REJOICE, THERE'S LIGHT AT THE END OF
THE TUNNEL
(LAETARE SUNDAY)
(John 3:14-21)
The message of today is a message
of hope to all those who have been doing the Lenten observances with all their
hearts. Your effort is not in vain. Your sacrifices are not wasted. Your
fasting is not a meaningless hunger strike. Your charity is not taken for
granted. The war you are waging against the devil, the world and your flesh is
not a lost battle. Victory is on the way. Don't be tired. Be sustained by the
hope of what is coming. Rejoice, it is well.
On the fourth Sunday of Lent, the
Holy Mother Church calls her children through the entrance antiphon from Isaiah
66:10-11 to rejoice. The Psalm reads:
Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in
mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.
If we remember very well, since
the Ash Wednesday, the whole Church was invited to put on sackcloth, to come
and mourn, to contemplate the sorrows of Christ. Since that day, the musical
instruments were kept out and highly moderated in the Catholic Church. Every
festive aura left the Church or got minimized. Flowers were put away and violet
became the only colour on the altar. All these remind us constantly of the need
to remain in the mood of mourning. But
today rose is allowed. Some decorations are permitted. Musical instruments may
be played. Is it Easter yet? Oh no! The Church is a Church of hope. The Church
wants us to imagine what lies ahead. The Church wants us to savour the joy of
what is to come. The Church invites us not to see the sufferings we are passing
through as ordinary but to see the salvific character in them. Yes, the Church
encourages us to move on. God wants us to make the joy of the Lord our strength
as we strive for perfection this Holy season. Thus, today's joy is for all who
look up for the glory that follows sorrows.
WHY YOU MUST REJOICE
The Gospel of today presents us
with reasons why we must not give up in our struggle. We may seem to be losing
hope. It may look like we are not making any headways. But we really want to be
better. We sincerely desire to grow spiritually and otherwise. We truly wish to
succeed and to be saved. The word of God in today's gospel reading has the
answer.
GOD LOVES YOU
God so loved the world that He
gave us His only begotten Son. If God loves you who can be against you? What is
that force making you believe it is over? Who is discouraging you with the
false message that you will not reach your destiny? You may have made efforts
and failed; the love of God beckons you to keep going.
The temptations you wish to
overcome may have knocked you down once or twice, and you feel like crying, you
feel like dying, you're in the big shit of your life, you look at yourself as
messed, you imagine the devil smiling and rejoicing over you. Beloved in
Christ, Jesus loves you. He puts on you the new turban of grace to go on.
Confess and continue. Rejoice in the Lord. The enemy will not laugh last unless
you give him permission to. He can't take away the love of God for you. Be
focused and ride on to your victory. Your loving Father awaits to embrace you
and kiss you too.
YOU WILL NOT PERISH
We are called to rejoice keeping
in mind that the crosses of our life will not overwhelm us. We are encouraged
to pick our broken selves up and follow Christ. Don't despair. The load and
weight of the problems you bear will not crush you. You're following a saviour
who wins at the end. Many trials may come your way, but victory is yours in
Christ who strengthens you. So, do not allow these to be an excuse for you not
to rejoice in heaven. Just smile and tell yourself, these too will pass away. I
will survive, I will conquer, I will overcome! I will never perish.
YOU BEAR THE LIGHT OF CHRIST
Love the light and walk in the
light of God's ways. Christ the light has come into the world. But,
unfortunately, men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were
evil.
Evil is the only thing that
destroys the joy of the Lord in us. There is no joy in darkness. There's no
reason to rejoice in the dark. Darkness symbolises everything fearful,
atrocious, corrupt, depraved.
Are you still living in the
dark? Why not purify your soul with the
word of God, with constant confession, with the Holy Communion and other
spiritual provisions of the Church.
What are those things you are
still hiding from Christ? Why are you hiding from the Lord? Open yourself to
Christ. Open your weak points to Him. Show Him the areas that have not received
His illumination in your life.
Receive the joy that comes from
His glory. Shun the false joy that comes from dirty wealth, impure relationships,
extortions, marginalisation, bad governance, manipulations, and malpractices.
These do not give lasting joy. You can only rejoice when you are seeing light
in the light of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Thank You Jesus for giving us
reasons to rejoice in the midst of the turbulences and roaring of the seas.
Thank You for cheering us up amidst the temptations and trials we face. Let
your light shine steadily in our lives to dispel the darkness of sin, sorrows,
and all evils. Bless your word of hope in our lives and feel us with the Easter
joy that is on the way through Christ our Lord. Amen
Happy Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday
of Lent, Yr B)
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment