2 Sunday of Lent, 17 March 2019

We enter into the second week of Lent with graces from prayer, fasting and charity. Each day of Lent brings us closer to God and demands us to be Christ-like. We are invited to convert ourselves so that we prepare for the great Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Resurrection. Lent helps us to see the world through God’s eyes. This requires total trust and dedication to accept any amendments to our lives. This is to better our relationship with God and each other. It is easier for us to relate to each other when we are Christ-like but forces of the world will teach us otherwise.

Liturgy of today draws us to a crucial lesson of ‘change.’ Scriptures of today focus on change and let go off our old ways. First reading marks the significant stage in Abrams faith journey. Although doubted, Abram was able to discover his self worth by trusting in God and his commandments. He is asked to leave his homeland and live in strange land. If he did so he was assured of family and descendents as the stars in heaven. Although assurance seems great, Abram had to be open to change, namely, a change of place, environment, culture, food habits, people, and whatever that was familiar to him. There are a few significant aspects to change. Change demands acceptance to call to change and once we accept, we have to be physically and psychologically ready to a new reality and then we experience results of that change. Change is hard and even harder if it has challenges. Abram had mountainous struggles but he accepted the call to change and stuck to it. The struggles and challenges did not hold him down in order to change.

In today’s Gospel, we heeded to a new reality in the life of Jesus and his disciples. The transfiguration is a new reality. Jesus discloses himself as the son of God through bodily changes. The disciples witness this new reality of transfiguration. They had seen Jesus in their day-today lives but they saw Him so much different at this event on the mountain. Jesus had to transform in order to transfigure. His clothes became dazzlingly white and the surrounding changed to disclose the true identity of Jesus as the Son of God. On the other hand the disciples knew Jesus to some extent become more aware of His status in par with God. At this event, the disciples change into a new person. They wanted to stay on the mountain but Jesus had a mission for them. In this event Jesus did not need to prove that he the son of God but as humans, disciples had to witness something extraordinary about Jesus. God does change but God expects us to change and in order for this to happen, God humbles himself to show us himself through events and circumstances. God expects us to change from our old ways to new.

We have heard the slogan, ‘be the change that you want to see.’ That is the crux of the message of today’s liturgy.  It is easier to point a finger at someone but when it demands of us, we are either reluctant or we back-off. Culturally, we are slow to any change. It is important to note that we don’t see same thing everyday rather we see things differently because it is a new day. Change happens when we accept to change. In order to accept change, we have to let go off our old ways. This is a hard thing to do because we are comfortable with where we are. Change brings new challenges and also new consequences. Generally, change brings newness and freshness to one’s life. Often times we are discouraged because people don’t like change, hence, resistance will be greater. Our world is the result of change in the way humans think and invent. Every invention has brought change in the world. For instance, change in medical field has brought better health care. Change in technology has made our work easier.

In conclusion, we pray for each other that we may be open to changes and may God help us to let go off our old ways that are hindering our physical and spiritual growth.

1 Sunday of Lent, 10 March 2019

We are in the great season of Lent. Lent is an inward journey. Lent helps us to peel-off shields that hinder us from becoming Christ-like. During this journey, we will be able to discover that we need God’s assistance. We are given an opportunity to discover our real-self through fasting, penance and alms giving. In our usual journey of life, we might have drifted from God but Lenten journey brings us back to God once again and all over again.

I would like us to focus on two aspects of today’s liturgy. Firstly, evil or ‘Satan’ is not exclusive but inclusive to individual existence and secondly, self-discipline is the remedy for temptation.

Fr Michael Barrow SJ writes that Satan is not something outside of human being that comes to tempt us. He writes referring to Pope’s invitation to combat Satan of sexual abuse. Sometimes we are inclined to think that evil comes outside of human being or in other words evil is associated with Satan and Satan is someone outside of human being. In the first reading, Moses addresses the people of Israel after the end of their journey towards Promised Land. Although he was not going to be with them in the Promised Land, he prepares them with instructions of staying close to God just as they did while in the desert. Moses instructs the people to make a creedal pronouncement. People of Israel had to pronounce individually before the priest. This way Moses acknowledges that people might drift away from God on their own accord. We are body and mind. The cause of evil is man himself. Evil does not come from outside, but outside forces can instigate and encourage evil. Our human psyche is capable of good but it is also capable of bad. Although external forces might contribute towards bad but it has come from an individual. We are carriers of good and bad. For instance an individual might curse in anger; keep in mind that individual chose to curse when angry. He could have chosen not to curse. We know that evil is within us. Point of departure of evil is human being. Liturgy invites us not to blame someone else for evil but look at oneself.

This takes us to our next aspect in focus; temptation is from within hence we have to fight temptation from within. Human being comes with full package with good and bad, temptation and self-discipline. We have everything in us. Nothing can influence us unless we decide to be influenced. When Jesus was tempted three times, namely, he was tempted in three districts ways, namely, authority, submission and hunger. Jesus, as the Son of God had a comprehensive picture as to how evil can infiltrate and destroy someone. Power, submission and hunger might seem like external forces but something humans covet for. If we touch our hearts now and sincerely see what is in the core of our heart. What are we thinking now?

Most important thing is not temptation but how do we overcome it? Temptation is inevitable to us. Often, we tend to concentrate on temptation than to overcome it. For instance, if one is tempted to use curse words, the person needs to find ways to self-discipline and self- control. Jesus’ self-control and self-discipline did not allow him to budge to the temptation. In life, we as humans must have discipline which helps us self-control. We can take horse to the water but cannot make it drink. Discipline has to come from within. Although we are disciplined by external forces, it is important that individuals accept to be disciplined. We are flesh and blood. We are raw without discipline. We can easily be lured by temptation if we don’t have any self-control. Through his temptation, Jesus warns and reminds us that when we are weak we are tempted the most. In our weakness temptation pervades and drags us to doom.

Ash Wednesday, 6 March 2019

Lent is here but where are we? We can focus on one aspects of Ash Wednesday, namely, internal approach to religious practices.

It is time to shift our focus from external to internal. This might sound generic Lenten propaganda but we would like to understand and re-live the inner reality. We know it is easier for anyone to see what is outside of oneself and harder to see what is within us. In the first reading today, we are reminded by Prophet Joel to break our hearts and not our garments. It was customary for the Jews to do those external rituals in order to repent from their sins. It was leaning towards a public display of repentance. Hence, timely reminder by the Prophet was crucial in order that people might not lose focus of the act of repentance. It is like a person goes to confession as a show and an obligation but doesn’t make any changes to life. This defeats the sole purpose of confession. The point of departure of any religious obligation must for oneself. There must be an individualistic approach to these obligations. We might be tempted to lean towards a public display of our religious practices such as fasting, confession, prayers, and alms-giving but has little or no impact on the individual. We have known people who look perfect in public places but they are like whitewashed tombs. They are like publicans of Jesus’ time.

Today's Gospel compliment the message of individualistic approach to religious obligations and not a show how religious you are. God who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. Inner disposition is important while doing our Lenten observances. Whole purpose of Lent is to do things quietly so that we can focus on ourselves. It is an individual effort to benefit the individual. Let us not lose sight of the important focus of Lent. It is through individual effort one can reach out to the community. 

As we begin Lent, let us look in ourselves. Let us understand the meaning of any religious obligations and practices. They are meant for the individual’s betterment and not for a public show. 

Amen.