BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.
Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………
Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……
Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….
Take a moment. Bless your day. Let your day Bless you……Take another moment. Bless your world. Let your world bless you……
Prayerfully, reflectively read the following……Dwell on the thoughts that speak to you in this moment……
We began our Lenten Journey with a cross traced in ashes on the foreheads of all who came to Church on Ash Wednesday as a declaration of the necessity of repentance, of change of heart and of faithfulness to the Gospel values. The journey that we began in ashes will take us to the cross. The cross tells us that in the love of God nothing is lost. In the cross we meet the one who took away the sins, overcame death in dying for us.
From the ashes of destruction, we make our way to the cross of Christ and beyond it to the fire. Unlike the fire of terror, we encounter a purifying, life-creating fire that gives light to a dark and despairing world. It is the fire that lights the Paschal candle which proclaims: “the light of Christ”. It is the fire that brings us into the light of Christ and lights up our own path……….
We meet Jesus in different situations during our journey through lent. We hear his word and see the way he interacted with the world around him.
On the first Sunday of lent, we met Jesus (Luke 4:1-13) being tempted in the wilderness, rising above the temptations to a new power and strength and coming to call people to repentance and new life in the Kingdom of God. We meet Jesus making a deliberate choice of method to fulfill his mission and rejecting methods contrary to God’s Will. Jesus went to the wilderness to be alone. God had spoken to him. He was given a Mission. He had to plan out before He began the mission. He had to be alone with God.
Certain things must be worked out alone with God. Certain times, a person must stop doing and start thinking and praying. Each person must give himself/herself a chance to be alone with God. Being alone with God, Prayerful discernment, Reflective Living, Solitude, etc. are all values that we must cherish and cultivate.
In the first temptation, Jesus refused to use his power for personal need satisfaction – for personal comfort, benefit or pleasure.
In the second temptation, Jesus refused to compromise/negotiate with evil forces – with lesser goals, values, morals, etc. Jesus chose to surrender to the will of his Father.
In the third temptation, Jesus refused a “show-off”, a display of power. Jesus chose the way of trusting, confident Love.
Have you been giving yourself a chance to be alone with God?
Reflect on testing times (temptations) in your own personal life and how you have been dealing with them. Do you recognize the testing times as opportunities to prove your worth?
Prayerfully remember those who are going through very difficult, testing, trying times.
On the second Sunday of lent, we met Jesus (Luke 9:28-36) and heard the voice of God declaring Jesus as the “beloved Son” and calling all disciples to listen to him. In the presence of Jesus, transfigured in glory, Peter, James and John felt secure, happy, at home. They felt they had reached the end of their journey and they were not ready to move on – they just wanted to stay in their experience of comfort, joy, security and glory.
Remember and rejoice in experiences of joy, success, greatness, wonder, glory, happiness and all of life’s peak experiences and be grateful!
The disciples had found a temporary serenity and security. But the journey of Jesus was not complete and the disciple’s journey was not complete either. They had to leave this experience, come down the mountain and accept life with all its joys and sorrows, even accept the cross and eventual death. They had to continue their journey into the unknown, uncertain and insecure future. They had to walk in mystery! The journey of Jesus would take him to the cross and then to unending glory. His disciples must follow and travel a similar path. On their way, Jesus would serve as their map, their route, their guide and eventually their way – and the way, the journey and the end of the journey become one.
Be prepared to accept the inconveniences, suffering, pain, cross – all of life’s struggles. Be strong and stand strong in faith during difficult times. Take time – be patient – discern your trials. Make decisions grounded in your faith. Prayerfully discern God’s plan for you.
On the third Sunday of Lent, we heard Jesus talking about (Luke 13:1-9) two tragic events which his listeners were familiar with. The first was malicious and the second was an unforeseen accident. Neither was the result of the sin of the victims. Jesus used this as an example to illustrate the fact that there is no direct connection between sin and suffering.
Jesus used these events also to show that death comes sudden, unexpected and without warning and without giving the victims an opportunity to prepare for their death. Anyone could meet with sudden death like those victims of the tragedies mentioned.
Be prepared, be ready, repent, reform and change your ways! Be docile and learn to align your ways to God’s ways, your will to God’s will.
On the fourth Sunday of Lent, we read one of the most familiar stories of the Gospel, the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32). This is a story of running away from home, turning around in repentance, and being embraced by forgiving love. We meet a father who lets his son make his own choices and regretfully let him go his way and welcomes him back, without conditions, on his return. We meet a son who rejects the love of the family and chooses to abandon everything that the family represented for him, encountering personal failures and eventually turning around in repentance and seeking forgiveness and healing. We meet another son who fails to understand the heart of his father and refuses to forgive and accept his repentant brother.
This is a very moving and inspiring and challenging story. This story is a “Gospel” in itself. It is the Gospel, the good news of God’s forgiving, healing, steadfast, unconditional and all embracing love.
Learn to recognize your own failures and sinfulness and return home to God!
Learn to forgive your brother from the heart!
Learn to trust in the unconditional, forgiving, all-embracing love of God in Jesus.
On the fifth Sunday of lent, we read one of the most challenging and inspiring stories of the Gospel (John 8:1-11), the Story of the woman caught in adultery, calling us to conversion and transformation of our life. Caught in sin, paraded before the crowd, accused by the law abiding people, shamed before the public, embarrassed beyond compare……..in the midst of such humiliation and powerlessness came a stranger who refused to condemn…….the spotlight was turned on the accusers…….accusers had to walk away! This story moves us with the message of forgiveness and the power of Grace to bring forth new life. The stranger brought the gift of Grace….forgiveness….freedom……In the stranger, the woman who was alone and desperate found the Messiah. Jesus showed compassion for the one who was alone, ashamed, embarrassed and afraid. And the woman was confronted with the challenge of living a sinless, grace-filled life.
Jesus came bringing forgiveness and healing and new life. He came to tell us not to live in our past failures, mistakes and sins. He came to call us to live a new life, a life of Grace and truth and walk in forgiving love. Life may have become a mess and we may very well have messed it up. In Jesus, there is always new meaning, new opportunities, and another chance at life.
Jesus affirmed a “trust” in human nature. To the woman of “loose morals”, Jesus said, “go and sin no more”. His message was not a lecture about what a miserable sinner she was, but a simple and profound challenge to begin new and make a difference.
No sin is an embarrassment to Jesus. Bring all your embarrassing moments, actions, events and situations in your life to Jesus. He will transform them into Grace-filled moments and opportunities for transformation of your life.
On Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem to face rejection and eventual death. He moved, with courage, into hostile territory. He entered a city which killed its prophets and did not know how to receive the things that are for its own good, a city that did not know how to receive blessings and gifts and grace…………..
They greeted him as they would greet a pilgrim: “Blessed is he who enters in the name of the Lord” (Ps. 118:26). And they shouted “Hosanna!”. “Hosanna” means “Save now”. It was a cry for help, which a people in distress addressed to their king or their god. “Save us, we beseech thee, O Lord” (Ps.118:25). Hosanna in the highest means, let even the angels in the highest of heavens cry unto God, “save now”. It is essentially an oppressed people’s cry to their savior and king for deliverance. These hosannas of Palm Sunday will become the cries of “crucify him, crucify him!”
Pray for courage and wisdom to face difficult situations. Pray for those who have to live in hostile situation.
We remember Jesus being betrayed, tried, judged, condemned and crucified. We remember him dying on a cross. We remember Jesus giving himself totally in life and in death. We remember the cross, a sign of shame and punishment, becoming the symbol of sacrifice, healing, unconditional love, total giving, redemption and salvation. We remember and relive the passion, the cross and the death of Jesus.
Reflect on how you share in the passion and cross of Jesus. Remember those who have heavy burden to carry.
Remember the innocent, especially children and the helpless who have to suffer without support. Pray for those who have to live in hostile situations.
The journey that we began in ashes brings us to the fire – unlike the fire of terror, we encounter a purifying, life-creating fire that gives light to a dark and despairing world. It is the fire that lights the Paschal candle which proclaims: “the Light of Christ”. It is the fire that brings us into the Light of Christ and lights up our own path……….
Our Lenten journey brings us to Easter – to new life, to new beginnings, to new presence. We celebrate our call to be an Easter People, a People of the Resurrection, a people transformed by the death and resurrection of Jesus, a people who must continue to journey in faith, in hope and in love……….We must move on and meet Jesus, alive, where we are, now, at this point in our history………
Real faith is born of relationship. It is not an affirmation or acceptance of doctrines or acceptance of details of an event that can be verified scientifically or otherwise. To believe is to relate…to believe is to trust…to believe is to be intimate…to believe is to be in communion. Our belief in the resurrection and our commitment to live a resurrected life is the result of our communion with the risen Christ.
My Prayer for you:
May your Lenten days of prayer, penance and almsgiving help you to be reborn in spirit, empower you to love without limits, teach you to pray constantly, help you seek the wisdom of God, enable you to live in compassion and help you celebrate the joy of Easter. May God bless you and your family and keep you safe in His Love.
Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs