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We must remember that many find difficulty in accepting Jesus because they have not encountered Him in a deep personal way. Even among Catholic ‘believers’ there are skeptics but their skepticism go unspoken for fear of reprisal. So while lips may sing His praises, their hearts are from from Him.

Those of us who truly believe and are alive in Him, our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ;recall then your humble beginnings. Was it not His continued patience and love that led you to your first encounter. He sent many your way as instruments of His grace to journey with you. When your heart was finally opened in sweet surrender so too was your mind and soul.

Let us come forward to become instruments of His grace for others. Let us be guided by the Holy Spirit as we serve as guides, beacons of His light, mercy and great love for all. Amen

First reading
Wisdom 2:1,12-22

The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning:

‘Our life is short and dreary,
nor is there any relief when man’s end comes, nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades. Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of the Lord. Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs our spirits down; his way of life is not like other men’s, the paths he treads are unfamiliar.
In his opinion we are counterfeit; he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth;
he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy and boasts of having God for his father.
Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’

This is the way they reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind. They do not know the hidden things of God,
they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded, they can see no reward for blameless souls.

Gospel
John 7:1-2,10,25-30

Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea, because the Jews were out to kill him.
As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself. Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Isn’t this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from. Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out:

‘Yes, you know me and you know where I came from.
Yet I have not come of myself:
no, there is one who sent me
and I really come from him,
and you do not know him,
but I know him because I have come from him and it was he who sent me.’

They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.

Why is it so easy to fall back into bad habits? To look to the comforts of the world? To put ourselves, others, work, family, holiday travel plans, games before the Lord our God? Simply, we have not held on to the love of the Word of God in our hearts. We have made little or no effort to grow in our faith. Our prayer life is a reflection of our relationship with Jesus.

Let us not put our Lord God to the test by choosing to fall back into sinful habits and temptations. But instead let us look towards His mercy and redemptive love for us. So that we may never again forget the price Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour paid for us on the cross. And it is through Him and Him alone do we have life.

Our Lenten journey is drawing to a close, let us set our sights to the joy of the Resurrection of our Lord by deepening our faith in Him.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Exodus 32:7-14

The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’
But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth”? Leave your burning wrath; relent and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.’
So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Gospel
John 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews:

‘Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid; but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is valid.
You sent messengers to John,
and he gave his testimony to the truth: not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this.
John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.
But my testimony is greater than John’s: the works my Father has given me to carry out, these same works of mine testify
that the Father has sent me.
Besides, the Father who sent me
bears witness to me himself.
You have never heard his voice,
you have never seen his shape,
and his word finds no home in You because you do not believe in the one he has sent.

‘You study the scriptures,
believing that in them you have eternal life; now these same scriptures testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me for life!
As for human approval, this means nothing to me. Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you.
I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else comes in his own name you will accept him.
How can you believe, since you look to one another for approval
and are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God?
Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father:
you place your hopes on Moses,
and Moses will be your accuser.
If you really believed him you would believe me too, since it was I that he was writing about;
but if you refuse to believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?’

There is no greater experience of love than that,which comes from our one triune God. Jesus is God’s love personified.

He has come to set prisoners and the downtrodden free. To bring comfort and healing to all who are in need. Most of all to bring those who desire and believe in Him into eternal life.

Let us stop thinking of ourselves as wiser, better informed or even deserving of more. Where has it gotten us? How much have we grown in our faith? Or love for one another?

Let us instead be obedient and submit wholly to the will of our Heavenly Father and we will be with Jesus in paradise. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 49:8-15

Thus says the Lord:

At the favourable time I will answer you, on the day of salvation I will help you. (I have formed you and have appointed you as covenant of the people.)
I will restore the land and assign you the estates that lie waste. I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’, to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

On every roadway they will graze, and each bare height shall be their pasture. They will never hunger or thirst,
scorching wind and sun shall never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them
and guide them to springs of water. I will make a highway of all the mountains, and the high roads shall be banked up.

Some are on their way from afar, others from the north and the west, others from the land of Sinim. Shout for joy, you heavens; exult, you earth!
You mountains, break into happy cries! For the Lord consoles his people and takes pity on those who are afflicted.

For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.’Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you.

Gospel
John 5:17-30

Jesus said to the Jews, ‘My Father goes on working, and so do I.’ But that only made them even more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.
To this accusation Jesus replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly,
the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing:and whatever the Father does the Son does too.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything he does himself, and he will show him even greater things than these, works that will astonish you.
Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses;for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgement to the Son, so that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father.
Whoever refuses honour to the Son refuses honour to the Father who sent him. I tell you most solemnly, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life;without being brought to judgement he has passed from death to life.
I tell you most solemnly, the hour will come– in fact it is here already– when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live.
For the Father, who is the source of life, has made the Son the source of life;and, because he is the Son of Man,has appointed him supreme judge.
Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves
at the sound of his voice:
those who did good will rise again to life;and those who did evil, to condemnation.
I can do nothing by myself; I can only judge as I am told to judge, and my judging is just,
because my aim is to do not my own will,but the will of him who sent me.’

How glorious are the plans of the Lord our God, that human wisdom is found wanting in understanding let alone appreciating the wonders of His designs. He built His Church upon rock and from which living waters flow. All of us in communion with Him draw life from Him and are called to go forth and bear fruit.

How sad it is that many sit alone downcast waiting for someone to come along and help them. Others make no effort to cry out to the Lord, but wallow in their sins. Some who continue to lead sinful lives have their bodies infirmed because their souls cannot bear them any longer.

The Lord calls out to all who will listen to His voice, “Do you want to be healed?” and all it takes is a Yes Lord. A yes which conveys contrition and a desire to be transformed.

Such is the grace of the Lord our God that we draw closer to Him. And we can easily be found in church where we draw our strength to go out and help others find their way to Him. Amen

First reading
Ezekiel 47:1-9,12

The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. The man went to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across again; the water reached my waist. He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to cross. He then said, ‘Do you see, son of man?’ He took me further, then brought me back to the bank of the river. When I got back, there were many trees on each bank of the river. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’

Gospel
John 5:1-3,5-16

There was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem there is a building, called Bethzatha in Hebrew, consisting of five porticos; and under these were crowds of sick people – blind, lame, paralysed – waiting for the water to move; One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years, and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in this condition for a long time, he said, ‘Do you want to be well again?’ ‘Sir,’ replied the sick man ‘I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.’ Jesus said, ‘Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.’ The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.
Now that day happened to be the sabbath, so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; you are not allowed to carry your sleeping-mat.’ He replied, ‘But the man who cured me told me, “Pick up your mat and walk.”’ They asked, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Pick up your mat and walk”?’ The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared into the crowd that filled the place. After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, ‘Now you are well again, be sure not to sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. It was because he did things like this on the sabbath that the Jews began to persecute Jesus.

The Holy Spirit had decended upon our Lord Jesus Christ at his baptism and after coming of the desert He went on to proclaim the Kingdom of God was at hand and perform many great signs and miracles.

By our own baptism we have been given the gifts to do likewise. How many have we healed in His name? How many have we touched with His love? How many have heard the good news of the Gospels through us? How have we restored the faith in others through our example?

Lord Jesus I believe and trust in You. Guide and help me face the many challenges that come in sharing my faith and love in You with others. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 65:17-21

Thus says the Lord: Now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds. Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating, because I now create Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people ‘Gladness.’ I shall rejoice over Jerusalem and exult in my people. No more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard in her; in her, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days. To die at the age of a hundred will be dying young; not to live to be a hundred will be the sign of a curse. They will build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

Gospel
John 4:43-54

Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. He himself had declared that there is no respect for a prophet in his own country, but on his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.
He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a court official there whose son was ill at Capernaum and, hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son as he was at the point of death. Jesus said, ‘So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the official ‘come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go home,’ said Jesus ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus had said and started on his way; and while he was still on the journey back his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. ‘The fever left him yesterday’ they said ‘at the seventh hour.’ The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed.
This was the second sign given by Jesus, on his return from Judaea to Galilee.

Today we remember how Jesus our saviour, the visible sign of God’s great love and salvation for us came to be.

It began with an obedient yes to God’s call to participate in the redemption of the World. Blessed is she indeed our dearest Mother Mary chosen first to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Likewise we too are called to be instruments of God’s grace, to lead souls into heaven. And we shall not be overwhelmed for the Lord is with us and the Holy Spirit will help and guide us.

Your Will be done Lord. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’
Then he said:

Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means ‘God is with us.’

Second reading
Hebrews 10:4-10

Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world:

You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’

Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

Gospel
Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

God our Father loves you deeply. He sees you struggling, stumbling, falling and desires to help pick you up; dust you off so that you can walk upright in His ways. You have a choice. To accept His great love for you or not?

With and through His love we can truly love, praise, and worship Him. Only then can we truly love our family, friends and the stranger in our midst as we ought to.

Jesus You are the visible sign of God our Father’s love for us personified! Be our Light and guide, now and forever. Amen

First reading
Hosea 14:2-10

The Lord says this:

Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall.
Provide yourself with words
and come back to the Lord.
Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away so that we may have happiness again and offer you our words of praise.
Assyria cannot save us, we will not ride horses any more,
or say, “Our God!” to what our own hands have made, for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.’
– I will heal their disloyalty,
I will love them with all my heart, for my anger has turned from them. I will fall like dew on Israel. He shall bloom like the lily, and thrust out roots like the poplar, his shoots will spread far; he will have the beauty of the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon.
They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow corn that flourishes, they will cultivate vines as renowned as the wine of Helbon.
What has Ephraim to do with idols any more when it is I who hear his prayer and care for him? I am like a cypress ever green, all your fruitfulness comes from me.

Let the wise man understand these words. Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning.
For the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk in them, but sinners stumble.

Gospel
Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

At every Sunday Eucharistic Celebration we have the prayers of the faithful. How many of us are truly faithful? How many are truly prayerful?

The Lord our God who is always faithful gathers us unto Himself and every Eucharist so that we are one body in Him. If we do not prepare our hearts and minds to receive this grace through the source and summit of our faith then how can we say we are united in Him?

Those who have turned away from the Lord, come back and let His healing grace touch you. Let us stand united in prayer as we wait in joyful expectation of His coming. Amen

First reading
Jeremiah 7:23-28

These were my orders: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper. But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me. From the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets.
But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors. You may say all these words to them: they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer. So tell them this, “Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.”

Gospel
Luke 11:14-23

Jesus was casting out a devil and it was dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?– Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.’

What good is it to learn and know the ways of the Lord our God;if we keep it to ourselves? For the abounding love and grace poured out for us by deepening our faith in Him compels us to share.

By sharing and teaching the faith we received we learn it better ourselves.
The learning of a disciple never ceases, for there is no end to the knowledge and depth of the heart of God our Heavenly Father.

By applying all we have learnt in our daily lives and passing it on, we will never forget or let it slip away from us. For we dwell in Him as He dwells in us. Amen

First reading
Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9

Moses said to the people:
‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you.
‘See, as the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and customs that you are to observe in the land you are to enter and make your own. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?
‘But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.’

Gospel
Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’

Indeed a humble spirit and contrite soul is what You want O Lord. And in Your great love and mercy, I have been redeemed. I have been restored. You have liberated me and given me peace and joy.

How humble is my spirit? How contrite is my soul if I will not forgive those who hurt me? Who take me for granted or owe me a debt. What is it all compared to eternal life with You? Forgive my foolishness for even hesitating to forgive Lord!

Guide me Lord Jesus to be more merciful and loving, in Your most precious I pray. Amen

First reading
Daniel 3:25,34-43

Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, and he began to pray:

Oh! Do not abandon us for ever, for the sake of your name; do not repudiate your covenant, do not withdraw your favour from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend,
of Isaac your servant, and of Israel your holy one, to whom you promised descendants as countless as the stars of heaven and as the grains of sand on the seashore.
Lord, now we are the least of all the nations, now we are despised throughout the world, today, because of our sins.
We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince, no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense, no place where we can offer you the first-fruits and win your favour.
But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you as holocausts of rams and bullocks, as thousands of fattened lambs: such let our sacrifice be to you today, and may it be your will that we follow you wholeheartedly, since those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed.
And now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more.
Do not disappoint us; treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful.
Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name win glory, Lord.

Gospel
Matthew 18:21-35

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

If we say we have faith but are not obedient unto God our Father and His Will for us then we are not justified in saying so. It is mere lip service.

For faith must be put to action. The Lord calls us in many different ways to so. And He provides all that we need to carry out what needs to be done. Never giving us more than we can manage. Otherwise He will send others to our aid.

Saint Joseph was such a man, who by his obedience and placing all His faith and trust in God our Father; helped bring to fruition the salvation of the world.

Lord Jesus let me be obedient unto You as I place all my trust in You. Amen

St Joseph pray for us.

First reading
2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16

The word of the Lord came to Nathan:
‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: “When your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. (It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne secure for ever.) I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Yet I will not withdraw my favour from him, as I withdrew it from your predecessor. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

Second reading
Romans 4:13,16-18,22

The promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith. That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham’s descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us. As scripture says: I have made you the ancestor of many nations– Abraham is our father in the eyes of God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist.
Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars. This is the faith that was ‘considered as justifying him.’

Gospel
Matthew 1:16,18-21,24

Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.

How do we honour our heavenly Father if we have jealousy and rivalry in our hearts? That we see titles of honour and affection of others as something to be grasped.

Jesus is and always must be the centre of our lives. For it is only through Him that we can bear fruit. The building up of God our Father’s Kingdom has been entrusted to us. Let us not seek personal gain, profit and recognition. But seek only His kingdom and to do our Lord’s Will. Amen

First reading
Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28

Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.
His brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem. Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers with the flock at Shechem? Come, I am going to send you to them.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot among themselves to put him to death. ‘Here comes the man of dreams’ they said to one another. ‘Come on, let us kill him and throw him into some well; we can say that a wild beast devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.’
But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their violence. ‘We must not take his life’ he said. ‘Shed no blood,’ said Reuben to them ‘throw him into this well in the wilderness, but do not lay violent hands on him’ – intending to save him from them and to restore him to his father. So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pulled off his coat, the coat with long sleeves that he was wearing, and catching hold of him they threw him into the well, an empty well with no water in it. They then sat down to eat.
Looking up they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking down into Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not do any harm to him. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.’ His brothers agreed.
Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they drew Joseph up out of the well. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces, and these men took Joseph to Egypt.

Gospel
Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?

‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’
When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.

When you’re young and able it’s hard to think about death and life after. For the youth or youth at heart they feel invincible. Live in the moment! Live life to the full! Sounds cool and encouraging but these are often uttered to selfish ends.

Living life to the full is only truly possible through a Christ centred life. One which begins with Him and ends with Him. It is filled only with the joy we bring to others. Especially those who cannot fend for themselves, the sick, the poor, the widow, the lonely stranger. In other words, the least of our sisters and brothers.

How much partying and frivolous living before one realizes the emptiness of it all? When will one come to accept that we are made for more? To do more not for ourselves but for one another and for Him who loves us without end.

Let us not delay any longer and turn our hearts to Jesus. So that through Him we will bring the good news of eternal life to many before we return to home to Him. Amen

First reading
Jeremiah 17:5-10

The Lord says this:

‘A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh,whose heart turns from the Lord. He is like dry scrub in the wastelands: if good comes, he has no eyes for it, he settles in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited.

‘A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope. He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.

‘The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets? I, the Lord, search to the heart,
I probe the loins, to give each man what his conduct and his actions deserve.’

Gospel
Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.”
‘The rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham “let them listen to them..” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’

When Jesus said “‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’” one of the firsts that should come to mind are children. Matt 25:45
Many are entrusted as guardians of these little ones by God our Father, whether they are called parents, teachers, Cathechists and so on. Hence are we serving them with great love and humility?

Do you truly welcome them with a warm smile, an embrace in His love? Or instead frown upon them looking at the many tasks that you would have to perform for them?

Will shouting and screaming at them out of frustration allow them to better hear you? Better learn from their mistakes? Are you not imprisoning them in fear?

If you do not feed them adequate food or drink please don’t use tough love as an excuse! Are you worried that God our Father will not provide? Even if you have to pay out of pocket will you not be rewarded? How will they hunger and thirst after God, when their bellies are empty and a void placed in their hearts by your indifference?

If you cannot love them as you so love yourself then you are not fit for the Kingdom of God.

Lord Jesus have mercy on us, teach us and show us the way, the truth and the life we are to lead. Amen

Make no mistake a follower of Jesus, a disciple will have to face trials and challenges. Even rejection and often times be the subject of gossip. However carrying our cross and following Him brings no greater joy. For His peace and love is ourpoured on us.

For we did not choose Him but He chose us. And loved us even while we were sinners. To draw closer to our master this Lent is to accept with great love that we are mere servants for one another. And there is no greater title anyone can bestow on us, for it is given by the Lord of Lords, King of kings and it was He who laid down His life for us.

Lord Jesus let me serve You as you want me to, by serving the least of my brethren. Grant me what I need to do this effectively. Amen

First reading
Jeremiah 18:18-20

‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.’

Listen to me, O Lord,
hear what my adversaries are saying. Should evil be returned for good? For they are digging a pit for me. Remember how I stood in your presence to plead on their behalf, to turn your wrath away from them.

Gospel
Matthew 20:17-28

Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them, ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again.’
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’ When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

Many have chosen to turn away from sin and are striving to be faithful to the Gospel. The Lord is pleased. But not all are wearing robes white as snow. One which comes from obedience and humility.

It is far too easy to spot ‘leaders’ who believe wholeheartedly they were ‘Called’ to serve and yet are more keen to be seen ‘serving’. Prideful? Perhaps, honour seeking? Perhaps, but the more heinous sin a disciple of the Lord can commit is indifference!

Being indifferent to the plight and needs of others, especially the poor, the lonely, the outcast of society. Being indiffernt to the needs of the Church and its people. Indiffernt to the call for help to run or support Church activities. Indiffernt to the cry for help of children.

Lord Jesus open my mind, my ears, my eyes and my heart to see more fully the needs of those You call me to serve. And grant me what I lack to serve them more effectively. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 1:10,16-20

Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom; listen to the command of our God, you people of Gomorrah.

‘Wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.

‘Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

‘If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you persist in rebellion, the sword shall eat you instead.’

Gospel
Matthew 23:1-12

Addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.
‘You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’

One of the greatest obstacles to receiving the Graces of God and drawing near to Him is unforgiveness. We comit heinous sins, acts of betrayal against the Lord our God and expect to be forgiven. But we in turn refuse to forgive others for their betrayal and hurts which they caused us.

Know now then that unforgiveness is in itself a sin against God. For His command is to love one another as He loved us. And He loved us so much that He forgave us our sins from the cross, the cross in which we hung Him up by our sins, our unforgiveness. Lift up your burdens of unforgiveness to the Lord and You will be filled with the grace necessary to forgive just as you are forgiven.

Let us turn to our merciful and faithful Lord and saviour Jesus Christ who will never abandon us. Amen

First reading
Daniel 9:4-10

O Lord, God great and to be feared, you keep the covenant and have kindness for those who love you and keep your commandments: we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly, we have betrayed your commandments and your ordinances and turned away from them. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today, we, the people of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in every country to which you have dispersed us because of the treason we have committed against you. To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.

Gospel
Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

Be perfect as Your Heavenly Father is perfect.

Are we perfect? In one sense yes we are because we are created in the image and likeness of God. If not for original sin, we would be born perfect. Hence to achieve perfection we must be prefected in Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour. This is how we become a consecrated people unto God our Father.

We should always strive for Holiness and perfection but never look to perfection in others. For we are all sinners in need of our Lord’s mercy. And so we are called to be merciful and loving as He is to us.

Glory and Praise be to God our Heavenly Father, now and forever. Amen

First reading
Deuteronomy 26:16-19

Moses said to the people: ‘The Lord your God today commands you to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
‘You have today made this declaration about the Lord: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and listen to his voice. And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and honour he will set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to the Lord, as he promised.’

Gospel
Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

As you draw closer to God, so too will you experience
great challenges. Stronger temptations, sometimes inner turmoil pulling you towards sin. Why? Because the devourer of souls does not want to lose you. He is spiteful and jealous of the love of God you possess.

Do not relent, cling instead to the ‘cloak’ of Jesus Christ your Lord. Ask yourself this two questions, is the sin worth the price of your soul? Do you love Jesus more or do you love sin more? Then strengthen your resolve through prayer and fasting and frequent reception of the Eucharist. Readily forgive all who offend you. Ask our blessed Mother and she will intercede for you. Hail Mary….

Pray for me at I am praying for you. And may almighty God bless us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

First reading
Ezekiel 18:21-28

Thus says the Lord:
‘If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practised. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man– it is the Lord who speaks– and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?
‘But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practises every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practised shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die. But you object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’

Gospel
Matthew 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples, If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’

Praise the Lord! I feel called to share this even though I still do not know what it means…

First being a dress down day in the office, I wore my black polo tee purchased last year in support of the newly built Church of The Transfiguration.

As I had to deposit some cash at Punggol branch I took a bus and stopped at Soon Teck station and was surprised to see the Church of the Transfiguration! Never knew it was at that location.

Then on the bus ride back to the office, I did a check to see the scripture passages we would be doing tonight for our Lent reflection session which is this coming Sundays readings and the Gospel is on the Transfiguration of Jesus!

To top it all, last Friday when I mentioned that I had to reschedule meeting someone, and it cleared the afternoon so that I could get to the reflection session with the business district folks of which I had forgotten… Well that meeting with the person was rescheduled yesterday and because of it I had to do the deposit today!

Perhaps the Lord is pointing out to me to share that as we journey closer to Him this Lent, we too will be transfigured in Him. Amen

From dust you came, from dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Words we heard as Ashes was placed on our foreheads exactly a week ago on Ash Wednesday. Have we in obedience repented of our sins? Have we started to draw closer to the Lord our God?

One thing we do not have control over is how much time we have. So prayerfully you are not waiting to change, or saying I’ll do so tomorrow. What if tomorrow never comes for you? Those who are not repentant will be destroyed, this is not a threat it is a warning of something that will happen.

Jesus is the visible sign of God our Father’s redemptive love. And so let us turn to Him with contrite hearts. Let us go to Him with all our sins and weaknesses. He will liberate us and give us a new life in Him.

Glory and Praise to You our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

First reading
Jonah 3:1-10

The word of the Lord was addressed a second time to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.

Gospel
Luke 11:29-32

The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them, ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’

What good are our words if it does not come from a relationship with the Lord our God? How empty then is our praise and worship!

The deep relationship with the Lord that we seek can only come through the pondering, chewing, meditating, praying and living of His Word in scripture. Slowly but surely we will hear His voice. Signs of transformation will be a prayer life that begins and ends with Him.

We cannot say we love God and cherish His Word, if there is no mercy and forgiveness in our hearts. Through His grace learn to forgive always.

Lord Jesus let my words be Your words and may your mercy and love reign in my heart always. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’

Gospel
Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:

‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one.

‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’

Let us reflect…..

Reverence for the altar, sanctuary and the Blessed Sacrament speaks volumes to your authentic relationship with the living triune God. Who instructed moses to remove his sandles before coming before Him. If you truly love God then you should fear offending Him and not offending men.

How blessed are we that the Lord God does not turn His back to us sinners. Otherwise how will we ever be saved? Instead Jesus calls on us to follow Him, on the path to Holiness. But it is up to us to respond to the call. To turn away from our sinful past so that we will have a future.

Deep down we all have a desire to be set free to love the Lord our God as we should. But over the years as we had succumbed to our base desires and placed ourselves above Him, our wills have weakened. If we decide however to follow Jesus, then our yes automatically unites us with His will and we are set free.

Soon the well springs of His love will gush forth from within us and we become instruments of His grace. Our actions for His glory will speak louder than our words ever can.

Glory and Praise be to our Redeemer King! Amen

First reading
Isaiah 58:9-14

The Lord says this:

If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word, if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed, your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon. The Lord will always guide you, giving you relief in desert places.

He will give strength to your bones and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never run dry.

You will rebuild the ancient ruins, build up on the old foundations. You will be called ‘Breach-mender’, ‘Restorer of ruined houses.’

If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, and doing business on the holy day, if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’,
and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’, if you honour it by abstaining from travel, from doing business and from gossip, then shall you find your happiness in the Lord and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land. I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Gospel
Luke 5:27-32

Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.
In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’

The Lord our God is simply amazing! I have been overwhelmed lately with everything that has been going on in my life. With lots of work at the office, stuff at home and lots of preparation and brain sailing sessions for Church.

And because of this I totally overlooked that I had a Lent reflection session with the business district community. I only remembered that I had another session in the evening with my small Christian community family. Hence I forgot to bring the Lenten booklets and prepare the hymn and stuff. I had even arranged a meeting with someone in the town area to collect some important documents which would mean I would have left the office at about the same time the session was to start. But because we couldn’t agree on an appropriate time that would work for both of us, we had to reschedule.

Only then I realized that I had unread WhatsApp messages. Folks were asking about our session! Praise the Lord I managed to locate the link to download the pdf copy and passed it on. Praise the Lord He sent two new members to join us for the first time. One who heard the announcement for it two days ago and wanted to be part of a community. The other mistakenly thought it was for a lunchtime Eucharist but decided to stay on to join us. Needless to say the sharing was wonderful as everything was Spirit led.

I am still in awe that everything fell into place so smoothly as it could have definitely fallen apart. In fact we are blessed to even have the opportunity to continue with our Lenten journey together; because I didn’t think we had funds for the room booking. Reason being we had to forgo two Eucharistic Celebrations as we were not being able to secure a venue for them. So truly the Lord will surely provide for His flock who call upon Him. Amen

There are many suggested ways to fast during our Lenten journey which have been circulating through various modes of communication. And there are some really good ones, apart from the traditional form of fasting from food, praying more fervently and Almsgiving.

But all of it amounts to zero if our hearts are not changed. Changed so that we draw closer to our ever living Lord and God. So that through His love we are patient, loving and life giving not only to family and friends but to the stranger among us.

Do not be tempted and allow sin to take our bridegroom away from us. Let us strive to remain vigilant and steadfast as we journey on with our Lenten observances. Encouraging one another day by day, and with God’s grace we will arrive at our destination with great joy in our hearts. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 58:1-9

Thus says the Lord:

Shout for all you are worth, raise your voice like a trumpet. Proclaim their faults to my people, their sins to the House of Jacob.

They seek me day after day, they long to know my ways, like a nation that wants to act with integrity and not ignore the law of its God.

They ask me for laws that are just, they long for God to draw near: ‘Why should we fast if you never see it, why do penance if you never notice?’

Look, you do business on your fast-days, you oppress all your workmen; look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast
and strike the poor man with your fist.

Fasting like yours today
will never make your voice heard on high. Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, a truly penitential day for men?

Hanging your head like a reed, lying down on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call fasting, a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – it is the Lord who speaks– to break unjust fetters and undo the thongs of the yoke,to let the oppressed go free,and break every yoke,to share your bread with the hungry and shelter the homeless poor to clothe the man you see to be naked and not turn from your own kin?

Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over.

Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’

Gospel
Matthew 9:14-15

John’s disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

Decide today to follow the Lord your God. For your whole future starts today.

Choose to walk with Him through the challenges of the way of the cross, death to self into new life with Him. Just like a seed must die, transform into a seedling in order to have growth. Or choose to walk away from Him into certain and permanent death with your worldly possessions perished.

Sisters and brothers, let us choose life and love in our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Moses said to the people: ‘See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own. But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends your long stay in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would give them.’

Gospel
Luke 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’
Then to all he said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’

Year after year passes by ever so quickly. How much time do you have left? How much have you grown in your relationship with the Lord Your God? Are you still burdened by sin?

Today let us begin our journey together towards being fully reconciled with God our Father. For we have a responsibility not only for ourselves to be reconciled but to encourage one another to do likewise so that all of us can give give glory to Him that loves us.

Let our words and actions as we begin our Lenten journey be one of deep reverence for the love of the Lord our God. Let us turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Amen

First reading
Joel 2:12-18

‘Now, now– it is the Lord who speaks– come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.’ Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn, turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent.
Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent, will not leave a blessing as he passes,
oblation and libation for the Lord your God?

Sound the trumpet in Zion!
Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people together, summon the community, assemble the elders, gather the children, even the infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove. Between vestibule and altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, lament.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, Lord! Do not make your heritage a thing of shame, a byword for the nations. Why should it be said among the nations, “Where is their God?”’

Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land, took pity on his people.

Second reading
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.

Gospel
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’