Here is the text of the reflection I shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend. On the first Sunday of Lent, some thoughts about how we can begin to use this time of grace to come close to Jesus and to allow him to come close to us.
A few days ago, we began the season of Lent. During this period of preparation for the celebration of Easter, the liturgy invites us to enter into a privileged experience of being in the presence of Jesus. Saint Mark tells us that after Jesus was baptized, the Spirit drove him into the wilderness for forty days (Mk 1:12-13) so we can take comfort in the fact that as we begin this Lenten experience, we are not alone. Jesus is travelling with us along the road.
We might begin by asking ourselves: What is it that I hope to accomplish this Lent? Each of us needs to grow in some way, so Lent allows us to stop what we are doing, to look around us so that we can get our bearings, and then to return to the Father who is waiting for us with outstretched arms.
The first reading for today’s liturgy, taken from the Book of Genesis, reminds us of the story of Noah and his family who were saved from the flood. After the waters had receded, God established a covenant with Noah and his descendants ... (Gn 9:10). Our God is always faithful to his word. He remembers the covenant he made with Noah and establishes a covenant with each one of us at the time of our Baptism.
All these many centuries later, we need to stop during the season of Lent so that we can remember that God has created a covenant with each one of us. Perhaps as time has gone by, we have forgotten how precious we are in the sight of God, but he has never forgotten.
We need to look around us: look at the life that we have lived up to now and ask ourselves whether we have been faithful to the covenant that God created on the day of our Baptism. If not, this is the favourable time for us to be honest with ourselves and with God. He is appealing to our consciences (cf 1 Pet 3:21) and asking us to be true to ourselves and true to him.
The Church teaches that Baptism cannot be repeated, but if our journey this Lent should indeed lead us to recognize the fact that we have strayed from the original joy of knowing that each one of us is a precious and beloved child of God, we can still return to the Father through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
A few years ago, the entire Church was invited to live a Year of Mercy: a time when we were all invited to encounter God the Father’s merciful heart. Many people took advantage of that special year to rediscover the joy of Baptism and the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but even after we have encountered the merciful heart of God and celebrated his forgiveness, there is always the challenge of keeping our consciences clean after we have received absolution. The answer to that question is simple because the Sacrament of Reconciliation does not just allow us to rid ourselves of our sins; it also fills us with God’s grace so that we can face the future.
As we set out on our journey this week, let us pray for the grace to walk with Jesus. He came to forgive our sins but also to make us holy. Let us ask him to help us to come back home, into the loving embrace of our Father.
Time to clean house
A few days ago, we began the season of Lent. During this period of preparation for the celebration of Easter, the liturgy invites us to enter into a privileged experience of being in the presence of Jesus. Saint Mark tells us that after Jesus was baptized, the Spirit drove him into the wilderness for forty days (Mk 1:12-13) so we can take comfort in the fact that as we begin this Lenten experience, we are not alone. Jesus is travelling with us along the road.
We might begin by asking ourselves: What is it that I hope to accomplish this Lent? Each of us needs to grow in some way, so Lent allows us to stop what we are doing, to look around us so that we can get our bearings, and then to return to the Father who is waiting for us with outstretched arms.
The first reading for today’s liturgy, taken from the Book of Genesis, reminds us of the story of Noah and his family who were saved from the flood. After the waters had receded, God established a covenant with Noah and his descendants ... (Gn 9:10). Our God is always faithful to his word. He remembers the covenant he made with Noah and establishes a covenant with each one of us at the time of our Baptism.
All these many centuries later, we need to stop during the season of Lent so that we can remember that God has created a covenant with each one of us. Perhaps as time has gone by, we have forgotten how precious we are in the sight of God, but he has never forgotten.
We need to look around us: look at the life that we have lived up to now and ask ourselves whether we have been faithful to the covenant that God created on the day of our Baptism. If not, this is the favourable time for us to be honest with ourselves and with God. He is appealing to our consciences (cf 1 Pet 3:21) and asking us to be true to ourselves and true to him.
The Church teaches that Baptism cannot be repeated, but if our journey this Lent should indeed lead us to recognize the fact that we have strayed from the original joy of knowing that each one of us is a precious and beloved child of God, we can still return to the Father through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
A few years ago, the entire Church was invited to live a Year of Mercy: a time when we were all invited to encounter God the Father’s merciful heart. Many people took advantage of that special year to rediscover the joy of Baptism and the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but even after we have encountered the merciful heart of God and celebrated his forgiveness, there is always the challenge of keeping our consciences clean after we have received absolution. The answer to that question is simple because the Sacrament of Reconciliation does not just allow us to rid ourselves of our sins; it also fills us with God’s grace so that we can face the future.
As we set out on our journey this week, let us pray for the grace to walk with Jesus. He came to forgive our sins but also to make us holy. Let us ask him to help us to come back home, into the loving embrace of our Father.
C’est le temps du ménage
Il y a quelques jours, nous avons commencé le temps du Carême. Au cours de cette période de préparation à la célébration de Pâques, la liturgie nous invite à vivre une expérience privilégiée, celle d'être en présence de Jésus. Saint Marc nous dit qu'après le baptême de Jésus, l'Esprit l'a poussé au désert pendant quarante jours (Mc 1, 12-13) alors nous pouvons être encouragés par le fait qu’en commençant cette expérience de Carême, nous ne sommes pas seuls. Jésus marche avec nous le long de la route.
Nous pourrions commencer par nous demander: Qu'est-ce que j'espère accomplir pendant ce temps de Carême? Nous avons tous besoin de grandir d'une certaine façon, alors le Carême nous permet d'arrêter nos activités, de regarder autour de nous pour retrouver nos points repère, puis de retourner vers le Père qui nous attend à bras ouverts.
La première lecture de cette Messe, tirée du Livre de la Genèse, nous rappelle l'histoire de Noé et de sa famille qui ont été sauvés du déluge. Après que les eaux se furent retirées, Dieu établit une alliance avec Noé et ses descendants ... (Gn 9, 10). Notre Dieu est toujours fidèle à sa parole. Il se souvient de l'alliance qu'il a faite avec Noé et il établit une alliance avec chacun de nous au moment de notre baptême.
Même de nos jours, nous pouvons nous arrêter pendant le temps de Carême afin de nous souvenir du fait que Dieu a créé une alliance avec chacun de nous. Peut-être que le temps a passé, nous avons oublié jusqu’à quel point nous sommes précieux aux yeux de Dieu, mais Lui, il n'a jamais oublié cela.
Nous devons regarder autour de nous: réfléchir sur la vie que nous avons vécue jusqu'à présent; demandons-vous si nous avons été fidèles à l'alliance que Dieu a créée le jour de notre baptême. Sinon, c'est maintenant le moment propice pour être honnêtes avec nous-mêmes et avec Dieu. Il fait appel à notre conscience (cf 1 Pierre 3:21) et nous demande d'être fidèles à nous-mêmes et fidèles à Lui.
Selon la tradition de l’Église catholique, le baptême ne peut être répété, mais si notre parcours nous conduit effectivement à reconnaître le fait que nous nous sommes éloignés de la joie originelle de savoir que chacun de nous est un enfant précieux et aimé de Dieu, nous pouvons encore retourne au Père par le Sacrement de la Réconciliation.
Il y a quelques années, tous les catholiques ont été invités à vivre une Année de la Miséricorde: un temps où nous étions tous invités à rencontrer le cœur miséricordieux de Dieu le Père. Beaucoup de gens ont profité de cette année spéciale pour redécouvrir la joie du Baptême et la puissance du Sacrement de Réconciliation; cependant même après avoir expérimenté la miséricorde de Dieu et après avoir célébré son pardon, il y a toujours le défi de garder nos consciences propres après que nous ayons reçu l'absolution. La réponse à cette question est simple parce que le Sacrement de la Réconciliation ne nous permet pas seulement de nous débarrasser de nos péchés; cela nous remplit aussi de la grâce de Dieu pour que nous puissions affronter l'avenir.
Au cours des prochains jours, prions pour avoir la grâce d’être conscients de la présence de Jésus. Il est venu pour pardonner nos péchés, mais aussi pour nous rendre saints. Demandons-lui de nous aider à revenir à la maison, dans l'étreinte amoureuse de notre Père.
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