The Musical Priest

March 18th: Friday of the First Week of Lent -Stefan Blachut, '11 A blessing and a curse. These were the words that accompanied Moses return with the Commandments. This view can be taken on many of the readings at mass. During the season of Lent we engage this. We cut back on indulgences and often time reflect. It is easy to see why certain aspects of faith can be a curse. So, is ignorance bliss? I often find myself wondering, why do we avoid sin? Is it because of the fear of eternal suffering, or the desire to spend eternity with God. Does this outlook matter? The outlook that we take on a matter tends to determine whether or not it is a blessing or a curse. At first glance at today’s reading, the most notable thing is that one must do a lot in order to reach God. Yet, we can reach him, though grace. If we see the Gospel as a burden, then faith is a burden. Lent is not a time to go without meat or give up things, it is a time to appreciate. Not to appreciate all the physical...

Readings for March 16th: Wednesday of the First Week of Lent -Anthony Di Ponio, '12 We are constantly given choices: Should I go to mass, or should I watch the big football game on TV? The answer may be obvious, but we do not always make the right decision. It is very easy to turn away from God, but that weakens our relationship with Him. And time and time again, He gives us another chance to come back. This is exactly what happened in the city of Nineveh. The people realized their faults when God threatened to destroy the city, and they quickly repented. We are lucky that God is so merciful.             Lent is a time of repentance. It gives us a chance for renewal of our relationship with God. So many opportunities present themselves during Lent. Some choose to “give up” something they enjoy as a sacrifice to God while others choose to do something positive for others. The Catholic Church also offers numerous opportun...

Readings for March 14th: Monday of the First Week of Lent - Patrick Sier, '11 Today’s Gospel gives us what many would consider to be a Manichean conception of the last Judgment. Humanity is not only separated into two wholly distinct and separated groups, but made his followers into what atheists would gleefully label as “sheep” in the eyes of Jesus. Isn't religion, after all, just another method of social control to turn people into thoughtless animals? The parable unfolds along the lines of a distinction made between those who have cared for Jesus, who is present in one’s neighbor, and those who have ignored him. At first glance, this would seem a bit preposterous. Surely, the “sheep” could not possibly have cared for their neighbors at every turn; further, is it not similarly unlikely that the “goats,” or damned, shunned every one of their neighbors at every opportunity? Perhaps this reading misses the mark. Perhaps it is that case that Jesus is not telling us ...

March 13th: First Sunday of Lent - Alex Kuhn, '11 Lent is a time for renewal and grace for many reasons. We committed original sin when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They realized that they were naked, so they clothed themselves. Because of original sin, we continually have to ask God for forgiveness. Only from the mercy of God will we be able to be forgiven. Through Lent, we renew our faith in the saving power of God. We grow in spirituality in order to save ourselves from sin. We do penance as a means of forgiveness. Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden because of original sin. They were forced to do penance to save themselves from sin. Jesus had to be tempted by the devil in the desert. He lasted for forty days and forty nights. We often must undertake the same challenge to remember how much Jesus suffered for our sins. We must not be tempted by the devil. This is why Lent is a challenge for all of us.

 Readings for March 11th, the Third Day of Lent -Maciej Rejniak, '11 It is easy to think that the Apostles had it easy. In today's Gospel, the Apostles come to Jesus with a question, and he replies. Jesus answers their question in a simple, direct, and understandable matter using nothing more than the spoken word. In the Old Testament God, too, speaks to his people: as a pillar of fire is a pretty direct message! We 21 st century Christians are not so fortunate. While the Church and her leaders are seen as God's agents here on Earth, we do not seem to get the same direct communication that the Israelites and the Apostles must have had. When asked why Jesus was the Son of God, they could just find someone he cured and say, “here, here is your proof” and that would be enough. We cannot do that, and thus doubt is born. Jesuit spirituality teaches “to see God in all things”, and do everything “For the Greater Glory of God” and, having attended a Jesuit school for th...

Readings for March 10th, the Second Day of Lent - Peter Walle, '11 In many ways, Lent is a reflection on suffering - not just that of Christ's, but all of society's. Today’s Gospel is a call to true suffering, and with it, to true faith. Jesus points out to his disciples the cost of discipleship, stating that those who truly wish to follow Him must “take up his cross daily”. Telling someone to take up the cross, to shoulder and bear one's burdens, seems like an easy thing to do. The deep implications of Jesus' statement, however, force us to the harsh and bleak truth: anyone who wishes to follow Jesus will suffer. For many of my friends, the cost of discipleship leads them to question why following Jesus must involve suffering. A deeper question might be: whey is there any suffering at all?  After all, isn't it sensible to question how a good and just God would allow pain to exist? If we describe God as teh Creator, the one who makes all things to be, the...

Readings for Ash Wednesday "From dust you came and to dust you shall return..." -Patrick Sier, '11 These are the words that have been spoken to me by various adults as  they rubbed the sign of the cross in ashes into my adolescent forehead, and at first glance, they're pretty bleak. A fourth grader walking around with a symbol of his mortality on his forehead seems rather odd. And they don't seem to make sense with today's readings. "Behold, now is the day of salvation." It seems as if there's a contradiction in terms. Few would equate salvation with a return to the primordial ooze. But, in fact, there's something redemptive about this dust. This can be witnessed in today's Gospel. It is one of the more storied readings where Jesus instructs his disciples on how to fast and how to "not be like the hypocrites." We are not supposed to show our suffering. Why? And why if we're not supposed to suffer publicly why do we we...