Reflection for FRIDAY, 3rd Week of Lent.

By

Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Director, Social Action Movement, Don Bosco Bidar

 Today's Gospel Verses 

 Mark 12:28-34 

'You are not far from the kingdom of God'

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

Reflection on the Readings 

The season of Lent seems like a time of penance, and indeed it is.

Lent began with Ash Wednesday, with obligatory fasting and abstinence.

Dark purple vestments are worn, and there is the emphasis on prayer and penance, as well as the call to conversion and repentance.

Lent may seem rather gloomy, but when we look at it with the eyes of love, then we know that Lent is truly a season of grace and a holy season.

Because the season of Lent brings us back to the origins of why God created us and why Jesus came and what He did for us.

The 1st reading sums up the purpose and direction of Lent as it urges us to come back to the Lord.

The Lord will take away our iniquity. He loves us with all His heart.

Yes, Lent is a time when God shows us how much He loves us.

May we come to love God with all our heart, with all our understanding and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourself.

May we be wise and intelligent to understand these words and to grasp their meaning.

And we will do fasting and penance with rejoicing and gladness.


      GOD BLESS YOU

Good morning. Have a nice day.

Happy feast of St. Patrick.