Monday 13 March
Monday of the 3rd week of Lent First reading - 2 Kings 5:1-15 This is reading which calls our attention to the Plan of God which is revealed to us through the simplest people around. This is the story where the Lord guides the history through the servants and not through the kings. A servant girl from Israel reveals the possibility of the healing for Naaman. The Naaman and his wife followed the word of that servant girl. And Naaman went to Israel. Then when the Prophet Elisha said to go and take bath in the Jordan, Naaman became angry. But again, we read, “But his servants approached him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more reason, then, when he says to you, “Bathe, and you will become clean.”’ So, he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. Naaman listening to the words of his servants. The Plan of God is revealed through the simple and humble circumstances in our life. The big signs are easy to read but small signs are difficult to recognize. But small signs are equally important and so necessary to be open and sensible to the small signs in our life. Let’s reflect: Lent is a time to train ourselves to see and recognize the humble circumstances through which God speaks to us.
Sunday 12 March
3rd Sunday of Lent First reading - Exodus 17:3-7 “Is the Lord with us, or not?”. This is the question we face in every crisis of our life. Even now with all the natural disasters, epidemic and wars around us, we sometimes are prompted to ask this question. People complaining against Moses. Moses feeling threatened by the people. Moses appealing to the Lord. Complaints, threats and appeals. The realities of our daily life too. The Lord answers: “Take with you some of the elders of Israel and move on to the forefront of the people; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the river and go. I shall be standing before you there on the rock, at Horeb. You must strike the rock, and water will flow from it for the people to drink.” Walking the elders to the forefront, taking the staff, encountering the Lord who stand before the rock, striking the rock. This is what we must do to strengthen ourselves in faith. Walking with the saints of the Church, not following the crowd but going to the forefront, receiving the sacraments, meeting the Lord in the Word of God, and making the difference in life. Let’s reflect: Lent is the time to strengthen ourselves in faith by making a difference in life.
Saturday 11 March
Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent First reading - Micah 7:14-15,18-20 In the words of Prophet Micah, we can find the words from a heart which loves the Lord remembering Him with gratitude. Gratitude for all the wonders of the past, for the mercy shown in past. This gratitude makes us remembers how beautiful it’s to be led by the Lord. Life will be filled with wonders when you let yourself be led by the Lord. Because the grace of God finds always place in your life, make changes for miracles. Moreover, the Lord forgives our mistakes. There is something more beautiful. The Lord finds His delight in showing mercy. How consoling and touching that is! He takes away and throw our sins in the bottom of the sea. A stable relationship with this Lord is the beauty of life. Let’s reflect: Lent is the moment to make the gratitude to the Lord revives our relationship with Him.
Friday 10 March
Friday of the 2nd week of Lent First reading - Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28 Here we read how the brothers out of jealousy sold Joseph? Jealousy is dangerous because it makes you do anything to destroy the other person. It takes out God from your life. Once jealousy starts to form in our heart against a person, we don’t want him or her in our world. We find mistakes in what this person speaks, in what this person does. We feel irritated in his or her presence. We are ready to do anything to avoid this person. All these because I am jealous. We become jealous when we forget the plan of God for each person. We become jealous when we forget that God is our Father. We become jealous when we feel threatened by others because we don’t feel protected by God. Let’s reflect: Lent is the time to purify ourselves from jealousy by believing in the plan of God for me.