Eastern Africa Dominican Friars

Tuesday in the 1^st week of Lent 

Saint for the day: St. Conrad of Piacenza (1290-1350)

Scripture readings for today's liturgy:

Isaiah 55:10-11

Psalm 34

Matthew 6:7-15

“If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive them, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” (the last words from today’s Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew”)

The first scripture reading for today’s liturgy – from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah put the above quote in a slightly different way: “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

When we profess our belief at Mass in the Creed we bow when we say, “and the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us!”

There’s a story about a women who went to confession regularly and always seemed to confess the same sins. The priest knew her and, in exasperation finally said to her, “Marge, every week you come here and confess the same sins: ‘I spoke ill of this one or that one; I was angry with so-and-so; I told a friend something about another that wasn’t really true. Etc., etc,” 

Now, here’s your penance: go home and get a large feather pillow. Come back here to the church and go up in the bell tower. Rip open the pillow and strew the feathers out into the wind. Then… take the pillowcase and come back down and pick up every single feather that you let go!”

Of course, Marge said, “Father, that would almost be impossible for me to do.”

We recite the words of the Lord’s Prayer and then go out and let our own words become as swords that inflect hurt and harm on others.

Go back to the Responsorial Psalm for yesterday: Psalm 19 and read the last verse, “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor with you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Amen!

Another way to say that might be, “Put your heart in gear before you rev your mouth and spin words that fly out like mud on those around you.”  Now go back and say the "Our Father" very slowly and let the words really sink in.  Amen!

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Monday in the 1^st week of Lent 

Saint for the day: Bl. John of Fiesole (c. 1400-1455) AKA Fra Angelico, OP

Scripture readings for today's liturgy:

Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18

Psalm 19

Matthew 25:31-46

“Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.” (Today’s Responsorial verse from Psalm 19)

Most of us probably don’t have the OT Book of Leviticus on our list of the “10 most read books of the Bible.”   But this section from chapter 19 – which list out the 10 Commandments is then put up against the Gospel Scripture from Matthew about the sheep and goats. Together they are like bookends which hold together everything we need to know about a life of following Christ.

Just imagine what our world would be like if everyone followed Jesus along the lines that these two scripture readings give us today? Sadly, though, many of us will get to that judgement point and ask, “…but when did we see you naked and not clothe you? Or hungry and not feed you? etc. etc…”

Here in Kenya, where we are about to enter into our national elections there is much fear of violence and rioting as happened in 2008. The sad part of this is the fact that many people – on both sides of rioting and destruction - will say that they are God-fearing people.  How can that be?

All of us – no matter where we are – need to look seriously at the scripture readings that the Church gives us today – and see where we might have fallen short in the way we live our lives. The answer is given to us in pretty clear ways. There’s really no way to get around it.

Bottom line? “… when you did it to one of these least of my people you did it unto me!” (Matthew 25:45)

Lots to think about today. Amen!

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First Sunday of Lent 

Saint for the day: Bl. Luke Belludi (1200-1285)

Scripture readings for today's liturgy:

Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Psalm 91

Romans 10:8-13

Luke 4:1-13

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:11)

On this 1^st Sunday of Lent the _Church gives us more than a plate full of mostly familiar scripture passages. There’s a lot to swallow and there’s always the tendency for us to say, “Ho, hum. Been there. Done that” and move on thus missing some valuable insights into our following Jesus on His – and ours, too – Lenten Journey.

We all know the story of the Israelites sorjourn in Egypt and their 40 year journey to the “Promised Land.” But we need to see this as a kind of outline of our own journey through life. They, just like Jesus, got tempted to give up on God. Their story is also our story: the Church, the world and all its people are headed to Hell in a hand-basket!

But we are God’s chosen people and He’ll always call us back. Always give us a second – and third – chance to get back on the road to the Kingdom.

The scripture passage tht I quoted, above from today’s second reading from Romans is the crux for us to hear. But it’s not an “abbra-kadabra” magic verse. “We confess with our mouth and believe in our heart…” and then get back on the road. Yes! We’re saved. But we’re still in the desert. We’re still “on our way” to the Promised Land.

What is that popular saying? “It’s not over till it’s over!” The Israelites wandered in and out of God’s favor and got caught up in all kinds of temptations. When they saw how far they had veered from the path they cried out to God to save them. And He did! And he will do the same for us. So, don’t jump off the cliff. We’re not there yet.

Here is one of my favorite hymns (by Marty Haugen): “We remember how you loved us to your death and still we celebrate for you are with us here.  And we believe that we will see you when you come, in your glory, Lord. We remember, we celebrate, we believe.

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Saturday after Ash Wednesday 

Saint for the day: St. Daniel (died 309)

Scripture readings for today's liturgy:

Isaiah 58:9-14

Psalm 86

Luke 5:27-32

“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.” (Today’s Responsorial verse.)

This verse from today’s Responsorial Psalm prompts me to continue it and complete it for the fullest meaning …. “For you are the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE!

Here we are, just about ready to begin the 1^st week of Lent and we have to caution ourselves so that we don’t just slink in to a – Been there! Done that! attitude. You’ve heard me quote our great St. Thomas Aquinas: “Grace builds on nature” and we can certainly see this in the way the Church celebrates seasons and feasts. Even here in Africa – where there aren’t always clear seasonal changes – we still have times for planting and times for harvesting. There is a rhythm to life.

We get our word, LENT from a middle English word which initially meant SPRING or lengthening, the time when the days were getting longer and best for planting seeds and nurturing them to a fruitful harvest.

It was a time for beginning again, for starting over. In some ways there was the need to dig up the old and re-fresh the soil – a kind of starting over again with the overriding thought of a kind of death to the past in order to allow the new to take root and blossom.

It was a time for stripping away the old – getting rid of the dead roots and weeds of evil in order for the new seeds to have a chance to grow.

This is where the Church gets the notion of fasting. We strip away those things that have taken root in our lives and are no longer good for us and we have the chance to begin again. We have about 5 weeks to get our lives ready to see a new birth of life – a kind of resurrection – when we celebrate the Easter Feast. So, don’t neglect this important season that gives us another chance to re-new our lives – again. And this isn’t a “once-in-a-lifetime thing” but something that we’ll do over and over. Just like we don’t only plow up the fields once but do that each spring – or LENT.

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I’d like to hear from you to know that you’re getting these reflections. Use the link below to go to my” home page” where you’ll find more stories and pictures along with a link to e-mail me: