March 29, 2025 - Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

Artist Sister Mary of the Compassion, OP (1908-1977)

The church was just as I remembered it; I had not been there in several years. It was dim prior to Mass, relying on natural sunlight streaming through the windows for illumination. The Romanesque style of architecture was outstanding with many arches and the beautiful apse. The statues were prominent, especially St. Michael—the parish patron—and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, where I would spend no little time praying going forward. My prayer that first day of returning to my home parish was sincere but insufficient. Prayer, though, restarted life as God desired to form it from long ago. God opens a way to true devotion with prayer, and prayer depends on God for true love.  

Lent is a graced time for prayer that brings us to acknowledge our dependence on God. If we listen to the words of Hosea today and turn to the Lord, then “He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up.” God created us to experience the life of Christ. We depend on the risen Lord to revive us and to help us live in his presence. In turning to the Lord, the grace of God is offered to us to turn away from sin and our self-made obstacles to depend on our good Father again. 

Christ gives a lesson in the Gospel continuing this theme of dependence on God in the virtues of humility and charity. The Pharisee made a “prayer to himself.” Though he did everything the “right” way and even more than expected, he lost sight of his need for mercy and to love with the overflowing generosity of God. The tax collector reflects the deep need for humility, to live in his God-given gifts with devotion to the creator of all things. 

Our Lenten prayer and practices lead to that renewed love of God in the deep roots of our being. Prayer opens the door to Christ who has come to seek the lost and save us in his mercy, who lifts us up by his grace, and restores life again where we perceive darkness and isolation. He longs for mercy shaped by his sacrifice on the Cross, for mercy formed by depending on God who answers every need in his love so that we live anew from the heart.  

Rejoicing in this annual celebration of our Lenten observance, we pray, O Lord, that, with our hearts set on the paschal mysteries, we may be gladdened by their full effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. (Roman Missal)

Rev. Roberto Ortiz, Director of Liturgy and Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology

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