For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
16 March 2014 – 2nd Sunday of Lent Year A
17 March 2014 – Monday of the 2nd Week of Lent
18 March 2014 – Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent
19 March 2014 – Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Solemnity
20 March 2014 – Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent
21 March 2014 – Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent
Jealousy can kill. People can commit hideous acts out of jealousy. Today’s reading shows us a classic example of jealousy. In today’s reading: “Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.”
See how jealousy can cause us to behave in a crazy manner? Just because Israel loved Joseph more, the other brothers hated him so much that they could not say a civil word to him. They even tried to kill him but fortunately, one of the brothers named Reuben had some sense and prevented them from doing so. When we are jealous, we too could do crazy things, stupid things, only to realise our folly when it is too late. Some of us may even try to sweep our deed under the carpet, hoping that no one would notice and hoping that the deed would be forgotten. But no, the consequences of our jealousy will come back to haunt us in one way or another. When will we ever learn to be content and happy with who we are, what we have?
Some people can be difficult to understand or comprehend. They may put on appearance and masquerade in one way, but the fact of the matter is they are not who we may think they are. There is more than meets the eye, and it takes much observation to figure out their true intentions. Sometimes they are so adept in cloaking their true self that many could be easily fooled by them. It takes a trained eye and a discerning heart to penetrate through their facade.
But though such people can fool others, they cannot fool God. Today’s reading tells us: “The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets? I, the Lord, search to the heart, I probe the loins, to give each man what his conduct and his actions deserve.” We can try to appear to be good, holy, respectable, etc., but God can clearly see whether we are genuine people or fake people. The question is: are we going to continue to portray a false image of ourselves for our own glory and win the admiration of others, or are we willing to come to terms with our true selves and walk humbly before God?
Many of us would know something about our fathers and we would have grown under their guidance over the years. Some of us, due to one reason or another, may have not known much about our fathers. Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was one father whom we know very little about. The Gospels do not mention him much, except for the beginning from the time Jesus was conceived till He was lost and found at the Temple when He was twelve.
From the little we can glean about Saint Joseph in today’s Gospel, we read that Saint Joseph was “a man of honour and wanting to spare Mary her publicity, decided to divorce her informally.” However, when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream with a message of reassurance, Joseph “did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.” These verses already give us some idea of the sort of person Saint Joseph was. Though he was an upright man, he was also submissive to the will of God. Today’s Gospel reminds us too of our role as fathers. Being a father or being called one is not enough; we need to show good example and yet be humble enough to listen to God’s voice. Let us be lovingly macho in our relationship with God and with others, and follow the example of Saint Joseph.
Throughout our lives. we will face many challenges and obstacles. We may commit sin, but we are constantly reminded to go for confession and do our best to be in good relationship with God and with all around us. Our God is patient and loving, even though at times, some of us may behave in such a manner which could make us wonder if we are doomed and condemned. However, until we die, we still have opportunities to seek forgiveness, reconciliation and move on.
In today’s reading, God assures us: “Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you persist in rebellion, the sword shall eat you instead.” Are we still refusing to walk in His ways? God has not given up on us, and we should not give up also. Let us choose to obey Him and let Him care for us.
Some people may be stingy with their time and finances when it comes to church and helping others. However, these people may not be so when it comes to their own needs. Sometimes I hear of some people asking the church for this, for that, but these same people are very reluctant to contribute a fair amount of time or money. During parties or functions, these people would rush for the best pieces or the largest quantity, only to throw away or pack home what they have grabbed, but it is unfortunate to note that these people would be so inconsiderate to either bring very little to share, or they would not bring anything at all. Greed and selfishness seems to be their way of doing things.
Today’s Gospel reminds us: “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you…” Some people may think that they can get away with their behaviour and attitude, but they fail to realise that they are answerable for what they have done. Let us learn to be responsible, loving and caring, just as we pray and hope for God to be loving and merciful towards us.
Do you know who you really are? Do you know who the person next to you really is? Sometimes we are not fully aware of who a person really is until that person reveals his or her true self. Some say that to really know a person, one needs to cause the person to become drunk, then the true self emerges. More often than not, we would not know a person completely.
The disciples in today’s Gospel also did not really know who Jesus really was. They had seen him performing miracles, healing the sick, and preaching fantastic words. But they were still not fully aware of Jesus’ true nature. When Jesus was transfigured, then only did they get a glimpse of Jesus’ true identity. It must have been so awesome, so amazing, the disciples were on a high, and they wanted to be on a high for much longer, since Peter had suggested to construct 3 tents so that they could hang around for a while. But things would not last in that way forever. It was time to come back to earth, and the disciples were reminded to listen to Jesus and not to say a word about the vision to anyone until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
We too might have experienced our mountain top experience. We would love to stay there longer, perhaps indefinitely. But we know that we cannot, for we still need to continue proclaiming the Good News to others. We have been given a glimpse of who Jesus really is, and so it is our turn to share this glimpse with others. Are we still stuck on the mountain top? Or have we begun our mission in bringing the joy of Christ to others?
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
9 March 2014 – 1st Sunday of Lent Year A
10 March 2014 – Monday of the 1st Week of Lent
11 March 2014 – Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent
12 March 2014 – Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent
13 March 2014 – Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent
14 March 2014 – Friday of the 1st Week of Lent
Are there some among us who still harbour anger and hatred towards a brother or sister? Perhaps a family member or friend may have hurt us so badly that we find it extremely difficult to forgive, reconcile and move on. We begin a tirade of excuses, justifying our enmity with such people, and we behave as if we are the victim (even though, at times, we could be just as guilty by the way we behave). The question is: how can we continue to pray in church, and especially how can we pray the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father, when we still have such rage and anger in our hearts?
Today’s Gospel reminds us: “If you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.” Why are we still so stubborn, so obstinate, so unwilling to forgive, reconcile and move on? Are we allowing pride and prejudice to rule our minds and hearts? Let us think carefully and change our behaviour and attitude, while we have the time and opportunity to do so.
Whatever our needs and wants may be, are we asking God consistently and properly? Today’s Gospel tells us: “If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” We may begin to wonder, “How is it that I have been asking for this or that and yet God has not given me what I asked for?” Let us take a good look at ourselves for a moment… Are we asking God with the right intention and with humility? Or are we expecting God to do our bidding? Are we asking so that ultimately we would be glorifying His Name? Or are we asking only to glorify ourselves and look good?
Let us be reminded that God loves all of us and treats all fairly. Today’s Gospel reminds us: “So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.” How willing and generous are we to love and treat others well, just as God loves and treat us fairly? Let us walk humbly and lovingly before God and behave justly and lovingly towards others, with hope that He will grant our needs for His glory.
