4th Sunday of Lent (Cycle B, Year I)
Community Word: Jesus Christ is the reflection of God’s love in us and for us.
Theme: We are a reflection of God’s love when we believe in Him and live in His truth.
Promise: “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned.” (Jn 3:18)
Reflection:
People have varied responses to the season of Lent. But whatever their response, it is simply a barometer of his or her spiritual temperature. For some, Lent is the season for vacation, a time to enjoy the beach, or to get away from the hassle and bustle of city life.
But for believers and renewed Catholics, Lent is an invitation for introspection, a time to look within ourselves, to reexamine ourselves, identify the areas where we have sinned, and make reparations for our shortcomings. It is a time to see clearly our own passion and death, vis-à-vis the cross of Jesus, to deepen our humanity and spirituality, know the purpose for which we are called, and acknowledge the lordship of Jesus in our lives, knowing that without Him, we are nothing. Only then can we glimpse the real meaning of repentance and the extent of God’s mercy.
Many of us Catholics are familiar with the rituals of Lent, but remain essentially unbelievers in its truest sense. We take the rituals for granted. The Resurrection of Jesus is part of our spiritual life, but is not fully understood or experienced. Many of us get stuck in the passion and death stage, perhaps because we lack understanding, or acceptance of the truth that as we follow Christ, we too have to carry our own cross and share His sufferings out of our love for Him. Paradoxically, as we embrace our cross and surrender to His grace, we allow Jesus to carry our cross for us. This is the point where many Christians fail to experience resurrection. When life’s trials hurt us deeply, we somehow want to wallow and cling to them, relying on our own strength and time to heal the wounds. Surrender is always the hardest thing to do. But our Gospel Reading tells us “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life with Him.” (Jn 3: 14).
True repentance asks us to let go and let God be the God of our hurts. It asks us to forgive from the heart those who wronged us, and for us to ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt, then, surrendering all our hurts, disappointments and shortcomings at the foot of His cross where His mercy flows, allowing the love and mercy of God to bring us to new life. Our prideful self has to be put to death and cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, for only by His death on the cross are we saved from condemnation. Realizing the depth of God’s love for us happens only as we come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, sent to die on the cross that our sins may be erased and we might have eternal life. “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned.” (Jn 3:18)
Looking at the cross of Jesus therefore, should evoke in us believers, a sense of relief, a sense of hope, and of deep love for God. It brings us to a higher realm of understanding that God, indeed, is our loving Father. He gave us His only Son, Jesus that we may be co-heirs with Him and be called children of God. This spiritual adoption is possible only through the cross of Christ, our conduit to sonship. As Christians, we can only be thankful for what Christ has done for us. And our gratitude is best expressed in following His example by dying to our own prideful selves, and live life according to His law of love. Only then can we experience the resurrection of healing from our decadent selves.
Forgiveness is the antidote to pain and suffering, be it of mind, body or spirit. It is a deep expression of love. As we look to Jesus, let His love envelop us and His holy cross be a constant reminder of the love that surpasses all understanding.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your forgiving love. Thank You for taking my sins away and allowing me to experience Your love that brought about my healing. I pray that You grant me the grace each day, to live a life worthy of Your love. Help me to see myself clearly in the light of Your love, so that I may repent of my sins and walk in Your light. Let my life be an expression of Your love always, as I relate to the people I encounter each day. As I look to You on Your holy cross, I pray that I grow in holiness and find strength to do Your will in my life. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. This season of Lent, what have I reflected upon that moves me closer to the Lord? Share your plans and convictions.
2. Do I feel God’s mercy in my life? How? Any area of unforgiveness? Share your PDR.
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
March 15, 2015 (Sun) 2Chr 36:14-16,19-23/Ps 137:1-2,3,4-5,6/Eph 2:4-10/Jn 3:14-21
March 16, 2015 (Mon) Is 65:17-21/Ps 30:2,4,5-6,11-12,13/Jn 4:43-54
March 17, 2015 (Tue) Ez 47:1-9,12/Ps 46:2-3,5-6,8-9/Jn 5:1-16
March 18, 2015 (Wed) Is 49:8-15/Ps 145:8-9,13-14,17-18/Jn 5:17-30
March 19, 2015 (Thur) 2Sm 7:4-5,12-14,16/Ps 89:2-3,4-5,27,29/Rom 4:13,16-18,22/
Mt 1:16,18-21,24 or Lk 2:41-51
March 20, 2015 (Fri) Wis 2:1,12-22/Ps 34:17-18,19-20,21,23/Jn 1-2,10,25-30
March 21, 2015 (Sat) Jer 11:18-20/Ps 7:2-3,9-10,11-12/Jn 7:40-53
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
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