Saturday 25 February
Saturday after Ash Wednesday First reading - Isaiah 58:9-14 The reading from the Book of Isaiah continues with the insistence of Lord in social justice and its connection to our relationship with God. If there are hungry people around us, if there are oppressed people around us, we cannot be indifferent. We cannot just ignore them and carry out our daily lives and our daily prayers. We must give bread to the hungry and relief to the oppressed. It’s true that we cannot change everything. But do what you can. Moreover, it’s important to keep in our mind this intrinsic connection between our relationship with God and the social justice around us. We must act against the social injustice which comes from the yokes of our system, from clenched fist and wicked word. In our family, in our community and even among our friends there will be persons who suffers from our careless words which hurt them. Some may be suffering from our obstinacy or our clenched fist to conform them to our way of thinking. Let’s reflect: How much importance I give to social justice around me in my relationship to God?
Friday 24 February
Friday after Ash Wednesday First reading - Isaiah 58:1-9 The Fasting which the Lord is asking through the words of Isaiah is revolutionary. Fasting is fastened to the fraternity with the poor and the suffering. “Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – it is the Lord who speaks – to break unjust fetters and undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke, to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, to clothe the man you see to be naked and not turn from your own kin?” So, fasting is doing justice, fasting is liberating, fasting is sharing. The fasting which the Lord want is about these – doing justice, liberating & sharing. And the Prophet Isaiah is even speaking about the consequences of this revolution. “Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here.” There will be lot of light in the light of people around you and the wounds of our daily lives will be healed faster. The Presence of the Lord will be around us which is the most beautiful reality. Let’s reflect: how much amount of doing justice, liberating and sharing is in my fasting?
Thursday 23 February
Thursday after Ash Wednesday Commemoration of Saint Polycarp, Bishop, Martyr First reading - Deuteronomy 30:15-20 “But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish”. This is not because God wants to do this but because we chose to perish. We choose! “‘See, today I set before you, life and prosperity, death, and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase”. We choose between life or death, prosperity, or disaster. When we are with the Lord, we choose life and prosperity. When we are away from the Lord, we choose death and disaster. In reality, our freedom is not to choose between the good and bad, but it is the state to choose the Lord in liberty. To be with God in freedom, in liberty. Let’s reflect: is our Lent, moments to be with the Lord in our freedom?