Fr. Joeven Matugas, SX
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
We have just begun the Season of Lent in our Church Liturgy. This season of Lent is another liturgical stage set apart in order for us, church faithful, to have a proper time to meditate the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.
The Church is asking us, the faithful, to pray, observe fasting and abstinence and almsgiving (acts of charity). In prayer, we meditate the readings of the Mass and do personal reflections. In fasting, we refrain to eat the three meals in a day (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday), as a sign of self-discipline and concrete help to our brothers and sisters who are poor and hungry. In abstinence, we refrain to eat any kind of meat. In almsgiving, we need to be kind, considerate to our brothers and sisters who are sick, and those who are less fortunate that needs help. These are the pillars of Lent. A spiritual exercise, not to punish our bodies but to strengthen and nourish our soul. This practice is very helpful and meaningful for our spiritual lives. That all Catholics around the world, in communion with each other, come together to ask for Repentance and Forgiveness of our sins especially to approach the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. This is the greatest gift by which we can glorify to God in this present moment. Pope Francis said, “we keep our hearts warm, enthusiastic, alive, cheerful and not cold”. (Lent Message 2018).
In the Gospel today, Mark 1:12-15, Jesus began his ministry by “proclaiming the Good News from God”. That He is bringing a new Kingdom – a kingdom of service, humility, justice, and of peace. And there is an imperative to “Repent and Believe the Good News”. This is the main concern of this season.
The Repentance that Jesus wants us to show and to carry out is not just to feel sorry because we have sinned, but to abhor sin itself. Meaning to abandon the sin. To hate sin. To reject sin. And then, people will start to create a new life. To start something anew. To renew, restore and recover what has been lost. To make ourselves “whole” anew again in God.
“To Believe in the Good News simply means to take Jesus at his word,. To believe that God is really the kind of God Jesus told us about. To believe that God so loved the world that He gave his son to bring us all back to Himself. To believe that what sounds too good to be true is really true”. (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible, 26)
One very visible spiritual action to do during Lent is to participate, meditate and pray the Stations of the Cross. This is a long standing tradition of the church that is predominantly observed every year in all the Parishes all over the world. This is an exterior expression of our faith in meditating the suffering of Jesus during his passion and Cross.
And of course the celebration of Palm Sunday – the Holy Week, the last Supper of the Lord (Holy Thursday), Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) and Easter Vigil. These events constitute the Easter Triduum – the core of our Christian Faith.
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
We have just begun the Season of Lent in our Church Liturgy. This season of Lent is another liturgical stage set apart in order for us, church faithful, to have a proper time to meditate the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.
The Church is asking us, the faithful, to pray, observe fasting and abstinence and almsgiving (acts of charity). In prayer, we meditate the readings of the Mass and do personal reflections. In fasting, we refrain to eat the three meals in a day (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday), as a sign of self-discipline and concrete help to our brothers and sisters who are poor and hungry. In abstinence, we refrain to eat any kind of meat. In almsgiving, we need to be kind, considerate to our brothers and sisters who are sick, and those who are less fortunate that needs help. These are the pillars of Lent. A spiritual exercise, not to punish our bodies but to strengthen and nourish our soul. This practice is very helpful and meaningful for our spiritual lives. That all Catholics around the world, in communion with each other, come together to ask for Repentance and Forgiveness of our sins especially to approach the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. This is the greatest gift by which we can glorify to God in this present moment. Pope Francis said, “we keep our hearts warm, enthusiastic, alive, cheerful and not cold”. (Lent Message 2018).
In the Gospel today, Mark 1:12-15, Jesus began his ministry by “proclaiming the Good News from God”. That He is bringing a new Kingdom – a kingdom of service, humility, justice, and of peace. And there is an imperative to “Repent and Believe the Good News”. This is the main concern of this season.
The Repentance that Jesus wants us to show and to carry out is not just to feel sorry because we have sinned, but to abhor sin itself. Meaning to abandon the sin. To hate sin. To reject sin. And then, people will start to create a new life. To start something anew. To renew, restore and recover what has been lost. To make ourselves “whole” anew again in God.
“To Believe in the Good News simply means to take Jesus at his word,. To believe that God is really the kind of God Jesus told us about. To believe that God so loved the world that He gave his son to bring us all back to Himself. To believe that what sounds too good to be true is really true”. (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible, 26)
One very visible spiritual action to do during Lent is to participate, meditate and pray the Stations of the Cross. This is a long standing tradition of the church that is predominantly observed every year in all the Parishes all over the world. This is an exterior expression of our faith in meditating the suffering of Jesus during his passion and Cross.
And of course the celebration of Palm Sunday – the Holy Week, the last Supper of the Lord (Holy Thursday), Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) and Easter Vigil. These events constitute the Easter Triduum – the core of our Christian Faith.