March 30 - Fourth Sunday in Lent : Spiritual Blindness

First Reading         :  1 Samuel 16:1-13Psalm                     :  Psalm 23
Second Reading     :  Ephesians 5:8-14
Gospel                    :  John
9:1-41
God’s ways of seeing are not our ways, we hear in today’s First Reading.
Jesus illustrates this in the Gospel - as the blind man comes to see and the
Pharisees are made blind. The blind man stands for all humanity. “Born totally
in sin” he is made a new creation by the saving power of Christ. As God
breathed the spirit of life into the first man, the blind man is not healed
until he washes in the waters of Siloam, a name that means “Sent.” Jesus is the
new source of life-giving water - the Holy Spirit who rushes upon us in Baptism
(see John 4:10; 7:38-39). In the restful waters of Baptism He has refreshed our
souls. He has anointed our heads with the oil of Confirmation and spread the
Eucharistic table before us, filling our cups to overflowing. With the
once-blind man we enter His house to give God the praise, to renew our vow : “I
do believe, Lord.”

March 23 - Third Sunday in Lent : Living Water

 
First Reading         :  Exodus 17:1-7Psalm                     : Psalm 95
Second Reading    :  Romans 5:1-11
Gospel                   :  John 4:5-42
 
We also have a thirst like the Samaritan woman. What is it that we are
thirsting for? By our baptism we have been given the gift of faith and eternal
life, but what steps do we have to take to live that life? Do we still thirst
for material things, for bodily pleasures, for power or status? How can we let
the waters that Jesus describes, quench that thirst in us? Jesus is the source
of that water, and by going to Jesus we will find the help, the fullness, the
refreshment we need. During this Lenten Season then, let us come to the well
and meet Jesus there. He will give us living water, which is water that does
not run out because it grows from within, and it quenches our deepest thirst –
the thirst for God - “My soul thirsts for God, the living God!” And
this is the Good News of today.

March 16 - Second Sunday in Lent : Transfiguration

First Reading         :  Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm                     :  Psalm 121
Second Reading    :  Romans 4:1-5,
13-17
Gospel                   :  John 3:1-17
or Matthew 17:1-9
The
transfiguration of Jesus offers the disciples an ever fuller glimpse of who
Jesus is and what he will do. The shadow of the Cross and the imminent
suffering and death were always before the eyes of Jesus. The disciples too
must become sharers in His Cross. The transfiguration experience provided them
an extraordinary strength to face the future. The disciple who witnessed the
heavenly glory must also witness his earthly agony at Gethsemane. That is the
same for us: suffering and glory are both a call and a gift. 

March 9 - First Sunday in Lent: Overcoming Temptation

 
First Reading         :  Genesis 2:15-17;
3:1-7Psalm                     :  Psalm 32
Second Reading    :  Romans 5:12-19
Gospel                   :  Matthew 4:1-11 Today on the 1st Sunday of Lent we are
taken into the desert. When Jesus was baptized he realized his new identity (of
being God’s Son) and the mission for which God had sent him (to save mankind
through the way of the Cross). Now in the desert the devil tries to test both
Jesus’ Identity and Mission. The devil is trying to make Jesus doubt of His
identity as the divine Son and propose three easy ways to achieve His Mission.
The first temptation is the proposal to give into “pleasure”instead of
the Cross. The second temptation is the proposal to be addicted topower and
popularity and the third temptation is the proposal to be greedy forwealth.
Jesus did not displease God and loose his Sonship. He chose the narrow road of
the Cross to bring us salvation.