The Power of the Cross

"God our Father, your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought mankind the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death he endured. Teach us, the people who bear his name to follow the example he gave us: may our faith, hope and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, death to eternal life …" (Mass Opening Prayer)

Christ's message is peace to the soul; it is peace in the family. It is peace between men. It is peace to the world.

The Church opposes every kind of violence.

Christ reconciled us to His Father by His suffering and death. The power of the cross.

Teach us Father to use our faith, hope and charity to turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, death to eternal life. The power of the cross.

Believe and keep believing; hope and keep and keep hoping; love and keep loving until you turn hatred into love. Do not believe, hope and love for one day and expect the result the next day.

Sin and Downfall

"Israel, come back to Yahweh your God. Your guilt was the cause of your downfall. Provide yourselves with words and come back to Yahweh. Say to him, take all guilt away and give us what is good, instead of bulls we will dedicate to you our lips." (Hosea 14: 2-3)

Sin causes one's downfall.

• Mobutu
  
• Abacha
  
• Saddam
  

Only God can deliver us from our sins.

"A sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me."

Our human weaknesses

"Merciful Father, fill our hearts with your love and keep us faithful to the gospel of Christ. Give us the grace to rise above our human weakness…." (Mass Prayer in Lent)

Our God is a merciful Father. We pray that He fills our hearts with the perfect love that drive out fear. At the Transfiguration, the Father urged us to listen to Jesus Christ. We ask here for the grace to be faithful to His gospel. Every action and every word of Jesus is part of His Gospel. But the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ is found in the Sermon on the Mount.

Finally in this prayer, we ask the merciful Father to give us the grace to rise above our human weakness. What are some of these human weaknesses?

St. John summarizes this beautifully in 1 John 2:16 –

• Disorderly bodily desires
  
• Disordered desires of the eyes
  
• Pride in possession
  

 

Tin gods

"Lord, there is no god to compare with you; you are great and do wonderful things, you are the only God." (Psalm 86: 8, 10)

What god can be compared with our God?

• Family
  
• Health
  
• Job
  
• Money
  
• Tools
  
• Food
  
• Estate
  
• Country
  

These gods may have mouth but they do not speak. They may have ears but do not hear. They are powerless to save. Those who worship these gods bring much sorrow on themselves. These tiny gods are experts in taking advantage of their devotees. But our God saves. He provides all our needs in due season.

 

True Gifts

"Lord, take away our sinfulness and be pleased with our offerings. Help us to pursue the true gifts you promise and not become lost in false joys…." (Mass Prayer in Lent)

Take away our sinfulness = Take away our sinful tendencies

True gifts = Genuine gifts

The gifts that God promises are true and genuine. Some of them are:

• The Holy Spirit
  
• The Eucharist
  
• The Word of God
  

 

 

The Strong Man and the Stronger Man

"So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own home, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than himself attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil." (Luke 11: 21-22)

Satan is the strong man. Christ is the stronger man. Thank you Jesus for your word and your strength. I delight in your strength.

Jesus is stronger than Satan.

Satan guards his possession. When Jesus comes, He attacks, defeats Satan and frees the prisoner. He takes away all Satan's weapons and shares out his spoil.

Meribah and Massah

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works." (Psalm 95: 8-9)

Meribah and Massah are type and shadow of the desert; the place for testing and refining our character. It is God who tests the hearts and minds of men. Do not reverse the role and test God. I have often wondered why God allowed His people to almost die of thirst in the hot and inhospitable desert and got to the point of rebellion before providing them that basic and vital necessity of life.

This morning, the Gospel reading was the story of the Prodigal Son. At the end of the homily, the priest asked us a question: "Why did it take the Father of the Prodigal so long to communicate to his elder son that he appreciated him?" As I reflected on the question, I remembered the incident at Meribah and Massah. I saw a parallel in the two incidents. Scripture teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight. The disgruntled Israelites in Meribah and Massah were also required to walk by faith and not by sight. God saved them from slavery in Egypt. God provided and protected them every step of their journey till Meribah and Massah. Why did they think He would abandon them at this point?

Similarly, the elder son of the Father lived in the comfort of his Father's house where he enjoyed every prerogative and privilege. Why did he judge his Father's love and affection for him by the gift of a mere small lamb? To paraphrase his thought, "My Father did not give me a small lamb to feast with my friends. Therefore he does not love me."

It is God who tests the hearts and minds of men. Do not reverse the role and test God. Do not complain; do not criticize; do not condemn.

Follow Christ

"My one command to them was this: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. In everything follow the way that I mark out for you, and you shall prosper." (Jeremiah 7: 23)

Father, I will obey. I will listen to your voice. In everything Daddy, I will follow the way you have marked out for me. Help me with your grace in my weakness dearest Father. Sustain me with your strength. Be always my God and my Father. Prosper the work of my hands. Grant me your prosperity and blessing in everything. Make me a blessing to others.

"Follow the way that I mark out for you."

Christ is the way, the truth and the life.

The 7-Way Plan

 

 

Great Paschal Mystery

"Father, help us to be ready to celebrate the great Paschal Mystery. Make our love grow each day as we approach the feast of our salvation …. " (Mass Prayer in Lent)

We ask God to help us to be ready for Easter. How does God prepare us to celebrate the great Paschal Mystery? He encourages us to pray more, to fast more and give more alms to the needy. When we respond to His word, He blesses us with greater Easter joy and peace.

He answered me

"I am the Savior of all people says the Lord. Whatever their troubles, I will answer their cry, and I will always be their Lord." (Mass Prayer)

Whatever their troubles:

• Family
  
• Health
  
• Job
  
• Money
  
• Tools
  
• Food
  

God answered me when I cried to him to save me from the above troubles one time or the other in my life. He was indeed my Savior. He is always my Lord. Today, I am crying to Him to let me experience His perfect love that drives out fear. I promise Him that when He answers my prayer, I will ask for a powerful ministry to help my neighbors to experience this powerful and perfect love too. I know whom I trust. I know that at the right time He will answer this prayer as He had done in the past.

Praise, honor and glory to You, eternal Father.

Your All-Powerful Word

"In truth, I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved." (Matthew 5: 18)

All God's purposes are to be accomplished through the law.

The law is sacrosanct.

The law is alive and active.

The law tends towards its fulfillment. (Habakkuk 2: 2-4)

The law, the word of God cannot be returned to God without accomplishing its purpose.

Our Roadmap

"And now, Israel, listen to the laws and customs which I am teaching you today, so that, by observing them, you may survive to enter and take possession of the country which Yahweh, God of your ancestors is giving you." (Deuteronomy 4:1)

We are pilgrims on earth. We journey towards our permanent homeland. God's laws and customs are the road map and the signs on this great journey.

The Word of God as Nourishment

"Lord, during this Lenten season nourish us with your word of life and make us one in love and prayer ….." (Mass Prayer in Lent)

God nourishes us with His word especially in Lent. The selection of readings is excellent, designed to excite faith and conversion. Note how the Holy Spirit guides the Church in the planning of the Liturgy. The Church urges the faithful to attend daily Mass during Lent so that they could be nourished with the rich scriptures of this joyful season.

Direct my steps

"Lord, direct my steps as you have promised, and let no evil hold me in its power." (Psalm 119: 133)

Where God has promised to lead and guide me:

• Psalm 58: 11
  
• Psalm 23
  
• Proverbs 3:5
  
• Deuteronomy 31: 6
  

Step by step guidance

Moment by moment protection from evil

Thank you Father.

Forgiving our debtors

"Then Peter went up to him and said, 'Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as 7 times?' Jesus answered "Not seven, I tell you, but 77 times." (Matthew 18: 21-22)

If we forgive our debtors, God will forgive us our sins and answer all our prayers. Lord, teach me to forgive completely.

 

 

Supremely Gentle and Merciful

"Do not abandon us to shame but treat us in accordance with your gentleness, in accordance with the greatness of your mercy." (Daniel 3: 42)

God is supremely gentle and merciful.

Our Whole Heart

"And now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more. " (Daniel 3: 41)

Lent is the time to put our whole heart into following God through:

• Fasting
  
• Prayer
  
• Alms-giving
  

In Lent, we demonstrate a greater keenness in observing the commandments.

The call and the anointing

"Lord, you call us to your service and continue your saving work among us. May your love never abandon us….." (Mass Opening Prayer)

It is the Father who called me to serve Christ Jesus.

Father, bring what you have initiated to a successful conclusion. Grant success to the Enterprise.

Apple of God’s Eye

"I call upon you, God, for you will answer me; bend your ear and hear my prayer. Guard me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shade of your wings." (Psalm 17: 6,8)

Answer to prayer is certain.

Guard me as the apple of your eye: step by step guidance; moment by moment protection from all harms. Preserve me from every assault of the devil. Hide me in the shade of your wings.

If we open the eyes of our spirit, we see that we are engaged in continuous spiritual warfare. We need God's constant help in order to fight and keep standing. God promises us His guidance and protection. Faith gives us access to these promises.

Hope in the Lord

"I hope in the Lord; I trust in his word; with him there is mercy and plenty of redemption." (Psalm 130: 5,7)

Yes, I trust in God's promise. I hope in the Lord. I wait on the Lord. Hope does not disappoint because it is built on faith in God's word. God honors his name and word/promise above all things.

Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ!