Fifth Sunday of Lent (C), March 17, 2013

Fourth Sunday of Lent (C), March 10, 2013

Entering into the Catholic Church as an adult as many are preparing to do during this Lenten season is a movement of faith that takes time Candidates often wonder if this is the ldquo right rdquo time or the ldquo best rdquo time As they celebrate the scrutiny rites on this Third Sunday of L

When God entered into a covenant with Abram ldquo a trance fell upon Abram and a deep terrifying darkness enveloped him rdquo When Jesus took Peter James and John to the mountain to pray ldquo a cloud came and cast a shadow over them and they became frightened when they entered the cloud

Lent is a time to prepare for spiritual transformation whether this will be signified by the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil or by other rites and signs of conversion But in order to prepare for transformation one must turn back to God This is not easy and those who have turned back

God’s “otherness” is not intended to drive us away from him but to draw us near to him.