Lenten message of Pope Francis from Fratelli Tutti No.205

We cannot accept a digital 

world designed to exploit our weaknesses and bring out the worst in people.


TODAY'S WORD

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Genesis: 37:27 "Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed.


TODAY'S REFLECTION

In the 1st reading, the emotions of Joseph's brothers were obvious. They were jealous that their father loved Joseph more than the rest of the brothers.

They came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.

That hate turned into an intention to kill Joseph but Reuben managed to save Joseph from being killed.

In the gospel reading Jesus quotes the text from the prophet Isaiah, ‘the stone rejected by the builders became the keystone’. 

He was the stone rejected who went on to become the keystone of a new spiritual building, the church. 

The one through whom God was saying ‘yes’ to us all, was the one to whom many people said ‘no’ in very emphatic terms. 

The one who proclaimed God’s acceptance of us was himself rejected. 

The story of Jesus alerts us to the very real possibility of our rejecting the messenger God sends us. 

Sometimes what we are prone to rejecting, whether in ourselves or in others, can turn out to be the means through which God is speaking to us. 

The experiences that we react against, that we say ‘no’ to, may be the very experiences that can reveal God most powerfully to us. 

What we see initially as a threat of some sort can turn out to be a blessing. 

This morning we ask God to keep us open to all of the ways he chooses to come to us and speak with us.

The two readings tell us to always be aware of our emotions and what thoughts and actions are our emotions leading us to.


RESOLUTION

Let us resolve to put our emotions into the Sacred Heart of Jesus and ask Him to make our hearts like His. Then we will think and act as He wants us to.

Have a blessed Friday.  As you take part in the Stations of the cross let's pray for the protesting FARMERS that their voice may be heard and the draconian laws may be repealed