FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT MARCH 21, 2021

MASS READINGS:

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 31:31-34

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

REFLECTION: I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

One of my favorite hobbies is gardening. If we see life through God's creation of beauty, we can see what love can be. Especially when all conditions are good, it is a joy in forgetting ourselves and our own needs and concentrating in God's never ending generosity. Flowers are blooming, new growth is around us and butterflies are bountiful in a garden. The whole of creation is a reflection of the grandeur of the loving Creator.

If anyone has cared for a garden, it requires work--both in keeping the flower beds free of weeds and insects but also providing the proper nutrition. We will need gloves, hand trowels, pruners, hoes, rakes and shovels. Consistent care is the most important commitment. We cringe when the weather is too hot, or the gnats or mosquitoes are at their worse or when the water hose gets all tangled up and we spend more time unraveling the hose. However, unless we are willing to work at maintenance we will not enjoy the beauty that God has given us.

Our souls are gardens where God has planted His seed. God's divine love lives in us, nurtures us, and He removes the weeds of sin--pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth if only we ask for forgiveness. He has given us the Holy Sacraments; sacramentals; His priests, the living and transparent image of Christ; the Gospel; PAPA FACE ZBS and His mystical Church. God has placed His law within us and written it upon our hearts.

We have been given the tools needed to spend our eternity with God. If we nourish our souls and work on loving God and our neighbor, we can be part of God's beautiful garden. Let us share the many different flowers that our soul produces, not allowing them to wilt during hardships, trials and tribulations.

God Bless You