LENT I [A] Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Rom 5:12-19; Mt 4:1-11

Today we begin the first Sunday in the season of Lent. Lent is a season of penance that has been set apart by the Catholic Church in memory of the forty days fast of Our Lord Jesus in the desert.

The first reading from the book of Genesis (Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7) describes the “Original Temptation” – “You will be like gods, knowing what is good and what is evil.”  It tells us that Adam and Eve were given the possibility of making a choice. The fundamental choice was to live for God, dependent upon and obedient to His will, or to say no to God. Like Adam and Eve, we are all tempted to put ourselves in God’s place. Consequently, we resent every limit on our freedom, and we don’t want to be held responsible for the consequences of our choices, as the first parents tried to pass the blame on each other and the snake.

Paul reminds us of the social consequences of sin. Sin is never a private affair, affecting only myself. When we sin, all our relationships are affected: our relationship with our inner self, our relationships with our brothers and sisters, our relationship with our God and our relationship with nature and the world in which we live.

Today’s Gospel gives an account of the temptations Jesus endured. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, Jesus was put to severe temptations.  The message of lent given to us from the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is that we fight against three basic evil natures in us:  temptation to amass material possession, temptation to gain popularity through unfair means, temptation to get power at the cost of others. If we are able to resist them in little measures we will be able to contribute to the alleviation of suffering and injustice that prevail today.

Originally, Lent was the season when those about to be baptized repented of their sins and sought to know the Lord Jesus more intimately. Then it became a season for the baptized to do the same. We are challenged to die to sin so that we may rise again to the new life in Christ.

There is an Irish island called Lough Derg, which is also known as St. Patrick’s Purgatory, which purportedly was visited by St. Patrick in the 5th century. The saint came in order to spend a penitential retreat of forty days and forty nights. And from the Middle Ages to the present day, pilgrims have journeyed there, in imitation of Patrick, to do penance and to pray. When the retreatants arrive, they are instructed immediately to take off their shoes and socks, and they endure the three-day process barefoot, regardless of the weather. That first day, they fast (eating nothing but dry bread and a soup composed of hot water and pepper), and they move through a series of prayers and spiritual exercises. The first night, they are compelled to stay awake, fasting from sleep. If someone dozes off, his fellow pilgrims are expected to wake him up. The following day, they continue with their fast and their exercises, but they are allowed to sleep that night. The third day involves still more prayer and culminates with confession and Mass. After the liturgy, the pilgrims put their shoes back on and are ferried across to the mainland. Those who come to Lough Derg take their spiritual lives with utter seriousness, and that is precisely why they are willing to endure hardship – even imposing it on themselves – in order to deepen their communion with God. They know that there are certain tendencies within their bodies and souls that are preventing the achievement of full friendship with God and therefore they seek, quite sensibly, to discipline themselves.

St. John Henry Newman commented that the ascetical principle is basic to a healthy Christianity. He meant that Christians, at their best, understand that our sinful nature has to be chastised, disciplined, and rightly ordered. When the ascetical instinct disappears (as it has in much of Western Christianity), the spiritual life rapidly becomes superficial and attenuated, devolving into an easy “I’m okay and you’re okay” attitude. The whole point of the Christian life is to find joy, but the attainment of true joy comes, in a sinful world, at the cost of some suffering.

As we delve deeper into the season of lent let’s recognize our need to accept personal suffering and inconveniences to strengthen us in our spiritual footing and the need of grace to fight the temptations that come from within and the testing that comes from outside of us. And let’s earnestly pray the prayer Jesus taught us:  “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

OT VII [A] Lv 19:1-2, 17-18; I Cor 3:16-23; Mt 5:38-48 

The first reading, taken from the book of Leviticus, gives the holiness code: “Be holy, for I the Lord, your God, am holy.” It also gives us the way to share God’s holiness: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” God’s chosen people were, and are, expected to be holy people sharing in God’s holiness by embodying His love, mercy and forgiveness.

 In the second reading, St. Paul gives us an additional reason to be holy. We are to keep our bodies holy because we are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit lives in us. In the Gospel passages taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus confirms, corrects, and expands the Ten Commandments.

During their captivity in Egypt, the Jews became familiar with the crude tribal law of retaliation (Lex Talionis = Tit-for-Tat), given by the ancient lawmaker Hammurabi during the period 2285-2242 BC. When this law was first developed, it made life better and more civilized. It restricted revenge and made it commensurate with the offense. Moses instructed the Israelites to follow tit-for-tat retaliation, rather than to wreak total destruction upon their enemies. That is, instead of mutilating or murdering all the members of the offender’s family or tribe, they should discover the offender and only punish him/her with an equal mutilation or harm. Later, a milder version of this law was substituted. It demanded monetary compensation, as decided by a judge, in place of physical punishment. Moses also gave the Israelites several laws commanding merciful treatment for the enemy (e.g., Lv 19:18). By advising, “Turn to him the other cheek,” Jesus instructs his followers to forgive an insult gracefully and, so, convert the offender. He commands that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us to prove that we are children of a merciful Heavenly Father.

In Martin Luther King’s sermon, “Knock at Midnight”, King says, “My brother A.D. and I were traveling from Atlanta to Chattanooga on a dark and stormy night. For some reason, travelers were very discourteous that night. Hardly a single driver dimmed their lights. Finally, A.D. who was driving, said, ‘I have had enough’ as he powered his lights back on bright. I said, ‘Don’t do that, you are going to cause a wreck and get us killed.’ Somebody must have sense enough to dim their lights, to break the cycle of hate. If somebody doesn’t have sense enough to turn on the dim and beautiful lights of love, we are all going to plunge into the abyss.”‘ 

The second part of today’s Gospel passage is perhaps the central and the most famous section of the Sermon on the Mount. It gives us the Christian ethic of personal relationships: love one’s neighbors and forgive one’s enemies. Above all, it tells us that what makes Christians different is the grace with which they treat others with loving kindness and mercy, even if they don’t deserve it.

Toward the end of the Revolutionary War, a turncoat traitor, named Michael Whitman, was captured. At his trial it was proven that he had given the British army invaluable assistance on numerous occasions. He was found guilty of spying and sentenced to death by hanging. Michael Whitman was from a town called Ephrata. Word got back to that town of his imprisonment and impending execution. There was a Baptist preacher who also lived in that town whose name was Peter Miller. He heard about Michael Whitman’s plight and walked 70 miles in the cold and the snow to Philadelphia to see George Washington. Washington and Peter Miller were very close friends. Miller had done a great many favors for the army; he had given them spiritual nourishment and emotional strength during difficult times. When he came in to see George Washington he said, “General, I have a favor to ask of you.” Washington said, “What is it?” He said, “I have come to ask you to pardon Michael Whitman.” Washington was stunned. He said, “Pastor Miller, that’s impossible. Whitman has done everything in his power to betray us, even offering to join the British and help destroy us. I cannot be lenient with traitors, and for that reason I cannot pardon your friend.” Peter Miller said, “Friend! He’s no friend of mine. He’s the bitterest enemy I’ve ever had in my life. For years he persecuted me and harassed me. He did everything he could to hurt my Church and to hinder the preaching of the Gospel. He even waited for me one time after Church and beat me almost senseless, spitting in my face, knowing full well I would not strike him back.” He said, “General, let’s get this straight—Michael Whitman is no friend of mine.” George Washington was puzzled. He said, “But you asked me to pardon him.” He said, “I have, and I ask you to do it to me as a personal favor.” He said, “Why?” He said, “Because that’s exactly what Jesus has done for you and for me.” With tears in his eyes, George Washington walked into the next room and soon returned with a paper on which was written the pardon of Michael Whitman. Peter Miller went personally with him to the stockade, saved Michael Whitman from the hangman’s noose, and personally took him back to his own home where he led him to Faith in Jesus Christ. Peter Miller was right. What he did for Michael Whitman, Jesus Christ has done for us, and on the cross, He spoke to us as we should speak to others: “With malice toward none; with charity toward all.” 

We need to have a forgiving heart: Jesus demands that we should forgive, pardon and be generous whether or not our offenders deserve it, and even if we are not loved in return.

Today, as we continue with this Mass, and especially as we renew our faith in Christ and his plan for our lives by reciting the Creed, let's renew our commitment to obey our Lord who taught us to turn the other cheek, and also pray for those who willfully cause us suffering, hardships and unhappiness.

O T VI [A]: Sir 15:15-20, I Cor 2:6-10, Mt 5:17-37

Two great men were born in the year 1564 A.D. One was Shakespeare, who lived to the age of fifty-two and became the greatest dramatist of the English language. The other, Christopher Marlow, perished midway in his life at the age of twenty-nine, because of his anger. Christopher wrote some of the best tragical plays at a very young age. One of his best plays is The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus. Had he lived longer he probably would have become greater than Shakespeare. He was a man given to anger. He picked up a quarrel with a man in a tavern. That man challenged him to a sword fight unto death. They both fought and Christopher was mortally wounded and later succumbed to his injuries. A great promise was terminated because of anger. In the gospel reading today Jesus equates anger with physical murder. Whoever is angry with brother will be liable to judgment just the way a murderer will be.  We have to control our anger because it is the rawest, strongest and most destructive of human emotions.

The first reading, from Sirach, contains the clearest statement in the Old Testament concerning the God-given freedom of the human will and exonerating God from all responsibility for evil in the world. “If you choose, you can keep the commandments . . . before you, are life and death, whichever you choose shall be given you.” 

For the Israelites, the Torah was not a set of laws, but the instructions or teachings intended to promote the holiness and wholeness of each believer. It was the revealed will of a caring God for His Chosen People, those with whom He had made His covenant.

In today’s Gospel, while challenging his disciples to live a life of justice and righteousness which would exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus sets forth his own position with regard to the Law given through Moses by providing a new interpretation and meaning for the old laws. He says that he did not come to destroy the Torah but to bring it to perfection by bringing out its inner meaning, because Jesus Himself is the ultimate Self-revelation of God, the Lawgiver. Jesus also explains the real meaning of three Mosaic laws concerning murder, adultery and false oaths.

The world judges a man from his deeds. But Jesus judges a man from his thoughts. Jesus taught that thoughts are as important as deeds. By Jesus’ standards a man is not a good man until he never even desires to do a forbidden thing.

Jesus is very practical about what can corrupt our hearts. He identifies anger, lust, and dishonesty as hidden viruses capable of damaging, and even destroying our integrity, our very souls. But if we are honest with ourselves, all of us will have to admit that we struggle with temptation in each of these areas.

So what are we to do? Are we simply doomed? No.

Jesus comes with the medicine of his grace to cure us. Jesus looks to the heart, not just to appearances; he knows our deepest motivations and desires. We just have to give him the chance.

Later in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 15:18), Jesus explains that, "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man."

If we want to know the true condition of our hearts, of our friendship with Christ, all we have to do is reflect seriously about our words and the quality of our conversations. For a true, faithful citizen of Christ's Kingdom, the attitudes and desires of the heart must also be in harmony with God's plan for our lives. When we speak, are we usually building others up, or tearing them down? Do we engage in crude and degrading humor? Do we join in gossip sessions and unnecessarily spread criticisms or even lies?

Do we use our words to encourage, enlighten, and edify, or are we constantly nagging, nitpicking, and belittling?

The fuller our hearts are with God and the experience of his love, the more our words will reflect his mercy, goodness, and his wisdom.

The standard Jesus demands from us is not only our deeds but also our thoughts should be pure. So Jesus forbids forever the anger which broods, the anger which will not forget, the anger which refuses to be pacified, the anger which seeks revenge. When selfish anger boils up in our hearts, we don't have to let it rule our lives - we can turn to Christ on the cross and learn from him how to turn the other cheek.

When a lustful thought flashes through our minds, we don't have to accept it - we can reject it and turn to Jesus and Mary instead.

When we are tempted to get ahead by compromising the truth, we can hold our tongues and cling to Sirach's promise:  "Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him."

Jesus wants us to choose life, a fulfilling life here on earth and eternal life with him in Heaven, by choosing to reject temptation and follow him.

As we continue with this Mass, in which Jesus will give us, yet again, undeniable evidence of his unconditional love for each one of us, let's ask for the grace we need to make the right choices every day, thereby deepening our virtues rather than just externally comply with the laws like the Scribes and the Pharisees.

OT V [A]: Is 58:7-10; I Cor 2:1-5; Mt 5: 13-16

A mother and her small child once drove past the restored home of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield. It was night and the national shrine was brightly lit. “Look, mama,” the child said excitedly, “Mr. Lincoln has left his lights on.”  Smiling, the mother replied; “Yes, he left them on for the whole world to see.” Although Lincoln has been dead since 1865, he is still a tremendous inspiration to all people. But in a much more true sense Christ, “God from God, Light from Light” remains and will remain to the end the shining beacon for all peoples of all times. Christ has shared his Light with us his disciples and asks us to be what we are: the light of the world.

In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah gives examples of how we are to allow the light of God to shine through us. “Share your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.  Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday” (58:7, 10).  The refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps.112), also reminds us of our need to be light for others: “The just man is a light in the darkness to the upright.”

In today’s Gospel Our Lord teaches us that it’s not enough to have his light, or to use it for ourselves. We have to make that light shine and illuminate others as well.

The Christian’s task is to be the salt of society, preserving, reconciling, adding flavor, giving meaning where there is no meaning and giving hope where there is no hope.  Every Christian needs to reflect the light borrowed from Christ and radiate that light in the form of love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and humble service.

Christianity is meant to make a unique contribution to society and culture, even for those who do not believe in Christ. Salt subtly contributes to many recipes and is only appreciated at times when its absence is noted. It’s meant to blend in and contribute, and we have to make sure it receives the credit it is due. A world without Christianity is like a world without salt, flavorless and prone to spoiling.

Jesus went on to say that, if salt became insipid, it was fit only to be thrown out and trodden on by men.  Usually salt does not lose its flavor and its saltiness.  But when mixed with impurities, salt can lose its ability to enhance flavor.  We, too, might lose our ability to be a “flavoring agent” for the world if we allow “impurities” into our lives (1 Cor 15:33). Therefore, we need to keep ourselves free from sin (Eph 5:3-7), and be positive influence on others.

Christians lend flavor to life by helping people to live correctly and by keeping society wholesome. Just a little light empties the world of darkness.  With a little Faith and love we can light up a big social area and make a tangible impact on the world around us.  

We are bound to do in life what light does in nature.  Firstly, light shows the way to the people. In darkness we miss even a path which we have trodden a many times. Secondly, light helps us to see the beauty and the true value of things. And, thirdly, light makes things grow in nature. Brotherly love will help the light of Christ to grow brighter within the heart of a Christian and around him.

Jesus calls us to integrate our Christian Faith into our daily lives so that our service may be His service to others. So, we make a difference as Christians when we offer ourselves to God, when we proclaim the Good News in word and example, and when we serve others.  God calls us to worship, to witness, and to give.

St. Paul calls the Christians saints. Saints are people who let the light shine through. A little boy was taken by his mother to see a famous cathedral. On the windows were the pictures of various Christians. As he was watching the sunbeams shining through the stained-glass windows, he asked his mother, “Who are those people on the windows?” She said, “They’re saints.” The little boy looked at the windows and said, “Well, now I know what saints are. They are people who let the light shine through.” That little boy got it right.

Do you and I let the light of Jesus shine through our life?

Let’s pray for the grace to shine our light before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.

OT IV (Feb 2) (Feast of Presentation of our Lord) Mal 3: 1-4; Heb 2: 14-18; Lk 2: 22-40

In the United States and Canada, when one hears February 2, what comes to mind is Groundhog Day, the day when a prediction is made about how many more weeks of winter are left depending on whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not. But unlike the uncertainty of the weather, the feast of today, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord has a sense of certainty associated with it. In this feast, we celebrate the certainty of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel that is fulfilled in Jesus but that is extended to the entire world.

This feast commemorates the presentation of the Infant Jesus by Joseph and Mary to God in His Temple in Jerusalem. In the Eastern Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a combined feast, commemorating the Jewish practice of the purification of the mother after childbirth and the presentation of the child to God in the Temple. Known as the Feast of the Purification of Mary and the Feast of Candlemas (because of the blessing and procession of candles on this day acknowledging Christ as the light of the nations), this day is also called the Feast of Encounter because on it the New Testament, represented by the Baby Jesus, encountered the Old Testament, represented by Simeon and Anna.

Malachi prophesies in the first reading that the Lord is going to appear suddenly in the Temple of Jerusalem to purify its priests and the people. The prophecy warns that nobody can endure the day of the messenger’s coming because he will be like a refining fire, purifying the sons of Levi. Malachi prophesies that God will purify the lax, lazy and indifferent priests of His Temple as silver is purified by fire. At the time of Malachi (around 460-450 BC), the priests were offering blemished (blind, lame) sacrifices and giving bad example (1:6-2:4). The people were negligent in their support of the Temple (3:6-12).

The second reading proclaims Jesus as our Eternal High Priest of the New Covenant (Heb 2:17), who offered Himself on the altar of Calvary, the only pure priestly sacrifice that could please God. The Didache or the first catechism of the early Church (14:1-3), saw Malachi’s prophecy of a pure sacrifice and offering made from east to west as a prophecy of the sacrifice of the Eucharist.  Hence Malachi prophesies that the Lord will enter His Temple, there will be a renewed priesthood, and there will be a pure sacrifice offered pleasing to God — the Eucharist.

The birth of Christ was revealed by three kinds of witnesses in three different ways — first, by the shepherds, after the angel’s announcement; second, by the Magi, who were guided by a star; third, by Simeon and Anna, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Presentation of the Baby Jesus in the Temple was intended to ritually redeem Jesus who was the first born in the family and where Mary herself will have to be ritually purified. Mary and Joseph was a typical pious Jewish couple, who went to the Temple in obedience to do all that was required and expected of them by the Law.

The ritual consisted in offering a gift to God in symbolic exchange for their child, in order to acknowledge that children are a gift from God, and so ultimately belong to God. This ritual was also related to the Passover, when God slew the firstborn sons of Egypt, but spared those of Israel.

Exodus 13:2, 12-13 prescribes that every first-born male belongs to God and must be set apart for the Lord, that is, dedicated to the service of God. However, once divine worship was reserved to the tribe of Levi, first-born who did not belong to that tribe were not dedicated to God’s service, and to show that they continued to be God’s special property, a rite of redemption was performed.

The words Simeon addressed to Mary announced that she would be intimately linked with her Son’s redemptive work. The sword piercing her heart indicated that Mary would have a share in her Son’s sufferings. Our Lord suffered on the cross for our sins, and it is those sins which forged the sword of Mary’s pain. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow.  But her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and His promises. 

Every Holy Mass in which we participate is our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through our Savior Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass. Hence, we need to live our daily lives with the awareness both that we are dedicated people consecrated to God and that we are obliged to lead holy lives pleasing to God.