4th Sunday of Lent

The complaint of the elder brother, in the Gospel today, is: "Listen! For all these year I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends." (Lk 15 ; 29) Elsewhere, in the same Gospel, Jesus speaks of the attitude of a master to a disciple: "Do you thank a slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say: 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'" (Lk 17: 9-10) It seems that being a disciple of the Lord is not a rewarding occupation! However, let us listen carefully to the response of the Father: "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours." (Lk 15; 31) What a blessed thing it would be to always in the presence of the Lord! Think of what it is to possess all that is his - the resurrection! When we have truly encountered Christ and given ourselves over to him our personal attributes and prosperity mean nothing. Our social status and reputation pale into insignificance. St Paul writes: "Yet, whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him...". (Phil 3: 7-9)

The Annunciation of the Lord

Wherein lie the foundations of the Church? Is it money, buildings, religious ceremonies or other material things? No, it lies in the consent and testimony of two historical individuals who freely chose to cooperate with God's plan of salvation. Today we celebrate the first of these: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." (Lk 1: 38) On June 29, we will celebrate the second: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Mtt 16: 16) Our Lady and St Peter are essential to the structure of the Church. Not only in those moments of faith but throughout the mission of the Lord and at Pentecost where they had the Holy Spirit descend upon them as they prayed with the rest of the followers of Jesus in the Upper Room. It is incumbent on us to imitate these foundation disciples especially in the way they trusted in God's plan for them and allowed the Holy Spirit to do such great works despite their lowliness.

3rd Sunday of Lent

Today's gospel is a challenging one. Given that all must die we are still troubled by the premature deaths of innocent people, especially children. Some believers have even turned away from God because of their being scandalized by grief and pain at the death of a loved one. Jesus challenges us further when he says: "... but unless you repent, you will all perish as they (the Galileans slaughtered by Pilate) did." (Lk 13: 3) What did they need to repent from? What does it mean to "perish as they did"? Does it mean that the Galileans need to turn to God or else they would all die violently, as many did when the Jewish War broke out in AD 66? What is the Lenten message can we glean from this in 2019? 

We do need to recognize that we are a pilgrim people and that suffering, which is sometimes cruel and meaningless or absurd, can happen. Yet, just as we look forward during Lent to Easter so too we long for our heavenly homeland: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (Rm 8: 18-21) The real tragedy, I suggest, therefore, is not so much suffering rather it is the death of hope. Unless we repent and recognize grace for what it is we too will find ourselves frustrated, bewildered and embittered by suffering and death, regardless of when it happens or what its cause is. We will die not rejoicing in what we have received at God's hands but full of regrets and recriminations. It is through our Lenten penances that we can rediscover the gift of hope and entrust ourselves to God regardless of our circumstances.

2nd Sunday of Lent

The readings today all speak of looking to the future and relying on God's promise. Abram is given the promise of a land which will belong to his innumerable descendants even though, at this time, he does not as yet have a son (Gen 15: 5). In the Gospel Jesus, on the Mount of Transfiguration, speaks with Moses and Elijah: "of his departure (Geek. exodos) which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem" (Lk 9: 31) This exodus means that he will have to pass through the agony of the Passion and Crucifixion in order to arrive at the Promised Land of the Resurrection. It is to heavenly realities that the Early Christians turned so that they could withstand the persecutions and trials they faced: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil 3: 20). Our Lenten penances, prayer and acts of charity, likewise, orient us not just to the celebration of Easter but also to our ultimate destination as Christians. We consciously act against the temptation to indulge our appetites through instant gratification and look to remedy our selfishness so that we may be fit for a Kingdom that endures: "For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through him (Jesus), then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Heb 13: 15-16)

1st Sunday of Lent

The devil, in the Gospel today, quotes Psalm 95: 11-12 (Lk 4: 10-11). Elsewhere St Paul tells the Corinthians: "Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Cor. 11: 14) Part of our Lenten journey involves practices that aim to purify us of pride, selfishness and self-indulgence. Then we will will be better able to discern the spirits: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 Jn 4: 1) Our own ability to rationalize our sins or to make excuses for them can also bring about a double standard. Others, seeing my hypocrisy, may think to themselves: "He appears as a Catholic and quotes Scripture but through his actions he scandalizes and leads others astray." Thus, it is imperative that our actions coincide, as much as possible, with the faith we profess. St John states: "The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters. " (1 Jn 3: 10) In the final analysis, our Lenten exercises will mean nothing if they do not help us to love our brothers and sisters better.

Ash Wednesday

St Paul tells us: "See, now is he acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Cor. 6: 2) The symbolism of Ash Wednesday is a spiritual "wake-up call." It helps us the strive with a greater effort to live according to the Gospel that has been preached and handed on to us.The danger is that we can go into auto-pilot by continuing our same old devotional practices and gradually we run out of zeal for the mission entrusted to us. If we are to be "ambassadors for Christ" (2 Cor. 5: 20) to a world grown tired and cynical on account of its sins we need to embody the Gospel more authentically so that others too will wake from their spiritual slumber and prepare for Easter joy.