Saturday: Third Week of Lent

And he told them this parable:

“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,

and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,

he said to the gardener,

‘For three years I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none.

Cut it down.

Why should it exhaust the soil?’

He said to him in reply,

‘Sir, leave it for this year also,

and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it,

it may bear fruit in the future.”

Lk 13: 6-9

Planting a seed biologically can be the very least of fathering. On the other hand: responsibly, lovingly, respectfully, and gently planting seeds is what fathering is about, when it is the most noble and most perfectly a reflection of God`s plan for human life and love. Both men and women are afforded many opportunities to provide for, protect, cultivate, and nurture the tender shoots of the human spirit. When someone helps a younger person to understand a little more deeply, respect a little more broadly, or stand with a greater sense of awe, she or he can participate in the kind of fathering that has been traditionally associated with creator God.

In the love of Jesus,

Fr. Lenny Zamborsky

June16, 1996

For Reflection:

Not everyone is a parent, but what opportunity in your life has lent itself to providing for, protecting, cultivating, and nurturing the tender shoots of the human spirit?

Maybe you are a grandparent, Godparent, teacher, neighbor, in the Big Brother or Sister program, or an actual big brother or sister. In what ways can you help a younger person to understand a little more deeply, respect a little more broadly, or stand with a greater sense of awe? 

Friday: Third Week of Lent

Jesus said to them in reply, 
“Do you think that because these Galileans 
suffered in this way they were greater sinners 
than all other Galileans?
By no means!"

Luke 13: 2

As we read of situations throughout the world, our hearts and our prayers reach out to all whose lives are physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually entombed. 

We ask the Lord Jesus to give us, all Christian people, and all others of good will, the wisdom and the courage to help all rise above that which is ugly, that which lacks love, that which is contrary to God`s plan for God`s people.

In the love of Jesus,

Fr. Lenny Zamborsky

March 24, 1996

For Reflection:
When in your life have you seen one of God`s people suffering either physically, emotionally, relationally, or spiritually?

What can you do as an individual, to reach out to God`s people who are suffering in this world?

How can you promote God`s plan?

Thursday: Third Week of Lent

I do not want you to be unaware, 
brothers and sisters, 
that our ancestors were all under the cloud 
and all passed through the sea, 
and all of them were baptized into Moses 
in the cloud and in the sea. 
All ate the same spiritual food, 
and all drank the same spiritual drink, 
for they drank from a spiritual rock 
that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

Corinthians 10:1-5

Through Baptism and Confirmation, we all share in the anointing of Jesus. All Christians are called to share in the mission and ministry. The mission of Jesus has been and will always be to bring God`s saving love to the world. Jesus himself carried out the mission through his ministry of preaching, teaching, healing, educating, challenging and empowering. 

Jesus` ministry continues in our time and through His body on earth - the Church - you and I - the living Eucharist. Let us pray together that each of us will take seriously the call, the invitation, and the challenge to pass on our faith, and proclaim its meaning by the way that we live.

In the love of Jesus,

Fr. Lenny Zamborsky

January 28,1996

For Reflection:
What does being Baptized and Confirmed mean to you as a Catholic Christian?

When in your life have you been invited - or heard the call - to share in the mission and ministry of bringing God’s saving love to others?

How can you answer the call to pass on your faith and proclaim its meaning by the way that you live?

In what way as an individual can you share in the mission and ministry of Jesus?

Wednesday: Third Week of Lent

R: The Lord is kind and merciful 

He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.

Psalm 103: 3-4

It is very nice for a Catholic Christian to know that he or she can come to God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to celebrate God`s love and understanding. Having passed the halfway mark of Lent, it is the right time for us to come together to express our individual and corporate need for forgiveness and desire to support each other in responding to God`s call to on- going conversion.
                                                                                                                             

In the Love of Jesus, 

Fr. Lenny Zamborsky

March 10,1996

For Reflection:
Knowing our imperfectness, how often do you seek the Lord for forgiveness and ask for His mercy?

How can you reach out to support others, compassionately and non- judgmentally, who are sincerely trying to become the better and more Christ-like person they want to be?

When was the last time you partook in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or a Communal Penance Service?

“Do yourself a favor… you`ll be glad you did.” ~ Fr. Lenny 

Tuesday: Third Week of Lent

R: The Lord is kind and merciful

Bless the Lord, O my soul:

and all my being, bless his holy name.

bless the Lord, O my soul

and forget not all his benefits.

Psalm 103: 1-2

"…thoughtful and reflective people recognize and acknowledge both the world's need for God's blessing and the height, depth, and breadth of blessing that have been bestowed.  Conscious choices and decisions most fittingly flow from the deep sense of gratitude that naturally leads to a desire to be a more perfect blessing to self, family and friends, and to the world."

 In the love of Jesus,

Fr. Lenny Zamborsky

January 2, 2005

For Reflection:

Knowing that “The Lord is kind and merciful,” how can you glorify and honor God in your life? 

In what ways can you bless the Lord and His Holy Name in appreciation for all his benefits he has bestowed upon us? 

How can you be a more perfect blessing to yourself, family, friends, and the world?

Monday: Third Week of Lent

God spoke further to Moses, 

“Thus shall you say to the Israelites:

The LORD, the God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.”

                                                                              

Ex 3: 15-16

The mission work of the church is not only a specific ministry of a few, but rather an integral dimension of Christ living for each individual. Jesus’ mission of bringing God`s saving love to the world is placed in the hands and heart of each baptized person. We as individuals are to be missionaries, and go out to proclaim the good news to others.

In the love of Jesus,

Fr. Lenny Zamborsky

July 7, 1996

For Reflection:

Moses was called by God to proclaim the good news to the Israelites. 

How are you being called by God to proclaim the good news? 

How, as a baptized person, can you be a missionary and bring God`s saving love to others who are placed in your hand and heart?

Sunday: Third Week of Lent

I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt

and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers,

so I know well what they are suffering.

Therefore I have come down to rescue them

from the hands of the Egyptians

and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land,

a land flowing with milk and honey.

Exodus 3: 7-8

Jesus who came as “good news for the poor” continues in many ways to raise us all from “rags to riches” insofar as we allow His Word, Sacraments, and other sources of grace to touch and transform our lives.

 In the love of Jesus,

 Fr. Lenny Zamborsky

April 14, 1996

For Reflection:

Think about how you allow His Word, Sacraments, and other sources of grace to touch and transform your life. Are you always open to His Word and Sacraments? What other sources of grace do you use to touch and transform your life? 

Now let`s take it a step further, using His Word, Sacraments, and other sources of grace; how can you help to touch and transform the lives of others?