The Desert Road to Easter

1st Sunday of Lent Feb. 26, 2012 (Mk 1:12-15)

At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

Being man, Jesus also experienced temptation. After being baptized by John, just before He began His public ministry, Jesus retreated into the desert, driven by the Holy Spirit. There He was tempted by Satan, as all men are tempted. But Jesus never fell into sin. He was tempted but He overcame temptation.

Jesus' victory over temptation tells us that even as men, we can overcome temptation. We are always tempted to sin but we do have the ability to refuse to sin. In the desert, Jesus was among wild beasts, but He also had angels there to minister to Him. As children of God in this world, we are also like lambs among wolves, but we have God with us. On our own, we'll probably fall victim to the devil and to his temptations, especially in our world today where the value of prayer and sacrifice is neglected and where committing sin and giving in to temptations are encouraged. But we have God to strengthen us and to help us live according to His will. He sent us His Spirit to lead us in holiness and His angels guide us in our earthly journey.

This holy season of Lent, the Church reiterates the importance of turning away from sin and turning towards God. Jesus Himself, after being victorious over temptation, proclaims the message: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The whole Lenten journey is a preparation for the celebration of Easter. We die in our sinfulness in order to worthily and more meaningfully celebrate the joy of Christ's resurrection. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the practices which aid us in the challenge of repentance.

In prayer, we recognize that we need God and we ask for His help in order to change our lives and to turn away from sin. In fasting and abstaining, we practice control over our bodies and we learn discipline that helps us triumph over the urges and temptations to sin. In almsgiving, we practice selflessness in sacrificing for the welfare of others, as Jesus showed us. These practices, which we must learn to do even outside Lent, help us to turn away from sin and to turn to God.

The call to repentance is a call that we must heed constantly. But even if we falter and sin every now and then, God gives us the strength to come back to Him. Lent is a special time to repent, if we haven't already done so. A joyful and meaningful celebration of Easter requires a well-spent Lent.

May we all have a fruitful Lenten journey towards a triumphant Easter!

All These in Her Heart

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Jan. 1, 2012 (Lk 2:16-21)

So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

The shepherds were very much blessed on that first Christmas night. An angel announced to them the news of the Savior's birth. A multitude of the heavenly host singing glory to God appeared to them. But most of all, as today's Gospel tells us, the shepherds were graced with the presence of God. They saw the child in the manger. They witnessed how God came to His people, how He became close to them, even becoming one like them. They might not have understood everything that was happening, but surely they knew that God was at work. They recognized that everything that was happening was brought about by God.

Like the shepherds, we must also recognize God working in our lives. This new year, the most important thing we could wish for is God's presence, the very same grace that the shepherds received. Our efforts for change this new year will not be fruitful without God. We must, therefore, pray that God may guide us the whole year through, that He may help us change and that His will may be fulfilled in us.

As we begin the new year, we again look to Mary, the Mother of God. In today's Gospel, we hear how she treasured in her heart everything that happened to them. Like the shepherds, she might not have understood everything, but she kept all of these and reflected on them in her heart. We too must learn to pray and to reflect as Mary did. We should not just go head on in our life journey. Everything happens for a reason ordained by God. But if we fail to pause and reflect, we might miss what God is trying to tell us through the events in our lives. In prayerful reflection, Mary obeyed God's will perfectly. That is also how we ought to live our lives, in order to find peace that comes only from God, even amidst everything that we might face.

Today, as we celebrate the Octave of Christmas, we also hear from the Gospel about how Mary's son was circumcised and named Jesus. Let us always remember the meaning of Jesus' name - God saves. This is our assurance this new year. Jesus, the God who saves, has come to be with us. With Jesus as our Savior, and with Mary as our mother and model of prayer and obedience, we can go on in our life journey in peace and security.