By Anthony Jayaraj csc –
Readings: Gen 9: 8-15; 1 Pet 3: 18-22; Mk 1: 12-15
As I am in the first week of the Lenten journey, the liturgy of the word invites me to make efforts to be rooted in the love of God and grow stronger in the faith. How can I do so? Perhaps I do not know how many times Jesus must have positively complimented instead of complaining during temptations, difficulties, and pleasures of every kind during those forty days.
Is it a forty day’s challenge or forty times forty to believe in the Lord, and with the Lord to face pain, shame, agony, and fear in life? For me to repent and believe in the good news means to be positive in the face of criticism, loneliness, lowliness, anger, personal failures, and weaknesses and surrender them all to the Lord during this season.
Concretely, with the Lord, with the word of God and with self-awareness, I will rise again to keep my conscience clear while bearing sufferings, pain, and difficulties to participate in the passion of Christ. Today, I implore God for perseverance and inner desire to purify my mind, soul and body to offer him the inner self as pure, clear and beautiful through daily crosses.