Lifted to Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to live bravely amid forces that threaten our lives.

Self Isolation in Love

The reading from the Book of Numbers describes the discontent of the Israelites and the role of the bronze serpent.

 * [21:8] Everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover: in the Gospel of John this scene is regarded as a type for the crucifixion of Jesus (Jn 3:14–15).1

The psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor.

 * [Psalm 102] A lament, one of the Penitential Psalms. The psalmist, experiencing psychological and bodily disintegration (Ps 102:4–12), cries out to God (Ps 102:1–3). In the Temple precincts where God has promised to be present, the psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor (Ps 102:13–23). The final part (Ps 102:24–28) restates the original complaint and prayer, and emphasizes God’s eternity.2

In the Gospel of John, Jesus, the Father’s Ambassador, foretells His Death.

 * [8:24, 28] I AM: an expression that late Jewish tradition understood as Yahweh’s own self-designation (Is 43:10); see note on Jn 4:26. Jesus is here placed on a par with Yahweh.3

Beth Samson urges us to continue to pray for the end of this global pandemic and prepare in hope for the dawn that is to come.

 O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.O Lord, hear my prayer for those most at risk.
For those whose age and medical condition make them more vulnerable.For those who are without a home, who live on our streets, who rely on social services to meet their daily needs.For those whose jobs are at risk.For the migrants and refugees around the world who are already fleeing for their safety.
O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.O Lord, hear my prayer for those on the frontlines of response.
For the nurses, doctors, and medical professionals who show up everyday with energy, compassion, and resilience for the work of care ahead of them.For the grocery store workers and truck drivers keeping shelves stocked.For home care providers, stay-at-home and work-from-home parents.For mail carriers and package deliverers.
O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.O Lord, hear my prayer for leaders making difficult and important decisions.
For leaders of countries, states, and cities.For leaders of faith communities and places of worship.For leaders of schools, daycares, and social services.For leaders of businesses, small and large.For leaders of hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics.
O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.O Lord, hear my prayer for those who suffer.
For those who are sick, for those who face death because of this virus.For those who suffer loneliness, depression, anxiety, and isolation.For those who have lost their jobs.For all of us, because in one way or another, we are all suffering right now.
O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.O Lord, hear my prayer for all those who have died from this virus.
For their loved ones who mourn their death.
O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.O Lord, hear my prayer for the end of this global pandemic.O Lord, hear my prayer for relief, healing, hope, and protection.O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Amen.4

Don Schwager quotes “Aided by Christ's grace,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "God the Father said: 'I sent you One who would seek you out, walk with you, and forgive you. So he had feet to walk with and hands to forgive with. Thus, when he ascended after his resurrection, he showed hands, side, and feet: hands with which he gave pardon to sinners; and side from which flowed the ransom of the redeemed.'" (excerpt from Sermon 16A,10)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 8:21-30 declares that Jesus makes clear in today’s Gospel, his Father was with him at every moment. Now, because of our baptism, this is also true for us. When God sends us out, he remains with us.

 God will be with you in whatever work or mission he asks of you. You might not always see the fruit of your efforts, but you can trust God to guide you, protect you, and give you every grace you need.
“Father, I believe that you are with me as I do the work you have sent me to do.”6

Friar Jude Winkler suggests the source of seraph serpents and the reason for the eventual expulsion of the bronze serpent from the Temple about 700 BCE. We can witness totemistic objects at sites where people celebrate their healing today. Friar Jude comments on the dualism in the Gospel as Jesus declares I AM.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the true spiritual teacher is not afraid to give us a dose of humiliation. If we immediately balk at some minor blow to our ego, the teacher knows that no basic transformation into our True Self has taken place yet. It takes a masterful teacher or mentor to teach us that we are not important. Otherwise, reality itself teaches us: painful life situations have to dismantle us brick by brick, decade by decade.

 Jesus knew that he needed to destabilize a person’s false, separate self before they could understand that they had a True Self, but destabilizing our security systems and our ego is always a hard sell. He says, “What does it profit a person if they gain the whole world and lose their soul?” (Luke 9:25). Typically, it is the prophets who deconstruct the ego and the group, while priests and pastors are supposed to reconstruct them into divine union. As God said in the inaugural vision to Jeremiah: “Your job is to take apart and demolish, and then start over building and planting anew” (Jeremiah 1:10).
True master teachers, like Jeremiah and Jesus, are both prophets and pastors, which is why their teaching is almost too much for us. They both deconstruct and reconstruct. But the only reason they can tell us that we are not important is because they also announce to us our infinite and unearned importance. Maybe the reason we have to be reminded of the first truth is because we no longer believe the second. We no longer allow our separate self to be humiliated because we no longer believe in the Great Self.7

We are living in a community that senses the potential bite of a deadly virus. As we protect the health of the vulnerable around us, we share life as modeled for us by Jesus.

References

1	(n.d.). Numbers, chapter 21 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 31, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21
2	(n.d.). Psalm 102 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 31, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/102
3	(n.d.). John, chapter 8 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 31, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/8:32
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved March 31, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 31, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). 5th Week of Lent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved March 31, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/03/31/
7	(n.d.). Lesson Two: You Are Not Important — Center for Action and .... Retrieved March 31, 2020, from https://cac.org/lesson-two-you-are-not-important-2020-03-31/

Believe the testimony

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meditate on the experiences in our lives where we have tried to remake God in our own image probably to avoid some painful revelation that may have led to growth in fullness of life.

The Golden Calf

The reading from the Book of Exodus tells of the creation of the Golden Calf by the Israelites while Moses was with God on the mountain.

 * [32:11–13] Moses uses three arguments to persuade the Lord to remain faithful to the Sinai covenant even though the people have broken it: (1) they are God’s own people, redeemed with God’s great power; (2) God’s reputation will suffer if they are destroyed; (3) the covenant with Abraham still stands. The Lord’s change of mind is a testimony to Israel’s belief in the power of intercessory prayer.1

Psalm 106 cites the golden calf episode as one of Israel’s transgressions.

 * [Psalm 106] Israel is invited to praise the God whose mercy has always tempered judgment of Israel (Ps 106:1–3). The speaker, on behalf of all, seeks solidarity with the people, who can always count on God’s fidelity despite their sin (Ps 106:4–5). Confident of God’s mercy, the speaker invites national repentance (Ps 106:6) by reciting from Israel’s history eight instances of sin, judgment, and forgiveness. The sins are the rebellion at the Red Sea (Ps 106:6–12; see Ex 14–15), the craving for meat in the desert (Ps 106:13–15; see Nm 11), the challenge to Moses’ authority (Ps 106:16–18; see Nm 16), the golden calf episode (Ps 106:19–23; see Ex 32–34),2

In the Gospel from John, Jesus declares the Father as Witness.

 * [5:32] Another: likely the Father, who in four different ways gives testimony to Jesus, as indicated in the verse groupings Jn 5:33–34, 36, 37–38, 39–40.3

The readings today are a reminder for Cindy Costanzo to stop, look and listen.

 How do I worship the Golden Calf and obsess over money (or lack thereof), material goods, labels, positions, and/or status? Or perhaps my Golden Calf is my busy-ness. My lack of discipline where I allow distractions to take me away from my quiet listening time with God. Or perhaps it is my conscious decision to be a ‘sloth’ where I intentionally withdraw and disengage. When I worship the Golden Calf or am distracted or disengage then the sacredness of everyday life and messages from God pass me by.4

Don Schwager quotes “Christ is our Master who teaches us,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354- 430 A.D.

 "There is a Master within Who teaches us. Christ is our Master, and his inspiration and his anointing teaches us. Where his inspiration and his anointing are lacking, it is in vain that words resound in our ears. As Paul the Apostle said: 'I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.' Therefore, whether we plant or whether we water by our words, we are nothing. It is God Who gives the increase; His anointing teaches you all things." (excerpt from Sermon on 1 John 3,13)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 5:31-47 comments that we have heard the voice of the Father testifying to who Jesus is, both through the Scriptures and the Church. But do we hear him testifying to who we are?

 In the course of our daily lives, his voice can get drowned out by other voices—perhaps by our own condemning thoughts, the demands of life, or the temptations of the devil. So let’s take some time today to imagine our own heavenly Father speaking to us:
“You are my beloved child; I love you unconditionally. Just as I called Jesus my ‘beloved Son,’ so too are you my beloved child (Matthew 3:17). I am pleased with you. I created you out of love, and you bring me much joy, simply because of who you are...6

Friar Jude Winkler points to the lack of trust in Providence of the Israelites building the Golden Calf to lead them to the Promised Land. In the Gospel, Jesus identifies the words of Moses as a witness to His Divinity. Friar Jude warns of the action of the Pharisees to make God in our own image.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author and Episcopal priest Barbara Taylor Brown, who quotes Miriam Greenspan, as she invites us to consider the lessons that suffering has to teach us and reminds us that we can only learn when we are willing to stay put instead of turning away.

 Psychotherapist Miriam Greenspan says that painful emotions are like the Zen teacher who whacks his students with a flat board right between their shoulder blades when he sees them going to sleep during meditation. If we can learn to tolerate the whack—better yet, to let it wake us up—we may discover the power hidden in the heart of the pain. Though this teaching is central to several of the world’s great religions, it will never have broad appeal, since almost no one wants to go there. Who would stick around to wrestle a dark angel [see Genesis 32:22-31] all night long if there were any chance of escape? The only answer I can think of is this: someone in deep need of blessing; someone willing to limp forever for the blessing that follows the wound.
What such people stand to discover, Greenspan says, is the close relationship between “individual heartbreak and the brokenheartedness of the world.” [1] While those who are frightened by the primal energy of dark emotions try to avoid them, becoming more and more cut off from the world at large, those who are willing to wrestle with angels break out of their isolation by dirtying their hands with the emotions that rattle them most.7

When we stop, look, and listen to our lives we may hear God inviting us to greater trust through experiences that we would not choose for ourselves, perhaps, because we are listening to the god made in our image.

References

1	(n.d.). Exodus, chapter 32 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 26, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/exodus/32
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 106 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 26, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/106
3	(n.d.). John, chapter 5 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 26, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/5
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved March 26, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 26, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved March 26, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/03/26/
7	(2020, March 26). The Dark Emotions — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 26, 2020, from https://cac.org/the-dark-emotions-2020-03-26/

According to Your Will

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord challenge us to the openness, vulnerability, and surrender of Mary as we experience situations of choosing Life in relationship with “God who is with us”.

Emmanuel 

In the passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Ahaz is promised the Sign of Immanuel.

 * [7:14] Isaiah’s sign seeks to reassure Ahaz that he need not fear the invading armies of Syria and Israel in the light of God’s promise to David (2 Sm 7:12–16). The oracle follows a traditional announcement formula by which the birth and sometimes naming of a child is promised to particular individuals (Gn 16:11; Jgs 13:3). The young woman: Hebrew ‘almah designates a young woman of marriageable age without specific reference to virginity. The Septuagint translated the Hebrew term as parthenos, which normally does mean virgin, and this translation underlies Mt 1:23. Emmanuel: the name means “with us is God.” Since for the Christian the incarnation is the ultimate expression of God’s willingness to “be with us,” it is understandable that this text was interpreted to refer to the birth of Christ.1

Psalm 40 stipulates the precise mode of thanksgiving: not animal sacrifice but open and enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced.

 * [Psalm 40] A thanksgiving (Ps 40:2–13) has been combined with a lament (Ps 40:14–17) that appears also in Ps 70. The psalmist describes the rescue in spatial terms—being raised up from the swampy underworld to firm earth where one can praise God (Ps 40:2–4). All who trust God will experience like protection (Ps 40:5–6)! The Psalm stipulates the precise mode of thanksgiving: not animal sacrifice but open and enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced (Ps 40:7–11). A prayer for protection concludes (Ps 40:12–17).2

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews emphasizes Jesus One Sacrifice instead of many.

 * [10:1–10] Christian faith now realizes that the Old Testament sacrifices did not effect the spiritual benefits to come but only prefigured them (Heb 10:1). For if the sacrifices had actually effected the forgiveness of sin, there would have been no reason for their constant repetition (Heb 10:2). They were rather a continual reminder of the people’s sins (Heb 10:3). It is not reasonable to suppose that human sins could be removed by the blood of animal sacrifices (Heb 10:4). Christ, therefore, is here shown to understand his mission in terms of Ps 40:5–7, cited according to the Septuagint (Heb 10:5–7). Jesus acknowledged that the Old Testament sacrifices did not remit the sins of the people and so, perceiving the will of God, offered his own body for this purpose (Heb 10:8–10).3

In the Gospel of Luke, the Birth of Jesus is foretold.

 * [1:26–38] The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Lk 1:11–12, 26–29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Lk 1:13, 30). After the announcement is made (Lk 1:14–17, 31–33) the parent objects (Lk 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Lk 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Lk 1:32–33) and Son of God (Lk 1:32, 35).4

For Cindy Murphy McMahon, the lesson for us here is that God is full of the unexpected. We must not put God in a set, confining, constricting, limiting understanding that we have. God enjoys surprising us, so we must remain open to the wonders of the Lord and the marvels of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.

 So God, throughout history, had been giving a message that what God desired was people’s hearts, not superficial, ritualistic sin offerings. The psalmist revealed it, Jesus confirmed it, and then settled it once and for all with his own sacrifice as proof. Surprising news to many once again!
Then we come to the Gospel, the Annunciation, wherein the surprising God fulfills the prophecy with the cooperation of a young Hebrew woman named Mary. Mary was certainly surprised, but not so much that she said no. She had some questions, but she heard, felt and saw enough to trust God, and the rest is history5

Don Schwager quotes “Do you wish to be great?”, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "Just imagine the incredible kindness and mercy! He was the only Son, but He did not want to remain alone. So that humans might be born of God, God was born of humans. Begotten of God is He through Whom we were created - Born of a woman is He through Whom we are to be re-created. The Word first wished to be born of humans, so that you might be assured of being born of God" (excerpt from Sermon on John 2, 13)6

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:26-38 comments that Mary might not have had much time to reflect on the angel’s greetings until later, after she had said yes to God’s plan. But as the baby grew in her womb, she probably thought about it often. She knew that what God was asking of her wasn’t going to be easy. No doubt this was a special child. How was she going to raise Jesus to be a king and sit on the throne of David, as the angel had said? (Luke 1:32-33). When such questions swirled in her mind, she could always go back and recall the angel’s words: God was with her, and so was his grace.

 When has the Lord asked you to do something difficult? Maybe you were given a special needs child to raise or you are caring for an ailing spouse or parent or you’re trying to work through tensions in your marriage. We all are faced with situations in which God is asking us to do what seems beyond us. We may have to say yes to the Lord not once but many times as we struggle to be obedient to his plan for our lives.
But what the angel said to Mary is also true of us. Mary was born without original sin, but because of our baptism, we are also filled with God’s grace. He dwells in us. That means he is always with us and that his grace is always available to us.7

Friar Jude Winkler explains how the reference by Isaiah to a maiden becomes a virgin in the Gospel. Mary, Immaculately conceived, is completely free to respond to Gabriel. Friar Jude connects Mary to the Ark of the Covenant as the Holy Spirit hovers over her.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Brian McLaren is an author and contemplative activist who is responding to crises, not theoretical for him, but a deeply felt and lived experience which comes through so clearly in these words.

 Anxieties can gray the whole sky like cloud cover or descend on our whole horizon like fog. When we rename our anxieties, in a sense we distill them into requests. What covered the whole sky can now be contained in a couple of buckets. So when we’re suffering from anxiety, we can begin by simply holding the word help before God, letting that one word bring focus to the chaos of our racing thoughts. Once we feel that our mind has dropped out of the frantic zone and into a spirit of connection with God, we can let the general word help go and in its place hold more specific words that name what we need, thereby condensing the cloud of vague anxiety into a bucket of substantial request. So we might hold the word guidance before God. Or patience. Or courage. Or resilience. Or boundaries, mercy, compassion, determination, healing, calm, freedom, wisdom, or peace. . . . [2]8

The “yes” of Mary provides the Way for us to meet challenges through depending on the grace of God as we adopt attitudes of surrender and vulnerability in times of great decisions.

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 7 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/7
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 40 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/40
3	(n.d.). Hebrews, chapter 10 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 1 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1
5	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). The Annunciation of the Lord (Solemnity) - Mass Readings .... Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/03/25/
8	(2020, March 25). Praying in Crisis — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://cac.org/praying-in-crisis-2020-03-25/

Love knowledge and humility

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite us to ponder changes to our attitude to how we may be dealing with distance from God.

Return to Him

In the reading from the Prophet Hosea is a Call to Repentance that recalls the impenitence of Israel and Judah.

 * [6:2] After two days; on the third day: presumptuous Israel expects that soon God will renew them (cf. Ez 37).1

Psalm 51 declares we know our transgressions.

 * [51:18] For you do not desire sacrifice: the mere offering of the ritual sacrifice apart from good dispositions is not acceptable to God, cf. Ps 50.2

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus offers the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector to focus our meditation.

 * [18:1–14] The particularly Lucan material in the travel narrative concludes with two parables on prayer. The first (Lk 18:1–8) teaches the disciples the need of persistent prayer so that they not fall victims to apostasy (Lk 18:8). The second (Lk 18:9–14) condemns the self-righteous, critical attitude of the Pharisee and teaches that the fundamental attitude of the Christian disciple must be the recognition of sinfulness and complete dependence on God’s graciousness. The second parable recalls the story of the pardoning of the sinful woman (Lk 7:36–50) where a similar contrast is presented between the critical attitude of the Pharisee Simon and the love shown by the pardoned sinner.3

Kimberly Grassmeyer nudges us to behave less often like the Pharisee who was self-aggrandizing, and more often like the tax collector, justified and exalted because of his acts of humility at the Temple.

 I’m not sure I have the capacity to be a person of humility all the time, or even most of the time.  It’s easy to blame the hubris of being among a more fortunate economic class, or the consumerism or hedonism or any other of the -isms that are too prevalent in our world. But the truth runs much deeper than those excuses.  So I pray and wonder... Does trying to be a person of humility count? Does living out what my grandmother taught me so well count: that I am special in God’s eyes, but no more special than any of my loud, crazy cousins and certainly no more so than any other child of God?  Am I humble when I serve, or accept the help of others, or break bread with a family of very modest means – so much so that guilt creeps even as I’m humbled by their generosity? Do I practice Magis (the more)? Have I truly turned myself over to God?4

Don Schwager quotes “God's mercy is our only hope,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "Driven out of paradise by You and exiled in a distant land, I cannot return by myself unless You, O Lord, come to meet me in my wandering. My return is based on hope in your mercy during all of my earthly life. My only hope, the only source of confidence, and the only solid promise is your mercy." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 24,5)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 18:9-14 comments that St. Teresa of Ávila taught that the virtue of humility is best understood as true knowledge: to see yourself as you really are, neither too high nor too low. If you have an inflated opinion of yourself and look down on other people, humility reminds you that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy. If you have an excessively negative self-image and see yourself as unworthy of love, humility corrects that false impression in light of God’s profound love for you and the fact that you are created in his image and likeness.

 The season of Lent is a time for deepening humility. It’s a time for us to grow in the kind of humility that sees things as they really are: we are sinners in need of God’s love, but we are also deeply loved and valued by God—to the point that Jesus gave his very life for us.
So how do we grow in humility? It happens every time we experience God’s mercy. Like the tax collector, as we see ourselves as sinners who have received mercy, our humility increases. Mercy fills us with joy, even as it humbles us.6

Friar Jude Winkler connects the text from Hosea to a prophecy of Jesus Passion. In repentance, our contrition should be profound with commitment to change our ways. Friar Jude reminds us that seeking to be acknowledged for our goodness does not lead to righteousness.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM cites Walter Brueggemann, Scripture teacher, who points out that even though about one third of the Psalms are psalms of “lament,” these have been the least used by Catholic and Protestant liturgies. We think they make us appear weak, helpless, and vulnerable, or show a lack of faith. Reverend Aaron Graham reflects on the elements found in prayers of lament. Please find in his words and in the text of Psalm 22:1-5, a way to voice your own complaints, requests, and trust in God, who is always waiting to hear.

 We need to be reminded that our cries are not too much for God. [God] laments with us. In fact, [God] wants us to come to [the Divine Presence] in our anger, in our fear, in our loneliness, in our hurt, and in our confusion. 
Each lamenting Psalm has a structure;
They begin with a complaint. . .that things are not as they should be.They turn to a request. God, do something! Rescue me! Heal me! Restore me! Show mercy! Laments end with an expression of trust. Laments end with the reminder that God is setting things right, even though it often seems so slow. It is right for our laments to turn towards a reminder that God is in control and about the business of righting all things made wrong. [1]Consider praying these words found in Psalm 22, or choose another passage of lament. Before you pray, ask God to speak to you.7

In prayer, like Psalm 51, we have poetry as meditation for developing sincere knowledge of our transgressions so that we may be fully open to the mercy of God.

References

1	(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 6 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/6
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 51 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 18 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/18
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(2020, March 21). 3rd Week of Lent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved March 21, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/03/21/141507/
7	(2020, March 21). Summary and Lamentation Practice for a Time of Crisis .... Retrieved March 21, 2020, from https://cac.org/summary-and-lamentation-practice-for-a-time-of-crisis-2020-03-21/