JOURNEY THROUGH FIVE WEEKS OF LENT

JOURNEY THROUGH FIVE WEEKS OF LENT

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 are now in the middle of the season of Lent. So we take a break from our meditations on “Being Baptize into Christ” and dwell on some of the most significant insights from the Scripture readings of the past five Sundays. We began the season hearing a call from the Prophet Joel: “Come Home….wherever you may have been, whatever you may have been doing, come home!”

Take a few quiet moments….Listen to the Lord calling you. “Come home!”

We met Jesus in different situations during our journey through lent. We heard his word and saw 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 met 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 discern his plan 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, we saw Jesus refusing to use his power for personal need satisfaction – for personal comfort, benefit or pleasure.

In the second temptation, we saw Jesus refusing 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, we saw Jesus refusing to “show-off” or display his 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 met a father who let his son make his own choices and regretfully let him go his way and welcomed him back, without conditions, on his return. We met a son who rejected the love of the family and chose to abandon everything that the family represented for him, encountering personal failures and eventually turning around in repentance and seeking forgiveness and healing. We met another son who failed to understand the heart of his father and refused 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, tomorrow, we will 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.

Pray for courage and wisdom to face difficult situations. Pray for those who have to live in hostile and shame-filled situation.

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