard work of living every aspect of life shows on his face. His wrinkles reveal discouragement and sadness and the weariness of his perseverance.  However, there is also a real and authentic trust that settles into his expressions. I see myself in him but he also reveals to me the many faces of people who struggle to make ends meet, those who work so hard to forgive themselves, those who are unsettled in their life decisions, and those who are looking to God for help because they finally realize they cannot fix their unfortunate situations. He reminds me that we all need God.

The gospel today (Luke 6: 36-38) gets to the core of our Lenten journey:

Jesus said to tis disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and your will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

The work of forgiveness is real. The work of mercy is God’s work within us. However, I am not saying that any of this spiritual work is easy. In fact, the work of forgiveness might just be the most important job we will ever have. This work may even settle into every wrinkle on our skin. Persevere in you spiritual tasks of forgiveness in all of your relationships. Persevere in this Lenten journey. Your rewards will be authentic and everlasting.