Word: We glorify the Father by our obedience to His Son, Jesus Christ
Order: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” (Mk 9:7)
Reflection:
We start the month already in the season and atmosphere of Lent, and on a journey to open our hearts to the transforming love of Christ. This is a time of change and grace to deal with temptations and worldly attachments, prescribing the need for prayer, fasting and alms-giving. The voice of God is calling us home at this time, and we should make a conscious decision to serve the Lord and do what is pleasing to him. Lent provides us with opportunities for sacrifice and self denial, and reminds us to examine our worth, our faith, our obedience, and the sources of our false securities.
On the 2nd Sunday of Lent, the first reading gives us a glimpse into the faith and character of Abraham, who was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac; a very painful decision to make, but Abraham was determined to obey the divine command. Abraham had abandoned the worship of other gods, entrusting his life and his future unconditionally to the true God who calls him so that he might receive grace.
The gospel, on the other hand, recounts the transfiguration of Jesus, which provides us with a glimpse of Christ in all His glory, as revealed to us by the Father: “This is my beloved Son, Listen to Him.” Christ’s ascent to the mountain was to seek divine guidance in prayer. Faith carried Jesus through His death on the Cross and into His resurrection from the dead. That was possible only from knowing and trusting in His Father’s love. The apostles listen and follow him. Peter declared “It is good for us to be here” when Jesus was transfigured before him and the other two Apostles, but during the passion of Christ, he found it difficult to stay with the Lord, and denied him thrice.
We are to respond this Lent by listening to Jesus in prayer, that we may gain courage and assurance especially when facing the difficulties in life. To discover what God’s plan is for us, we need periods of peace and tranquility so that God’s voice may be heard. The more we come to know God the better we come to know ourselves. We must remain trusting and obedient to Jesus.
3rd Sunday of Lent
The first reading gives us the Commandments, the ancient laws of God — a list of what we should and should not do. They are not restrictive rules, but are meant as divine guidance to protect us from harm and lead us to better ways to live. Our obedience to God’s commandments comes from our desire to show our love for Him, for our fellow human beings, and ourselves. The commandments tell us who we are and point us in the direction of who we might become.
The gospel of John portrays, in the action of Jesus as he radically cleanses the temple, that Lent is the time for us to also cleanse the temple that is our body and spirit. Jesus reminds us to do some house-cleaning, to remove and expel the sins that bind us – our infidelities, unforgiveness, baggage, indifferences to others, and all the spiritual debris that have accumulated in our lives in the passage of time. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is also a prophetic sign of what He wants to do with each of us. He seeks to cleanse us of sin and make us living temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). He promises to build in us a new temple, a new house of his Father and dwelling place where Christ is at home in our life. Our obedience to God’s commandments helps us qualify for all the blessings of eternal life.
4th Sunday of Lent
The first reading gives us a summary of Israel’s rebellion against God. In the Second Reading, St. Paul demonstrates how the saving plan of God is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, as he testifies about his own transformation from persecutor of God’s people to His most avid evangelist. Like us, Paul admits that he did not deserve to be saved, but emphasizes that “it is by Christ’s favor that salvation is yours through faith.” Even though Israel rebelled against God, and St. Paul persecuted the Church, God’s love prevails in the world and among His people because He sent His only Son Jesus to bridge the gap between man’s sin and God’s healing.
In John 3:16-17 “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” This is one of the best known and most loved verses of Scripture, and we should commit to heart and meditate upon it. God wants to win us to Himself through His Son Jesus. This passage assures us of the great depth and height, breath and width of God’s love for us. It is not an exclusive love, but an all-embracing redemptive love for the whole world and a personal love for each and every individual whom He has created in his own image and likeness. God is a loving Father who cannot rest until his wandering children have returned home to Him. The passion, death and resurrection of Christ are the supreme proof of God’s love. The crucifix is a sign of shame, humiliation and defeat, but it is also the channel of healing grace and victory to sinners like us as we go through salvation, which is at hand. God is always ready to receive us, but it is up to us to take that step of receiving His love and salvation. These are ours for the taking.
5th Sunday of lent
“I solemnly assure you unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit… and I, once I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Death seems the end of everything, but the gospel tells it is the door to new life. Things change, transformation and growth always involves some sort of death. Every Christian has something to die for, for new life to spring forth and be released. When we die to ourselves and surrender the sinful behavior of our past life, we receive spiritual wisdom and a personal relationship with God. It allows the Holy Spirit to work in us. When we accept Jesus in our life, we allow ourselves to grow into the new life of grace, the fruits of the Lord’s passion. As disciples of Christ we have die to our self-centered selves in order to draw people to the Lord and thus produce abundant fruit.
Setting an example is our very own Blessed Pedro Calungsod who, many years ago left his home to venture to an unknown land, enduring deprivation, suffering and death in order to bring the gospel to the people of the Marianas Islands. Today, majority of the people of Guam are Catholics certainly due in part to him. His fruitfulness extends to this day. Mother Teresa of Calcutta left the comfort of her convent and drew thousands of men and women to join her mission to the poorest of the poor. Many children grow up to be good persons and successful in their field of endeavors because of the self denial and sacrifices of parents.
Dying to self brings forth new life, and that is what Lent is all about. Similarly, our whole lives are a cycle of dying and rising again. It is when we are prepared to die that our lives become the most fruitful. People who love themselves destroy themselves. If we come closer to finding our higher selves through our Lenten prayer, fasting and charity, we shall also discover Jesus’ law of life: that it is in dying to self that we live a divine life; dying to self so that others may live.
