1st Sunday of Lent, Year B

"Reform your lives and believe in the good news!"


Lectionary Readings for the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year B

The Spirit led Jesus into the desert where he was tempted by the
evil one. Satan tested Jesus and wanted Jesus to take a path that
was not of the Father's plan. Jesus, strong as he was because of
the Spirit in him, was able to resist these temptations and continued
with the mission entrusted to him by the Father.

After the test in the desert, Jesus appeared in Galilee and began
his ministry. His rallying cry was "reform your lives and
believe in the good news!" This was a preparation for people to
turn away from their sinful ways and believe in the salvation that
Jesus was offering them.

In this liturgical season of Lent, let us examine our life at this
time and see how many times we have been unable to resist the
temptations of the flesh, the world and the evil one. When we have
fallen, could it be because we have not rooted our life well in
Jesus? Perhaps we were so immersed in the world that we have
forgotten to pray to Jesus and ask him the strength to resist
sin. Let us then pray for sorrow for our sins and find means and
ways to reconcile with God through the sacrament of confession.
By constantly examining ourselves and being responsible for our
acts of sin, we are in the right step and direction of reforming
our life and believing in the good news Jesus offers us: that he
is victorious over sin and evil.

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

"The day will come...when the bridegroom will be taken away...on that day
they will fast."


Lectionary Readings for the 8th Sunday of the Year, Year B

In this Sunday's gospel, we see people coming to Jesus and saying in
objection: "Why do John's disciples and those of the Pharisees fast
while yours do not?" Jesus tells them that while the bridegroom is
with them, the people do not fast. Only when the bridegroom is taken
away, do the people fast. This bridegroom that Jesus was saying is
a reference to himself. Jesus knew that a time will come when he
had to lay down his life for his people; a time will come when he
had to obey the Father's will and sacrifice his life so that the
world may be saved from sin. Although Jesus was fulfilling the
Law and the Prophets, he was introducing a new tradition, a tradition
where love ruled over the Law, the Sabbath and simple traditions
like fasting and the cleansing rituals that had to be done before
eating.

For us today, especially those who belong to old generations, it
seems upsetting when things change or change is introduced into our
way of doing things. For the younger generation, this is no problem
as they are more open to change. In fact, they want change. And
this can be seen in their avid desire to follow fads and fashions
in the music and technological world. For those of us who have
already settled into life and have created quite a stable form of
living, when change comes, we are like the people and the Pharisees
and scribes who are get upset when Jesus does not "do what is
usually done". However, even though we may be part of the present
status quo, we are called to be open to change, especially if this
change is for the better. Only when we make ourselves docile to
the Spirit, then the Spirit can change our minds and hearts and
make it more receptive to the will of God. Let us therefore be
open especially to the Holy Spirit. For even if He brings on
change, we know that it is of God.

7th Sunday of the Year, Year B

"I command you: Stand up! Pick up your mat and go home."


Lectionary Readings for the 7th Sunday of the Year, Year B

In this Sunday's gospel, we have the story of a paralyzed man who could not
go to Jesus because the crowds prevented him. But, this did not deter him
and those who wished to help him. The four men who wished to help him,
carried him up to the roof of the house were Jesus was, opened up
the roof, and then slowly let down the mat on which the paralytic
was, over the spot where Jesus taught the people. This action of faith
impressed Jesus so much that Jesus said, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

Bible scholars tell us that in those times, the Jewish religious
mentality saw sickness as a punishment for sin. And it is in this
context of religious thought that Jesus said, "your sins are forgiven."
Although this statement angered the scribes who thought of this as
blasphemous, Jesus nevertheless stood his ground and made the
paralyzed man well.

In our present times, whenever we get sick or whenever anyone in our
family gets sick, our first response to the problem is to bring ourselves
or the member of the family to the doctor. This is a prudent action in
our present scientific mentality, because the body itself gets sick
and weak. However, we forget that before the body gets weak and sick,
most often, our spirits get weak and our soul is weighed down with
sin. Although this is not always the case, it is a reality for some
that when they are too much "in the world" and "in the rat race",
the involvement weakens their faith in God. A weakening in faith in
God makes us rely more on our own strengths - thus exhausting us
and sapping us of the vitality that really has its source in the
God of all life. And it is God who is really the ultimate
solution to all of our problems and all of the ills we experience in
our world.

Whenever we have the time for silence and reflection, let us heed
the call to prayer and repentance. Let us not wait until the moment
that we experience some form of "paralysis" in our lives. Let us
rather approach the Lord and seek His forgiveness and ask for good
health, in body and in soul. If we, however, are now in some state
of "paralysis", let us learn from the example of the gospel and follow the
paralytic, who did not lose faith despite the obstacle of the crowds
preventing him to approach Jesus. Let us pray for the gift of faith
to strengthen us so that we can approach the Lord in the sacraments
and be granted the grace of healing we need in our life.