DECEPTIVE LIVING
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

During the last presidential election campaign, one of the candidates said: The fundamentals of our economy are strong. A few days later came the shocking news: The economy is on the verge of collapse. Our tendency is to paint a rosy picture of everything. Once, a little boy said to the priest ‘If everything is wonderful, why is Jesus still hanging on the cross?’ Denial or deceptive living is as old as human history. “I ate the fruit because Eve gave me”, Adam said to God. “I don’t know Him”, Peter said to the woman. “I have no hand in His blood.”’ Pilate washed his hands. Many people are living in denial. As long as a person lives in denial, he/she cannot enjoy change and growth.

The story of the Samaritan Woman tells us the importance of facing the truth. She was living in denial. “I have no husband”, she told Jesus. In fact, she was living with the sixth man. Because she was living in denial, she could not stay with one man. People who live in denial fall into the trap of sin. They commit one sin to cover the other.

How does one come to the truth? It is by coming to the light of Jesus! Her confrontation with the Word of God (Jesus) changed everything dramatically. In the presence of Jesus, she could not hide her private life anymore. She met Jesus face to face at ‘noon’. The brightness of sun is at its maximum at noon. Who can face the sun at noon? The brightness of the Son of God uncovered her hidden life. Change begins when we allow ourselves to be confronted by the word of God. The Word of God hit Paul on the road to Damascus. He became a new person.

Three things resulted from her meeting with Jesus.1. The moment she accepted her deceptive life style, a new world began to dawn for her. She started thinking about things that really matter. “Where do we worship?” she asked Jesus. She became interested in a higher level of existence. 2. She left the jar. She gave up her old way of living. (Peter and Andrew left their nets and nest and followed Jesus.), We cannot have either ways. 3. She ran to the town and shared her experience with people. She became an Evangelizer.

To be the witness of Jesus is our role as disciples of Jesus. Lent is the time for reality check. Am I living in denial? If so, what do I need to do to come to the light of Jesus? What are the Jars I need to leave behind to drink from the life giving spring? Do I find pleasure in sharing the Good News with others?

HIS PLAN, NOT MY PLAN!
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT-A

This woman prayed every day: “Lord I am desperately in need of money. Help me to win a raffle”. She said the same prayer every day. After being tired of praying, one day she yelled at God, “God, don’t you care for me? You never helped me win a lottery”. God said, “Woman, I really care about you. I desperately wanted to help you but you never bought a ticket”.

We have dreams. God is there to help us. God promised Abraham a New Land. Jesus showed three of his disciples a glimpse of heavenly life. God is there for us.

How do we reach the ‘promised land’? Our natural human tendency is to catch fish without wetting hands. Peter said,” It is good to be here. We will right away build three houses here”. God did not approve his proposal. Instead, God said to him, “Listen to Jesus.” We are here not to make plans for God but to implement God’s plan for us.

Abraham is our model in implementing God’s plan. When God said ‘Go to a land that I will show you’, he blindly obeyed Him. He was willing to give up his safety and security, and left for the unknown land. His only security was his confidence in God. There is no free lunch. It is not enough to say ‘Lord, Lord’ but we need to live the Word in our daily life. Paul says,” God saved us not according to our works, but according to His own design. Therefore, bear our share of hardships for the Gospel”.

How ready we are to listen to Jesus, the Word Incarnate. Are we willing to give up some our safety and security for doing the plan of God?

TRUST GOD NOT TEST HIM
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Every year we begin the season of lent reflecting on the Temptation Story of Jesus। It has twofold purposes: To help us to realize the areas of human weaknesses and to provide us with tools to handle them.

According to the Gospels Jesus was tempted three times। These temptations represent three basic human drives. They are in the areas of passion, possession and position. We can however approach these temptations of Jesus from different angles.

The first temptation was to satisfy a physiological need with an unconventional and unnatural method। We do not make food from stones. The end does not justify the means. The nature of means is as important as the satisfaction of the desires. God has set an order in the universe. The creation was an act of replacing chaos with order. There is a Divine and natural law. Disruption of that law is against the will of God.

We all have different kinds of hungers! It can be in the psychological, physiological, sociological, or spiritual level। How do we satisfy them? Do we follow the law of God? Are we using the moral principles as guidelines in dealing with some of the controversial issues of our time like abortion, gay marriage and so forth?

The second temptation was to replace God with mammon। I remember watching a Television interview of Tiger Wood. He said something like this: ‘I thought money ruled the world. I worked hard and made money. Money however, ruined my life. I need to return to my religion and shape my life based on my religious principles’.

The third temptation was to use religion for personal advantage। Instead of trusting God and making a commitment, Jesus was tempted to test God to show his influence on Him. There are people who use religion for promoting their personal interest. One Lady told me that she encouraged her son to b e an altar server to improve his stage confidence.

It is vital to be aware that the devil is not tempting us any longer with conventional weapons and materials। The devil has upgraded and modernized his devices. The devil traps us today in a very sophisticated way.The devil’s temptation is something like this. He makes our life busy with too many attractive activities and programs. The devil presents these things as critically important and unavoidable. He convincingly presents religion as a private enterprise and make us believe that God and religion can wait. He drives God away from the center of our life and make it one among many. This attitude is called secularism. A person who is a slave of secularism is like a person who built his house on sand.

Temptations are real. There will be Temptations. Temptation has always a promise but at the heart of the promise is a deception. What are my temptations? What are the few things need my immediate attention? We cannot stop birds flying over our head, but we can prevent them from making nest on our head. How do we do that? Jesus is our model. Jesus defeated the tricks of Satan using the Word of God. Every time Jesus was tempted, he used the appropriate Word from the Scripture. We also have no way other than the path of Jesus to defeat the plan of the Tempter!
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A driver tucked a note under her windshield wiper and dashed off:"I've circled the block for 20 minutes. I'm late for an appointment, and if I don't park here I'll lose my job. Forgive us our trespasses. "Returning, she came back only to find a parking ticket and this note:"I've circled the block for 20 years, and if I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. . . Lead us not into temptation. "

ASHES ON OUR FOREHEADS AND HOPE IN OUR HEARTS…!
ASH WEDNESDAY

Today is Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, people come to church on this day in large numbers and formally begin the journey of lent by applying ashes on their foreheads. The Old Testament and New Testament refer to the use of ashes and sackcloth as signs of repentance. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance in this way: “ O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes”(Jer 6:26).

Ashes is a reminder of our mortality. Before God breathed into the nostrils of ‘Adam’ he was nothing more than a clay image. The breath of God raised him to the level of a living being. Without God’s life in us, we are dust. Naturally Lent is a time to discover one’s status before God. It is a time for self -discovery.

Lent is a time of self purification. Never is better than late. Our distractions tell us who we are and where we are. The Bible offers three spiritual tools for our purification: prayer, fasting and alms giving. They are not three independent entities but three aspects of the one and the same reality. Prayer is nothing but being with Jesus. In order to be with Jesus, we need to detach (fast) ourselves from material things. Whatever we may give up may help others to meet the necessities of their lives. Our detachment ( almsgiving) will benefit the needy.

Lent is a time for self-restoration. There is a beautiful passage in the book of Prophet Isaiah: “Do not remember the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not, I am doing something new, says the Lord” “Your sins I remember no more” (Isaiah 43: 18, 25). God is a God of the future, not of the past. God wants to do something new in our life. In order to experience this newness that God promises we need to let our past go with all its bad and sad memories. We might have done awful things in the past. We may be still doing things that are unchristian, unethical and uncharitable. This is the time to break the chain of sinful habits. Brooding over the past memories of which we have no control do nothing good. They only paralyze our present. If God does not bother about our past sin, why do we? As every saint had a past every sinner has a future. Lent invites us to continue our journey focusing on Jesus with Hope in our Hearts…! Those who are in Jesus is a new creation. Lent is an invitation to climb the mount Calvary and have a vision of Mount Zion.

FOUNDATION
NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

A few years ago, a devastating earthquake hit the Himalayan part of India। Hundreds of people were killed and thousands of houses were collapsed. Many of those houses were collapsed not because of the magnitude of the earthquake, but because of their weak foundations.

Foundation is vital for solidity. There are two kinds of people. Some find their strength in God and others rely on material riches. The material riches are limited in their ability to solve our fundamental issues. John Rockefeller was the first one to reach the status of billionaire. His whole life was motivated by money. His sole focus was business. At the age of 53, however, he became ill. No money could help him. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his life.

Wise people ground their life in God. According to Jesus, they are like people built their houses on solid rock. Neither rain nor storm will rock their foundation. . It is, however, hard to lay the foundation on rock. It needs extra effort, patience and time. The same way to build one’s life on the foundation of God is demanding and challenging. We need to be countercultural most of the time. We may not be able to experience some of the privileges that we enjoy today. It is like digging on the rock. Unfortunately, many people do not bother to face the initial hurdles. As a result, their faith remains shallow. They follow Jesus from a distance. The worldly attractions easily distract them. This kind of faith does not help them when they need it desperately. They are like people who built their houses on sand.

How do we ground our existence in God? How do we grow in Faith? I would like to propose four means to deepen our faith. They are:

1. Discus our faith: It is important to know our faith and know who we are.
2. Challenge our faith: Participate in the faith formation /Bible Study / Religious Education programs.
3. Celebrate our faith: Receive sacraments with preparation.
4. Share our faith: Participate in the ministry of the Church.

As Moses said, ‘we have choices.’ We can choose blessing or curse. Let us make the right choice. Let us lay the foundation of our life on God and say, “In you Lord, I take my refuge; you are my rock and fortress.”

THE NURSING HANDS OF GOD
EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

“Little Jimmy had swallowed a quarter। His mother turned to her husband and screamed for him to call a doctor. He picked up the phone, but instead of calling the doctor, he decided to call his pastor. The wife was upset and said, “We don’t need the pastor, and we need some medical help!” To which the husband replied, “Hey, our pastor can get money out of anyone!”

Every Sunday during the Mass, a basket is passed for offertory collection। What do you put in it? Money! Money is not bad. We need wealth. Money becomes a problem when it takes the place of God and begins to control us. Money cannot give us what God cannot give us and God can give us what money cannot give us.

Jesus tells us “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things will be given you besides” (Mt। 6; 34). Seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness has three aspects: Trust, Appreciation, and Stewardship.

TRUST IN GOD: The awareness that God has a plan for each one of us and His plan is not for our destruction but for our wellbeing is the basic lesson of spiritual life। When we fail to understand God’s plan for us, it appears as problems. Therefore, every day we need to repeat what God had said through Isaiah,” Can a mother forget her infant? Even should she forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49: 14-15). It is difficult to recognize this truth as we go through different struggles. Once, however, we have the courage to submit our will into God’s hands, right away we will enter into a very amazing world of spirituality. We start to walk with faith, not only by sight. We begin to say with the Psalmist, “Only in God is my soul at rest; with God is my safety and my glory, he is the rock of my strength” (Ps 62).

APPRECIATE OUR BLESSINGS: The immediate result of trusting faith is the new way of seeing things। We start appreciating our blessings. This is the starting point of happiness. Very often, we grieve over on what we do not have. This causes undue anxieties and worries. Anxiety cannot destroy the sorrows of tomorrow but it destroys the happiness of today.

RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP: Once we start appreciating our own lives with its blessings, then we begin to help others to have the same kind of blessings। We share our blessings with others. Our material belongings turn into a spiritual blessing when we use it for the wellbeing of others. “What we give away in charity is our capital in heaven.” Everything, however, begins with our trust in God.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTIONS!
How do I manifest in my life ‘seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness’ is top priority?
How do I see the ‘nursing hands of God’ in the midst of my daily struggles?
What particular incident helped you to realize that God ‘will not abandon you”.

BE A LIGHT
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

This Lady went to the post office to mail a letter to Canada। There was a long line and she was the last in the line. The line was moving slowly. She lost her patience. She cut the line and rushes to the counter and said to the Postmaster, “Do you know who I am? If you know, you would have called me right away and helped me.” The Postmaster took the microphone and made this announcement: “Ladies and Gentleman! There is a woman here. She does not know who she is! Please help her!” Awareness of our identity is the basic thing that we all need to have. As the disciples of Jesus what is our identity?

Jesus describes our identity in the following way: You are the light of the world and the salt of the earth। We become the disciples of Jesus when we radiate the light of Jesus in and through our life.

Enlightening the world is the primary biblical mission। God began the creation by ordering: Let there be light. God chose Israel to be a light to the nations. In the incarnation, Jesus became the light. Jesus gave the same mission to his disciples: “Be a light”.

We become a light to others when we become a source of hope to them। This happens through different ways. First, as Isaiah says, by alleviating the suffering of the people. Secondly, by bringing out what is best in each other. In fact, these are the two important functions of salt. Salt brings out what is best in the ingredients of the food and gives it flavor. Salt heals the wounds.

How much interest do we take to bring forth what is best in each other? If we can correct a little, overlook much and see the good in others, then there is healing, joy and celebration. We become a light of the world and salt of the earth.