Fifth Sunday of Lent

“If a grain falls into the ground and dies… it yields a rich harvest.”!

Living by giving yourself – for the benefit of others – is, I have found, the finest form of living.

Physically, give gifts in kind that are kind. Think about the corporal works of mercy that appear in Mt 25, Is 58 and CCC  - Catholic Catechism of the Church 2447.

Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, cloth the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and bury the dead.

The intellectual and spiritual  works of mercy, that appear in CCC 2447.

Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting, forgiving, bearing wrongs patiently and praying for the living and the dead. 

Before we run out of Lent, on which of these might you creatively focus? Which charities might you be able to support? There are plenty of them advertising on the Telly.

 “Give, and gifts will be yours in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.(Lk 6,38): a good night’s sleep with a clear conscience and joy of another day lived well. Great to be alive in the Kingdom of God here on earth and eventually in Eternity. Both, as the silver and gold keys of St Peter remind me.

If I think about myself, I tend to get depressed. Thinking of others – as ‘what should I say in my homily that will help the congregation?” Raises my spirits.

My short homilies are Ubuntu – good for me and, it seems, good for you. A rich harvest indeed.