March 5 – Ash Wednesday
Readings: Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17; 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Invitation to Prayer:
At Christ’s invitation,
We come together,
Gathered in his name,
Drawn close to his voice.

Reflection: “Rend your hearts, not your garments.” Between this verse from the first reading, and Jesus’ “do not be like the…” theme in the Gospel, the message seems clear:

No empty gestures for Jesus.

Seems straightforward enough. Make sure you really mean in your heart what you say and what you do, and make sure you don’t say and do those things out of pride. I wonder if we can go a layer deeper.

I have four sons and just about all of them are past the ‘bring cute but ugly projects home from school’ phase. However, just last week I came home from a work trip and my youngest son gave me a present: a few popsicle sticks glued together with the words “I love you Dad” written in green and purple washable marker.

It was the exact opposite of the gestures described by Jesus in the Gospel, and it came into my heart as I prayed with today’s readings. No parent would look at a poorly constructed message of love from their kindergartner and say, “this isn’t very good. Are you sure you really love me?”And neither does God. Just like a child doesn’t need to do much to delight the heart of the parent, God doesn’t need much from us to delight his heart.

Too often we get caught in the “good enough” trap. We ask ourselves if we have done or said something good enough to please our Lord. Whether it’s the way we pray or how much, how often we go to Mass or confession, how well we dress or sing in Church… It is different for each of us. We can fall into the trap of worrying that somehow it isn’t quite good enough to please God.

This Lent, let us turn to God as children, knowing that he is delighted not by the quality OR the quantity of our gestures of Love, but by our very being. He loves us because we are his children. And that’s a message you can share with the whole world.

Prayer: God, thank you for all the ways you show us you love us. Thank you for the acts of love we know, and the acts of love we don’t know. Help us to focus not so much on the quality or quantity of our acts of love to you, but instead on who we really are: You’re beloved children. Help us to remember how delighted in us you are.

Closing: Today, consider what is your favorite and most natural act of love to God. Is it going to Mass? Praying the rosary? Reading the Bible? Whatever it is, consider how you can take one step further this Lent. Maybe it’s going to Mass on a weekday instead of just Sunday, or reading the Bible just five minutes longer than you normally do. Take something you love to do for God and dive in just a little deeper.

Dominick Albano is the former Director of Digital Communications for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He is the author of two books and travels across the country to speak at parish missions, men’s conferences, and marriage retreats. Dominick now lives in Northern Illinois with his wife and four sons.

March 6 – Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Readings: Dn 30:15-20, Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6, Lk 9:22-25

Invitation to Prayer:  Heavenly Father, help us to die to self and grow in faith, hope, and love, that our lives might be a gift to others.

Reflection:  Are you an Old Testament Christian or a New Testament Christian?  Now that is an odd question isn’t it?  For what could an Old Testament Christian even be – there weren’t ANY Christians in the Old Testament – Jesus wasn’t born yet!  For that matter what is a New Testament Christian?  That’s kind of redundant.  Fair enough, let me explain.

These labels represent stereotypical views some have about the Old and New Testaments.  The Old Testament, according to this stereotype, is all about rules; think the 10 Commandments, the book of Leviticus and today’s reading from Deuteronomy.  The New Testament, on the other hand, has no rules per se, it’s all Jesus loves me; think John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…”  For the so-called stereotypical Old Testament Christian, sin is breaking the rules and God is more akin to Santa Claus than the divine creator of the universe:  “He knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness’ sake!”  For the so-called stereotypical New Testament Christian there’s almost no such thing as sin.  As long as we are “nice” and don’t kick puppies, God is happy with us.

Why is there such a disparity?  Even though these are stereotypes there must be something to them.  I thought God didn’t change.  Well, your right God doesn’t change, but we do!  You see, in the Old Testament, Abraham, before he was called by God was, as most were at the time, a pagan.  There were no Jewish traditions, teachings, or people.  That was God’s promise to Abraham – I will make of you a great nation and He did!  But that was in the future.  God had to start teaching Abraham and the great nation that came from him the basics of what it meant to be the chosen people of God.  And after many, many generations this culminated in Moses and the 10 Commandments.  You see, God couldn’t start by giving Abraham the Beatitudes to teach the people.  They simply wouldn’t be able to understand them or put them into practice.  Abraham himself would have been able to, he was THE man of faith after all!  Would that we all had the faith he did!  But starting the lesson with the Beatitudes would be like teaching kindergartners that they must be kind, loving, gentle, and generous.  They would all pay attention to the lesson, smile, and nod their heads eagerly when asked if they understood.  But the first time someone started playing with their favorite toy some of them would probably run over yelling “Mine, mine!”, grab the toy and push their classmate down.  They simply need time to grow and mature so they can understand what being kind, loving, gentle, and generous means.  And until they do mature, they need rules.  As they mature, they may actually become kind, loving, gentle, and generous and no longer need rules for they live out what the rules were there to teach them.  They don’t just do loving, gentle, and generous things, they are loving, gentle, and generous – it’s part of their nature now – who they are.

It’s the same with us in our spiritual journey.  Through the discipline of Lent, through the rules if you will, we are being called to mature as Christians.  To learn to deny ourselves, to live for others not for ourselves, to take up our cross daily and follow the Lord.  But we don’t learn this all at once.  It took thousands of years of preparation before the time was right for Jesus to come and teach us the Beatitudes.  It will probably take more than a few seasons of Lent for the Beatitudes to become 2nd nature to us – to be who we are.

Ultimately sin is not about breaking a rule, it’s about breaking a relationship:  our relationship with God.  The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, is indeed a story about how much God loves us.  The question for us to ponder this Lent is how much do we love God?

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to fully enter into Lent this year.  By your grace, reveal to me where I need to mature as a Christian.  By your grace, may I be a blessing to others and thereby give you glory and praise.

Closing: This Lent, in imitation of Our Lord, let us joyfully take up our cross and follow Him!

Deacon Rusty Baldwin is assigned to the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes. He has been married to his wonderful wife Heather for 40 years. They have 8 children. He is retired but keeps quite busy serving in various roles in his Family of Parishes.

March 7 – Friday After Ash Wednesday
Readings: Isaiah 58:1-9a, Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19, Matthew 9:14-15

Invitation to Prayer: Lord, we come to you thankful for your grace and mercy, and we seek to carry it into the world.

Reflection: As we begin our Lenten journey, our hearts, souls, and minds are focused and ready to embrace our Lenten traditions (and we are COMMITED to doing even better than last year at giving up chocolate, social media, wine, being sarcastic, etc.). Yet it’s instructive that these readings early in Lent point to that which God might find especially meaningful: moving our community towards charity, mercy, justice, and solidarity. While sacrificing some of things we enjoy and offering that up to God is undoubtedly strengthening to our faith, it’s clear that our personal piety cannot – MUST not – stop within ourselves. If these actions bring us closer to God and if Christ calls us to love God, ourselves, and others, then we must carry that love into the world. We must recognize that we come closest to being the people God when our love broadens to include our neighbors, especially our sisters and brothers in Christ who are suffering in poverty and experiencing marginalization and oppression.
Our world is reeling from the challenges all around us: wars, hunger, disease, division, disregard for refugees, diminished care for those most in need, and more. We, the people of God, are called – nay, required – to step into those difficult spaces and act out of love for love. We must break the yoke of the oppressed, change the systems that keep people hungry and homeless, demand that our leaders support policies and practices that care for those fleeing persecution and oppression, and unite to overcome that which divides us.

“Cry out full-throated and unsparingly, lift up your voice like a trumpet blast; Tell my people their wickedness, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Is 58:1)

“Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and He will say: Here I am!” (Is 58:9a)

Prayer: God, as we step fully into this season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, open our hearts to not seek to come closer to you but also to bring our world and everything in it closer to your kingdom.

Closing: In the spirit of stewardship and mercy, where is God calling you to bring the gifts God has given you – your skills, passions, and strengths – into the world and boldly work for peace, justice, and compassion?

Andrew Musgrave has served as the Director of the Catholic Social Action office since 2019. He is a member of the Crescent Family of Parishes, and is married to Ana with whom he has two amazing daughters, Layla and Juliet.

March 8 – Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Readings: Is 58:9b-14; Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Lk 5:27-32

Invitation to Prayer: “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.” (Ps 86:11)

Reflection: In the first interview since his election to the papacy in 2013, Pope Francis was asked “Who is Jorge Bergolio?” “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition,” he replied. The Pharisees in today’s Gospel would have done well to understand that all are tempted to sin. Most of us regularly fall short of the love that God calls us to know and to share. As scholars and leaders, they would have been able to recite from memory today’s Psalm, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth…For you, O Lord are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon him.” Yet, rather than striving to walk God’s path more closely, they judged others, including (and as time went on, especially) Jesus, and holding themselves above judgment.

Jesus knew the sinfulness of humanity. He came to forgive and to offer salvation, to draw all people toward right relationship with God. Jesus embodied what the prophet Isaiah proclaimed in today’s first reading: “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.” As Christ’s people, we are called to embody this care and compassion for all who long for relief, from hunger, thirst, loneliness, illness, and affliction.

As we enter this Lenten season, we are invited to admit our sinfulness, turn away from sin, and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us toward God and God’s ways. We need Jesus, the physician who comes to call us to repentance and hear him say, “Follow me.” The question we must hear today is “Who are you?” Are you a Pharisee, ready to judge others for their shortcomings and eager to show yourself as superior? Or are you a sinner who hears the call of Christ and is eager to follow with open heart and mind?

Prayer:
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. (Ps 86: 11ab, 3-5)

Closing: Take time today to reflect on your life. Be honest with yourself: what sin or failing tempts you? Resolve to avoid this sin and to follow Jesus more closely, toward right relationship with God and others.

Leisa Anslinger is a Parish Vitality Specialist for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She has served in parish and school ministry and is an author and speaker. Leisa and her husband Steve reside in Lebanon, Tennessee.

March 9 – First Sunday of Lent
Readings: Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

Invitation to Prayer: For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” You are “my refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust” (Rom 10:13, Ps 91:2).

Reflection: The first reading recalls the mighty work of God in the land of Egypt. There God’s chosen people were enslaved and oppressed. They called on the Lord, He heard them and responded. “He brought us out of Egypt with His strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders, (Deut 26:8). Moses is urging the people to offer their first fruits to the Lord in remembrance of Him giving them such rich soil in the promise land.

The wonderful saving work of God is echoed in the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. If our hearts are focused on God and we believe His Son, then God will hear us in our need and save us from the slavery of sin. “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” Rom 10:13). Paul is urging us to trust in God, we have seen Jesus raised from the dead and expect that we too will be brought from death into life.

During this Lent, we seek to root out the things that keep us from trusting in the mighty work God. Much like Israel in the Old Testament and the early Church of Paul, we can forget that God has worked life-giving miracles. Already we might be struggling with our Lenten resolutions. Those habits we have given up or devotions that we have added might be wearing on us. We must hear the words of hope today: God can work in your life and lead you to new life; have trust.

The Gospel shows that we have a Lord who knows what it is like to suffer temptation. He has mastered the master of lies. No matter what is to come in this forty-day journey, we must call on this Lord. Remember, “Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he knowledge’s my name” (Ps 91:14). We must only call on His name, He will hear our cry and answer us.

Prayer: Lord, be with me in times of distress or temptation, help me to remember Your mighty deeds, and trust in Your saving plan for my life.

Closing: How can invite God into my anxiety or temptations today? What might I do grow my trust in the Lord and His work in my life?

Matt Hess is the Director of Ministry at the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics.