4th Sunday of Lent, Year C, 27.03.2022

 Joshua 5:9-12 / 2 Cor 5:17-21 / Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

One of the saddest things to see is how terribly destructive war can be. It is said that war is hell and truly it is. 

The social and economic infrastructure of a country which took months or years to build are reduced to debris and rubble in just minutes. 

In Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there are graphic pictures of devastation. Homes were destroyed and needless to say, the numerous losses of human lives add on to the tragedies of war. 

All that destruction, all that tragedy, is totally unnecessary and the fact is that nothing good can ever come out of a war. 

But the evil, destructive and tragic effects of war is only a reflection of the dark and sinful side of humanity and the human person. 

In the letter of James (4:1-2), he asked this question: Where do all these fights and quarrels among you come from? (The answer) Don't they come from your desires that are fighting within you? You desire something but cannot have it, so you quarrel and fight and even kill to get what you want. 

In the violence and hostility that we see in the world, isn't it clear that St. James have pointed out the obvious, and that this evil desire is in us. 

We all want to live good lives and be at peace, and we try hard to live virtuous and upright lives. 

But in that moment of foolishness and giving in to our sinful desires, we fall into sin and it could be just one sin after another. 

In other words, it is difficult to be good but it is so easy to turn bad quickly and end up being a wretched state. 

In the gospel parable, the youngest son asked his father for the share of his inheritance. 

He was not evil, but for whatever reason, he gave in to his desires, and then he went off to a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery. 

And then misfortune came, one after another, till he had nothing to eat. It was then that he came to his senses and he remembered how kindly his father treated the servants. 

In coming to his senses, that youngest son saw the goodness of his father and he decided to make the long journey back to his father and ask for forgiveness. 

This parable reminds us that even for those who have gone down the wrong and sinful path, there is still hope that they will come to their senses and repent. 

And we pray that in this season of Lent, we will come to our senses and see that the wrong we do is just a smaller scale of the wars and destruction in the world.

May we come to our senses and see that on the Cross, Jesus has shed His blood to save us, and that there should be no more shedding of blood, whether literally or figuratively. 

May we come to see that what we really want is peace and reconciliation, what we want is forgiveness and healing. 

We want peace in the world, we want peace for ourselves. Let peace begin with us. Let peace begin with you and me.

3rd Sunday of Lent, Year C, 20.03.2022

 Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15 / 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12 / Luke 13:1-9

There is one teaching that can be found in most religions and cultures. It is known as the Golden Rule. 

Whichever way it is stated, basically it is to do unto others what you want others to do unto you. 

That also means that you don't do to others what you don't want others to do unto you. 

It is called the Golden Rule because it is as basic and as simple as it could be when it comes to life and relationships. 

Putting it even simpler, it is like what you give is what you get. 

So, when we do good to others, what we get in return is a blessing. And whatever bad we do to others, what we get in return is retribution. 

So, when someone suffers something unfortunate or tragic, we might just wonder if that person had done something wrong. Was it some kind of retribution? 

The Golden Rule may seem simple and basic enough to understand and to apply to life. 

But life may not be that simple to understand and that Golden Rule may not be so easily applied. 

In the gospel, there were two tragic cases that caused anguish and distress. Some people came and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. That was disgusting and revolting. 

Jesus then cited the case of the 18 people who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them. 

In both cases, Jesus asked if those who died so tragically were greater sinners than the rest. Was it some kind of retribution?

But Jesus did not enter into the topic of retribution. Instead, He emphasized on repentance. 

His warning is clear enough: Unless you repent, you will all perish, and even just as tragically. 

The call to repentance would actually make us rethink our understanding of the Golden Rule. 

The Golden Rule assumes that people would reciprocate with the same token. In other words, whatever we do to others, then others will also do to us. 

So, when we love others, we kind of expect others to love us in return. And when others do wrong to us, can we do the same thing back to them? 

And if we can't, can we say that they will get their retribution, as in eye for eye and tooth for tooth? 

But if we think like that, then are we doing anything exceptional? 

The call to repentance makes us look at the new commandment of love that Jesus gave us and that is, “love one another as I have loved you”. 

And that means to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who treat us badly and to pray for them. 

In other words, to repent is to look at the Cross and to look at Jesus who suffered and died to save us. 

Jesus loved us first, and there is nothing we can do to return His love. 

Jesus is only asking us to love others just as He has loved us. 

To love others is the fruit of repentance. With love there is no more need for vengeance or retribution. 

With love and heeding the call to repentance, we will know that we are sinners. 

Yes, we can say that “I am a sinner but I also have a Saviour”. 

That is the Good News that we have to tell the world.

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C, 13.03.2022

 Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 / Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 / Luke 9:28-36

Ordinary things can turn into something extraordinary when they are given a “makeover”. 

And we can be quite surprised and amazed at how some touch-up or even an overhaul can make things look good and wonderful. 

An old house can look quite majestic with some repairs and renovation and a new coat of paint. Shoes can look like new when cleaned and polished. Clothes can look smart and neat when washed and ironed. 

Even for persons, they can look surprisingly pleasant with some proper grooming, like a good haircut or hairdo, and with sharp and elegant dressing. 

We may call that a transformation, but still it is only an external change. 

No matter how much the appearance of an object or person may change, the true nature does not change. It is only a transformation, a change in the external form. 

But it cannot be denied that the world places a high value on the looks and appearances of an object or person. 

When Jesus came into the world, He took on human nature with all its weaknesses. 

He was like us in all things except sin. His divine nature was concealed by His human nature, and so he looked like an ordinary human being, although He let His divine power be manifested in healing the sick and in working miracles. 

The gospel account is commonly called the Transfiguration of the Lord. Jesus was transfigured, not transformed. 

In the Transfiguration, the true divine nature of Jesus was revealed, and for a moment it manifested over His human nature. 

There was nothing earthly that was put on Him to make Him radiate with divine glory. 

And the voice from the cloud affirmed the true identity of Jesus as the Son of God, and it also commanded us to listen to Him. 

Jesus is divine, yet He took on human nature with its weakness, and He even went on to suffer and die on the Cross to save us. 

In saving us, Jesus restored our true human nature, and that is we are created in the image of God. 

In our true human nature, we manifest and express the image of God and the holiness of God. 

But sin has disfigured and deformed our human nature, and so instead of radiating the holiness of God, we show the ugliness of sin and evil. 

So instead of being loving, kind and gentle, we give in to selfishness, anger and even being cruel. 

Instead of being heart-warming, we become nerve-chilling to others. Instead of being charitable, we choose to be irritable and irritating others as well. 

But in His Transfiguration, Jesus showed us who He is, and we are also reminded of who we are, that we are created in the image of God and that we are His children. 

We have listened to the voice of the world and followed the ways of the world and we are attracted to the lights of glamorous appearances. 

But let us listen to the voice of Jesus and go up with Him to the mountain of prayer so that we can see who we truly are. 

May we be healed of our sinfulness and restored to the image of God that we are created in. 

May we also radiate the holiness of God and also help others to rise from the lights of earth and journey toward the eternal light of above.

1st Sunday of Lent, Year C, 06.03.2022

 Deuteronomy 26:4-10 / Romans 10:8-13 / Luke 4:1-13

Generally speaking, we don't have enemies in that sense of the word. Unless we are talking about a war, where the enemy is all out to kill and to destroy, and will be merciless and brutal. 

No, by and large, we don't have that kind of enemies, though there could be people who dislike us and are against us. But they would not think of killing us. 

But when we think deeper about it, there is an unseen and a very dangerous enemy who is all out to harm us and destroy us. 

We are talking about none other than the devil and his agents. The devil will use all means to deceive us, to tempt us, to lure us, to trap us and eventually to drag us into hell. 

Just to think that there is such a vicious and dangerous enemy around can be quite frightening, and we should be afraid of the devil because he is real. 

But at the same time, we believe in God who is Almighty and we take refuge in God and He will certainly protect and guard us against the devil. 

As we begin the season of Lent, the Opening Prayer of the Ash Wednesday Mass says this: “As we take up battle against spiritual evils, may we be armed with the weapons of self-restraint.” 

On this 1st Sunday of Lent, we hear Jesus taking up the battle as He faced the three temptations of the devil. 

Jesus overcame each temptation and exhausted the devil, but that was not the end of the war. The battle will continue all the way to the Cross. 

As for us, the battle will be in the fields and the nooks and corners of our lives. 

God will give us strength and He will train us to prepare our arms for battle and our hearts for war. 

We draw strength from God with the three spiritual exercises of Lent, and that is prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

The devil tempted Jesus with the basic human needs for food, the desire for glory and power, and to put God to the test. 

The three spiritual exercises are weapons of self-restraint and self-control. With that we let God be our shield and our armour against the devil. 

But the devil knows our weaknesses, and he will do everything to break through our defences in order to destroy us. 

But as much as the devil is our greatest enemy, there is also another enemy that we need to be aware of. And that enemy is none other than ourselves. 

Oh yes, we are actually our greatest enemy. Because it is up to us to decide to say “Yes” to God or “Yes” to the devil. 

The devil became who he is because he said “No” to God and it is an eternal and irreversible “No”. 

And the devil will always tempt us to say “No” to God and to drop the weapons of self-restraint and self-control. 

We say “No” to God when we hunger and desire for attention and glory for ourselves. 

We say “No” to God when we are prideful and want to win every discussion and argument and put others down in order to be looked up to. 

We say “No” to God when we are selfish and self-centred and harbour anger and resentment against others. 

But Jesus, in the gospel, taught us to say “Yes” to God. It is with obedience and humility that we say “Yes” to God and overcome the devil's temptations. 

Let us take up the weapons of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, so that we can have self-restraint and self-control. 

Let us say “Yes” to God and follow Jesus as He leads us into the battle, a battle that will end in victory at the cross.