Lent begins on Wednesday.  I invite us this Lent to reflect on Christianity as the “Way.”  That is what the first Christians called their movement, as we hear in Acts of the Apostles: their faith commitment was following Jesus on the “Way.”
 
Over the centuries the Church developed rituals and customs and, unfortunately, these became the focus for many: being a good Christian meant going to Mass, abstaining from meat on Fridays, saying the rosary, etc.  The concept that it is following Jesus’ Way of being, imitating Him, was lost.
 
To follow Jesus on the Way means that we treat other people as He did.  We don’t condemn the woman caught in adultery, but do our best to help her live a better life.  We are like the good Samaritan, who goes out of his way to help an enemy in need, and the father of the prodigal son, who is waiting to forgive someone who has humiliated him.  We take our five loaves and share with those in need.  And so on.
 
Being a Christian is a way of life, a way of reacting to situations and relating to people in which we think of more than ourselves.  It is living and interacting as did Christ.  The more we can do that, the more “Christian” we are in fact, not just name.
 
A good analogy for us is Bartimaeus, the blind man siting on the side of the road.  Once he was given sight by Jesus, we are told that he “followed Jesus on the Way.”  In other words, he got more than his physical sight: he was given the spiritual insight to know how to live his life.
 
My friends, we all have spiritual blind spots.  It is so easy to “practice” our faith, while not following Jesus on the Way.  I invite us to use Lent as a time of asking Jesus to improve our spiritual sight, so that, when we celebrate Easter on April 20th, we will be better at living out lives for others, as we follow Jesus “on the Way.”
 
Church sign: Lent is spring training for Christians. See you on opening day (Easter).

Our first reading this weekend is part of the dramatic story of the relationship between King Saul and David.  Saul was searching for David to kill him out of jealousy: David had been very successful in battle and the people were praising him too much for Saul’s fragile ego.  Saul was sleeping when David came upon him.  Instead of killing him, as he was urged to do by others, David simply took proof that he had the opportunity and thus was able to convince Saul that he was not out to overthrow him and peace was restored.
 
This is a perfect example of the Gospel message to love your enemy and do good to those who persecute you.  How was David able to respond this way?
 
First, David had self-control.  The natural, human reaction would be to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to get rid of someone who was trying to kill you.  But David was able to handle his emotions: he controlled them, they didn’t control him.
 
Second, once David controlled his human reactions, he was able to have mercy and forgiveness.  If he thought only of himself, he would have killed Saul: he would be safer and he would become king.  That would be a great win, if David thought only of himself.  But he was able to think of the other and act in a loving way.  It was a win-win: Saul was spared and David was a more honorable person.
 
My friends, David was living as Jesus tells us to in our Gospel: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you…Do to others as you would have them do to you…Stop judging and you will not be judged.  Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.  Forgive and you will be forgiven.
 
This is not easy.  We will never be perfect at doing it.  But, we need to always be striving to improve.  I invite us to reflect on how we are doing and then ask God to help us grow.  God bless.
 
Church sign: When you hold grudges, your hands aren’t free to catch blessings.

In an article entitled “The American Fairy Tale,” Dr. Darold Treffert presented five ways that people search for happiness but that actually lead to mental illness:

• Things (the more you have, the happier you will be)
• What you do (the more you produce and earn, the happier you will be)
• Being the same as others (happiness is fitting in and being accepted)
• Having no problems (happiness is being carefree)
• Having electronic gadgets (happiness is losing myself online)

 
His point is this: when we look for happiness and meaning in life through these means, we are ultimately doomed to failure. 
 
Luke makes the same point in his presentation of the Beatitudes in this weekend’s Gospel.  He says woe to those who rely on being rich, on satisfying their physical needs (who are filled now), on being carefree (who laugh now), on fitting in (when all speak well of you).  As Dr. Treffert said, relying on these things for happiness is a dead end.  They might bring happiness in the moment, but in the long term they lead to emptiness.
 
It does not mean having money is bad.  We need to take care of our needs.  We need to have meaningful relationships and belong to groups.  The problem is when they become our number one priority, rather than trust in God and awareness of the needs of others.
 
The Beatitudes are a blueprint for a Christian life.  They invite us to use the gifts God has given us, the gifts of life, time, talent, and treasure, not only for ourselves, but also for the welfare of others, especially those most in need.  When we can do that, we will be more authentically happy, both now and in eternity.  That is the wisdom of the Gospel.  God bless.
 
Church sign of the week: The only time you should look in your neighbor’s bowl is to make sure they have enough.

Baptism is a commitment to be a disciple, to bring Christ to others by what we say and how we act.  But it is so easy to make our faith about me and God and give ourselves a “get out of jail free” card on the discipleship obligation.  “I am a sinner…I am nobody…It is the work of priests and religious….I don’t know how…I am not capable or worthy.”  These are some of the excuses that are used.
 
Our readings this weekend present three persons who were not worthy.  In the first reading Isaiah is called and he protests that “he is a man of unclean lips.”  In the second reading, Paul calls himself the least of the apostles, because he persecuted the Church.  Then in the Gospel, Peter tells the Lord to depart from him, for he was a sinful man.  But God did not accept their excuses: Isaiah’s lips were purged, Paul was knocked off his horse, and Peter was told he would be a fisher of people.
 
The point is this: no one is perfect.  God uses imperfect, sinful people, like you and me, to bring about His Kingdom.  We need to do our best to live Gospel values in all we say and do. I know I have mentioned how much I enjoyed the column “The Perfect Assist” in the Catholic Digest in which people shared how one small act that someone did brought them to Jesus or back to Jesus after a long absence.  Most of the time, the person who did the act had no idea of what happened because of it.  The point is it is God’s work, not ours.  We simply have to show up and be willing, as Isaiah says at the end of our first reading: “Here I am, Lord, send me.”  God will do the rest.
 
Church sign: The point of your life is to point to Him.