Set me free from my sins, O Lord.

"Set me free from my distress, O Lord. See my lowliness and suffering, and take away all my sins." (Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 24: 17-18).

Friday in the first week of Lent: The dominant theme of today's Readings is Sin and Reconciliation.

"But if the wicked turn from the wickedness they did and do what is right and just, they save their lives;  since they turned away from all the sins they committed, they shall live; they shall not die." (Ezekiel 18: 27 - 28).

We remember the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The younger son turned from his wicked life style and returned home.
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” (Luke 15: 18).

What did the other son, the "just son" do?
"He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.  But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf." (Luke 15: 29 - 30).

The first born and "just son" has turned away from righteousness to think evil in his heart.
"When righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds." (Ezekiel 18: 26 NLT).

"As I live, says the Lord, I do not desire the death of the sinner,
but rather that he turn back and live." (Ezekiel 33: 11).

"Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!" (Cf Amos 5:14).

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On the day I called, You answered me Lord.

"On the day I called, you answered me O Lord." (Psalm 138: 3).

You may call the theme of the Scriptures today, Thursday, first week of Lent "Ask and Receive Thursday." Thank You Jesus for the word You give us today to encourage us to be steadfast in prayer and assure us that Abba Father answers every prayer. We believe that You are faithful to every single promise You make.

In the first Reading from the Book of Esther, we learn from Queen Esther the practice of prayer: a perfect formula for effective prayer:
#1 Condition for prayer.
#2 Posture of prayer.
#3 Duration of prayer.
#4 Words of prayer.
#5 Importance of prayer partnership.

"Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7: 8).

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7: 7 - 8 that God's promise on prayer is infallible. What impresses me very much about Matthew 7: 7 - 8 is that from the very beginning of Christianity many saints appeal to this promise in their battle of prayer. You can do the same.

"Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God! A pure heart create for me, O God, and give me again the joy of your help. Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!" (Psalm 50:12,14).

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The Ninevites heard the Prophet Jonah and believed the word of God.

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:  Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you." (Jonah 3: 1 - 2).

On Wednesday in the first week of Lent, we ask: What can we learn from the story of Jonah?

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown,”  the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth." (Jonah 3: 4 - 5).

The people of Nineveh heard the word of God from the Prophet Jonah that their city will be destroyed in forty days and they believed the word of God. This is classic definition of faith. Faith is to believe that the word of God is true. Faith comes from hearing the word of God. But the Ninevites did more than believe.  "They proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth."

"When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out." (Jonah 3: 10).

One week since the beginning of Lent 2019, are you hearing any word from God? Are you believing anything you hear? Is what you believe producing works of righteousness?

"Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!" (Joel 2: 12 - 13).

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Jesus, thank You for giving us the Lord's Prayer.

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6: 8).
He also knows when you need it.

Tuesday of the first week of Lent, our Lord and Teacher gives us the gift of this wonderful prayer, the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father. In Matthew 6: 8 above, we have one of the most comforting Scripture, the most unforgettable promise in the entire Bible. Thank You Jesus.

What will you do if you ask your dad for a special gift and you are aware of these facts:
#1 He is willing.
#2 He is able.
#3 He has the means to satisfy every desire of your heart.
#4 He is your father.

Awareness of the above facts changes the dynamics of the interaction with your father. You are confident, expectant and bold. Right? Jesus wants you to feel exactly this way when you approach Abba Father for anything.

Lent is the spring time of harvesting the crème de la crème of the Sacred Word. Do not fail to read and appropriate these promises during Lent 2019.

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Fix your eyes on God till He shows you mercy.

"Like the eyes of slaves on the hand of their Lord's, so our eyes are on the Lord our God, till he show us his mercy. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy." (Cf Psalm 123 : 2-3).

Monday in the first week of Lent 2019, our word for today is from the Entrance Antiphon. We are exhorted to fix our eyes on the Lord as the servant fixes his eyes on the hands of his master while he serves him at table.

At the beginning of Lent, we hear that this Season is the most favorable Season to obtain mercy and favors from God. We do so through expectant and persistent prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Do not say: "I have no sin. I do not need mercy." You do not want to call God a liar?

Remember the ABC of mercy:
Ask for mercy.
Be merciful.
Completely trust Jesus for mercy.

"Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Now is the favourable time: this is the day of salvation.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!" ( 2 Corinthians 6:2).

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All this will be yours if you worship me.

"Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil." (Luke 4: 1- 2).

First Sunday in Lent, the Church presents us the Temptation of Jesus in the Desert. Nobody can go through life without multiple desert experiences. Jesus was severely tempted after 40 days of rigorous fasting. He was tempted to abandon the path His Father marked out for His mission for a grandiose scheme of the Devil.

The Devil took Jesus up and showed Him downtown of the city with the glistening skyscrapers and malls. "All this will be yours, if you worship me,” said the Devil. (Luke 4: 7).

Not a few people dream how to become millionaires. Scripture has many counsels for such temptations.

#1 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." (Matthew 6: 19 - 21).

#2 "Keep your lives free from love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never leave you, I will never abandon you'" (Hebrews 13:5).

#3 Man does not live on money alone.  Man is created to live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.  (Cf Matthew 4 : 4).

Jesus defeated Satan by quoting the Scriptures. Can we afford to do less? Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ, says St Jerome.

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How is your Sunday observance?

"If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, the Lord’s holy day glorious; If you glorify it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs— Then you shall delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 58: 13 - 14)

The Sabbath observance brings blessings. How do I know? Go through Sacred Scripture and you will find scattered throughout its books blessings pronounced on the Sabbath and its observance. This starts from the Creation Account in the very beginning of Genesis. God rested on the 7th day after His work of creation and pronounced blessing on the 7th Day, the Sabbath.

Why do so many people not keep holy the Lord's Day? Unbelief or Ignorance? Lent is a good time to evaluate where you stand in keeping holy the Lord's Day.

"Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!" (Cf Psalm 94 :8).

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How is your fasting?

“Why do we fast, but you do not see it? Afflict ourselves, but you take no note?” (Isaiah 58: 3).

Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving are supposed to produce beneficial results for us. Right? These People of the Covenant perceived that they afflict themselves in vain. Instead of brooding in silence, they asked God why?

"See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers. See, you fast only to quarrel and fight and to strike with a wicked fist!" (Isaiah 58: 3 - 4).

How is your fasting? Do you believe as you pray? Do you live as you believe? What do you know about the spiritual and corporal works of mercy?

Corporal Works of Mercy:
1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Clothe the naked
4. Shelter the homeless
5. Visit the sick
6. Visit the imprisoned
7. Bury the dead

"Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!"  (Cf.Amos5:14).

"Show gracious favour, O Lord, we pray, to the works of penance we have begun, that we may have strength to accomplish with sincerity the bodily observances we undertake. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever."

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Choose life and prosperity.

"Moses said to the people:
“Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom." (Deuteronomy 30: 15)..... If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am giving you today.." (30: 16).....  I tell you today that you will certainly perish;" (30: 18)....
"I call heaven and earth today to witness against you." (30: 19).

Thursday after Ash Wednesday, there is an unmistakable note of urgency in the message from Deuteronomy, our first Reading for today. "Today", the key word is used 4 times in the message. Why? The answer may be in the Gospel for today:

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily [today] and follow me." (Luke 9: 23).
Then the Teacher asks:" What profit is there for one to gain the whole world [today] yet lose or forfeit himself?" (Luke 9: 25).

"Prompt our actions [today] with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help, that all we do may always begin from you and by you be brought to completion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever." (Collect, Thursday after Ash Wednesday).

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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent 2019.

"Have mercy on us Lord, for we have sinned." (Cf Psalm 51).

"If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1: 10).

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Season of Lent. Lent is the Season appointed for repentance and spiritual purification. Our God is kind and merciful. Let this truth encourage us to turn to the Lord without fear for our inward renewal.

Lent is the Journey of Faith to the supreme joy of Easter. If we die with Christ, we shall rise with Christ.

"Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!" (Cf. Psalm 94:8).

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What have you given up for Jesus lately?

"Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses.... with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come." (Mark 10: 29 - 30).

After reading this, I looked around to see what I have given up for Jesus? Pretty little it seems to me. What have I received from Jesus? Everything! How do I make right this in-equilibrium? The answer might be in the Book of Sirach, our first Reading today:

"Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously, according to your means." (Sirach 35: 12).

The sacred writer goes on to remind us: "For he is a God who always repays and will give back to you sevenfold." (Sirach 35: 13).

From Jesus:
"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." (Matthew 10: 42).

These are timely lessons for Lent 2019 which starts tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. The three pillars of Lent are: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

"By works of charity one offers fine flour, and one who gives alms presents a sacrifice of praise." (Sirach 35: 3 - 4).

Do not forget brothers and sisters that God provides us everything we have including the offerings we bring to the Altar. Our Abba Father sees our gifts as signs of our desire to serve Him. He rewards for it.

Be generous this Lent 2019.

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One essential thing you lack in life can ruin everything.

 “Teacher, all of these [commandments]. I have observed from my youth.” (Mark 10: 20).

The rich young man that Jesus encountered in today's Gospel is luckier than most of us. How many of us can boast that we have kept all the commandments from our earliest days? Yet he lacked one thing. In life, it may be the one essential thing you lack that can ruin your prospects on: health, family, financial prospects, job prospects, etc.

The rich young man lacked freedom and detachment from his wealth and it ruined his prospects of permanent employment with Jesus. Instead of Sacred Scripture recording his identity as "St Justus", it labeled him as "a rich young man."

Are you being smothered by your possessions? Has the clutter in your life become a source of constant headaches? We have good news for you. Lent 2019 starts in 2 days, March 6th. Lent is the best Season in the year to tackle our major headaches and win the battle.

"Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty." (2 Corinthians 8: 9).

Thanksgiving and Praise will bring you to victory in your struggle against evil.
"I will sing to the Lord who has been bountiful with me, sing psalms to the name of the Lord Most High." (Cf. Psalm 12: 6).

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The Path to Freedom and Victory.

"The Lord became my protector.
He brought me out to a place of freedom; he saved me because he delighted in me." (Entrance Antiphon: 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Last Sunday before Lent 2019).

How did the Lord brought me to a place of freedom? 4 unforgettable steps that constitute my path to freedom /victory:
#1 Knowledge of His grace.
#2 Knowledge of mercy
#3 Prayer as a vital resource.
#4 Abandonment to Divine Providence. You may call this: Sweet Surrender.

The Lord's grace and mercy cover the 7 areas of His promises which are always available to you and me:
Pardon, Peace, Power, Purpose, Presence, Protection and Provision.

I believe in Prayer.
I believe in the word of God.
I believe in miracle.
I leave the rest to God.(Abandonment to Divine Providence).

Lent 2019 starts on Wednesday, March 6th with Ash Wednesday. Make Lent 2019 your best. Could be your last.

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The little child is the face of the Kingdom of God.

"Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." (Mark 10: 15).

We know that the Kingdom of God is the life work of Jesus. He spoke incessantly of the Kingdom. Jesus teaches that this Kingdom is already among us here and now. The Church bears testimony to this truth by teaching that the Church is the seed and beginning of the Kingdom on earth. (CCC 541).

What is this Kingdom pure and simple? First, where there is a Kingdom, there must be a King. Where there is a King, there must be subjects. Where there are subjects, there must be laws. The Kingdom pure and simple is the Reign of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe. Jesus reigns already in the hearts and minds of all who accept and welcome His authority.
Do we have an example of such a person? Jesus points to the little child.

The little child is the face of innocence in whom the Holy Spirit likes to dwell and play. The little child manifests the fruits of the Holy Spirit:
1. Charity
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Generosity
8. Gentleness
9. Faithfulness
10. Modesty
11. Self-control
12. Chastity

Aim to become like a little child and the Kingdom of God will be yours and all the rest as well.

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A faithful friend is beyond price.

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he who finds one finds a treasure." (Sirach 6: 14).

The Bible gives us a word of wisdom on friendship. Jesus calls His disciples His friends. He is certainly a faithful friend to them even though they abandoned Him at the hour of His need. “A friend loves at all times.” (Proverbs 17:17). Not when the going is good.

The two best examples of friendship from the Bible are Jonathan and David and Ruth and Naomi. Both friendships attain the lofty standard of Sirach 6: 5 - 17, our first Reading today.

"A faithful friend is beyond price,
no sum can balance his worth." (Sirach 6: 15). No question about that. But where do you find such a friend? I know a few people who are blessed to have such friendship. A great blessing is to have your spouse as a bosom friend. Again this is not too common.

"A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds. For he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself." (Sirach 6: 16 - 17).

These last two verses hold out bright hope for those of us who can't boast of great friendship today. Do you fear the Lord? Do you love the Lord? All things are possible for God. You might still meet that special friend if it is God's will for you.

"O Lord, I trust in your merciful love. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord who has been bountiful with me."
(Psalm 12: 6).

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Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday.

First Friday in March, 2019.

Jesus promised 12 special graces and favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.  In the 3rd month of the year 2019, we look at Promise #3.

#3.  "I will console them in all their troubles."

In Promise #3, Jesus does not promise a trouble free life.  "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  (John 16: 33 ). Consider also:
"My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal." (Sirach 2: 1).

Troubles are opportunity to trust Jesus more. "I promise to be your strength in proportion to the trust you place on Me." The more you trust Jesus, the more He is your strength and security.

Remind the Lord often of these promises. Remind Him also of His promise to answer every prayer. (Matthew 7: 7).

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday of March, 2019.

For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, click the link below:

http://sfjweb.com/?q=content/sacred-heart-12-promises

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Do not be presumptuous of forgiveness.

"Do not delay turning back to the Lord, do not put it off day after day."(Sirach 5: 7).

A week today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent 2019. Lent is the Season of abundant grace and mercy. The word of God from Sirach read today all over the world asks us to be prepared for deep metanoia (conversion) during Lent 2019.

"Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin.
Say not: “Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.” (Sirach 5: 5 - 6).

The Bible compares the sin of presumption to witchcraft and idolatry. (Cf 1 Samuel 15: 23)

"For suddenly his wrath will come forth; at the time of vengeance, you will perish." (Sirach 5: 7).

"Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1: 1,3 - 4)

"Accept God’s message for what it really is: God’s message, and not some human thinking." (Cf.1 Thessalonians 2:13).

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To love and cherish Lady Wisdom is to love life.

"Wisdom brings up her own sons,
and cares for those who seek her." (Sirach 4: 11).

We continue our reflection on the word of God from the Book of Sirach. In the above, we see Wisdom as personification of the adorable and awesome Spirit. And here, she is a beautiful and tender woman. A mother!

"Whoever loves her loves life, those who wait on her early will be filled with happiness.
Whoever holds her close will inherit honour, and wherever he walks the Lord will bless him.
Those who serve her minister to the Holy One, and the Lord loves those who love her." (Sirach 4: 12 - 14).

How do we love, cherish and serve Lady Wisdom? Remember that Lady Wisdom is personification of the Holy Spirit.
First and foremost, you must desire her more than silver and gold. You must seek her assiduously through prayer and the study of her word. Since the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, you must come frequently to the source of living water, the Sacraments especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation where she inhabits.

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14: 6).

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Prepare yourself for trials.

"My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal." (Sirach 2: 1).

Prepare yourself for trials when you choose to serve Jesus and work for His Kingdom. Unlike recruiters in the market place, the cost of discipleship is not hidden from would be Christians. The missionaries to Japan in the 16th and 17th century told the Japanese converts the same truth. When they asked what then will be their reward for choosing the Way, the answer was from the promises of Jesus that can never fail: Everlasting life of pure ecstasy. Do you believe it? Because the Japanese Christians believed it, they faced martyrdom with their missionaries.

"Whatever happens to you, accept it, and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient, since gold is tested in the fire, and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation." (Sirach 2: 4 - 5).

St Paul Miki, the Japanese Jesuit martyr along with other priests and their parishioners drew encouragement from the promises of God as they were about to be crucified and speared.

"Commit your life to the Lord, trust him and he will act.
If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire." (Psalm 37: 3 - 4).

The ultimate desire of every human being is eternal life. Heaven. It profits man absolutely nothing to possess everything in this world and lose Heaven.

Show that you desire Heaven by recounting the wonders of the Lord day by day. Rejoice in Him and be glad in His wonderful promise of Eternal Life.

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Yes I believe. Increase my faith and hope and love.

"But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9: 22).

The desperate father of the boy possessed by a demon expressed his prayer for the healing of his son in fearful, doubtful unbelief. Of course, Jesus is God and everything is possible for Him but equally important in this context, "Everything is possible to one who has faith.” (Mark 9: 23).

Can you separate faith from prayer? Never! Jesus promises that if your faith is as tiny as a mustard seed, ask for anything in accordance with God's will and you will receive it. In asking, Never Forget that Jesus promises that if you ask, you will receive. I am amazed as to how many saints from the beginning of Christianity to our day invoke this promise in Matthew 7: 7 in their prayers of petition and intercession.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
Redeemed of God, do the same. Remind Jesus of this promise in faith and leave the rest to Him.

Do not allow yourself to be robbed of the "fullness of life" which Jesus promises in John 10:10. Let us take advantage of this good news today to affirm our faith:

#1 Yes I believe, but increase in me faith, hope, and love!

#2 Teach me always to see Your love as my guide in every event in my life.

#3  Teach me to surrender myself to You like a baby in its mother’s arms.

Your faith will take root in your mind and heart as you affirm it every day.

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