‘This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs. Let us ask ourselves in the presence of the Lord whether, as bishops, priests, consecrated persons and laity in the service of the Kingdom of God, we cooperate with others. Whether we show ourselves welcoming, with concrete gestures, to those both near and far. Whether we make others feel a part of the community or keep them at a distance’.
Pope Francis, From his ‘Message for Lent 2025’.
On Calumny or Slander and the Responsible Use of Speech - Topic of First Reading:
‘Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. He becomes guilty: of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor; of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them; of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2477.
Healthy trees, Healthy Fruit - The Gospel
‘In the long history of our faith, the moral dimension has received much emphasis. This is only right – what we do certainly matters and reveals what we truly believe. However, in this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus takes us back to the source of where all actions – good and bad – come from, namely our human nature. For God, what matters is not only what we do or don’t do but the ‘store of goodness in the heart’ from which good actions flow. This is why St Peter in his Second Letter identifies the key to the Christian life as becoming ‘partakers in the divine nature’ (1:4). The more our human nature is healed of corruption and united to the human and divine nature of Christ, the more our words and actions will begin to resemble his’.
Fr Billy Swan
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