The First Week of Lent
As we begin the first week of Lent, the scripture readings tell us about sin, offenses, temptations, Satan, etc. These words can make us feel down, sad or perhaps, hopeless. These are all appropriate
feelings but Lent is much more than that. Lent, which means springtime, is a time to reflect on things that we may have been able to do better (darkness) with the hope that light will shine through us.
In the responsorial Psalm for the first Sunday of Lent, we pray, “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.” We are blessed because we have a God who is always merciful, who loves us unconditionally and who is always there for us.
Reflection:
When did I feel the mercy and forgiveness of God in my life?
Were there times when I could have chosen better words to say or maybe acted differently toward someone? Did I ask for their forgiveness?
Did I speak with God and ask for mercy and forgiveness? If yes, did I feel the ‘hug of God?’
We are reminded in Romans 5:15-16 that we receive grace from God. Grace is a gift freely given to us by God.
Reflection:
Am I aware of the different graces that I receive from God?
What are some of the gifts that I have received?
The Second Week of Lent
My reflection on the first two readings for the Second Sunday of Lent made me think of the immigration crisis that we are facing in our world. In the reading from Genesis (12:1-4A), we read, “Go forth from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you.” Today, people are leaving their homelands for many reasons. Unfortunately, they are not always feeling welcomed into the land to which they go. To me, God is reminding us that we are all sisters and brothers. We are not nationalities or color, we are simply, the family of God. God is saying that the nation will become great and that the people will be blessed by God.
Reflection: Our world is in chaos. There are so many shootings, needless wars, climates are changing, wildfires, earthquakes, etc.
- Do you think the chaos might be happening because humanity cannot live in peace?
- you think things might change if we were more accepting and welcoming of each other?
- Do you think that nature is being effected by the chaos?
In the reading from 2 Timothy (1:8b), we are told that as Beloved to God, we should bear our share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God. Again, my thoughts went to immigration. Our immigrant sisters and brothers are bearing great hardship. They are leaving their homelands, perhaps they are leaving family, being separated from their children. There are so many scenarios that are taking place. But, we are also being asked to share in the hardship.
Reflection:
- How am I bearing the hardship of immigration?
- What does the Gospel call me to do?
- Do I pray for immigrants?
In Genesis 12:3b, we are told that that ‘the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.’
Throughout Lent, reflect on how you are a blessing to others.
Third Week of Lent
The readings for Sunday of the Third Week of Lent, draws our attention to three words, ‘thirst, water and rock.’ There is certainly a connection between thirst and water. But, rock??? A rock is simply an inanimate object that is solid.
In the reading from Ezekiel, the people are angry at Moses and ask him why he had them leave Egypt. They question him and say, “Was it just to have us die here of thirst?’ As we read further on in Ezekiel, Moses goes before the Lord and says, “The people are angry with me. They think I called them here to die. What should I do?” The Lord answered and said, “Go stand in front of the people and hold the staff with which you struck the river. I will be standing in front of you on the ROCK of Horeb. Strike the rock and the water will flow from it. The people will drink the water from the rock.
The Gospel acclamation is taken from the Gospel of John (4:42, 15). It reads, “Give me living water that I may never thirst again.” The Gospel (John 4:5-42) is about Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria or the woman at the well. Jesus asked the woman for a drink. She had many concerns about his asking. First of all, Jesus was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. Another concern was that Jesus did not have a bucket and the well was very deep. Jesus explained to the woman at the well that the water that he spoke of was not the water in the well. Rather, he spoke of living water, the water that people thirst for and once they receive it, they will not thirst again. I don’t think the woman fully understood what was happening in the moment but she did say to Jesus, “Please give me this water so I may never thirst again and then I will not have to return to the well.”
Reflect on the symbols of thirst, water and rock. What is the symbolism of the rock? Write about a time(s) that these words touched your heart.
In the 2nd reading, Romans 5:5b, we read, “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts.” The idea of pouring brings us back to water. Do I see God’s love being poured into my heart? Do I see the love of God being poured from my heart to others?
Can I make a special effort this Lent to witness to the living water that lives in me? Can I reach out to someone that needs help or someone I haven’t spoken with for a while?
The Fourth Week of Lent
John 9: Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
As he went along, he saw a man born blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So, the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
it or not, this blind man and I just may have something in common. Jesus’ miracle restored this blind man’s sight and the skilled hands of a surgical ophthalmologist recently removed my cataracts. Now, I too, can see. Quite amazingly, I had no idea how blurred my sight was. Just this morning I spotted our resident cardinal breakfasting at our backyard feeder, his feathers a brilliant red. I had no idea what I had been missing. If I could ask this now sighted blind man one question it would be this. “Did you have any idea what you were missing?”
The Church teaches us in this gospel that Jesus’ concern was not just for physical sight, but spiritual sight as well. And when we are gifted with this spiritual sight, we become amazed by the beauty surrounding us. We can truly see.
Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Laudato Si’ asks that we become “protectors of God’s handiwork”. We are asked to care for our common home. God’s gift of spiritual sight as well as physical sight enables us to do this.
Reflection:
Here’s a challenge for us all:
- What are some specific things we can do continuing this Lenten season so that we live a Laudato Si’ Lent?
The Fifth Week of Lent
As Cabrini Lay Missionaries (CLM), we were asked to choose on which date we would like to share a reflection during the Lenten season. For some reason, I found out that the Gospel for the week that I chose was the powerful story about Jesus bringing back the life of Lazarus.
As I read and re-read it, I remembered when some of my family members died tragically…it caused so much pain…pain that was indescribable and unbearable. It validated how I was feeling, that there was hope. When I read the story about Jesus calling for Lazarus to come out from the tomb, I knew that I have to give permission to free myself from the tomb of pain.
When Jesus asked the people to roll back the rock, light came into the tomb. That’s exactly how I felt over time when Ireleased myself from the pain. Of course, the pain will never leave because it is a part of my scar. But I will not allow it to be a wound forever. This experience unfolded only when I started to entrust myself into the grace of our merciful God.
With this Lenten season, I think we are the Marthas and the Marys who journey in entrusting our dependence to God with faith and trust.
On Wednesday, February 19th, Cabrini Lay Missionaries (CLM) attended “Crossing Borders: A Catholic Response to Migration,” a powerful and reflective talk by Sr. Norma Pimental, MJ, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas, hosted by Manhattan College. Cabrini Lay Missionaries Pat Krasnausky, Lorraine Campanelli and Robin Larkins, were moved by the stories of faith, mission, accompaniment and service shared by Sr. Norma.
how she does not burn out and how she can remain hopeful amidst such challenging circumstances, Sr. Norma replied that prayer and the Eucharist sustain her daily, in addition to the deep faith shared by the migrants she accompanies, and the resilience of the children she meets. Asked what we can do to help, she replied, “Our faith calls us to advocate for policies that are respectful of life, that do not increase suffering. Protecting our borders and keeping criminals away does not mean pushing aside and dehumanizing people seeking protection and a new life. Our faith calls us to recognize who we are in relationship with all people, and of course, to love. We must ask ourselves: What do I need to do to care?”
With the start of the new decade, Lorraine Campanelli, CLM, stepped into her role as Director of the Cabrini Lay Missionaries (CLM) (Guadalupe Province) following her election in October, 2019. Lorraine has been an employee of Cabrini of Westchester since 2002 when she started as a social work intern, then a social worker for the Adult Day Care Program before transitioning to staff social worker and eventually the Director of Social Work for the nursing home. She made her commitment as a Cabrini Lay Missionary in 2015. Currently, she is the Director of Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, NY, where her skills and talents as a teacher and social worker are the perfect recipe for success.
felt called by God to live a life as a Cabrini Lay Missionary since 1990. I was first missioned in Nicaragua teaching religion in one of our schools. Then the Provincial asked me to go to Argentina to work in a parish where I worked as a catechesis coordinator. During that time, I lived in the Provincial house and enjoyed sharing life and prayer with the sisters.
Many thanks to Patricia Krasnausky, CLM, for her generosity in serving as Coordinator of the Cabrini Lay Missionaries in the Stella Maris Province and then the new Guadalupe Province. As Coordinator over the past thirteen years Pat shared the richness of her own commitment to the charism of Mother Cabrini. She provided a consistent structure for the CLMs and organized formation experiences for them. She has attended CLM international meetings and participated in the renewal of the CLM Handbook.
Tomorrow, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, we pause to consider that within every religious tradition there is such a variety of ideas and images that individuals tend to gravitate towards those that attract them or provide particular meaning. For Frances Cabrini, it was the human heart of the suffering crucified Christ that resonated strongly within. She saw expressed in the image of ‘The Sacred Heart of Jesus’, the love and kindness of the unseen God, his passion for all creation, and his chosen capacity to share in and ultimately redeem the suffering in the world.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus was transformational in the life of Frances Cabrini. She experienced a powerful, personal experience of God’s love as it was lived and symbolized in the life and heart of Jesus. She was on fire with that love. She experienced Jesus not only as one who was loved by God and who loved her, but also as one who was missioned or sent to share that love. This experience created in her an intimate personal relationship with Jesus and, at the same time, sent Frances out to the ends of the earth as a missionary of the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
We came together to find common ground through formation, economic independence, and also to imagine our future. In addition to our own discussions, Rev. Msgr. Graham Bell, the undersecretary of the promotion of New Evangelization Department of the Pontifical Council, spoke to us about the challenges of the new Evangelization. We were also blessed to have Sr. Maria Regina Canale, MSC, the General Assistant of the MSCs, speak to us about the charism of St. Cabrini.
group renewed in its own language. It was so beautiful to hear the various languages, a reminder that we may speak different languages but we are all one.
