Monday of the Second Week of Lent

I hope your first full week of Lent went smoothly as you kept in mind your Lenten promises! Today’s readings present us with another great lesson to keep close to our hearts this Lenten season. The first reading from Daniel sounds quite intimidating. “We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws…we are shamefaced even to this day” (Daniel 9:5; 9:7). The responsorial psalm continues this message to say, “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins” (Psalm 79:8). The general message presented by the reading and psalm is that we are sinners and there’s no way to avoid it! And we have sinned not only against God, but against each other…Don’t worry though! We are far from lost and can always find forgiveness!

So how do we gain forgiveness not only from our all-loving God, but from others too, you ask? The Gospel once again has an answer for us (it’s funny how it works that way!). “’Be merciful, just as your father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged…Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:36-37). Forgive, and you will be forgiven (often times that involves us forgiving ourselves as well!). These are powerful words, especially in an age where we often place our pride first. We’d much rather prefer it if the other person said sorry first, rather than forgiving them. So with this lesson of forgiving to be forgiven comes a lesson of humility. A relationship, with either man or God, cannot progress if our pride comes first.

For the rest of this Lenten season, please keep in mind the picture that goes with today’s reflection. Remember always that God forgives us for our mistakes, that we are simply children of God learning the responsibilities of being full members of his family on earth. Pax Amicis in Christos!

-Eric, Class of 2016

Second Sunday of Lent

I’ve been doing the Lent thing since I was a kid, being raised in a Catholic family and going to Catholic schools my entire life. I gave up chocolate, promised to clean my room, offered to help with the dishes, or stopped eating potato chips. When I matured in my faith, I began to see Lent more for what it was, a time to grow with God. So, each Lent I go into it with a goal. What do I want to change over the next forty days? Sometimes it is a desire for a smaller pant size, because God is more of a motivator than a New Year’s resolution for me. More frequently, it has been wanting to get rid of the unnecessary things in my life which take away from friends, family, faith, or even school (though I always loved the joke as a kid of giving up homework for Lent).

My point here today is that we’ve been in the season of Lent for about a week and a half now, long enough to start to settle into these promises we’ve made. So, take sometime today and check in with yourself and God and see if these promises have been fruitful. I know I’ve given up one thing only to replace it with something else, which, at the end of the day gets me nowhere in fighting a slight caffeine addiction or an unnecessary attachment to social media. In order for Lent to be fruitful, sometimes we have to do some extra work and clear out whatever crops up to prevent this growth.

Katie, Class of 2013

Saturday of First Week of Lent

In the Friday’s Gospel, we heard Jesus ask His followers who He is. Peter gets the right answer when he says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Although we do not see Jesus in the flesh in a typical day, and He does not specifically ask us who He is, our actions tell the world who Jesus is. Many people are wondering about God, so it’s important to consider what we’re saying.

As Christian college students, I think we are in a unique position to answer the question “Who is God?” by our actions. Today, rumors swirl about who God is and what he expects of us. Various organizations and denominations claim that they have the right answer, and these “answers” are the only excuse some people need to stop believing altogether. For this reason, it is vital for us to live for the God that we know and love and show the world who He is. God welcomes everyone, accepts everyone, forgives everyone, and loves everyone. In our daily lives, we can best show the world who God is by doing these same things. Do I welcome people into my life? Do I accept everyone despite their differences? Do I forgive people? Do I love?

Saint Francis of Assisi is attributed with the following advice, which I find to be especially helpful when I don’t know how to serve God in my daily interactions:

“Preach the Gospel at all times, and when, necessary use words.”

 

Finally, a quick song from Carrie Underwood about who God is… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM5f6ym7D5k

Laura '15

Friday of the First Week of Lent

I can´t get this past Sunday´s Gospel out of my head. Do you remember what it was? =) After going to Mass on Ash Wednesday, complete with getting ashes on my forehead and making my plans as to what I was going to give up during Lent, this past Sunday when I was in mass the Gospel hit me over the head like a sledge hammer because it really helped me see Lent through different lenses. Hearing the story about Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil, without food, should really put our Lenten journey into perspective.

First of all, we have the example of Jesus who follows the Holy Spirit into the barren desert to fast and pray for forty days. Now that I live in Mexico for the school semester I understand what the desert is like physically. It is very cold through the night and through the morning, and of course, very hot during the day. Also, the barren desert is nothing but dirt, dust, and cacti. But why does Jesus go into the desert without food to be tempted by the devil?

1. Jesus goes to PRAY, which strengthens his relationship with the Father, and Jesus denies the devil in the process saying, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” 

2. Jesus goes to fast in the desert in order to accomplish the same goal, which is to strengthen his relationship with the Father by showing him that the following statement is true: “It is written, Man does not live on bread alone but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”

This Lent we have the opportunity to follow the example of Jesus with our OWN Lenten observance, following Jesus who goes to spend time in the barren desert to 1. To pray 2. To fast 3. Be tempted by the devil himself, all in order to become closer to God and experience his saving graces. We should do this not because the Pope and the Catholic Church as an Institution tells us to do it, but because we want to follow the our role model, friend, and our brother, Jesus.

Ciro  ‘14

First Thusday of Lent

Saint Augustine famously wrote, in his Confessions, that our hearts are restless until they rest in the Lord. As college students, I believe this restlessness is something we feel constantly and acutely, if not consciously; After all, our restlessness drives us to get an education and to pursue our callings, whether we associate it with Christ or not. This restlessness is a gift from God, it leads us to His love. Nevertheless, it can be frustrating to feel as though we are wandering towards an ambiguous goal, an unclear goodness that seems to disappear just as we approach it. This week, as the semester becomes more difficult, I have been struggling with this frustration, and wondering the point of the work and, more importantly, what to do next. How do I get to the shimmering something at the end of the tunnel? I cried out to God about this, and basically begged Him to tell me my mission. Over the rest of the week, through several conversations and events, He made it abundantly clear to me that panicking is not how one finds his or her way. Rather, one makes his or her way to the Lord through love.

                In the book Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, a boy begins a journey to find the truth, and, when he reaches old age, he discovers it. He comes across an old friend, Govinda, who is still searching. Siddhartha tells him, “It seems to me…that love is the most important thing in the world. It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for us to hate each other, but to be able to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration, and respect”. Coincidentally, this relates directly to today’s gospel, Matthew 7:7-12. Here, Christ shares the “Golden rule”—“Do unto others what you would have them do unto you”.  So perhaps this is the only true mission, to love the world and ourselves unfailingly, and act with love at all times.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiiQcyoKWjQ – “Restless” by Switchfoot

Cailin Class of '16

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

          

  We have been given the gift of free will, the ability to choose our life’s actions. From the moment we rise in the morning to the moment we lay our head back down on the pillow in the evening, we choose. We choose to brush our teeth before combing our hair; we choose to say hello or good morning; we choose to walk to class down the Commons or down Mulberry. Our choices create our habits.

            In today’s scripture, John tells the story of Nineveh. This great city was living in sin, so God sent Jonah to warn them of their future if they continued their unholy ways. Upon hearing Jonah’s announcement, the people changed their ways. They began to fast, put on sackcloth, and repent. Nineveh was saved because God saw that the people believed.

            This Lent we are called to repent and sacrifice, as we do every year, but as we reach adulthood we must challenge ourselves to sacrifice our lazy, childish ways and actively choose God. The Ninevites had become so enraptured in their own lives that God was lost and faith destroyed. It was not until they were told to repent, that they awoke and began to live. In choosing to live without God, we choose darkness. We live an unlived life.

            So, how do we choose God? How do we really know we are choosing Him? Simple. We choose to believe.  Our faith alone can save us. It saved the Ninevites and, so too, it can save you. This Lent be open to that faith. Let it encompass you and be obedient to your innermost wants. What your heart longs for is God, so be still and listen.

           

- S.B.

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

“And I remember feeling sad, that miracles don't happen still,

But now I can't keep track, 'Cause everything's a miracle”

-Holy Now by Peter Mayer

            Hearing this song this weekend really impacted me and this line in particular stuck out.. Countless times I have heard people ask why there aren’t big miracles or why God doesn’t speak anymore. I used to wonder the same thing. Is God still present or is he the God of all these dead biblical guys?

            My time at Scranton has shown me that such an outlook could not be more wrong. Using our good old Jesuit ideals of seeing God in all things, we can see where God is in our lives and in the world. Perhaps we see Him on a personal level, like in our hearts or with friends, or a community, like our fantastic one. Small everyday things, like a smile or kind word, to something bigger, like a retreat or major change. By seeing God in this way, everything changes. I can appreciate all that happens in my life so much more, knowing that they are a gift from God rather than some cool occurrence.

But how this relates to miracles for me can best be summed up in this quote from Bruce Almighty: “Parting your soup is not a miracle, it’s a magic trick. A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle.” When we start to see miracles as God’s love present in our lives, instead of big fancy tricks of power we’re really onto something.

This Lent I challenge you to look at your day, week, live and look for love, look for God. There you will find miracles.

* Holy Now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiypaURysz4

-Lauren G. – Class of 2013

First Sunday of Lent

Lent is kind of a scary time, and even though I know there’s a light at the end of these forty days, it doesn’t make starting the journey any less intimidating. Choosing a Lenten sacrifice, trying to follow through with that Lenten sacrifice, and inevitably, at least in my case, screwing up somewhere along the line. Lent tends to shine a light on all of our flaws and sometimes I really hate that aspect of Lent, it is something I still struggle with because Lent is not intended to make me feel bad about myself.

Yet, facing this sinfulness inside us is an important part of Lent. We live in an imperfect world, one filled with sin and we are imperfect people. Turn on the news or read a paper and it is all too easy to find stories which highlight all the problems we face today. Spending time in prayer or reflecting on our day can also bring these problems into focus.

What this does though, or what I think it is supposed to do, is remind us how much we need God and how wonderful God’s love for us is. I overheard someone at Ash Wednesday Mass describe Lent as the start of a New Year or New Year’s resolutions gone religious. I know that only with God’s help can I keep my Lenten promises. Only with God can I do anything. I think Lent brings us back to God through this darkness.

So, I’ll leave you with two things. One, don’t be afraid of the dark part of Lent, this darkness is what brings us to the light, what shows us the light. Two, a song by Jon Foreman, of Switchfoot fame, entitled “Equally Skilled,” it is one of my favorites by him and I think it truly captures this aspect of Lent. 

(link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toVB_WevG_A )

Katie, Class of 2013

Saturday After Ash Wednesday

Can we just stop and admire how adorable this child is and how beautiful her prayer is?

This image seems appropriate for the beginning of Lent because of the child’s innocence and faith. She is humble enough to ask God for help and she has the faith to know that God can hear the silent words of her heart. We don’t have to be innocent and adorable for God to see into our hearts, though; we just have to open the doors and let Him in. Once we let him in, He will flood our hearts with understanding, comfort and love.

Lent is about Jesus’ suffering, which was the ultimate sign of his love for us, and so Lent becomes a time to open our hearts to God in more ways and in new ways. The hard part is figuring out how to let Him in. Maybe the best way is through joining in His suffering and giving something up, or in feeling His love by doing a random act of kindness every day, or in attending Mass and Stations of the Cross. The only way to truly know God’s love is to look for Him everywhere and let Him in every time we find Him. With a little bit of faith, we can find God in our day-to-day lives and welcome Him to share these simple moments with us. With some humility, we can ask Him for help with anything, whether we have the words to say it or not. God knows that there are four classes, two meetings, practice, work, homework and a call to a sick grandmother scheduled for tomorrow, and he can give us the strength to face it all with a smile if we give Him the chance. So, call on God today and let him listen through your heart. He can’t wait to hear what’s there.

Laura, Class of 2015

Friday After Ash Wednesday

Lenten Reflection for Friday 2-15-13

                It’s Lent again! I used to dread Lent because who honestly really looks forward to going to Reconciliation and fasting? However, as I got older and my faith life developed, I saw Lent for what it really is, an opportunity to draw closer to God again. It’s normal that we drift from God and that’s why the Church gives us this season to draw back to Him. For the next few weeks we can rebuild our relationship with Jesus Christ and experience His Amazing Grace.

                        To tie in the Gospel for tomorrow (Lk 5:27-32):

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house        .

                Today and for the rest of Lent, let’s be like Levi the tax collector, who sees Jesus, follows him, and throws Jesus a great banquet in his house. Our great banquet doesn’t need other invitees. It can be just us and Jesus, a time to draw closer to Jesus again with our present of PRESENCE and our prayer. As we heard in the Ash Wednesday mass, when we pray, we should go into our rooms, close the door, and pray to our Father in secret. 

                As a person who loves music, my favorite way to pray, especially during Lent, is to listen to great Christian music (with Lenten themes), with my eyes closed, relaxed, while praying the words, being present to God. It’s a beautiful experience, especially when you start to feel tear drops falling down your face.

                For those reading this blog, I share with you Josh Wilson. His rendition of Amazing Grace is truly amazing! Feel free to listen to these songs (see below) and pray today, in your room, with the door shut, with Jesus. Pray the words. Let the tears flow. Let the wounds heal. For however long you like. If you feel so inclined, look for other music to pray with.

 “I Refuse” by Josh Wilson (lyrics)

'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh I refuse

Oh I refuse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu2E2FUcIiE (Give me Jesus)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib4IK88vNo4   (Amazing Grace-Josh Wilson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUFDGKDjiXI  (It is Well-Josh Wilson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B1Lv8k5pEc   (I Refuse-Josh Wilson)

Till next week. Your friend and brother from the University of Scranton in Puebla, México,

Ciro, Class of 2014

Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Today, Feb 14th, the campus is a sea of red and pink hearts, sweet stuffed animals, long stemmed roses, and, of course, lots of candy—it must be Valentine’s day.  Love is on the minds and in the hearts of many students.  Classmates and friends all over campus are exchanging hugs and “I love you”s; The University is bursting with the joy brought about by love that is true and real, regardless of the superficial and commercial nature of the holiday. That overwhelming love and joy should be constant, especially during lent—God’s love is, after all, the reason for the season, as the constantly quoted John 3:16 points out “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God’s love is truly unconditional, and He shows it in every moment and every facet of being. It is, then, our responsibility to reflect that love like the sea reflects the sky.

            Certainly, to love as God does, unconditionally, is no easy feat, but really, that’s a good thing. We do not take for granted that which challenges us. Therefore, I challenge the University as a whole, including myself, to look towards everyone with love this Lenten season, the same way we look with love towards each other on Valentine’s day; the same way God looks towards us with love. If everyone does this, by the end of Lent, no one in a five-mile radius of the school will have any doubt that he or she is loved, no matter what.

Cailin, Class of '16

Ash Wednesday 2013

ASH WEDNESDAY: Feb 13 2013.  In his Introduction to Christianity, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) writes, “one could very well describe Christianity as a philosophy of freedom” and “The Christian message is basically nothing else than the transmission of the testimony that love has managed to break through death here and thus has transformed fundamentally the situation of us all” (1968, p. 158; p. 307).  

As we begin Lent, once again let's claim our freedom (cf. Gal 5:1) as sons and daughters of a loving God who gently and gradually transforms us into persons who can live in love forever. Lent is a time to prepare ourselves and participate more fully in the great transformation worked in us by Baptism and our participation in the sacramental life of the church.  We need to know and live our faith.  Why?

Without faith, all falls apart. All burns down.  There's an old story about the clown who ran into town from the fields outside where they were setting up the Big Top.  He yelled the Circus was on fire.  Everyone thought he was drumming up business for the show and laughed while ignoring his cries for help.  He continued to yell, "NO, the Tent really is on fire.  Come and help me put it out."  No one believed him.  They thought it was just part of the show.  Soon, the fire spread to the outskirts of town and quickly erupted, burning everything to the ground.  No one had paid any real attention to the cries of the clown.

Let's proclaim Christ these days.  Let's show by the ashes on our foreheads that we want to live in true freedom, knowing that love has broken through death and destruction.  Our situation is fundamentally transformed.  Deo Gratias.

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Needs and Wants

                God gives us what we need. Moses, when he didn’t want to do what God asked of him, received Aaron, someone who would speak for him. He felt he needed that help and God came through. When Jesus was in the desert for forty days God took care of him and made sure he had what he needed.

                Our wants often get in the way of our needs, which may be why so many people give up unhealthy foods or bad habits during Lent. There is recognition that though we may want that piece of cake we certainly don’t need it.                

                Take time this Lent to look at your wants and needs. Physically what do you want, and what do you actually need? Are social wants getting in the way of academic or financial needs? When it comes to your relationship with God, what is it you want and what is it you need to grow in faith? St. Ignatius tells us that God gives us the graces we need; all we have to do is ask.

Katie '13

Friday After Ash Wednesday

Friday After Ash Wednesday

Feels Good to Be Blessed

As I reflect at this moment in time, I realize I have much to be grateful for. Better yet I'll just say it - I'm blessed! Then I further search for the reasons behind it. Luckily, I have 40 days to do so. So for each day I give something up, I count a blessing as something that has been given to me. And this lent season should remind us that while it's a struggle to relinquish satisfying habits, the blessings we are given fill those voids. In actuality we receive more than we give up! Man, o man, it sure feels good to be blessed! 

J. W. ‘13

Ash Wednesday 2012

Ash Wednesday Reflection

            “What are you giving up?” the phrase we so often hear around this time each year. When I was younger I never put any thought into it. I’ll give up candy because I’m supposed to. This God guy wants me to be good and apparently interrupting my sugar intake was good.

            But as I grew up I learned that there is a lot more to Lent. Giving things up for God can be good, but they aren’t ends in themselves. Our sacrifices are meant to bring us closer to God. Maybe to send up a prayer when we get tempted or to put him in our daily lives. Maybe to remember that God is more important than what we gave up.

            Another part of Lent I didn’t know when I was a kid was doing something for Lent. This can be an active process and can dedicate our actions to God. Whether it’s doing service, praying a bit more or even reaching out with love; it’s all a part of Lent when it’s done for God.

            So think about what you’re doing for Lent and how that will draw you closer to Him.

- Lauren

A University of Scranton Senior Reflects on Vocation as He Graduates

VOCATION: Responding to God's Call

William Woody.  Class of 2011

As final exams draw near and graduation looms on the horizon, the prospect of leaving Scranton and moving onto something else prompts a wide range of feelings from excited anticipation to nervous anxiety. Leaving the rather predictable routine of college life behind, a degree of uncertainty and a lack of control over our futures can provoke such feelings and lead anyone to obsess over the questions, “What’s next?” or “What am I doing with my life?” Although each of us have struggled with these questions to some degree in our own way (and we can all offer our own unique response), today’s readings make it clear that we all share in a common vocation – called by Christ to love and to serve both God and others.

             Over the past four years at the University of Scranton, my faith journey has taken rather surprising turns, yet the question of vocation recurred as one of the constant struggles. And while it may be easy to write off the question of a “vocation” as something reserved for those discerning religious life or ordained ministry, we must not forget that we are all called by God and that we all must recognize and respond to our vocation in some way. Today’s first reading recalls the words of Peter, reminding the crows of the “promise” of God to “whomever the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). Jesus himself makes such a promise in today’s Gospel reading, describing himself as the Good Shepherd who “calls out to his sheep by name and leads them out,” leading his people so that “they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:3, 10). We are not the absolute masters of our destiny, for God takes the initiative and calls us to our proper vocation, but God does not violently impose himself upon us or saddle us with a vocation to make us miserable. God calls us toward our proper vocation so that we may be happy and experience his love for each of us. And although God may call us toward an ultimately common vocation, an appropriate response to God’s call may manifest itself in many different ways.

            How, then, can we recognize our proper vocation and respond wholeheartedly to God’s call? Through careful discernment, prayer, attention to our own desires and talents, and giving God space to work in our lives, we can come to recognize how Christ calls us toward the promised “life abundant” which God strongly desires to give each of us. It would be foolish to write off our past experiences and desires in discerning vocation, for God speaks to us through such experiences and desires. Further, each of us possess unique gifts and talents, and so we each stand ready to offer our individual abilities in service to God and out of love for one another. We cannot ignore our own inclinations and desires completely, but we must use these gifts in a way that leads to the greater glory of God as well as to more just and loving relationships with others. Most importantly, we must recognize that vocation is not simply a one-time question that we can “resolve” at one discrete moment. Rather, it is an ongoing process of living our lives in response to God’s call and following Christ in active discipleship. We must trust, then, that God continues to call and to shape our lives if we let him – even when things do not seem to go our way or when God seems absent from our lives. God continues to call and to beckon us all toward that life abundant promised by following Christ.

While giving up absolute control over our future and knowing that things will not always go as we expect would unsettle anyone, I recall the words of the French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who exhorts us to “Trust in the slow work of God…Give our Lord the benefit of believing that His Hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.” I recognize the temptation to obsess over our futures and how readily we try to control ever aspect of our lives. But maybe we should take a step back, trusting that God calls and leads each of us to a greater promise than we could ever create for ourselves. Maybe we should try to let God have his way and recognize, as Christ tells us, “you did not choose me but I chose you” (Jn 15:16).