READINGS: Acts 10:34a, 37-43  ~  Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23 ~ Colossians 3: 1-4  ~  John 20: 1-9

Entrance Antiphon:

I have risen, and I am with you still, alleluia. You have laid your hand upon me, alleluia.

Too wonderful for me, this knowledge, alleluia, alleluia.

In reading a spiritual book written by two writers I enjoy, I came across their struggle to write a book together, but didn’t know what would be their theme? Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, told Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, that he kept coming back again and again to the meaning of ‘alleluia’. And then, they were off writing their book, Uncommon Gratitude: Alleluia for All That IS. “One of the oldest anthems of the church, ‘ alleluia’ means simply ‘All hail to the One who is’. It is the arch hymn of praise, the ultimate expression of thanksgiving, the pinnacle of triumph, the height of human joy. It says that God is Good-and we know it”.

They go on to say that life itself is an exercise in learning to sing ‘alleluia’, here on this earth, in order to recognize the face of God hidden in the recesses of time. (Chittister & Williams, 2010, p. ix.) What struck me, in the chapters that followed, was their emphasis on saying ‘alleluia’ in times of trouble, in times when there is little control in our lives, in times of poverty, but it is not easy. However, as the authors so beautifully point out with our faith, “with the awareness of another whole kind of reality, beyond the immediate”, it is possible (p.ix).

The resurrection of Jesus brings us to this awareness of our faith reality and that in this light, we, too, can resonate in this Easter season with ‘alleluia’! We can ‘give thanks’ for the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus for us!

As Ladies of Charity, the first call of St. Vincent DePaul was made to you! This was brought home to me by a student at DePaul University last week as she read about you and your works for the community of the poor. Her reflection was ‘Imagine Sister, St. Vincent DePaul made his first call in the Vincentian Family to the laity, in calling the Ladies of Charity.

ALLELUIA!

Sister Frances Ryan, DC
LCUSA National DC Spiritual Moderator

by Sr. Carol Schumer, D.C.,  St. Louis, MO

READINGS: Isaiah 50:4-7 ~ Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; Philippians 2:6-11 ~ Mark 14:1-15:47

From intimacy to abandonment,
from exultation to condemnation,
from adoration to torture,
from ecstasy to agony,
from “Hosanna!” to “Crucify!”

All in one Scripture passage, in one liturgical celebration,
in one Sunday!

Today we walk with Jesus, as his followers, from his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem through his anointing, his last Passover meal and his prayer in Gethsemane, through arrest, denial, treachery, rejection and finally to his heart-rending death on Golgotha.    With many others we travel.

With whom do I identify?

The gracious host, the brave woman with perfumed oil, one of his table companions; an exhausted friend, the deceived betrayer, the terrified youth; a witness, his questioner, a religious leader, a guard;  the released rebel, the weak ruler, a person in the crowd;  the vowing-disowning-weeping confidante, the able-bodied passer-by, a silent bystander, the thoughtful drink-giver; a faithful minister, the distinguished council member, the death informer, a devoted watcher and disciple?

Mark’s gospel account (only 119 verses in length) puts before us multiple personalities, filled with diverse and deeply-felt emotions, behaving in a spectrum of human ways.  Let us make time this day, this week to journey with Jesus, allowing his love and commitment to God’s will and our salvation to embrace and permeate our souls.

TRY THIS TODAY: Sit in God’s presence and ask yourself,
• as a Lady of Charity, where am I in this story?
• where do I fit in the drama of this passionate experience?

Reflection by Sr. Charlotte White, SCL
Spiritual Moderator, Ladies of Charity, Metropolitan Kansas City

In today’s readings we hear the plaintive cries of our human family: Make us whole again. Give again your covenant, which will not be like the covenant that we broke. Blot out our sins. Wash us and cleanse us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation.

The readings from Hebrews and John continue this cry – but from the mouth of Jesus! Jesus “offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death.” In the gospel you can hear Jesus struggling with the ending of his work. He’s astute; he can read the political winds and knows his days are numbered. He has been sent to bring the reign of God and has so little to show for it. Even his disciples haven’t got it yet; how will the work carry on?

Jesus wrestles with the meaning of his coming death: “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains just a grain of wheat.” Finally he cries, “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” I have been faithful to the work for which you sent me. For this I will face execution. “Father, glorify your name.” Make some good come out of this. I have done what I can.

Jesus receives his answer from the Father: “I have glorified it.” Look back. Remember how I have been with you. Recall all I have done for my people. “And I will glorify it again” through what is to come.

Now Jesus can proclaim with resolve: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” God will see to the fulfillment of this work.

How often our hopes die, our plans fail, or we face personal deaths both large and small. Indeed, it seems that this is the only way we can “produce much fruit.” We don’t have to like the dying; Jesus didn’t. But, for our neighbor, we continue our efforts – and trust the God of Easter see to the outcome.

PRAYER

I beg Our Lord, Monsieur, that we may be able to die to ourselves in order to rise with Him, that he may be the joy of your heart, the end and soul of your actions, and your glory in heaven. This will come to pass if, from now on, we humble ourselves as He humbled Himself, if we renounce our own satisfaction to follow Him by carrying our little crosses, and if we give our lives willingly, as He gave His, for our neighbor whom He loves so much and whom He wants us to love as ourselves.

Vincent. To A Priest of the Mission, In Saintes, 27 March, 1650. Emphasis added.

TRY THIS

You have been called to be a Lady of Charity. Consider this vocation; does it urge you to let go of anything for our neighbor whom He loves so much and whom He wants us to love as ourselves?

Celebrate with others this great feast day. Click here to download a prayer service for the Feast of St. Louise de Marillac, an international day of prayer.

Reflection by Sister Elyse Staab, DC
Vincentian Family Ministry

Today’s readings set a rich table for our prayer and reflection. The first reading from Exodus reminds us of God’s predilection for his chosen people by forming with them a covenant held sacred through the observance of the Commandments. The responsorial psalm reminds us that God’s law is perfect, right, rejoicing the heart, more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, asserts that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Finally, Jesus weighs in in John’s Gospel by dispersing the money changers from the temple, his Father’s house, because the temple was no longer producing what it was intended to produce – an intimate relationship with God as a place of prayer.

PRAYER:

God, whose mercy is infinite, please forgive our fear of the cross. We see the needs of so many and the cries of the poor but are afraid for ourselves and the price of love. Give us the courage to love without careful accounting, with our eyes only on your children and our ears turned only to your words, so that we may follow the example of Jesus regardless of what it costs, trusting that you who created us for love will complete our love with your grace.

John van Bemmel

TRY THIS TODAY:

Spend 15 minutes in quiet prayer reflecting on how you see and observe God’s laws. Are they chains and restrictions which limit you ~ or are they wings that free you for service to others?

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless
until they rest in you”.

(St. Augustine of Hippo)

To all members of the Vincentian Family

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts now and forever!

We live in a world filled with restlessness. Life’s demands often come upon us at a fast and furious pace. Living with the realities of war, poverty, terrorism, political unrest, economic and ecological disasters, we are a people wearied by life. Our sentiments can be like the psalmist: “How long, O Lord? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Ps. 13:1)

In the midst of these challenges, the Church offers us a precious gift: the season of Lent.  It is a sacred space, a time beckoning us to pause, draw back from life’s daily grind, and drink more deeply of Jesus’ story of our salvation: his life, passion, and resurrection. Simply put, Lent is a time of sabbatical for the soul.

As a people claimed by Christ and committed to the charism of St. Vincent de Paul, this holy season can help us better live out our Catholic faith and the Vincentian way. Like Vincent, our identity is rooted in Christ. A reading of the first Sunday in Lent tells us Jesus “suffered once for our sins, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God.”(1 Peter 3:18)  These forty days of Lent are not only a time for prayer, penance, and almsgiving, but also for reflection, connection, and action.

A Time for Reflection   

The Sunday Gospels in Lent give us much food for thought as they reveal the person and power of Jesus. He is seen as a mystic emerging from the desert, a Messiah transfigured before the apostles, a prophet driven to decry injustice in the temple precinct, a wise teacher willing to dialogue with a Pharisee, and a suffering servant ready to glorify God by embracing his Passion. From these Gospels and in the daily Scriptures for the Eucharist during Lent we find the stories of God’s love and mercy to Israel, and Jesus’ words and deeds in proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

By praying the Lenten Scriptures and partaking daily in the Eucharist, we open ourselves to the great mercy of God, manifested in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It was Vincent de Paul’s willingness to reflect deeply on Jesus’ life and teachings, and his eagerness to integrate them into his life that made him a “mystic of charity”. Vincent was imbued with a drive to serve the poor, and he motivated and empowered others to do the same. But what fed his restless soul were not ideas and accomplishments, but a mind and heart given to reflection and contemplation:

“We cannot better assure our eternal happiness than by living and dying in the service of the poor, in the arms of Providence, and with genuine renunciation of ourselves in order to follow Jesus Christ.” (St. Vincent: CCD, Vol. 3, p. 384, Letter 1078, 4 December 1648)

Vincent’s personal conversion in making the teachings of Jesus his own and his founding   communities and organizations to serve the poor were the fruit of his life-long commitment to prayer and reflection. In making time for reflection, we are like the Greek elders who asked the apostle Philip: “Sir, we would like to see Jesus” (Jn.12:21). And as Vincent’s life teaches us, God never refuses an invitation to commune with us.  Lent is the time for us to do so.

A Time for Connection

The fruit of time spent in reflection and prayer is a deeper connection with God, oneself, our neighbor, and the poor. In a restless world of discord and disconnection, Lent helps us to deepen our discipleship with Christ and better live our Vincentian charism. We can learn from Vincent, whose genius in connecting people to achieve the common good endures today. The Lenten Gospels portray Jesus as always fervently doing the Father’s will. By his prayer and in his Passion, Jesus always remained connected to God.

Years ago, a popular advertisement in the USA used as its slogan “We’re all connected”. In today’s digital age, this refrain is all the more relevant. Our faith and charism challenge us to connect Jesus’ command to love God and serve our neighbor more profoundly. Lent calls us to examine more clearly the presence of the suffering Christ in the world so that we might understand their plight and be Christ to them.

As Superior General, I have the privilege of visiting the Vincentian family throughout the world and witnessing how our charism connects the poor to Christ. Allow me to share two such encounters. Both are ministries coordinated by the Daughters of Charity, serving vulnerable at-risk children who live in poverty.

On a trip to Haiti to view the progress of our Zafen Project, I visited a school started by Daughters of Charity begun in response to the plight of the Restavek children. It is truly tragic: between 175,000 to 300,000 of these children come from families unable to take care of them, and so are sent to work as ‘indentured servants’ for relatives, acquaintances, or other Haitian families. Called “Restaveks”, (French-Creole for “rester- avec – to stay with”), their lives are not restful, nor do they belong ‘with’ the family they serve. Often mistreated and abused, Restavek children cannot attend school, and lack food, clothing, and health care. At the Daughters’ school for Restaveks, they are fed, taught to read and write, and treated with a respect and dignity they have never known. To learn more about the Restavek children, go to:  http://www.restavekfreedom.org.

In Ghana, as with many developing nations, the exploitation of children is ever present. In Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city, many homeless children live on the streets and survive by begging or day labor. Often beaten and abused, many become victims of human trafficking. The Daughters of Charity, with the Archdiocese of Kumasi, founded “Street Children Project”, a drop-in center providing respite from the perils of the street. It offers them a place to rest, (basic, simple  floor space), the use of bathrooms to shower and wash, clean clothes, literacy classes, day care, outreach, and alternatives for these children. It is a quiet space amidst a harsh life of exploitation. To learn more about this work, go to: http://www.streetchildrenprojectksi.org.

I think you would agree that these two Vincentian works would be near and dear to the hearts of Sts. Vincent and Louise. They stand as wonderful example of “grass-root” efforts to respond to the cry of the poor and forgotten with the Good News of Jesus. Lent is a time not only to reflect on Jesus’ life, but to connect with God’s poor and  act on their behalf.

A Time for Action 

“What must be done?” This was the question Madam de Gondi posed to Vincent in 1617 as both witnessed the spiritual plight of peasants on her vast family estate. His answer to that question redounds in today’s world in the priests, brothers, sisters, and laity who are the living, organic heart of the Vincentian Family. Ours is a global reality with an outreach much greater than Vincent and Louise could ever have imagined.

But the Lenten season reminds us that the suffering Christ in his Passion is present in our world in countless ways. As disciples of Jesus, it is our task to act on their behalf. “Whatever you did for the least of my brethren, you did to me.” (Mt. 25:40) It is our task, both individually and collectively as bearers of the Vincentian charism to respond in love and service. While there is always much to keep us busy, let me to suggest another type of action

At our recent General Assembly, the Congregation of the Mission adopted a five-year strategic plan with yearly objectives to better live out our Vincentian vocation and the charism for the Vincentian Family. The objective we are focusing on this year is “Systemic Change”, which we define as working to not only alleviate the conditions of the poor, but to change the societal structures which engender poverty. To encourage our confreres to make systemic change part of their provinces and ministries, there are suggested strategies. While some are specific to the Vincentian Community, I will share with you several strategies I believe can be used by all branches of the Vincentian Family:

• To favor works that promote systemic change in society, develop local self-government, formation of self-help groups and indigenous micro-credit programs;
• To provide legal assistance to defend the poor and promote justice;
• To create programs that counter human trafficking and promote life, access to universal health care, care for the environment, the dignity of women and children, the rights of migrants, and participation in civil society.

These strategies for ‘System Change’ from the Congregation’s plan offer you with a rich diversity of ideas for action. Systemic change is an important goal for the Vincentian Family. I believe we can all find ways to adapt it to our works and educate others of its importance.

In Lent and throughout this year, we have the opportunity to grow in our faith by reflecting on God’s Word and partaking in the Eucharist which deepens our bonds of connection in service of the poor. It is a daunting task, but as members of the Vincentian Family, our “mystic of charity” inspires us to remember whom and why we serve:

I beg Our Lord that we may be able to die to ourselves in order to rise with Him, that he may be the  joy of your heart, the end and soul of your actions, and your glory in heaven. This will come to pass if we humble ourselves as He humbled Himself, if we renounce our own satisfaction to follow Him by carrying our little crosses, and if we give our lives willingly, as He gave His for our neighbor whom he loves and whom he wants us to love as ourselves.” (St. Vincent: CCD, Vol. 3, p. 616, Letter 1202, 27 March, 1650.)

Our restless world, along with the plight of the Restavek and Kumasi children can seem at times to be overwhelming. But our faith in Jesus and the Vincentian charism provide us with renewal, strength, and confidence to face the future with hope. Through the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, I pray this Lent will be a time when God’s grace and goodness may be more fully manifested in your life and the lives of all whom you serve.

Your brother in St. Vincent,
G. Gregory Gay, C.M.
Superior General

This Sunday’s readings are challenging but hope-filled! Listen to God’s promise to Abraham, “I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore…”(Gen. 22:1-18) His binding covenant with us! Ponder Paul’s words “If God is for us, who can be against us?”( Rom.8:31-34) In the Gospel reading we hear the Father saying to Peter, James and John (and to us) “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” (Mark 9:2-10)

This Lenten season is an invitation for us to experience a “transfiguration” within ourselves.  In his book, Table Talk, Jay Cormier, offers us this prayer for this second Sunday in Lent:

May the Light of Love illuminate our hearts, O God that we may discover the sense of your divinity within ourselves.
May that sacredness enable us to see beyond our own needs, wants, and interests so that we may set about to transfigure our lives and our world in your compassion, justice and forgiveness.”

TRY THIS TODAY:

Spend some quiet time today listening to Jesus speaking to you.  What is He saying? How are you responding?