Just A Thought Or Two . . .
March Weather Calls for Spiritual Changes
Some days it is easy to be a Christian. Sunny days, with warm gentle breezes, are adorned with flowers of every hue. Dispositions inside match the glorious and bright forecasts outside. Yes, all is right with the world.
On other days, it is hard to create a hopeful thought, let alone proclaim that a loving God actually exists. Gloomy skies match monumental cases of grumpies found in homes and classrooms. There is pain around every corner.
March is a kaleidoscope of sun and storm. Changes abound. Structures, schedules and relationships are transformed from moment to moment.
Sunday’s First Reading form the Book of Exodus tells the story of a frustrated Moses and is a perfect example of March reality. Poor Moses was just trying to do his best for the people, and all he heard was complaints. Finally, in desperation, Moses cried out to the Lord. “What shall I do with these people?” That question truly sums up the feelings of many parents and teachers.
March days are restless. One minute Moses was considered a great hero and decision maker and the next, the people were ready to challenge his leadership. It was easy to believe in the God of Moses, when all went well. Now, the people were desperate and thirsty and it was difficult to realize that a loving God is still in their midst. Moses needed divine intervention.
And today, we, too, seek a miracle in the desert. Show us, God, that you are truly in this world of pain. Calm our fears, quench our thirst, comfort a people worn out from the perils of the journey. March days cry out for eyes that see the grief, ears that hear the distress, arms that gently hug the tense shoulders that bear the cross of suffering.
What is the answer? A big screen television isn’t. A new spring outfit isn’t either. A luxury car becomes another worry. The gold jewelry is insured and then stored in a safety deposit box. Things do not bring the relief we seek. During these Lenten days it is time to find the answers we seek.
In John’s Gospel for Sunday, Jesus tells the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The water Jesus gives isn’t just for the moment. This water becomes a “spring to eternal life.’ Jesus offers an answer with staying power. The answer of Jesus will not blow fuses, fall apart or decay. It cannot be stolen or destroyed. God’s people seek stable, permanent answers. Jesus is that answer . . . on days of wind and rain – such a gift! Such a God!
Lenten Theme: PEACE
Lenten Service Focus:
- Catholic Charities Crib Project: Diapers, gently used clothes for babies and toddlers, etc.
- Project Gratitude: Care Packages for the military: Snacks, lip balm, Kleenex, homemade cards.
- St. Vincent de Paul Food Drive: Canned Food.
Super thanks for all the donations from last week. Keep putting your change in your Rice Bowl. Thanks for all the donations to the Humane Society.
Please come and pray with us:
Stations of the Cross: Wednesday, April 2, at 1:05 in All Saints Church. Hosted by Grade 4.