Word: Being a community of believers, we are raised with Christ as we reform our ways and bear fruit.
Order: “Go, and from now on, do not sin anymore”. (Jn 8:11)
Reflection:
Although the chance to renew our lives, re-examine our values and review the choices we make, is always open to us, it is in the context of and within community, that we as believers can take a fresh look at our vision, renew our commitment, and reform our ways, especially during the Lenten season. Our call from Christ is best seen through the lens of our Christian relationships and the examples we see among His other faithful followers.
As we turn to the Holy Spirit, new avenues open out to us. We receive the courage to start anew with the Lord, whose resurrection assures us, not only of an infinitely better future, but of the grace to pursue that future. Easter is a time to rediscover our personal relationship with the Risen Christ. It is a privilege no one can take away from us. The parables of the succeeding weeks are for and about us. Despite our failures, Lent assures us that in Jesus, we can claim victory in life. We can tap the power of Christ through fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
3rd Sunday of Lent
(Theme: We reform our ways and bear fruit when we please God with our actions)
Luke’s gospel strips away the worldly trappings of power and wealth, poverty and suffering, and calls all people to repentance. It shows us the merciful face of God, a God who is always open to reconciliation, and offers us new hope, new beginnings, new life. In the parable of the fig tree we see the extent of the Father’s patience and love, reminding us yet again that in God there are no hopeless cases or situations. God never gives up on the sinner. He is always waiting for better results, better responses from us. His invitation calls us into even closer communion with our Creator; that like the fig tree, we all may bear fruit and respond with love and praise to Him, and share our hopes and blessings with our brethren. Are we ready to receive the embrace of our Father, to meet Him again in the cleansing sacrament of reconciliation and thus set our path to transformation and renewed friendship with Him?
4th Sunday of Lent
(Theme: We reform our ways and bear fruit when we welcome our lost brethren back to Christ)
The parable of the prodigal son speaks to everyone of us. In the profligate younger son, it speaks of the importance of acknowledging our sinfulness. In the elder brother, we see the need for seeking to understand – not resent, those who have erred and now need our help. Through the forgiving father, the parable speaks to us of the value of bridge building – of reconciliation which brings about change in us, not in God. Which of the three individuals in this scenario – the prodigal son, the elder brother, or the forgiving father – speaks to you this Lent? Each one of them opens a door and shows a path to Easter.
If we seek forgiveness from God, we need to come down from a position of humility and plainly acknowledge, “I have sinned”. How many times have we failed to say simple words like “thank you” to God, our Father? How many times have we wandered off from Him in our insensitivity and mindless pursuit of worldly things? There are people around us we should appreciate for their kindness. They are always ready to help and serve us, yet we neglect to say “thank you”, or “I’m sorry” – simple words that help strengthen and heal relationships. God’s unconditional love never falters, and we need never worry about sharing His gifts for fear they will run out, and we will be left without. Listening to the poor and standing with them in their struggle to better their circumstances are good ways to please our all-loving God.
5th Sunday of Lent
(Theme: We reform our ways and bear fruit when we do not condemn those who have gone astray)
The words of Jesus in the gospel strike directly to the human heart, the seat of decisions and actions. We are urged to scrutinize our intentions when we judge others. Do we wish to right a wrong? Or are we driven by hatred and the desire for revenge? Beyond this, we should remember our calling as Christians. Conscious that we ourselves are sinners, we should be very wary about judging others. We should try to reconcile the demands of justice and mercy in our dealings with one another.
The woman caught in adultery in this week’s gospel was guilty, ashamed and repentant. When the Lord pardoned her, He gave her a new future, a new life. Isn’t that what the forgiveness of God is all about? To be restored to dignity, healed and made whole again, and given a fresh start? The challenge of the gospel is not for us to ignore sin or wrongdoing around us, but to come to repentance. In repenting, we are to focus, not on yesterday’s sin/s, but on today’s forgiveness and tomorrow’s hope. The repentance that saves is not constant self-scourging, but the birth of new faith and of loyalty to Christ. Repentance looks to the future and asks, where do we go from here? We can be like that woman in the gospel, acknowledging our sinfulness and past mistakes. It is futile to wish we could go back and change our wrong decisions in the past. We can’t. We should remember the past, but not live there, because the future is ahead of us, and God’s grace takes us there.
Palm Sunday
(Theme: We reform our ways and bear fruit when we share we share in the suffering of Christ)
The most striking part of Palm Sunday for many people is the shift from the acclaim of the crowds on Jesus’ way to Jerusalem, to their call for His death later. The same people who laid their cloaks on the road as a “red carpet” for Him, waved and shouted ‘Hosanna’ as He rode past on His donkey, would later turn against Him. We are not unlike those people. For us, the shift may be the difference between the faith we profess and the lives we lead. The drama of Palm Sunday is not only an event of 2000 years ago, it is our drama today. The dichotomy between the faith we proclaim and the lives we lead goes on. The people of Palm Sunday are none other than ourselves.
We start the “holy week” by proclaiming the long gospel passage that speaks of the passion of Christ, His suffering, His pain, His death on Calvary. It is the passion of Christ that makes this week holy. Holy week need not be solemn, it need not be a sad occasion when people sit in the dark and scourge themselves for their sins. It need not bring back the sadistic forms of penance that some people still practice today. It is not the mournful mood that makes holy week meaningful. It is the relationship with God whom we allow to touch us with His gentle love and lasting peace. Jesus invites us to return to the heart of the Father. Where will you be during holy week? Wherever it is, will you be found in the company of Jesus and in the consolation of His grace? Will you have space this season to allow the passion of Christ to touch you with mercy and grace?
Easter Sunday
(Theme: We reform our ways and bear fruit when we preach and testify to Christ’s resurrection)
To be Catholic and to be strong in faith is becoming more difficult and challenging. We are encouraged to proclaim the same statement that emboldened the early Christians to go and share the good news. Jesus is risen from the dead because He is the victor over death. The Father has resurrected our Lord who is now the source of the Holy Spirit in us all. Jesus exhibited the “team spirit” when He decided to join us in our death, so that He can free us and give us life once again.
The power of the Risen Lord is within us who listen to Him, receive Him in the sacraments and follow Him in our daily life of struggle, and alternating failure and success. Christians will continue to proclaim and live the mystery and power of the resurrection of Jesus. By His resurrection, He embraced the dead who hoped in Him and brought them life. He brings life to us as well, not only at the moment of our death, but every moment of our lives. Christ’s resurrection teaches us that beyond darkness there is light, beyond death there is life, and beyond sin is forgiveness. Maybe the past year, our discipleship has become inactive, careless, confused and compromised. Easter is a time for renewal. It is a time to recommit ourselves to Christ and His church and to revive that moment when the sacramental water of baptism washed over us and we became one with Jesus, making us part of His ongoing and glorious mission. Easter is a time to refresh our Catholic faith.
