Speaker: Fr. Freddie Sabado ,SVD

“ A Lenten Recollection ”

D uring the Lenten season, we, as Catholics, usually remember the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us re-focus our attention on what we are celebrating. What is Jesus all about? What is his message to us? What is his vision? What are his missions? Jesus became man two thousand years ago to glorify “Abba,” his Father. (John 17:4). He proclaimed the kingdom of God and preached the gospel.

T he experiences of Jesus during his ministry on earth manifested the following truths:

1. G od Always Loves Us Unconditionally

G od loves us in a way no one else could ever love us. We are precious beings in the eyes of God. We are accepted, loved, and cared for by God as his creation. He loves us not just collectively but personally. He gives us a personal friendship that He himself initiates.

Y our coming into The Lord's Flock is an invitation of friendship from God himself. When we realize God's friendship and love, we should have joy and peace within our hearts – not fear of hell and punishment.

J esus said “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). Our spiritual and other activities should lead us into the fullness of life. As Christians, we should remain alive in faith. We are loved by God beyond our imagination; we are healed, restored and set free.

O ften, we do not think about God when our life is stable and happy. When we have problems, it is the only time we think about God. In joy and in pain, we should remain with God. We should never think that He has abandoned us. He always remains in our midst.

W e are grateful to God that He proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). However, we sometimes fail to see, accept, and respond to God's love.

C hristianity is not a dogmatic religion; it is not a religion of do's and don'ts. It is also not a religion of general morality. It is not an ascetic religion (practicing self-denial).

C hristianity is a mystic religion. We believe in a personal God who accepts our being unique, who delights in our existence, and who loves us infinitely.

C hristianity is also a therapeutic religion. We are under God's therapy. He repairs and restores us. He gives us his encouragement. If ever we fall, He stretches his hands to help us.

W hen Peter began to walk on the water toward Jesus, he became frightened as he saw how strong the wind was. He began to sink and cried out “Lord save me!” Jesus stretched out his hand and saved Peter. (Matthew 14:29-31). This is an example of how Jesus saves.

W hen we fall, Jesus will be there to stretch his hands to save us. He always accompanies us in our journey in life. He wants us to be restored, healed, and fully alive – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He wants us to live our life to its fullness. (John 10:10).

T ruly, our religion is manifested by a loving God who became a human being like us. We have a God who is with us right now – and always.

2. O ur God Is A Loving and Forgiving God

W hen we talk about God, we always see a loving God in the person of Jesus Christ. He is a God of forgiveness.

J esus is ready to forgive us and to restore us to the fullness of life. No matter how we mess up our life, or how “unchristian” we live, or how indifferent we are to his love, Jesus will always forgive us – provided we repent and ask for forgiveness. If we do not ask for forgiveness, He cannot give it to us because He respects our God-given free will. Even then, He gives us time to reflect.

G od actually offers us a future full of hope; a future that exceeds our expectations. Let us therefore ask for forgiveness. It is never too late to do so. The best years of our life are still ahead of us – not behind us. In every moment of our life, God offers us a future full of hope. Our religion, Christianity, is full of hope. We do not despair. We are asked by Jesus to rise, pick up your mat, and go home (like the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12). If ever we fall, Jesus is always there to ask us to rise and pick up the pieces in our life.

G od is a God of the present. Jesus came to wipe away the burden of the past and the worries of the future. He wants us to discover God here and now, where we are and at this very moment. God is revealing himself to us in the present – not in the future, but now!

3. G od Is Always With Us

G od is with us (Emmanuel). In the Bible, many names have been given to YAHWEH. The most adequate name seems to be “Emmanuel,” meaning “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:20-23). Yahweh is a God who belongs to us, who loves to be among us, and who cares for us.

G od is a compassionate God. Compassion is “racham” in Hebrew. “Racham” refers to the womb of woman; it connotes the giving and nourishing of life and love of a mother to a child in her womb. Compassion also means the sharing of the pain of others and the experiencing of joy of others.

C ompassion is the key to understand correctly the ministry and life of Jesus. The lifestyle of Jesus is anchored on his compassion and solidarity with the poor and marginalized people of his time. Jesus of history did not serve inside the walls of Jerusalem but outside in order to serve the poor, the outcast and the isolated people in Capernaum . He encountered all kinds of people – prostitutes, paralytics, blind men, lepers and others. He had compassion for these people.

T he actions of Jesus, in his time, were motivated by his compassion. His death on the cross is a supreme act of compassion for the suffering humanity. In our present era, every time Jesus answers our cries for help, it is still because of his compassion for us.

G od is always present with us . He reaches out to touch us and to show us his love and mercy. He helps us and guides us. But we must understand that we must also learn to live our own lives. It means we must learn to encounter anguish, pain, suffering, worries, problems and ultimately death. We, like other creatures on earth, must accept our own mortality and finiteness.

W hat is a blessing for us is that God will always be there for us especially when we feel lonely, rejected, and hurt. We always feel the presence of Jesus. We remember his suffering, pain, and ultimate sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation into eternal life.

The Four “Rs” To Prepare for Easter

W e need four “Rs” for us to prepare for Easter and, for that matter, to prepare for a holy and spiritual life. These are the following:

1. R epentance – Repentance is being sorry for our sins. It requires the virtue of humility.

H umility demands that we accept our humanness. We admit our helplessness before God. We submit to God's will.

G od himself is humble; He humbled himself and became a human person in Jesus Christ who came and died on the cross for man's salvation. (John 3:16).

L et us take Jesus' example of supreme humility. Let us admit our helplessness, confess our sins and repent.

2. R eparation – After learning how to repent, we should learn how to repair the wrong that we have done to others.

R eparation is putting right what we have done wrong to others. It is also restoring relationships that we have damaged.

J ustice requires us to do the repairs, to right the wrong, or to restore what has been damaged.

3. R econciliation – After repentance and reparation, there should be reconciliation.

R econciliation is the way to peace. The love of God and the peace of God should follow.

P eace of our conscience also follows reconciliation. Reconciliation restores good relationship.

4. R ENEWAL - There is renewal that results from reconciliation through dialogue and other peaceful means. Renewal means change of who we are before God. We open our whole being to God's grace. We renew our heart and soul. We renew our relationship with the Lord. We ask God to give us strength to sustain our renewed life during the Lenten Season and the rest of the year.