GOD RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST

IV SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus puts forward the ideal for his disciples: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Lk 6:36). In a way, Jesus’ words echo the proclamation made by God before Moses on Sinai: 

“The LORD, the LORD, 

a God merciful and gracious, 

slow to anger, 

and abounding in steadfast 

love and faithfulness, 

keeping steadfast love 

for thousands, 

forgiving iniquity and 

transgression and sin” (Ex 34:6-7)

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul presents God as the one who reconciles us with Him through Jesus Christ: “It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ” (2 Co 5:17-21). Being a merciful God, He takes the initiative.

In Jesus Christ, God’s mercifulness is revealed to the full. Then, we should not be surprised that the “tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus”. However, the Pharisees and the scribes could not understand that, and they complained bitterly: “This man, they said, ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.” It was then that Jesus told the parable of the father with two children. The father stands for God, and the children for humanity. Despite God’s love and care, we are never satisfied with him. At any time, we find plenty of reasons to ignore and despise him, turning our backs on him. Both cut ties with the Father. In a way, both killed the father, rejecting to behave like children. 

The youngest one demanded his share of the inheritance as if the father had died. Then, gathering all his wealth, he “left for a distant country”, where he would quench his thirst for freedom, autonomy and independence. He could not stand his father’s house; there, he felt stifling. He needed to breathe different air and prove that he could take care of himself. And his dreams and project of life ended in failure. He proved to be irresponsible. Life is hard enough when we live with others and becomes unbearable when we rely solely on ourselves. We cannot build a meaningful life base on wealth and pleasure. At a certain moment, he realised that his life was a mess leading him self destruction. He needs his father to make sense of his life. Sooner or later, we have to reorient our lives, discovering that God alone gives purpose and meaning to our personal history.

The eldest was completely different: well-behaved, hardworking, and responsible. He was a good man. We might wonder where it went wrong. His self-righteousness brought him down. He accepted his share of the inheritance but continued living in his father’s house. However, he felt as if his father stood in his way to freedom and independence. His heart was set on his property and wealth. Coming from the fields, he behaved like a stranger. He did not rejoice when informed that his brother had returned. For him, his brother had died long ago, and his memory had been erased from his heart. Full of resentment and anger, he refused to enter the house, accusing his father of being unfair. Hurt in his pride, he could not recognise the father who overlooked the misdeeds of the younger son instead of administering the deserved punishment. The father insisted that he enters the house. However, the doubt remains. He might have persisted in his refusal.

The Father respects his children’s freedom. He does not force them to remain with him. They have to make their choice and live with the consequences of that choice. Despite turning their backs on him, he never stopped loving them. Whenever we go back, God accepts us not as servants but as children.

Let us repeat with the psalmist:

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Look towards him and be radiant;

  let your faces not be abashed.

This poor man called, the Lord heard him

  and rescued him from all his distress. (Ps 34)

BE CAREFUL, YOU MAY FALL

III SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 13:1-9

In the fig tree parable, Jesus teaches that we must bear fruit; otherwise, we will be cut down like the tree that became useless. Being patient with us, God is ready to wait, giving us enough time to repent and convert. Whenever we receive God’s visit, we must present the delicious fruits of justice, mercy and love. Without them, we will be excluded from God’s field. God’s workers must take good care of all the trees in the field, digging around, watering and manuring them. They should not be blamed for them being fruitless. The servants of the Lord must proclaim the Word and call on everybody to repent and return to God.

This Sunday’s gospel begins with a warning to all of us. We are no better than others, and the punishment that fell on them may fall on us. We may think of ourselves as good and just, but in that case, we are being delusional. We are sinners in need of repentance and conversion, and we should not wait for tomorrow to do it. We must become aware of the urgency of responding to God’s call. We should not listen to God’s word in vain.

In the second reading, taken from the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds his readers of what happened to the people of Israel. Despite their extraordinary experiences and the great gifts they received from God, “most of them failed to please God and their corpses littered the desert.” That is a warning to all of us. The Old Testament should be seen as a guide that takes us to Christ, calling on us to prepare the ways of the Lord and to welcome him in our hearts and lives. We should never be overconfident: “The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.” (1 Co 10:12).

REMAIN FAITHFUL IN THE LORD

II SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 9:28-36

On this second Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the Transfiguration of Jesus before three disciples chosen for that extraordinary experience. Jesus took them to the mountain to pray. In prayer, we come into the presence of God, and for that, we need to elevate ourselves, leaving behind the cares of this world. At prayer, we put ourselves at God’s disposal to be touched by his power, mercy and love. We must allow God to fill our hearts and our lives. On Sinai, Moses was drawn into the cloud that represented the mystery of God’s glory.  And that glory was so overwhelming that people felt afraid. On the mountain of transfiguration, Peter, James and John went through the same experience and were touched by God’s glory manifested in Jesus. It was an experience beyond time and space, which filled them with joy and peace. Still in the body but already in heaven, Peter cried joyfully: “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here!” With Jesus, they saw Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the Prophets for the disciples to understand that the old covenant leads to Jesus, the giver of the new covenant. Sharing the glory of Jesus, Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about his passing that would take place in Jerusalem. Jesus was ready to offer his life in sacrifice, thus opening the way for us to share in his glory. From heaven, the Father testified that Jesus is the “Chosen One”, the Son. Being the Son, we must listen to him. And we are left in no doubt about that. The commandment is clear: “Listen to him.”

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Philippians, Paul makes clear the implications of this commandment: Jesus Christ is the Saviour who comes from heaven to transform our bodies in the manner of his “glorious body”. As pilgrims here on Earth, we live in the hope of reaching “our homeland” in heaven.  For us to share in God’s glory, we must remain faithful and follow the same rule of life as Paul, which implies carrying the cross of Jesus Christ.

With the psalmist let us pray: 

The Lord is my light and my help.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;

  hide not your face.

Dismiss not your servant in anger;

  you have been my help.

The Lord is my light and my help.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

  in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

  Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help. (Psalm 27)

DO NOT PUT GOD TO THE TEST

I SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 4:1-13

On the first Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the temptations that Jesus suffered in the desert. The three temptations summarise the great temptations suffered by Jesus as the Son of man. The temptation of selfishness is present everywhere and comes to everybody. If I have power, due to my position and role in society, I should profit from it. Is there anything wrong with that? Most people do that. Then, the craving for wealth and power is in everybody’s heart. And people live for that. A good number will use all means at their reach to accumulate riches and become powerful. That is the way honourable people behave. Is there anything wrong with that? Finally, is there anything wrong with becoming famous? By all means, we need to be recognised and appreciated in society at large and especially in the Church, where we deal with religious matters. To get noticed, some are ready to do crazy things, but does it matter?

The temptations represent the great value of the world proposed to us by the prince of darkness. They sound fair, honourable and good, but they lead to jealousy, envy, hatred, violence, exploitation and oppression. They are not the way to salvation and happiness. Jesus rejected this path and chose the true values that will lead humanity to happiness and true life. Jesus answered with a quotation from the Scriptures to each one of the proposals.

1. “Man does not live on bread alone.” Bread is needed, and we pray for “our daily bread”. Hunger and starvation do not manifest the dignity of God’s children, but we cannot live only for that. We must find purpose and meaning in our lives. Indeed, we need much more than bread. Created in the image of God, who is love, we need to love and be loved,
2. “You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.” Only God deserves to be worshipped and served. He is the one who sets us free and accepts us as his beloved children. Nothing can take God’s place and demand total obedience and service from us. Only God is God, and everything else exists to be at our service.
3. “You must not put the Lord your God to the test.” Whenever we use God’s name in vain and try to force him to satisfy our whims, we put God to the test. If we do that, we will suffer the consequences. God cannot be used for us to find influence and power or together recognition. We should not expect God to do for us what we can and should do ourselves.

Jesus came out victorious and showed us the way to remain faithful to the Lord. Let us pray with the psalmist:

His love he set on me, so I will rescue him;

  protect him for he knows my name.

When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you,’

  I will save him in distress and give him glory. (Psalm 91)