Fifth Sunday of Lent

Lift the fog to see the Light

If you’ve ever had a really severe toothache, you know it is pretty awful. How does something so small cause so much pain? And, if it’s bad enough a person will do just about anything to make it stop. All we want to do in that situation is get as fast as we can to the person who can make it better. And we are probably willing to pay whatever it costs to make the pain go away. If everything goes as planned, the relief we feel can be incredible. “Thank God I never have to go through that again,” we might think to ourselves. And for many of us, what happens at some point in time? We get another one. Rarely is a terrible toothache (or any other painful thing) a singular event. If we live long enough, we’re almost sure to experience multiple health aches and pains. Many things in life are this way. And they occur in all sorts of areas of our lives. Many of these things are random in nature. And there isn’t much we can do to avoid them. But others are not as random and can come about because of something we fail to learn. How many of us as children would get hurt doing something reckless, yet continue to do that very thing over and over again? I am reminded of a sibling who will remain nameless who loved to shout “Don’t try this at home!,” and then proceed to do something risky. How many of us, get into romantic relationships with people for the same wrong reasons over and over and over again? “I won’t make that mistake next time.” But then we do. How many of us give in to some sort of temptation and are convinced that we won’t succumb to that temptation again? How many of us think that if we just carefully select the right spouse, our life will be easy and perfect? Or if we achieve a certain level of financial security we’ll never have to worry again. Or the next drink will be my last. Or the next pill. Or I’ll just do this bad thing (maybe even something criminal) this one time to get myself out of a jam and that will be the end of it. You get the idea. In other words, almost nothing in life has a guarantee of permanence, a guarantee that it will last forever (for good or for bad). Sometimes things work out that way in a particular circumstance, but most things come and go. They’re here one second and gone the next. Good one moment and not so good the next. We’ll do something to alleviate a particularly negative thing (a completely worthwhile pursuit) yet somehow it (or something similar) comes back around. Or we do things that bring us a certain amount of joy (another completely worthwhile pursuit) --- yet that joy only lasts a very short time. Everything, it seems, is fleeting. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; . . .” Now, Jesus says this statement in the middle of a strange and puzzling conversation with the woman at the well. The two of them start out talking about one thing but pretty soon are talking about something else altogether. This ordinary, daily chore had become a teaching moment, a challenging moment, a transformational moment. Jesus knows exactly what to say in every situation, always knows exactly what we need to hear. It’s easy to go through life relying most on what we can see and touch. In many respects, these earthly physical things seem more ‘real” than spiritual things, things we are asked to believe in faith, things that can’t exactly be proved to us (in the usual way we use that word). When a person is hungry --- food sounds way more important than God. When a person is sick ---- getting well sounds way more important than God. When a person is in danger --- getting to safety sounds way more important than God. When a person has no money --- getting a job sounds way more important than God. And when a person is terribly lonely ---making a friend sounds way more important than God. And you know what? The pursuit of those things does not necessarily have to take the place of God. They’re not in true competition with him. And so we should try to meet those needs, should try to improve those situations. In fact, in doing so we are almost certainly doing what God wants, cooperating with his grace. Even Jesus in the story we just heard asked the woman at the well for a drink of water before saying anything else. In other words, being faithful doesn’t mean we can’t pursue trying to meet our earthly human needs and things that make us happy, and certainly doesn’t mean we can’t do things to try to alleviate our pain or our sorrow or our disappointment. But what they aren’t supposed do is get in the way of going to the well, get in the way of our journey into holiness, get in the way of our relationship with the only ONE who can guarantee us love, compassion, understanding, mercy, forgiveness and ultimately, SALVATION. Even things such as happiness, joy, peace, meaning, hope, and every other good thing can only come about through the grace of the ONE who is all of those things. And so, as we continue through Lent we reflect on how deeply we want or deeply we think we need certain things in our lives. And then, we can strive to make sure they are aligned with our faith and our desire for God and holiness. In fact, our hearts will always be restless until they rest in God, who is - in the end - all we need. He’s the life-giving water for a thirst this world can’t quench.

Many people enjoy playing poker or even enjoy watching other people play poker. And one of the most exciting things that can happen at one point or another is a player making a risky move --- when they dramatically push all of their chips into the pot and go “all in”. Betting it all. Not holding anything back. And players usually don’t make this move in an impulsive way. They do so only when the situation is exactly right, when they realize that this is the smartest move, the one that could change everything --- in some sense, the ONLY move. Going “all in” is not as easy as it sounds. It can be difficult, even frightening at times. For example, taking out a big mortgage is a kind of going all in. Heading off to a college far from home is a kind of going all in. So is accepting a job offer for a position that will demand a lot. Or going sky diving. Or agreeing to a complicated surgical procedure. Or making a marriage proposal, or saying “yes” to such a proposal. Going all in can be a challenging thing to do --- even when we know it’s the right thing to do. “Jesus led them up a high mountain and was transfigured before them.” It’s interesting to think about this event in the life of Jesus and wonder why he chose to do this, at this moment, in front of these three people. There might be more than one reason, more than one thing Jesus (and/or God the Father) was hoping to accomplish. But I think there is one logical possibility, one reason that makes perfect sense. You see, up to this point Peter, James, and John (and others) had quite a few unique experiences with Jesus. He had said some pretty remarkable, insightful things. He told stories with endings that were unpredictable. He performed miracles and things that couldn’t be easily explained. And he spoke with a certain kind of authority. And that might have been enough (maybe even enough for us had we seen those things). But, in a sense, Jesus couldn’t take a chance --- couldn’t risk that Peter, James, and John might have somehow misunderstood the situation, what he had been saying and who he was. Jesus needed to give them a powerful reason to trust him, to listen to him, to follow him, to remain “all in”. Are we still all in? That can be a difficult question to answer. And I don’t mean just “kind of” difficult. No, this can be one of the most difficult things we will ever contemplate doing. And so, one of our “goals” during this holy season is to reflect on this critical question --- and be honest about what we discover. How committed are we? How in love with Jesus are we? Exactly how far are we willing to go? How much of us and our calendars are we handing over to him, surrendering to him, giving to him to use as he sees fit? Or are we only “in” part-way, only a little committed? Lent can help us wrestle with these important spiritual questions. But there is another implication we must consider. You see, Peter, James, and John probably needed another reason to believe and trust, needed to see something in Jesus they had never seen before. And things are no different today. Each of us, in a certain sense, needs our own “transfiguration moment” --- that is, needs to encounter Jesus, needs to see something that reveals more clearly who Jesus is, needs to see him transfigured --- white as light, shining a divine experience, divine revelation upon us. And each of us not only needs to have that experience, but also needs to help others have that experience. There are people we know, who need more reasons to remain committed, to get on board, to give their life over to Jesus, to follow him more closely, to be “all-in”. And it’s up to each of us to be that person, to be someone who gives other people reasons to believe and to trust and to hope. Are we that person? Do people look at each of us and see someone who radiates hope… radiates kindness…radiates forgiveness, compassion and love? In other words, do people look at us and see the face of God? Or do we show them something else? This Lent, may we pray for the ability to have our own transfiguration moments, to be able to see our loving God in the Eucharist before us and in the people and situations around us, leading us to be more committed than ever, more committed to going “all in”. But at the same time let’s remember to be that person who is willing to lead others up the mountain --- that is, be a person who is willing to radiate the love of Jesus in such a way that it gives people one more reason to fall in love with the One who is love.

First Sunday of Lent – February 22, 2026 Obedience unto the Lord during Lent and always. Dcn. Bill Kenney In our Gospel reading Satan tries to exploit any possible weakness in the human nature of the god-man, Jesus Christ. Afterall, he learned that Adam and Eve from our Genesis reading were weak humans, easy pickings to fall prey to his temptations. Because of their pride and disobedience, they were not, as we pray, “delivered from evil”. While Satan handed God’s “good” creation a terrible blow of original sin, God would have his total victory over sin and death through his son, our savior Jesus Christ. From Romans: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.” Matthew recounts to us how Jesus is confronted in the desert by the “tempter”, a title that even insinuates an evil disposition. Jesus is tempted three times- all secular desires: self-serving and presumptuous power, celebrity, and pride. As we heard, in complete obedience to the Father, Jesus responds to Satan by quoting Scripture, the Word and Law of the Lord. It was no contest. Jesus is the living Word and the devil has no power over him, not even in his upcoming death. Jesus tells him. in all authority, “Get away Satan!” This Gospel account is written, as is all Scripture, on our behalf- that we may know and participate in God’s plan and will for our lives. - to grow in relationship through trust and obedience to his word in Scripture and his Word, Jesus Christ, for our eternal salvation. The Last Temptation of Christ is a controversial, if not blasphemous novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis. It is a fictional depiction of a supposed conflict between the human and divine natures of Jesus. It focuses on a "last temptation" -the implanted desire to avoid the sacrifice of the crucifixion and live a mortal life, offered by Satan to Jesus while he was on the cross. This story highlights the human condition we face in our daily lives- our fallibility, our weakness to sin- in contrast to the awesome power and glory of our divine Savior overcoming darkness and evil. Out of great love for us and great obedience to the Father, we know the truth: how Jesus fulfilled the plan of the Father to redeem our souls, to reunite us with our Creator and usher in his Kingdom, of which the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The heart of the issue is whether you, in humble obedience, serve and worship God, or not. And if you’re not serving God, you’re ultimately serving the devil. As Bob Dylan, of whom I’m a big fan, sang, “It may be the devil or it may be the Lord but you’re gonna have to serve somebody”. Who are you serving? Simply put, are you doing what God wants you to do? Do you regularly discern what God wants you to do with your time, talent, and treasure? Do you open your heart to invite him into your daily decisions so as to remain faithful to his plan for you? Galatians 5:25 states, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." We must imitate Jesus’ example of obedience- overcoming temptations of the flesh to follow the Father’s divine will. That’s why Lent is a penitential season- to forsake the sins of the flesh and get us back in the Spirit. That’s why we need to worship at Mass every week and receive the Holy Eucharist. That’s why we need to have a daily prayer life, to be rooted in Scripture, to pray devotionals like the Rosary; to spend time with Christ in Adoration, in order that we might be rooted in Christ. He succeeded where Adam failed. He shows us the way to all righteousness. We must walk in the Spirit. In our sorrow for our sins we pray, “Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.” If we don’t walk in the Spirit, we give the devil a chance to work on us, to move us away from God, and, in the end, we clandestinely serve him. We live in both a pragmatic physical world and a mysterious spiritual world. Perhaps our temptations from the devil are more subtle than they were with Jesus in the desert. The devil may not manifest himself and tell you his evil desires. In that respect, living a holy life can be especially difficult. We need to be united in the Spirit to discern our choices that they are in line with God’s providence for each of us and as a People of God. How, for example, are R-rated movies or worse subtly numbing our Christian family, morals and values? Perhaps we’re numbed by the indulgences of the clothing, or lack thereof, illicit drugs, sexual promiscuity, and profane language that litter our televisions, theaters, red-carpet award shows, Superbowls, and even commercials anymore. Not to mention the temptations we face on the Internet. There are many “low-hanging-fruit” opportunities for giving up some subtle evil in our lives. Pick one, but instead of taking a bite of it and digesting its evil, throw it out of your life. Throughout this Lenten season, may we grow in trust to love and serve the Lord. May the Lord “create in us a clean heart and renew within us a steadfast Spirit” that through our self-sacrificial offerings of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we may grow in obedience and grace, not as an end to themselves, but for the greater glory of God.

Sixth Sunday in O.T.

As you can imagine, before being ordained as a priest or deacon a person must get a certain amount of structured education. That’s one of the main responsibilities of seminaries and diocesan diaconate programs. In other words, there is a certain amount of “stuff” that the Church feels we must know in order to fulfill our ministerial duties in the best way possible. And this “knowledge” spans many areas --- theology, philosophy, Church history, Scripture, Sacraments… Some people in formation love these sorts of things and others would like to be able to leapfrog over some of these requirements. But in either case, one kneels before the bishop “knowing” a lot more than he did before he began the whole process. This can be both a blessing and a curse. In one sense, it’s important to have all this stuff in our heads. It helps us preach. It helps us teach. It helps us say the right things at weddings and funerals and in the confessional and at a person’s bedside. But the “curse” of having had a lot of formal education in the faith is that we can sometimes get all caught up in our heads over these sorts of matters. In other words, “faith” can start to become just an assortment of statements or explanations or arguments. Faith, in these circumstances, becomes just “thinking the right stuff”. The challenge is to allow our intellectual knowledge to move our hearts to act in love. “. . . so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” So says Paul to the people of Corinth. He starts this particular passage by telling them (essentially) that he knows that they haven’t accepted the faith because of his words, that is, because of some sort of clever or persuasive argument. Rather, he knows that the biggest difference he made in their hearts and minds was through his actions --- what he calls a “demonstration of Spirit and power”. Put simply --- words weren’t the difference. Actions were. The “power of God” was made visible through the good he was able to do (whatever those things were). In Paul, they sort of “saw” what “faith” looked like (not just “heard” what it was supposed to be). Which are we? Are we people who mostly “talk” about our faith, or do we actually demonstrate the “power” of it? Of course, the power of a faithful life doesn’t really look like power at all. It looks like what we heard from Isaiah in today’s First Reading --- feeding the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, and clothing the naked. Not only is this the only sort of power God seems to care about --- the power of love --- it is also the only real evidence that we have any sort of authentic faith at all. We can say the right things, we can hold the right thoughts, but if those things don’t manifest themselves in the choices we make --- our faith is really just an illusion. These are pretty hard things to hear. It’s easier to believe that we just need to give our assent to the things the Church teaches and we are being faithful. It’s a lot harder to accept the challenge from God (or shall I say “command”) to give of ourselves in the complete, selfless way he asks --- by being radically merciful, and wastefully generous, and relentlessly forgiving and sincerely humble, and unstoppably kind. And these are not little, insignificant, ordinary things. They are powerful things. Life-changing things. God-things. And the difference they can make in the lives of others and in the transformation of the world should not be underestimated. In fact, this is precisely how we become . . .Salt. The kind of people who make every situation a little better, a little more hopeful, a little more beautiful, a little more uplifting. Is that really who we are? Or do we sometimes tear others down? Or make them feel less than they are? Or fill them with cynicism and hopelessness? Living out our faith is how we become light. The kind of people who brighten the lives of others. And bring warmth to their hearts and souls. And provide light to dispel whatever darkness they might be experiencing, whatever darkness is making it difficult for them to be the person God created them to be? Is that who we are? Or do we sometimes make people stay in the shadows? Or make someone’s world a little colder? Or make others feel that they aren’t as loved by God as us? Each of our lives says something, whether we want it to or not. And what we “say” with our lives comes out most clearly by what we actually do in our lives, how we actually treat people. And it doesn’t matter if we believe all the right things, or say all the right prayers. What please God is the person who lets God’s grace transform their actions into life-giving, powerful instruments of God --- the kinds of things that make us salt and light, the kinds of things that help make the world the beautiful, hopeful place God wants it to be. So let’s not get all caught up in our heads. Rather, let’s use what we believe to shape what really matters --- the choices we make. For as Paul reminds us --- that’s where our faith should truly rest. 

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time- Yr. A – Feb. 1, 2026 The “A”-Attitudes for discipleship. Readings: Matthew 5:1–12 - Dcn. Bill Kenney Sibling rivalry is something many of us have had the “joy” of living through. Growing up with five sisters, there was plenty of rivalry to go around. My sister Linda and I were fierce competitors for the praise and recognition of others for our schoolwork and grades. It was a (“mostly”) healthy contest as it propelled us both to do our best. Even at the tender age of five, Linda once told our Mom upon hearing today’s Gospel, “’B’-attitudes? I don’t want the ‘B’-attitudes, I only want ‘A’-attitudes!” …and she always did earn the “A”-attitudes! As we grew , the childish competition and pride waned from our early years. Our values and aspirations took on a bigger picture and significance as we grew to understand today’s Gospel in the light of Christ. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims his beatitudes, the virtues and rewards for a truly blessed life in anticipation of God's reign. It was yet another way of Jesus proclaiming, “the Kingdom of God is at hand” to all disciples who will follow his call back to the Father. As with many of Jesus’ teachings and parables, the beatitudes are counter-intuitive in nature because they declare blessings on those commonly viewed as unfortunate or weak. These beatitudes fly in the face of worldly expectations and secular social norms. How can the meek, inherit the land? Society tells us you have to be a go-getter, aggressive in life; lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead. Peacemakers are those in power, flexing their muscle, wealth, and know-how, attaining “peace through strength”, unlike powerless children. Contrary to our temporal world, Jesus’ beatitudes describe an upside-down kingdom where humility, compassion, and righteousness are valued above worldly power. Each beatitude invites us to view our standards and our way of life from a different perspective: a perspective of God’s Kingdom. As his disciples, we are called to learn wisdom from Jesus’ life lessons found in the beatitudes. We are to direct our faith and actions to the Kingdom of God, not to this temporal world. We must live in the world, but not be enslaved by the world. When our desire to belong to the world outweighs our desire to belong to the world that is to come, our spiritual compass is misguided, not pointing us to Jesus Christ. A true disciple must be a good student- one who can learn from the life of Jesus and his teachings throughout this period of Ordinary Time. A true disciple must be humble, open, and willing to be coached with wise guidance. · Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In what ways have I become too self-righteous, too self-absorbed? Do I boast in myself or “…in the Lord”? How can I better humble myself before the Lord; placing my life more fully in God’s hands such as during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament? · Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. How has my sinfulness blinded me from seeing God’s truth and will for my life? How long has it been since my last Confession? · Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. What areas or habits in my life are sources of heartache to myself or others? Do I mean it when I extend my hand and say, “Peace be with you”? Through his beatitudes, Jesus calls the meek, the lowly, the persecuted, the merciful, and all sinners to realize his merciful love and the rewards of eternal life with him. It is very difficult for the proud, the arrogant, the rich and powerful nobles of this world to open their hearts in humility and fear of the Lord. Yet they too are called, for God’s mercy is abundant and freely given. Discipleship through these beatitudes is a transformative process. From the sacraments we are empowered as children of God to daily live our faith through proclaiming the Gospel, worshipping at Mass, and through regular reception of the Holy Eucharist. We need that power, not of strength and control, but a Spiritual power of inner attitude to become meek and child-like, trusting and relying on Almighty God’s mercy, grace, and will to be done on earth, in our hearts, and as it is in heaven. As disciples of Christ, we are to act as instruments of his love in everything we do and it is through this participation that we share in the divine life. The true presence of Christ which you receive today in the Holy Eucharist, is pure love that dwells within you; which pours out in all your thoughts, words, and actions; which shines the light of Christ to others and reveals you to be a Christian, a disciple of Christ. May we truly be good learning disciples of Christ as we contemplate and live his lessons of wisdom in these beatitudes. The beatitudes are meant to comfort us, not scare us, because they promise that, if we follow Christ and are shunned by the world, we need not worry because our ultimate happiness does not lie in this world, but in the kingdom to come. They are not just good “B”-attitudes, but the best “A”-attitudes transforming our lives, for our salvation and for the glory of God.

Most of us like to win? In the workplace, on the field, in the classroom, in the dating scene, in our social circle, in arguments --- pretty much everywhere. Whatever the situation, most of us enjoy finishing number one, enjoy the view from our perch above those around us. In fact, many of us presume that we continually “win” at things that can’t even be measured. We often consider our opinions to be more intelligent than the opinions of others. We consider our tastes to be better. Our sense of humor is better. Our personality is better. Our way of looking at things is better. And we probably believe we have more common sense than most other people too. Yes --- not only do we always like “winning” at various activities and endeavors in life, we often presume that we’re already best when it comes to all sorts of things. And with our desire to be great (or our belief that we are already there) can come a feeling of entitlement --- that somehow we DESERVE a little more than the next guy, deserve certain advantages and perks and breaks that not everyone gets. Many of us feel we deserve to get out of the ticket we got for speeding. And we deserve special attention and freebees and such in restaurants and stores. And we certainly deserve more friends and more attractive mates and higher-paying jobs and better medical care than the average person. In other words, many of us (at times) don’t feel we should just get what other people get --- believe that somehow our path, our behavior, our way of living should ensure a kind of life most people would be envious of. “A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me . . .” So says John on the banks of the Jordan River. It must not have been easy for John to utter those words. After all, he was getting a lot of attention. People were interested in him. Interested in his way of life and what he had to say. And probably not many people in that time and place could claim that, not many people were getting that sort of acclaim and “popularity”. But John wouldn’t buy into any of that. Would we have? Or more importantly, do we? You see, John was not blinded by his “fame” nor blinded by a need for attention. Rather, he knew the proper relationship between himself and his God, knew the difference between what he was about and what God was about, knew the difference between his role in the lives of the people who came to him and the role of the One they had longed for. Put simply, John knew that whatever apparent importance he seemed to have - paled in importance to that of Jesus --- someone he probably knew well, someone he might have grown up with, someone that might have looked “ordinary” but was far from it. And John was perfectly fine with, or should I say, actually demanded that he not remain number one in the hearts and minds of his followers. His priorities were in order --- ensuring that he would not make the mistake of confusing himself for the divine, himself for his God. That might seem like an exaggerated way of describing this scene from long ago. Yet, one could argue that nearly every straying from the path, every moral failure --- every sin --- is essentially a confusing of the relationship between ourselves and our God, a kind of substituting one for the other, a placing of ourselves at the top of the pyramid. And God? Well, he’s there somewhere --- but not where he should be. And so what happens is that we start pursuing our wants instead of God’s. We start valuing our opinions the most (and try getting our beliefs to “fit” into them). We start clinging to the things of this world a little too tightly, rationalizing our choices so we never have to feel bad about them. We start seeing the world as we want to see it, and start seeing others as we want to see them. And our thoughts? Well, they become heavily fixated on fleeting earthly pursuits that we believe will make us happy. In other words --- the One who clearly ranks ahead of us, the One upon whom we should consider ourselves entirely dependent, the One who should get our attention, our obedience, our love, our complete selves --- has been pushed to the back. We’ve essentially placed ourselves at the front of the line. I’m not saying that maintaining a proper relationship with our God is easy. It’s not. If it was, there would be no sin. Yet make no mistake about it --- there is no truly faithful way of living without self-emptying, no true discipleship without surrendering, no path to God that omits acts of sacrifice, kindness, compassion and love. And no salvation without a man from Galilee laying down his life. That’s the pattern. That’s the path. That’s the way. John knew it. Jesus showed it. Our Parish Patron, St. Agnes, whose feast we celebrate today, also knew this holy way, as she remained faithful to her commitment in choosing Jesus Christ as her only Spouse. St. Agnes died a virgin martyr at the young age of 12 or 13. We would be wise to turn to her often for her intercession and encouragement as we strive for holiness. It’s up to us to continue imitating Jesus, continually putting others before ourselves --- knowing that, in doing so, we are giving our God his rightful place in our lives. “A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me . . .” May that not simply be something a strange man in the desert said long ago, but rather still be what we say, believe, and live out today. St. Agnes pray for us! 

Baptism of Jesus 1-11-26