Where Two or Three are Gathered

 I read a reflection for this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading earlier this week which indicated that the familiar passage, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them,” (Matthew 18:20) might be taken as alarming due to our current situation.  How are we to know that those two or three are doing everything they can to limit the spread of the virus?

Personally, I see this as a hopeful passage for this moment in human history.  Even though we are not able to gather in larger groups safely, God is still with us.  He is always with us.  Further, if we entrust our prayers to God, we can be sure that He listens to them, whether or not we get the answer that we want, and whether we do so as individuals or as a community.  Of course, having a community behind you can’t do any harm.

This is an excellent moment for us to consider how we are reacting to our current situation.  Are we being prudent and cautious?  Are we being alarmist and potentially over-reacting?  Are we being reckless and careless toward those we might interact with on a regular basis?  Take some time for reflection, and try to discern how you can strike a balance between caution and practicality.

Above all, put your trust in God.  He will never abandon you, no matter how isolated you may feel.

The Tricky Math of Lent

Happy Lent!  We started this year’s observance of the season yesterday with many a reference to the forty-day nature of the period.  But if you actually count the days from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday, you end up with forty-seven days.  So, how do you square that with what you’ve heard your whole life?

Well, there is a lot of biblical significance to the number forty.  It rained for forty days and forty nights when the Flood came.  The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after their captivity in Egypt.  Jesus went into the desert for forty days prior to beginning his public ministry.  And he spent forty days with his disciples after his resurrection.  So, forty just seems like the appropriate number to ascribe to the period of Lent.

Some scholars argue that one shouldn’t count the Sundays of Lent as actually Lent, because each Sunday is a commemoration of the Resurrection itself, and yes, that does make it add up to forty days.  Another way to look at it is to consider the Triduum and Easter Sunday outside of the period of Lent, as well as the days following Ash Wednesday.  After all, we haven’t gotten to the first week of Lent yet.  These are just warm up days.  And once we get to Holy Thursday, it’s a completely different feeling than the rest of the liturgical season.

But, no matter what “counts” and what doesn’t, it is important to keep a spirit of preparation throughout this time leading up to Easter.  There aren’t really “cheat” days.  We aren’t on a diet (unless of course we’ve given up candy, soda, or dessert for Lent).  Even on days you consider to be outside the period of Lent, remember to keep preparing for the big event:  Easter.

What the Heck is a Synoptic Gospel?

As this liturgical year comes to a close, we are really finishing up more than just one set of readings.  We are concluding Cycle C, and on Sunday, we will begin a new year, with Cycle A readings.  You probably know that the Catholic Church rotates through three different cycles or sets of readings:  Cycle A, which contains Sunday Gospels mostly from Matthew; Cycle B, with Sunday Gospels mostly from Mark; and Cycle C, with Sunday Gospels mostly from Luke.   We do read from the Gospel of John as well, typically during the Easter season.

You might have noticed that many of the Sunday Gospels during Ordinary Time sound familiar from year to year.  They don’t change that much from Matthew to Mark to Luke.  That is because Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic Gospels.

Huh?  You might ask, what the heck is a synoptic Gospel?  (Pardon the very typical Utah phrase.)  When I was younger, I used to think synoptic meant that these three Gospels presented a synopsis of Jesus’ life, and it was just a coincidence that they were so similar.  But, as I got older and my English-major-like tendencies kicked into high gear, I took a closer look at the word.

Synoptic comes from two roots:  syn meaning “same,” and optic meaning “view.”  So, a story that is synoptic presents the same view as another story.  They corroborate each other.  The synoptic Gospels present more than just a synopsis of Jesus’ life.  They present roughly the same story, with some differences here and there, owing to the fact that they were written at different times by different authors for differing audiences.  For instance, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount takes place on a the plain instead.

It is tempting to zone out when we hear a familiar Gospel passage, especially if we have heard it a dozen or more times.  But, when you do hear a Gospel reading from Matthew, Mark, or Luke that seems very familiar, challenge yourself to find the ways in which it differs from the other two synoptic Gospels.  If you’re really ambitious, go look up the other two in your Bible at home.  (Concordances, or similar passages, are usually cited in the notes.)  Note the differences.  Ask yourself why there are differences.  Does it take away from the main theme of the passage?  This can help you delve deeper into scripture, something which Catholics of the pre-Vatican II generation were often discouraged from doing.

Even if you don’t make it a habit to do this every Sunday, try to commit to doing it during an “extraordinary” season of the liturgical year, such as Advent, or Lent.  It could be a valuable way to prepare yourself for the seasons of Christmas and Easter.