WORD: Obedience to God’s call always bears much fruit in our lives.
ORDER: “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” (Lk 5:4b)
Reflection:
A fruitful Christian will produce better results: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.” (Pv 11:30). It is God’s desire that we grow spiritually so we can bear good fruit, much fruit that will lead us to mature in obedience to His will and our willingness to set aside the things of the world. As Christians, there are many ways we can be fruitful. But true fruitfulness begins in the heart with the fruit of the Holy Spirit: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” (Ga 5:22). The inner fruit affects outward actions, hence our words and activities can glorify the Lord and accomplish God’s will. Such deeds will enable us to submit to the authority of Christ who brings forth a joyful and abundant renewed life.
For the month of March, our Community Word and central message states: Obedience to God’s call always bears much fruit in our lives. From the Sunday liturgical readings, the following themes allow us to reflect on how we can mature as humble and obedient Christians.
The theme for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time is: We obey God’s call when we detach ourselves from worldly possessions. In obedience to the invitation of Jesus to join Him in His mission, Peter, James and John “left everything and followed him,” (Lk 5: 11). As disciples of Jesus, we too must be ready to obey Him to continue the work of evangelization. Because Peter followed the instruction to “put out into deep water and lower the nets for a catch,” they caught enough fish to fill two boat-loads. Jesus’s followers must have total obedience and trust, because to pursue His mission,we must be willing to leave behind our judgments and selfish pursuits. Our reward is contained in the Promise this week: “The Lord will complete what he has done for me,” (Ps 138:8).
For the 1st Sunday of Lent, the theme is: We obey God’s call when we believe every word that comes from the mouth of God. Jesus was tested in many ways by the devil who sought to prevent His mission to spread the Good News of salvation. But Jesus resisted every tactic and fought the devil with wisdom and deep faith. He also prepared for this encounter by praying and fasting for forty days. The temptations were not ordinary and challenged Jesus as “the Son of God.” But Jesus rebuked every challenge through the efficacy of God’s word in Scriptures. As Christians, we should remain obedient to the Lord and faithful to his word in Scripture. Just as Jesus was victorious over the testing of the devil, Jesus will also be victorious in us as we battle all sorts of temptations of the flesh, the world, and Satan himself. For the Promise this week is: “No one who believes in him will be put to shame,” (Rom 10:11).
We obey God’s call when we listen to His words and allow the glory of God to transform our lives. This is the theme for the 2nd Sunday of Lent. God declares Jesus as “my chosen Son” during the transfiguration when His face and appearance changed and His clothes became dazzling white. One day, we hope that these same words, “this is my chosen son,” will be spoken of us as well. Throughout our journey of faith, we are being called upon to transform our earthly and sinful way of life to a life that follows the path of righteousness. We may have experienced our “transfiguration” event during our encounters and in the LSS, but have we allowed the glory of God to continue transforming us into the “new creation” in Christ? Christ’s transfiguration was the apex of His ministry leading to His passion and death. We too must experience death to self to be truly transfigured in Christ and to receive the fulfillment of the Promise this week: “He will change our lowly body to conform with His glorified body,” (Phil 3:21a).
For the 3rd Sunday of Lent, the theme is: We obey God’s call when we repent and ask for His mercy and grace.The fruitless fig tree in the gospel represents a Christian who has not grown in the Spirit and who has not matured with the fruit of a renewed life. While God expects us to be obedient and faithful to His commandments, He gives us a chance to be reconciled with Him when we fail, just as our Promise this week states:“He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills,” (Ps 103: 3). We need to turn away from sin, repent of our wrongdoings and live a fruitful life worthy of our calling as Christ’s disciples. The fruit of repentance that the Lord expects of us include being caring and responsive to people who are in need, forgiving those who have offended us, and being understanding and non-judgmental of people.
May our merciful and forgiving God grant us the grace to spend more time in prayer and offer sacrifices during the Lenten season. Let us ask the Lord for His Spirit of wisdom to continue guiding us in deepening our faith, so that as we live a fruitful life in the Spirit, be able to overcome our trials in life and, finally, be in right-standing before God.
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