03 March 2023 – Friday of the 1st Week of Lent (Year A)

by Fr Joachim Robert

Dear friends,

As we have begun this second Friday, going through the Way of the Cross, a journey that we have taken in this time of grace makes us realise of what we are called to aim at.

And the first thing that the First Reading of today from the Prophet Ezekiel speaks about is to always and continue to do good in our lives. Because when we do good, when we are faithful to this prompting of God, to remain faithful to His teaching, we indeed will be blessed. And he says:-

If a wicked man renounces his sin he has committed, respect my laws and is law abiding and honest, he will certainly live, not die.

And that is the demand of discipleship that is given to us.

The Gospel today, dear friends, to live that ideal of life. The goodness that the Lord invites us into requires us that we must have a transformation of heart. A heart that is able to listen to God’s promptings and seek His will in our lives. And we are able to seek His will, our hearts get transformed, our will bends to the will and the plan of God.

And only when we are able to humble ourselves before the Lord, this time of Lent, dear friends, becomes an opportunity where we grow in sensitivity to where the Lord calls us. Because when we deprive ourselves, deny ourselves from our pleasures, we indeed grow deep roots in our faith journey, we grow deep roots in our conviction of faith. And after growing deep roots, we are called to spring and blossom once again.

But during this period of time, we are called to put these two tension in place. One is to look at the ideals the Lord has for us and to acknowledge that we are sinners needing the grace of God to be at work so that our hearts can be transformed.

And the Gospel Acclamation today tells us:-

Seek good and not evil so that you may live and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.

So, dear friends, in this time of Lent:-

1. How are we preparing our hearts to seek the Lord?
2. And what are the areas of life that we are denying so that we can grow in sensitivity through our fasting, through our alms giving, through our prayers?

We are called and we are invited to deepen that experience of God during this time of Lent so that the awareness of God’s love can reawaken in our hearts this passion and the desire to follow Him with conviction and with love.

And let us pray for all of us, dear friends, especially for those of us who are struggling with relationship, especially in our families, that the goodness of the Lord may prevail in our families, in our communities so that we are able to allow our hearts to change, to be molded, to turn our hearts of stone to a heart of flesh.

Click below to listen to homily and watch video:–

Click to live-stream Mass on 03 March 2023