5th Sunday: Walking Through Lent with Our Creator Scriptural Reflections

Read : John 11:1-45 and pray or journal: what word or phrase speaks to your emotion or intellect?

Read : the provided reflection (below) and pray or journal: what speaks to your emotion or intellect and what might you do?

The dead man came out tied hand and foot with burial bands… When I look around my closet I feel dread at all the stuff: some to keep and some to discard, some to fix (that I don’t know how to fix) or recycle (that I don’t know where to recycle). Worse, for every 1 ton of product purchased, 71 tons of waste was created to mine, manufacture, store, and transport it to market, including vast amounts of water. It clutters my closet and my heart, leaving me feeling positively bound and buried.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus is calling, “come out! untie her!” Untied by finding joy in relationships, experiences, and nature. Untied by prayerfully leaving items behind at the store, grateful for future time I won’t be spending organizing my closet. And someday, untied when our economy is circular like the eco-system God created, in which nothing is wasted.

I invite you to join me by decluttering this Lent (use this resource for hazardous waste and recycling tips), prayerfully considering purchases before making them, and while you’re at it, spread the word! Blessings, Kate

*This passage is from Year A readings, which are used when the scrutines are celebrated with the elect. If there are no elect, we will hear Year B readings proclaimed at Mass.