Tuesday 7 March
Tuesday of the 2nd week of Lent Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs First reading - Isaiah 1:10,16-20 The interesting verbs in this passage from the book of Isaiah, “listen to the command of our God …learn to do good, search for justice.. come now, let us talk this over...” All these suggests that the Lord understands my fragility. He is asking me to listen, listen to understand, listen to recognise, listen to comprehend. Then He is asking me to learn to do good. He does not pretend that I should know how to do good. He is asking me to learn. Learn from others, from the Church, learn from the Saints and Fathers of the Church, learn from children. He is asking me to search for justice. He is asking to continue to search for justice. I tried one and I cannot give up. I must keep searching for it. These verbs which we read show the kind accompanying of the Lord in our life. Listen because He is continuing to talk. Learn because He is continuing to teach. Search because He is continuing to assist you. Whatever my defects are, whatever my shortcomings are, He continues to talk, continues to teach, and continues to assist. And we must continue to listen, continue to learn, and continue to search. Let’s reflect: Lent is the time to understand the continuous intervention of God in my life in spite of my shortcomings.
Monday 6 March
Monday of the 2nd week of Lent First reading - Daniel 9:4-10 “To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets”. These words come from a heart which stands before the Lord God and understands two things: who is the Lord is and who I am. Often we don’t have the courage to stand before the Lord. We have shame as the reading says. “Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today…”. But that cowardice or shame must not shut us down in the depth of our sins. We must come before the Lord and face the reality of the Lord and the reality of us. This is where the sacrament of confession comes. It’s the moment to face the whole reality. The more we try to avoid this, the more we shut ourselves in shame and cowardice. The Lord is full of mercy and pardon. He is ready to forgive. But we have to come before His mercy and pardon. We must also recognize our sins and shortcomings. Let’s reflect: During this Lenten season, am I ready to face the reality of God’s mercy and my sinfulness?
Sunday 5 March
2nd Sunday of Lent First reading - Genesis 12:1-4 The reading is about the call of Abraham. “‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you.”. There is no indication about the destination. The only indication about the destination that God will show him. Then at the end of the passage we read, “So, Abram went as the Lord told him”. A journey without knowing the destination. A journey without directions. But where do you go? To where the Lord will show me. The only destination is the Word of God. The only direction is the Word of God. There is a very profound meaning in this call. The destination is in the mind of God and the way to that destination is also in the mind of God. This whole call of Abraham works in a different level. A level where the life is completely entrusted to God. Designed and guided by God. This complete entrusting of Abraham makes him the father of all. In our cases, we want to know the destination first, or even we want to choose the destination. Then once we know the destination of our journey, we make the way to reach there, our own way to reach there. This is where we lose. A journey of faith is that where God choses both the destination and the way to that destination. Let’s reflect: During this Lenten season, am I growing in faith by letting God chose my destination and the way to that destination?
Saturday 4 March
Saturday of the 1st week of Lent Saint Casimir First reading - Deuteronomy 26:16-19 “The Lord your God today commands you to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul”. Moses is speaking to the People of God about the observance of the laws and customs. When we hear the word, “law”, it appears as someone is imposing. Someone is dictating. We live in a world of laws of the civil society. But we should confuse the law which Moses is speaking and the civil laws. The Law of the Lord is different. How is it different? It is different because Moses is asking to observe them with all our heart and with all our soul. Nothing can be done with all our heart and with all our soul except love. There we understand how the Law of the Lord is different. The Law of the Lord is the Love of the Lord. It’s the love of God which calls for a response of love from us. We are loved by God, and we must respond to that love. Only with our love to God, the love of God will become productive in us. It’s like the good seed sown into the soil. The soil must welcome the seed and let it grow. He keeps loving us but only our loving response will bring changes in us, will bring in us the effects of that consecration. Let’s reflect: Lent is the time to analyze whether I am seeing the Law of the Lord as the Love of the Lord.