Sometimes, when we go through difficult times, we may think that God has forgotten us—when our prayers seem unanswered or when His voice is silent in our hearts. But today’s words from Isaiah remind us that this is not the case. Isaiah’s message is one of joy: God is always with us, even when we struggle to feel His presence. He assures us, “I will never forget you.” At times, we walk through life with blinders on, absorbed in our own pain or problems, unaware of His presence. This brings to mind the poem Footprints in the Sand—a beautiful reminder that God carries us through our most difficult days. He is making the road straight, showing us His mercy, and walking beside us every step of the way.

Lisa Savallo

Saint Anthony’s High School

Water is refreshing, purifying and an opportunity for renewal and new beginning. It is cleansing and an extraordinary gift of God’s grace. I have often found myself gravitating to the shore in times of uncertainty looking for the soothing and rhythmic crash of the waves, the meditative sound that can accompany moments of peaceful prayer. In opposition to this - is that water can also be a turbulent and treacherous force, such as the swells of the tides or a storm surge that may alter the earth’s landscape. I am no stranger to this mystery. The magnificence of water and the ordinariness of water, are palpable in the everyday understanding of life’s experiences. Upon examining John’s Gospel, the verse “Take up your Mat, and walk” summons the imagery of courage, that the encounters one might face can be met with bravery, even guile, and on a particularly difficult or especially notable occasion, as stated in the passage, like the sacred Sabbath, - which is to be honored and cherished, is especially to be acknowledged as Jesus tells us to do. After making it through the difficulty, we must remember we are able to carry on, with dignity and new understanding. That we can continue with grace, liberation and strength, as He has told us to do. It is not our sin and struggle that we carry on our “Mats’ but the lessons and in turn the wisdom from our experiences.

Marisa Torreblanca

Saint Francis Prep

St. Paul writes that all of creation groans together in the pains of childbirth, anticipating the day when the whole universe will be transferred and “God will be all, in all”; when our sadness will be turned to joy and we will be redeemed. At that time Death will be no more. Christ is the breaking in – the beginning of the process that will heal our universe and end in the creation of the “new heavens and the new earth”. In the official’s son we see a representation of all of humanity, in need of restoration. Christ’s words, “your son will live,” promise that we, too, will live and be transformed along with creation, if we place our belief in the Risen One. During this Lenten season, may we, like the official, turn to Christ, asking Him to forgive our sins and restore us anew, so that we may participate in the promise of redemption He offers to all.

Timothy Colvin

Saint Anthony’s High School

The Israelites could now sustain themselves with the fruits of the land (no longer needing manna). It is an example of God providing – very similar to St. Francis abandoning wealth and trusting completely in Jesus. Franciscans are called to live simply, relying on God’s care rather than worldly security. The Prodigal Son demonstrates God’s merciful love, which was experienced by St. Francis. Similar to the young son, Francis in early life sought worldly items and pleasure. His conversion led him back to the father to embrace him, just like the prodigal son returns home. Our call as Franciscans is not to dwell on past failings but rejoice in God’s ever-present mercy and embrace. This Lenten Journey is about becoming more fully aware of the gift of Christ’s sacrifices and the meaning of the light of reconciliation. St. Francis saw the crucified Christ as the ultimate model of humility and love. We are called to reconcile not just with God but with one another. St. Francis was a great advocate, always striving to bring people back to God’s love. Paul’s words say that Christ is calling us to be ambassadors of reconciliation. You will recall that Francis reached out to lepers and enemies. We are also called to bring peace and bridge divisions in our communities. This Sunday, we are called to reflect upon our own personal journey of reconciliation. Like St. Francis, let us be instruments of peace, bringing God’s love to a world in desperate need of reconciliation. We are invited to trust in God’s mercy, heal shattered relationships, and promote peace and rejoice in God’s love. Best wishes for a Blessed Easter filled with love, happiness, humility, reconciliation, joy, and trust in God’s mercy. May the Blessings of St. Francis be with you.

Brother Leonard Conway, O.S.F.

Saint Francis Prep

I believe that today’s readings can give us a “roadmap” for Lent. The prophet Hosea invites us to “return to the Lord.” And promises us that “he will bind our wounds.” Is this an invitation to the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Is this an invitation to receive forgiveness and absolution? The prophet Hosea continues to teach us about God’s wishes for us. “It is love that I desire.” “And knowledge of God.” Lent can be a time to examine your relationships. How is your relationship with others? How is your relationship with the Lord? The Responsorial Psalm in today’s Liturgy offers additional details for our Lenten roadmap. “It is mercy that I desire.” How are you treating others? And the psalmist continues: “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit.” What is your sacrifice for Lent 2025?

Brother Bill Boslet, O.S.F.

Our Lady of Angels Friary

The First Movement in today’s Symphony of Readings introduces the mandate of the Lord: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God”. The conclusion of the passage from Hosea reiterates: “Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them.” The Second Movement, the Responsorial Psalm again reinforces the command to “hear my voice”. The Third Movement, Gospel story is of the scribe questioning Jesus, perhaps not with the purest intentions, about the “first of all commandments”. Jesus answers first with a passage from the hallowed Shema to again “Hear, O Israel” and confirming your love of the Lord with ALL your heart, and ALL your soul, and ALL your mind, and ALL your strength. But he adds the additional charge “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. The scribe agrees with Jesus and again emphasizes using ALL - “...love Him with ALL your heart, with ALL your understanding, with ALL your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.” With his agreement, Jesus confirms that the scribe is not far from the Kingdom. He has heard and understood as Hosea prescribed, as the psalmist commands and as Our Lord has proclaimed to the scribe and to each of us as we journey through Lent.

Brother Joshua DiMauro, O.S.F.

Saint Anthony’s High School

This Reading offers a powerful message about the failure to listen to God’s word, even after repeated warnings. In these verses, God tells the people that their obedience isn’t just about rituals or sacrifices, but about truly listening to His voice and walking in His ways. This passage feels like a mirror of our current times. How often do we become caught up in external acts of faith, like attending church or following traditions, because we feel like we HAVE to. How many of us practice our faith without truly allowing God’s word to transform us? The refusal to listen and change leads to consequences, which serves as a strong reminder that spiritual complacency isn’t an option. This passage challenges me to reflect on how I engage with God. Am I truly listening and living out His message, or simply going through the motions? It’s a call to deeper, more authentic faith.

Robert Cordina

Saint Anthony’s High School

How do we know what is right to do? Some say doing good means obeying the law. When I was young, doing the right thing meant, or seemed to mean, obeying the adults in my life. Later I realized that these adults, though always well-meaning, sometimes didn’t agree among themselves. They could not supply credible reasons for their preferred views. In Deuteronomy, Moses finds a way around this problem, grounding prescriptions, his “statutes and decrees,” in the Lord. Jesus shifts from obedience to the law to discernment of it. He chides his disciples that compliance thinking about moral knowledge gets the right thing but from the wrong end. In reflection, Jesus shows himself to have a heart. He shares what he finds within it: no stone tablets but something that is nevertheless reliable and durable, namely, love. When love takes the lead, we do more than obey permanently codified laws.

Clayton Shoppa

Saint Francis College

Today’s readings have some very powerful phrases that provide us with much to contemplate. However, my heart is drawn to one sentence in particular: In the Book of Isaiah we hear that, “. . . a virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us!’” In the midst of Lent it seems strange to be contemplating the birth of Christ. But our reading from Isaiah is actually well timed. The season of Lent strips us of distractions and challenges us to focus on the essential. God has sent us the ultimate sign, his Son to live among us. Jesus experienced the struggles of humanity and provided us with an example to follow. Jesus showed us how to love and sacrifice; how to be compassionate and focus on healing one another. He also spoke truth to power especially on behalf of the least of these in his society. God lived among us and through the Holy Spirit continues to be present with us. Our God is one of solidarity and accompaniment, not a distant deity or object to be worshipped. Jesus demonstrated how we are to enter into loving relationships based on respecting each other’s dignity and worth. He pushed past the norms of his day by his inclusive definition of neighbor. This way of life is not easy and I fail regularly to live up to the ideals. But God’s mercy and forgiveness is abundant and offers me another chance over and over again. I pray today that our Franciscan communities have the courage to embrace this way of love more completely so we can be a force for compassion, peace, justice and healing in this world drawing reassurance that Christ is with us and we are called to grow closer and closer to the ultimate Source of love.

Christian Sullivan

Saint Francis Prep

The readings for this week serve as an ever present reminder to be open to the path God provides. In my own life His path often circumvents the one I originally started on or forces me to follow a completely different one. And oftentimes, the help to continue the journey comes with insights from unlikely sources. I pray for the strength to not just hear but to actually listen, and to be open to God’s light that guides the way; He is a much better navigator than I will ever be. I also pray for the continued strength to have faith and trust that His are the ways in which I am to follow. He will lead me to find what I truly need.

Mary Kellaigh Malangone

Saint Anthony’s High School

God’s mercy and forgiveness is infinite. Micah speaks of a God who delights in clemency, forgiving our sins and guiding us back to Him. The parable of the prodigal son reminds us of the boundless compassion of a father, echoing Franciscan values of humility, reconciliation, and joy in restoration. As we journey through Lent, we are called to reflect on our own need for repentance, to embrace God’s forgiveness, and to extend mercy and kindness to others, just as St. Francis taught us through his life of service and love. Lent is a time to recognize our need for God’s forgiveness, as shown in Micah’s vision of a compassionate God who forgives freely. Like the prodigal son, we often stray, yet the Father waits with open arms, ready to restore us.

Kelly Gavin

Saint Francis Prep

To paraphrase a quote “What’s in it for WE,” have you ever asked yourself that for your group whatever that may be?Those who created this Lectionary had some very clear message for us today as they yoked together these two readings. The WE are two different groups: Joseph’s brothers and the tenant farmers i.e. the chief priests and scribes. The values that are immediately apparent are estrangement, jealousy, death and the profit motive. In the first reading Joseph’s brothers from a different mother initially chose to eliminate him, murder him. At least some, after some of the brothers were opposed to murder their discussion-discernment chose something less drastic. Finally, they resolved the matter by selling Joseph for 20 pieces of silver, thus sparing at least his life, and for themselves some prize money. Paul would later write: “God writes straight with crooked lines” immediately insuring the survival of the twelve tribes of Israel in Egypt. The tenants however are a different lot. Increasingly they murder those sent to claim what was rightly the owner’s property keeping what rightfully belonged to another. This being a parable it represents a repeated effort on God’s part to invite the chief priests and scribes to a greater, deeper faith in recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. “What goes around comes around.” In this case St. Paul was of the belief that with the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ the Old Law and observation would dwindle and with time disappear. The Scripture scholar Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P. offers this reflection for today: “The story of Joseph and the ministry of Jesus exemplify our faith of God’s providence. A divine plan reaches into the depth of our existence.” (BIBLICAL MEDITATIONS FOR LENT, pp. 32-34).

Brother Tom Barton, O.S.F.

Saint Francis Monastery

Sitting with these readings, over and over I come back to the theme of trust. As humans, we are fallible and are prone to this, but we need to trust that God will forgive us and help us to find the right path. Trusting in God to do the right thing, even when it would be easy to stray. Trusting in God, that when circumstances feel hopeless, He is still with you. Trusting that His plan for us is greater than we could imagine can sustain us in times of pain or difficulty. If we can keep faith and surrender ourselves to Him, we will find our solace and comfort.

Caitlin Donovan-Demeo

Saint Francis Prep

During Lent we can learn a lot from the Holy Family in this passage from the Gospel of Matthew. God calls us to a relationship with Him. Lent is about us drawing nearer to Him every day, with the clarity that fasting, prayer and almsgiving increase. A primary principle of all healthy relationships is trust. It’s clear that in our faith we must trust God and be obedient to him. Who better to serve as examples of trust and obedience than St. Joseph, as the head of the Holy Family. As the lenten season continues to call us to grow closer to our Lord, we witness through the Gospel, the most humble man in scripture surrender his will to God’s will, trusting in the impossible and obeying God without question. Joseph’s life as head of the Holy Family is a testament to both trust and obedience in God. These enable him to protect his wife and son over and over, allowing Jesus to grow to be a man who would save the world from sin, who would conquer death and who would lead us all to eternal life. Let us ponder and reflect on how God is calling us to be more trusting and obedient to our Lord.

Michael Clauberg

Saint Anthony’s High School

Lent is a liturgical season in which we are called to give God our time and energy beyond what we would normally do. Obviously, we have to find and observe our Lenten penance (the “giving up” for Lent), abstain from meat on Fridays, and fasting on certain days. However, I think today’s readings call us all to go beyond that and go outside our comfort zone. Many people devote much time to prayer but not enough time to good works and vice versa: some people who focus on good works but not enough on prayer. Take this Lenten season as one to go outside of your comfort zone. If you’re someone who is bigger on prayer: volunteer one weekend at a soup kitchen or find a good moral cause to go support. If you’re someone who is bigger on good works: make an effort to attend daily Mass or adoration more. Maybe devote more time to the rosary.

Kevin Kempski

Saint Anthony’s High School

Forgiveness. You must ask. You must ask God. Every year we must repeat this practice. In our human form, we cannot help but to “sin”. When I say sin, I’m not talking about the sins with see in The Godfather or other actions that are clearly crimes. I’m talking about the small ways that we look at and disrespect the humanity in ourselves, our loved ones, the “other,” and God. Maybe it’s the way you hurt yourself, or maybe it’s the avoidance of the beggar on the street, or maybe it’s a friend you didn’t have time for, or maybe it’s the Sabbath you didn’t keep holy. There are so many ways to stray from our spiritual path. In Luke, we are reminded that we should not judge or condemn others, instead, we have the gift of being able to ask for, and grant, forgiveness. While granting forgiveness is not required, it is a mercy that God recognizes and will return to you. This idea of reflecting on your own moral shortcomings is also spoken of in the Book of Daniel. Indeed, Daniel 9 reminds me of the Yom Kippur Services that I have attended with my husband. During Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, the Al Chet is recited during services. The prayer helps the community examine their actions during the previous year. Take time this Lent to reflect on your spiritual shortcomings and work to remove these barriers from your relationship with God. 

Susan Weisman

For me the Readings for this 2nd Sunday of Lent contain several wonderful dialogues or exchanges between several individuals and God concerning Faith and Trusting in God. In the first reading from Genesis, God promises Abram that your descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Abram in turn “put his faith in the Lord.” In the Responsorial Psalm the psalmist proclaims his confidence in the Lord. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? In this Season of Lent, can we echo the same “faith in the Lord?” In the second reading St. Paul promises us that Jesus will “bring all things into subjection to himself.” Do we trust that promise? If we need further assurance about who to trust and where to put our faith, in the Gospel reading we have a clear answer: “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” Lord, as we travel through Lent 2025, please increase our faith and trust in you!

Brother Bill Boslet, O.S.F.

Our Lady of Angels Friary

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” is arguably the hardest thing which Jesus asks his followers to do. I reflect on my own mother, who for the past 62 years of motherhood to her six children has been an incredible listener. When we would come to her expressing our struggles over conflicts with teachers, peers, coworkers, other family members, or even strangers, she always had a calm response. Never angry, she always offered a challenge to see the other person’s point of view: “Perhaps they didn’t understand…perhaps they are going through something…maybe they need some mercy…what can you do to heal this?…” Advice like this can be frustrating to someone who just wants to vent, yell or complain, but what she really has been doing all these years is challenging us to love as God does. God is asking us to see each person we encounter the way He sees them, with the most beautiful, merciful and abundant love of a perfect parent. This Lent may we follow this advice and pray for those who may be a challenge for us at times.

Linda Baldacchino

Saint Francis Prep

As I reflect on today’s readings, several interrelated themes emerge. We see Ezekiel warning that sin leads to death and turning away from it to do what is right and just results in life—a freer, less worrisome life here on Earth and an eternal one in a celestial and spiritual paradise. Sin results in death while repentance brings life. As every person physically dies, but not everyone really truly live in an integrated physio-spiritual sense. We should reflect upon what our predilections toward sin may be in order that we may be more conscious of them, and strive more earnestly during this Lenten season to avoid them. We hear the Psalmist crying out unto to the Lord, out of the depths of his soul, for forgiveness and plenteous redemption. Ezekiel again instructing us in the Gospel antiphon to cast away all your crimes and make for yourselves “a new heart and a new spirit.” By conversion of heart and soul away from so many forms and manifestations of sin, and embracing the better angels of our natures, we are freed from the chains that previously bound us. In the Gospel, Christ continues and focuses the themes of repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation upon Anger in particular. As one of the Seven Deadly Sins, it corrodes the souls of those who carry it about within themselves as it robs them of all joy, peace and fulfillment. Our Lord instructs his disciples that if they harbor any anger toward their brother, or vice versa, they should delay their offering to God and go reconcile first with their brother. Only after quenching the fires of anger in two souls and reconciling, should one return to one’s earlier oblations. In the Lenten season, we can reflect upon how all of our human sinful inclinations, if acted upon, lead to harm in one way or another, both to ourselves and usually others. How easily, frequently and speedily anger leads to violence, hatred, and malevolence of all kinds. When the nations rage in anger, there is war and incalculable suffering by untold numbers of innocents. When individuals rage in anger, they poison their own souls and often wreak havoc in the lives of others as well. It is soul-destroying, if left unchecked, nor does it fulfill God’s justice and mercy. So during this time of preparation for our Lord’s sacrifice and salvation at Easter, let us reflect on the traditional Lenten practice of fasting—but a spiritual fasting from anger, hatred, jealousy, and all the real and potential impulses toward sin that these all can portend. Pax et Bonum.

Brother Geoffrey Clement, O.S.F.

Saint Anthony’s High School

Disappointment and loss are part of the human experience. Whether it is the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship, we can feel overwhelmed by loneliness even with friends and family to support us. I’ve felt loneliness at points in my life, sometimes it seemed like it would never end. With God by our side, we must be confident that the pain and emptiness will pass with prayer and devotion. By redirecting our energy to our faith, God will shape us to become the best versions of ourselves. Praising our Lord requires commitment by walking the path God has laid out for us. When we are most in need, God provides for us. I think of the poem “Footprints”; we have to believe that God will rescue us from our struggles. When the road ahead is unclear, but we have to trust that God will carry us.

Anonymous