Good morning good people may the Lord give you peace.
It is 15th February 2024.
We reflect on Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and the Gospel from Luke 9:22-25.
The first reading strongly recommends embracing the commandments to live a fruitful long life. Ignoring God results in untimely and unhealthy death.
“I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil.” (Deut.30:15).
Lent is the time to make fruitful choices that make us to adhere the directives of God. We need to make our choices personally and publicly as we journey on.
The entrance antiphon of the days reads: “When I cried to the Lord, God heard my voice; God rescued me from those who attack me. Entrust your cares to the Lord, and God will support you.” (Ps.55:17-20).
Our choices must not leave God, ourselves and others. On every occasion, God offers, we need to choose life and the factors which promote life that comprised of peace, joy, happiness and forgiveness.
We are given life as a gift not to abuse the privileges of love and relationships. Some of us are using God given lives for our personal gains, dirty and selfish agenda to eliminate people to succeed our inflated glory and fame.
Spirituality of communion is that we must live and allow others to live with the same dignity and respect we would love to enjoy and making the creation as our partner in communion.
The responsorial Psalm prays, “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” (Ps.1:40).
The Gospel instructs us to lose something from within. Unless we sacrifice, we cannot succeed in reaching the desired destination, Heaven.
Without pain, there is no gain whatsoever. Our life is not for making money, wealth and success only. It is given to us to acquire the most needed for welfare of the soul and the spirit. Our physical life here on earth must help us to enter the eternal life in Christ Jesus.
The worldly contentment and satisfactions cannot offer what we require inwardly, the stamina to journey toward our permanent home. What have we decided to lose during this Lent? Our losing must be beyond this material world.
To be prosperous means to enjoy happiness by serving the other. Prosperity is nothing to do with wealth and money. God alone can give us the prosperous life when we are willing to walk an extra mile for the welfare of the other.
Only by sacrificing, we become sacred.
“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” (Lk.9:24).
May you have a good day.