by Fr Raymond Raj
Joel 2:12-18
Psalm 50:3-6,12-14,17
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Theme: Repent & Return to the Lord
Brothers and sisters in the blessed Lord, if you have read the Gospel clearly, the word ‘secret‘ is being repeated over and over again. So today’s Gospel theme is about ‘Secret‘.
Speaking of keeping secrets, to keep a secret between two people, the principle is one of them must be dead. Then only you can keep that secret.
Brothers and sisters, if you want to keep a secret, you, you yourself, must hide it from yourself first and foremost. The Season of Lent calls you and me to pray, to fast and to give secretly.
In short, Jesus is telling us today:
Do not parade yourselves because my Father in heaven is not interested at all with your showmanship.
Brothers and sisters, remember this always in your life. God sees what humans often do not see. God sees the good and the evil we do to others and also ourselves. As much as prayer, fasting and almsgiving are done communally in the parish, publicly in the parish, I think prayer, fasting and alms giving must also be personal, Sendirian Berhad, because personal conversion is the heart of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Don’t look at others. Your own self first. Personal conversion is the secret to become a disciple of Jesus.
Brothers and sisters in the Lord, the Season of Lent invites each one of us to grow intimately to a deeper relationship with this Living God. Through this intimacy with God, God’s grace becomes visible for us to make the necessary change in our lives.
Therefore, my dear friends, I urge you for the next forty days (take it as a personal challenge) which area of your life needs to change? Which area of your life?
To find out the answer to this question: Which area of my life I need to change? You and I must pray, must fast and also above all, must give.
So beginning today and the next forty days to come, let us be attentive, let us be sensitive to the Holy Spirit which is going to challenge us for the next forty days and move us to a new horizon with this Living God.
We pray for this grace during this Holy Mass.
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