4th Sunday of Lent

When the Prodigal Son "comes to himself" he says, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you." (Lk 15: 18) It's as if his eyes have been opened or he has awoken from a dream. How did he sin though? He left home - that is not so bad is it? He took with him what was his - likewise, no problem there. He spent all his money on dissolute living - surely, morally wrong but not a sin against the father, surely? He was in the pigsty -  it made him ritually unclean but again no offense against his own father. Wherein lies the real problem and what did the young man wake up to? I think his principle sin was that for the whole of his life he had refused to acknowledge and accept the love of his father for what it really was. He violated the 4th Commandent: "Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you." (Ex 20: 12) In this way we can see that his sin is the same as that of the older brother who upbraids his father and disowns his brother. Both of the sons commit the same sin unfortunately only one of them repents of his hardness of heart and he only does this after a period of exile and suffering. The older brother, jealous of the young one's self-indulgence which he secretly craves to emulate, remains self-righteous and therefore unable to recognise how loving his father is. He is trapped by fear and resentment. Which of the two brothers am I? Am I able and willing to acknowledge God's love and mercy for what it really is? Have the scales fallen from my eyes? Maybe, this Lent, I too need to "come to myself."  

3rd Sunday of Lent

The Gospel today offers us two helps for our Lenten journey: first, a spur to action and second, a cause for hope. With the former we are reminded that catastrophe or misfortune can happen at any time regardless of how moral we are. Nevertheless, it is incumbent on us to be ready so that we do not come before the Lord unprepared. That means making the most of our chance for conversion and repentance while the going is good. Lent is exactly that opportunity. The latter gives us hope because no matter how barren or unfruitful spiritually we have been, or are at present, the cultivation of the virtues through penance, almsgiving and prayer during Lent, by the patience and love of God, means we can always flourish and do good works for the Kingdom. God does not give up on us even when others do! He wants us to be happy and to experience the joy of experiencing his grace. Do you remember when you last felt the joy of helping someone to know Jesus and seeing the transformation in his or her life? That joy we can feel for ourselves when we begin to live a life in accord with the faith and see God at work in us. This happens even when we have given up on ourselves.

2nd Sunday of Lent

Pondering on the First Reading and Gospel for today I wonder whether you have ever a) had a spiritual experience? and b) tried to describe that to someone else? Today we hear of the episode of Abraham’s convenant with God and the Transfiguration. In both of them the participants are visited with an experience and message from God. We do not know how long they lasted nor can we verify in any way that they occurred. Has anyone been able to locate the site where Abraham’s covenant was made? Has anyone gone up the mountain of Transfiguration and found evidence of a supernatural event? The answer is no and yet Abraham like the three Apostles had a profound experience which altered the course of their lives.

In the former Abraham is brought to believe in a new homeland and establish a new nation even though he was very old by then. The latter episode has Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah about his own “exodus” which is his Passion, death and Resurrection. These are frightening and awe-inspiring messages yet they empowered the receivers to stay strong even with all the trials that they were later to endure. It helped Peter to recover both from the scandal of the Cross as well as his own denial of the Lord.

My question for us today is have you ever had a supernatural or religious experience? How would describe it using either words, music, art, dance or some other form of communication? Did this experience have an influence on your life or have you bumped into God and simply continued on your way?

Lent is a great time to purify our hearts and therefore our vision to understand better the mission that God has for each one of us. It is the mission that we received in Baptism and Confirmation and which we affirm, in particular, every Easter especially at the Easter Vigil. I encourage all of you to make use of this season and to open you hearts to God. Do not be put off by the mystery or influenced by the prevalent materialism of our culture. Trust in God and ask for him to guide you in your ways.

1st Sunday of Lent

This week the Church gives us, it being Year C of the Lectionary cycle, the temptations of Jesus in the desert according to the Gospel of Luke. This episode has several reference points which indicate the significance of what Jesus is doing. First, in his humanity Jesus is capable of being tempted and as vulnerable to the insinuations of evil as any human being is. It highlights that Jesus has freedom and can choose as opposed to being some automoton. Second, in the exchange with the devil both sides quote form the Bible with Jesus answering from the Book of Deuteronomy. Even the devil is capable of quoting Scripture! In doing so it is clear that Jesus is being subjected to the hardships experienced by the Israelites during their 40 years in the desert yet with the change that Jesus does not yield. He remains true to the Father and will not take the easy way out. Third, he sets all Christians an example. Jesus relies on the Scripture to resist the lure of propsperity, power and fame. Since he has succeeded we too are asked to trust in God's promises and not take the easy way when confronted with those things we know to be wrong.

Ash Wednesday

Tomorrow marks the start of Lent for 2016. I don't really like Lent. It goes too long. It should be the same length as Advent which seems to end in next to no time. Maybe it is because of the idea of giving things up? It is always harder to motivate yourself with a negative. Some people thhink it can be changed by phrasing things in the positive, for example, instead of "giving up smoking" the person "becomes a non-smoker." Either way you go it is not easy. Nevertheless, whatever you give up or try to do, it is good to discipline the mind and the body for the benefit of the soul. Jesus said about certain types of demons that expelling them required "prayer and fasting." (Mk 9: 29) Even if we fail, on this attempt, it is still important that we continue to strive for greater self-control, generosity and unselfishness. The ashes we use are the ashes of our own laziness, selfishness and malice. Being a disciple of the Lord means to make being a Christian a way of life. It is not just the sacramental moments but the decisions of everyday life taken conscious of who we are called to be and the Gospel counsels. Thus, Lent reflects our struggle with sin in life for the rest of the year.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Peter sees the miracle worked by Jesus and responds by falling before him saying: "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" (Lk 5: 8) What had Peter been up to in his spare time!? We will never know but what we do know is that often we feel unworthy and weighed down by our sins. Jesus was not put off by this just as in the Resurrection he did not let Paul's persecution of the Church stop him. In fact, Jesus commissions Peter along with his partners. It seems that Peter's humility was a pre-condition to allowing him to have Jesus use him as an instrument of the Gospel. After all he had let down the nets in the first place. We, too, need to be aware of our sins and to strive to correct them but that should never get in the road of our readiness to do the work of the Kingdom.