Welcoming the Holy
Here we invite you to take time for yourself in personal prayer. The following spiritual reflection offers words and images which we hope will evoke for you an experience of God.
By: Sister Ruth Maier
“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
Opening Prayer
God of peace, Father of mercy, we are joyful in Your Word, Your Son, Jesus, the Christ, who reconciles us to You. Let us hasten toward Easter with the eagerness of faith and love. We ask this through Jesus, Your Son who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Scripture
2 Corinthians 5: 17 – 21
Brothers and sisters: Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Jesus to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Reflection
Traditionally the Fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday – Rejoice!
And so as we approach the conclusion of this Lenten Season, God’s Word emphasizes healing and reconciliation, gradually building to new life, to the Easter mystery of Resurrection. We are being invited to keep our eyes on the new possibilities that arise from our Lenten experiences of denial, forgiveness and letting go. New life is possible only when we let go of our old way of life; when we can look deeply into our own selves and root out whatever self-centeredness binds us or hinders us from receiving the goodness and mercy of God. It is death that makes Resurrection possible.
Paul writes to the Corinthians in his letter that we read today that “in Christ … the old things have passed away, new things have come.” It is God who makes us this “new creation” in Christ.
And Paul says, as this “new creation” God entrusts to us the “ministry of reconciliation” that of bearing new life to others. We are to be Ambassadors for Christ by sharing our faith and love so as to reveal God’s goodness working through us. God’s goodness working through us is an invitation of Resurrected Life to others.
Recognize God’s goodness in you today and rejoice!
How will you share God’s goodness in you through your acts of faith and love this week?
Closing Prayer
Merciful God, You Son, Jesus spoke peace to a sinful world and brought human kind the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death He endured.
Teach us to follow the example He gave us. May our faith, hope and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace and death to new life.
We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
