Reflection for 3rd February 2022, THURSDAY after Ash Wednesday. (2nd day of Lent)
By
Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore
Today's Gospel Verses
Luke 9:22-25
And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
Today's Reflection
Shocking words are not what we usually like to hear because they disturb us.
But when the same shocking words are repeated over and over again, we become numb to it. It loses its "kick", so to speak.
So when we hear the words of Jesus in today's gospel, what is our response?
Are we raising our eyebrows and wondering if what He is saying is for real?
Yesterday we began the season of Lent with an emphasis on prayer, penance and almsgiving.
All these are not ends in themselves but are means to help us feel for others, to feel our "within" and more importantly to feel God in our lives.
All this is to help us respond to God's Word.
Like what Moses said to the people in the 1st reading: See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster.
The words of Jesus may not sound very consoling to us.
But those are the words that point us to the way of life and eventually to eternal life.
The way of life is the way of the cross.
To choose otherwise is to choose ruin and disaster.
GOD BLESS YOU
Good morning. Have a nice safe day.
Prayer Intention:
Pray for the people of Ukraine.
Students writing their final exams.