Pay attention… God’s grace surprises us in the most unexpected ways! Let me share this true story from an experience I had last Sunday. I was asked to anoint someone at Loyola hospital. I went late in the afternoon to do so.

As I was leaving the hospital, I walked through the first-floor corridor and passed by a woman who stopped in her tracks and called my name. We were both surprised! The woman, a parishioner, shared with me that she was going to call me and ask me to come and anoint her husband who was gravely ill and not expected to live. I turned around and walked with her to his bedside where we prayed, and I anointed him with the Holy Oils of the Church, a sign of God’s presence and strength on the journey of healing, be it in this life or the next. 

The fact that we met each other in the hall filled with people at that specific moment was for me a moment of grace, and an answer to her desire to have her husband anointed. Was this a coincidence, or a God instance?

That is an easy answer for me… God was all over this! What were the chances? So, I urge us all to be attentive to the presence and the grace of God and God’s goodness despite the struggles and the crosses many carry during this Lenten season. The cross, we cannot forget, leads us by the grace of God to the newness of life in the world we live in and the hope of new life in the world to come.

As we continue our journey through these days of Lent, I ask you, how are we called to be holy? We hear the Lord say in sacred scripture, “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:1-2) If there is any doubt how we are to act and live out our faith in these challenging times, pray over this verse and then read Matthew 25:31-46. These readings have a clear message for us, the followers of Christ. The works of justice, mercy, and charity are not optional. If we are to love Christ, we must also love our neighbor. If we follow sacred scripture, this includes the ill, the stranger, the hungry, the thirsty, and the imprisoned. We are to act honestly and judge those around us justly. We are not to spread slander, bear hatred in our heart, or stand idly by when a neighbor is in need.

We are told, “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” The call to friendship with God is not a call to be like others, to just get by, or to fit in. It is a call to radical love. The command is not simply, “Be holy.” The command is to “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” GOD is OUR GOD! GOD DWELLS WITHIN US! And, through this time of Lent, God can strengthen us with the grace we need to answer God’s call.

On Wednesday at 5:30 PM, all our invited to join us for a soup supper and Lenten talk in McDonough Hall on the Saint Giles campus for the third of our Lenten series, Lean into Discipleship. Father Bob Hutmacher will lead the reflection that evening.

Why are we starting so early? Most of our choirs rehearse on Wednesday evenings. This gives everyone the opportunity to come for the reflection and also make choir practice as we prepare for Easter. I remind all our organizations that if you have a meeting on one of the nights when we are having our Lenten talks, we ask that your group comes to these talks. The talks are offered to inspire and give us “soul” food for our Lenten Journey.

Finally, a word of thanks to all the women who participated in our scripture reflections this weekend. As we pray for all who are being received and baptized into the church this Easter, the First Scrutiny is centered around the story of the woman at the well. She receives the living water Christ offers. We will be hearing this Gospel story across all our parish Masses with reflections done by women of our parishes. These women remind us how it was that this woman at the well becomes both a disciple of Jesus and an apostle to her community. This is also an important visual reminder. It is not the disciples, but the Samaritan woman who becomes the first missionary!

While some may be uncomfortable with this today, I agreed to have these reflections done by women from our community, who are trained and live with deep faith, to reinforce the biblical truth that women’s voices are meant to spread the Gospel.

Have a blessed week ahead.

With you a Christian. For you a priest.

Father Carl Morello
Pastor
Ascension and St. Edmund Parish
St. Catherine of Siena – St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish