Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Lent 3

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us claim that we have not committed any serious or even mortal sins, but when we claim as such, are we claiming so with pride? It is easy to make such claims, and yet fall into sin by feeling proud about it, or putting others down or looking down on others, thinking that they are not on par with us. When we are like this, we have a problem of spiritual pride. We begin to think that we are ok and everyone else is hopeless or condemned.

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisee was proud that he did not commit any grave sin; and he claims to have done credible deeds, but he was not at rights with God. Why so? His problem was spiritual pride: he called another person a sinner without acknowledging or admitting to be one himself. He propped himself up, at the expense of another person. He considered himself virtuous, and in doing so began to become more and more self-righteous. But what the Pharisee failed to realise and understand is that what God wants is not sacrifice, but love for Him and for others.

What about us? Are we like the Pharisee, full of pride and ego, thinking that we are on the right track or supposingly in God’s good books? Or have we learnt to humble ourselves and say: God, be merciful to me, a sinner? Let us not be blinded by pride, even to the point of losing our awareness of sins we may have committed, no matter how small such sins may be. Instead, let us walk humbly in God’s ways, and let Him be our help and guide.

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us take for granted and not feel real contrition, remorse, and sorrow for our sins. Some think that God would forgive us anyhow, and we neglect going for confession to seek forgiveness for our sins. Some even assume that being a Christian means merely accepting Jesus as Lord and saviour, and that is all enough for them to be guaranteed access to heaven. But what sort of attitude should a Christian have towards God’s mercy and forgiveness, especially when it comes to the sins one has committed? Is God’s mercy and forgiveness so easily accessed?

In today’s reading, the people said: “Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wound; on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in his presence.” The Lord responded: “What am I to do with you? This love of yours is like a morning cloud, like the dew that quickly disappears.” It seems like the people prayed to God in their misery but they prayed with a certain arrogance and self-interest. They were not repentant and did not ask why such misery fell on them. Instead, they took for granted that God would heal them and help them, and they felt entitled to His mercy and forgiveness.

What about us? Have we become like the people in today’s reading, where we end up taking for granted His mercy and forgiveness? Have we become presumptuous, thinking that we are entitled to God’s help and care, instead of walking humbly before Him? May we come to realise such attitude, and walk humbly in His ways.

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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It is easy for us to take God for granted, especially when we have received so much from Him in different ways. Some of us forget to say grace before meals or even grace after meals, and we do not thank God enough for the good things we have and the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. Some of us may have even become presumptuous about God’s mercy and forgiveness, that we take it for granted and not feel real contrition, remorse, and sorrow for our sins. We think that God would forgive us anyhow, and we neglect going for confession, which is required for our sins to be forgiven.

When we take things for granted and become presumptuous towards God, we begin to take God’s mercy and forgiveness too lightly. Such attitude of taking things for granted and being presumptuous can be found in today’s reading, where the people said: “Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wound; on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in his presence.” The Lord responded: “What am I to do with you? This love of yours is like a morning cloud, like the dew that quickly disappears.” It seems like the people were only giving lip service, instead of practising true love and knowledge of God.

What about us? Have we become like the people in today’s reading, where we end up saying and doing things only to puff our ego and swell our pride? Have we become presumptuous, taking God for granted, instead of walking humbly before Him? May we come to realise such attitude, and change our ways while we have the opportunity to do so.

Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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There are many things in life which are actually simple and straightforward. The problem that some of us face is when we transform what is simple and straightforward into something so complex or complicated, that it seems impossible to solve. Take for instance poverty: why does poverty exist? If we look at the root cause of poverty, we could say that it boils down to human greed. Some people have more than enough, yet they are not satisfied with what they have, and want more and more, and in the process of attaining more, they become more and more selfish and refuse to share. But when we try to address the issue of poverty, some of us begin to complicate things by offering so many other possible reasons, instead of focusing on the fundamental or key or root reason.

In today’s readings, we see more examples of things that are actually simple and straightforward. In the reading, the prophet Hosea speaks on behalf of the Lord: “Israel, come back to your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall.” Notice that the reason for Israel’s downfall is its iniquity? Isn’t that such a simple and straighforward reason? Likewise, today’s Gospel reminds about loving God and loving neighbour. Loving God and loving neighbour are also simple and straightforward instructions which could be carried out easily. But herein lies our problem: we begin to make excuses as to why we experience downfall; we do not want to admit our wrongdoings, and allow our pride and ego to fester; we even claim to love God and neighbour, but our love is coloured with conditions, prejudices and other criteria.

Thus, instead of complicating things and making things difficult not only for ourselves but also for others, let us return to what is simple and straightforward. Let us turn back to God and learn to love genuinely, with no strings attached, the way God loves us all, and let us continuously and consciously grow closer to God and walk in His ways.

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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We live in a world where we are beginning to see more and more people being divided according to racial lines, ethnic groups, ideologies, economic situation (such as lower income, middle income, upper class), and many other forms of division and fragmentation. Even within our countries, our communities and in some cases, even in our families, we see such division and fragmentation taking place. Why is this happening? Perhaps it is because we are so stubbornly holding on to our ideals, our wants and needs, our identity, our achievements and status. Perhaps our pride and ego has become more and more uncontrollable, due to our neglect in checking them. Or perhaps we have become less loving and receptive to God’s voice, as we become more and more immersed in the ways of the world and all the attractions it has to offer. Perhaps some of us have even chosen not to listen, not to pay attention, and follow the dictates of our own hearts, ignoring God’s voice completely.

In today’s reading, God, through the prophet Jeremiah, reminded the Israelites, that He had been so patient and persistent in sending His servants the prophets to “knock some sense” into them, by trying to help them change their ways, their attitudes, their behaviour, so that they may have life and prosper, but the Israelites did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face God, and turned their backs on God. Even then, we see how God had not given up on them or left them to their doom. Instead, God was still so patient and persistent, even to the extent of sending His only Son, Jesus, to reach out to them, and eventually to die for their sins.

If God is so patiently waiting for the Israelites to change, He is also doing the same for us. We have been given many opportunities to change our ways, and return to His love and care. But sometimes, like the Israelites, we too did not listen, did not pay attention; followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face God, and turned our backs on God. Let us be reminded that our time on earth is short, and it is up to us to do what is necessary to change and grow closer to God. At the end of the day, whether we end up with God or away from God is up to us.

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us seem to have the tendency to forget things as we grow and as we age. While we may have had better memory when we were young, we could still forget certain things, especially things that have been difficult or unpleasant. But sometimes, it is necessary to remember certain things, even though they may be difficult or unpleasant, since by remembering, we could learn from them and try to avoid repeating the same mistakes, or we could learn to grow to become better persons.

In today’s reading, we see an example of the need to remember, where Moses reminded the Israelites: “Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you… But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.” Notice that not only did Moses instruct the Israelites to not forget God’s laws and customs, Moses even instructed them to teach such laws and customs to their children and their descendants. Such laws and customs may have been unpleasant or difficult, but for one to have life, it was necessary to not only remember them, but also to ensure that future generations remember them as well.

What about us? Would we be humble and willing to remember situations, events, laws and customs, some of which may have been difficult or unpleasant? Are we open to letting God take control and guide us to grow closer to Him? The memory may be difficult or unpleasant, but the rewards that we may receive if we are faithful, consistent and hopeful, are indeed worth the remembering.

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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When we pray to God, what do we normally say or ask for? Some of us may start asking for all sorts of things, some would ask for good health, some would ask for peace and happiness in the family, some would even be pleading with God for His help and deliverance, especially when they are in a desperate time of need or in danger.

But today’s reading surprises us with a different way of praying. Instead of starting with a tirade of supplication or petitions or even pleas, Azariah praised God for His mercy and even admitted that the sins of his peope had caused them to be in the situation they were in. Azariah even continued by asking God to accept their contrite and humble hearts as an offering, and asked God to “Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name win glory, Lord.” If we observe what Azariah said, we can see that ultimately, he was putting his companions and he at the mercy of God, and he was confident that no matter what happened in the end, it would be for the glory of God.

What about us? Do we pray in such a way that ultimately, it would be for the glory of God? Or have we been praying to satisfy our needs and wants? May we come to realise that at the end of the day, all that we have, all that we ask for, is meant to glorify God.

Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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We all know what anger is, and we’ve all felt it: whether we have experienced it as a fleeting annoyance or as a full-fledged rage, we have either been angry or experienced the anger of others at some point of our lives. Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems: problems at work, in our personal relationships, and in the overall quality of our life. Anger can make us feel as though we are at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. That is why we need to learn and know how to handle or manage anger well, otherwise it may lead to undesirable or even disastrous consequences.

In today’s reading, we see an example of how anger almost led to disastrous consequences. In the reading, the king of Aram sent the king of Israel a letter asking him to cure his servant Naaman of his leprosy. The letter was actually meant for the king of Israel to refer Naaman to the prophet Elisha, but instead of trusting in God’s providence and having confidence that God’s prophet Elisha could solve the problem, the king of Israel tore his garments, ranted and vented, in other words, he gave in to his anger, thinking that the king of Aram was trying to make an excuse to pick a quarrel with Israel. But fortunately for the king of Israel, Elisha pacified him and assured him that all would be well, and from the reading, all was indeed well, as Elisha had helped to have Naaman cured with God’s help.

Sometimes, we too may have experienced anger and temporarily lost our heads, forgetting that God can help us solve things, and we begin to fret and worry, trying to find a solution and getting more and more agitated or worse, even more angry. The king of Israel, in a way, had a friend in Elisha, who reminded him that ultimately, God is in control and He can help. Likewise, sometimes we come across people who could be a friend to us and remind us that God is in control, just like Elisha, and it is up to us to recognise and be humble enough to let God take over. Are we willing to calm down and let God do what is best for us?

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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What does it mean to forgive? To forgive means we are making a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offence, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well. If we receive forgiveness from God, we must give it to others who hurt us.

This is where the unforgiving servant in today’s Gospel did not get the point. He thought that he had been given a lucky break when his master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Instead of following his master’s example of generosity, charity and benevolence towards his fellow servant, he became arrogant and nasty, refusing to forgive the other servant who owed him way much less than what he owed his master, and even had the cheek to throw his fellow servant into prison till he should pay his debt. This caused his master to become furious and as the Gospel tells us: “”You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.”

What about us? Are we still like that wicked and unforgiving servant, expecting God and others to forgive us, but refusing to forgive others? As the Gospel also reminds and cautions us, we will be responsible and liable to repay our debts if we refuse to forgive others: “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.”

3rd Sunday of Lent Year C

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Does anyone know what God looks like? Some of you may begin to think: this padre is asking a silly question: Of course no one has seen God and know what He looks like, since we would see God only when we are dead. But this does not stop people from having all kinds of perception of what God may look like and what He may be like. Some may see God as a really old person, since He has been around for a really long time. Some may see God as a fierce-looking and vengeful person, ever ready to judge us and punish us for the slightest mistake or error. But all these images seem to give us the impression that God is impersonal and distant from us, as if He has got nothing to do with us. But is this what God is really like?

In today’s readings, we see quite a different picture of God. God is present here among us. He does not reveal himself only in spectacular and miraculous events, but in the daily events of our lives, sometimes, very ordinary events. In the first reading, God appeared to Moses and appointed him as His messenger to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses never expected to encounter God in the middle of the burning bush, since bush fires were natural and frequent in such a place where Moses was living and working at, but God chose to appear in the ordinary. In the same way, we never expect to encounter God in the ordinary events of our lives, but God is present everywhere and in whatever circumstance we are in. Moreover, God is compassionate, merciful and ever patient. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us of the man who planted a fig tree. Even though the tree was not bearing fruit after all the hard work that had been put into it, the man patiently decided to wait and give the tree another chance. Our God is like that: He patiently waits for our repentance and looks on us sinners with compassion. God even sent Hs only Son to die for us so that we may be saved from our sins and so that we may have life.

Let us therefore be grateful and thankful that we have God who wants to maintain a relationship with us and guide and help us in our lives. We do not need to seek Him at high places or spectacular events, since He is with us everywhere. This means that we need to be willing to grow spiritually in His love, so that we would one day be with Him for all eternity.