Dear Followers of the Christ,

On this First Sunday of Lent, this passage from Luke 4:1- 13, brings us to the desert, an image of these forty days of Lent. In this text, Jesus is confronted by the devil. Jesus overrides all temptations. There is no evil greater than the redemptive love of Christ Jesus. He is the reason we are entering into such a journey in the first place.

During the Lenten season, we come closer to our true identity in Christ. Jesus washes away our sins, doubts and failures. We enter more deeply into prayer, fasting and almsgiving as a way to revitalize our faith and to sustain our commitments in the Church.

How do we enter more deeply into prayer this Lent? The Church invites us to renew our devotional life in Lent. We may attend the Stations of the Cross to understand the deep pattern of letting go and receiving the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. We may receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation with more intention or frequency. In Lent, we learn self-reflection and the consequences of our actions. We may also read the scriptures more frequently, reflect with people in a group, or attend daily Mass. We may pray with greater intention with our families at home at mealtime or at bedtime.

However we pray more or differently in Lent, the reason for our prayer is twofold. We learn a deeper, more beautiful reliance on God and we learn more about our sin, our failures and the walls that keep us from intimacy with God. Prayer gets us to the truth, both in our hearts and in our actions. Prayer also offers us the truth of God’s mercy, love and redemption. Lent is not a time to slash our self-esteem or to think we are not worthy of God. Lent in fact is just the opposite; it is a time to reflect on our humility, the life that is really ours, to be more open to the intimacy, love and forgiveness that God has for us.

There is nothing that keeps us from God’s love, nothing at all. Prayer in Lent is meant to lead us into a deeper silence and awareness that forgiveness and mercy are real and forever gifts from God. We don’t change God’s mind in Lent. We allow God to change our hearts for the good in Lent. I invite you to spend time in silence and prayer during Lent. Be aware of God in your heart. Learn to settle into God’s love and do not be afraid.

Lent leads well beyond the desert. It is a journey for us into prayer to be captivated by God once again. We know we belong to God through baptism. Lent is a time to renew our baptismal call and commitment. If everyone during the Lenten season could renew his or her life in Christ, the Church would be a very different place. We shall rejoice at Easter from our prayer that life in the desert gives way to forgiveness and peace.

Lenten peace,

Fr. Ron

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March 6, 2019 Prayers of the Faithful

Ash Wednesday

Let us pray to seek Christ Jesus in prayer, fasting and almsgiving during our Lenten journey. We pray to receive our rewards from a life self-giving.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us not blare a trumpet for our own skills and talents to be noticed, but let us listen to the subtle voice of Jesus calling us into integrity and peace.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us become hungry for self-awareness and to serve the needs and hungers for others. May we create tables of welcome for the stranger and tables of honest conversations for our families.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us work diligently for justice in our communities, to generate honest work for those in need of a daily wage, to create homes for people living outside, and to share with our children a passion for all that is good and loving.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for a Lenten season of integrity for all who lead the Church, for all who are lost in faith, for all who do not know how to pray, and for all who wait to find the love of Christ Jesus.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our friends and family members who have died, that their journey may now end viewing the face of Jesus Christ in heaven. In this Mass…

We pray to the Lord

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Sunday March 3, 2019

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us pray to remove the beam in our own eyes, so we may perceive our path to virtue and integrity. May our eyes glimpse the beauty of faith.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to lift people up when they are bowed down by hopelessness, when hatred fractures our society, when loneliness bends our shoulders and when discouragement shadows our days.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to encourage faith among our children, hope among our families, and kindness among neighborhoods. We pray wisdom may bear fruit among us and shade our restlessness.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are ill and wrestling with horrific questions about their future. We pray we may extend our lives to all the sick in service and prayer.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray that we may know the protection of God for all human life in every generation and time. We pray love may sprout from despair and hope may bloom with honesty.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our loved ones who have died. We pray our grief may seek forgiveness, connection to our families, and faith in Christ Jesus. In this Mass…

We pray to the Lord

Dear Followers of Jesus,

Luke 6:39-45, today’s gospel, challenges us once again. We take on a greater responsibility in our own lives of faith listening to Jesus’ words. We recognize our own blindness. We know that we are not always faithful leaders; we know firsthand that our blindness gets in the way. The wooden beams in our eyes keep us from seeing the truth of life and the dignity of our sister or brother. We must see the splinters in other people’s eyes carefully. Other people can become a threat to us when we only see the things we disagree with.

Hypocrisy is never easy to deal with. Our own blindness keeps us from living a moral life. We tend to view others lives much more easily than our own. We are faced with much hypocrisy in our day and age.

This weekend is the last in Ordinary Time before the Lenten Season. This gospel becomes a good preparation for Ash Wednesday, March 6. Here is a litany from today’s gospel, Luke 6:39-45, that will help spiritually prepare for this season of repentance and enlightenment.

Response: Open my eyes, O Lord.

Open my eyes to your presence when I am blind…

Open my eyes to your love when I am lost in selfishness…

Open my eyes to your kindness when I put others down…

Open my eyes to your guidance when I am too self-reliant….

Open my eyes to your beauty when I am stuck in gloomy self -destruction…

Remove the beam in my eye when I am arrogant and aloof…

Remove the beam in my eye when I convey only gloom…

Remove the beam in my eye when I live for only my selfish needs…

Remove the beam in my eye when I am quick to judge and slow to change…

Remove the beam in my eye when I see only negative aspects of others…

Produce good fruit in me when I am a complete hypocrite…

Produce good fruit in me when I give up on self-care…

Produce good fruit in me when discouragement wilts my attitude…

Produce good fruit in me when my tongue is forked and insincere…

Produce good fruit in me when I cannot trust myself for good…

Allow light to heal my life when I sit in my own darkness…

Allow light to heal my life when I cast shadows of disgust toward others…

Allow light to heal my life when I allow hatred to fill my day…

Allow light to heal my life when I speak only fear…

Allow light to heal my life when I am afraid to grow and change…

Blessings to you,

Fr. Ron

This is my latest article from The Priest Magazine, March 2019. This article reflects on the Lenten journey for all people and priests in particular and is published by Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Rev. David Bonnar is editor of the magazine.

This article is written by Ronald Raab, CSC

CLICK HERE: LIGHT IN THE DESERT

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February 24, 2019

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let us pray to silence the clutter of division and gossip in our lives, especially the voices that ring out fear. Let us listen instead to the love God has for us, even among those with whom we disagree.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our Universal Church in these times of distress. For our leaders, for all clergy, that they speak the truth, be accountable for their wrong actions, and seek to lead with justice.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to be generous with our words and more kind in actions toward our enemies. Let us recognize the beauty of life even among those who challenge us. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who are weary from grief and loss. We pray for members of our families who suffer from cancer, from depression and from the turmoil of stress and misfortune. We pray to measure only with love and hope.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for miracles of unity and generosity. Let us come to terms with people who dispute our faith and our perspectives on life. Let us believe in the graciousness of all life and in the Divine love for every person.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray on earth for our loved ones in heaven. We pray for all who have died in our families and communities. At this Mass…

We pray to the Lord

Dear Followers of Jesus,

Today’s gospel, Luke 6:27-38, is quite the challenge for us. We are called as those who first followed Jesus, to love our enemies. These words from Jesus are straightforward and he minces none. The mission of Jesus’ presence in the world and for our very own lives is to bring us together, to unite us in the message of peace. Where there is division, he hopes that his presence can heal and satisfy. Even in our complicated lives, harmony can happen.

Luke’s gospel always begins with what is real and honest in our lives. He says to those who have more than one coat, make sure that your extra ones will help keep another person warm. Our possessions, no matter what they may be, should be shared for the wellbeing of people. Even these items of clothing become a sign and witness to the Kingdom of God. We share our extra clothing today because these items help protect the body of another person, a sign of God’s everlasting Kingdom, a sign of unity on earth and of what is to come in heaven.

Jesus begins with the tangible, like a cloak, because that is the easier thing to share. He gets down to the nitty-gritty when he mentions “being merciful” or “stop judging” or “offer forgiveness.” These are the things that we struggle with the most in our own lives. These are the things that demand real change for us, real commitment on our part and yet have the most potential to bring us to Jesus’ side in heaven. These real and human obstacles to unity take work, energy and time.

We live today creating various enemies. We easily create tension in a black and white world. People are either on our side or they are our enemy. We immediately use violent hand gestures when someone cuts us off in traffic. We think people are our enemies when they vote differently than we do. We immediately are at odds with folks who believe the Church should go in a direction that we think is wrong. Our enemies in our nation are liberal or conservative, right or wrong, rich or poor. People with skin color different from us and languages of strangers threaten the status quo. Enemies become “we” when healing can happen. Enemies remain at odds only when we vilify people, thinking that their real identity is made from what we disagree with. People are more than the one opinion that makes us crazy.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and over flowing, will be poured in to your lap. For the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” These words of Jesus offer us his real presence both in prayer and in action, when we finally are able to believe in Him who is our real life here on earth. These words should be copied and taped to our bathroom mirror this year. These words deserve our attention today and every day of our lives.

Be at peace, with your self and your enemy.

Fr. Ron