5th Sunday Of Lent Year C

Isaiah 43:16-21
Philippians 3:8-14
John 8:1-11

Understanding God’s grace.

My brothers and sisters, have I ever asked myself: What does the term “grace” means to me? Surprisingly, many of us – even believers – do not fully appreciate what God’s grace means. The Scripture this week invite us to reflect on God’s grace, and what it means to the way I lead my life. To many of us, a proper understanding of God’s grace is a new concept to us. But as the prophet said in the First Reading this week, God is promising us something new. “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (verse 19)

Perhaps stemming from the way we were taught from young, some of us harbour the mistaken notion that we ought to be righteous and do good works in order to earn the God’s love. But this is not the correct understanding of grace. In fact, in the correct understanding of grace, the causal relationship is reverse, that is, we seek to be righteous and do good works as a response to God’s love. In other words, God’s love is unconditional. And the more we appreciate God’s love, the more we want to imitate His love by being good. As St John wrote, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 Jn 4:19) This is grace.

In the Second Reading this week, St Paul wrote, “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” (verse 8-9) In other words, St Paul’s seeking to be righteous is a response of his faith in God. He is good not by his own merit but by the grace of God: “Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own” (verse 13) St Pual’s experience of God’s love has spurred him to work tireless for God: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (verse 14)

In the Gospel this week, we read the story of the woman caught with adultery. For her sin, the crowd demanded that the woman be stoned to death. But Jesus said to the crowd, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (verse 7) By these words, Jesus invited the people to look at their own lives. He is inviting us to do the same today. Let us reflect: In my own life, think of the wrongs I have done. Jesus has forgiven me. Should I then not do the same to a brother or sister of mine? In the Gospel, we read that upon reflecting on Jesus’s words, “they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders” (verse 9). God has shown me grace, let us show the same unto others.

After the crowd went away, Jesus said to the woman, “‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.'” (verse 10-11) Jesus invited the woman to be good, not because she had to earn His forgiveness. Jesus has already forgiven her. But in gratitude of the forgiveness she received, Jesus invites her to be good. Today, Jesus is inviting us to do the same – to experience God’s grace, to forgive others, to lead a righteous live and to work tirelessly to serve others. Let us take heed. Amen.

4th Sunday of Lent Year C

Joshua 5:9-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3,11-32

On reflection, repentance, reconciliation and restoration.

This weekend, the Catholic Church celebrate Laetare Sunday. Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent as we draw nearer to Easter, Laetare Sunday is a change to the solemn mood we have been observing through Lent so far. Appropriately, this week, we focus on the topic of our reconciliation with God. Reconciliation restores us. Reconciliation is good news. After three weeks of solemn Lenten messages, we adopt a lighter mood for this Laetare Sunday, focused on the good news of reconciliation and restoration.

My dear friends, what is restoration? All of us suffer brokenness in life – with God, with loved ones and with ourselves. Restoration is a reset of our relationships with God. our loved ones and ourselves. God promises us, “See, I am making all things new.” (Rev 21:5) Or, as St Paul wrote in this week’s Second Reading this week, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (verse 17) But true restoration can only come from my true reconciliation with God and with other people. And true reconciliation can only come from heart-felt repentance. This is only possible because of the grace and mercy of God. Through sacrificing His Son, God “reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” (verse 18-19)

But some of us find it hard to access this grace of God because we are too weighed down by our brokenness and guilt. In the First Reading, the prophet Joshua reminded us that God is merciful. Last week, we reflected on how the Israelites had been persistently disobedient to God. This week, we are reminded that, in spite of their repeated failures, the Israelites were eventually given the holy land that God promised them. The First Reading recalled how they celebrated their first Passover on this land and enjoyed the fruits of the land: “On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.” (verse 11) This is a lesson for all of us. It does not matter how serious our sins are. Ever merciful, God awaits us to come back to Him. God stands ready for us to be reconciled to Him.

The theme of a merciful God is also the central message of the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son this week. The story of the Prodigal Son is a story of reconciliation and restoration. The word “prodigal” means to use something on a lavish scale. In the story, the Prodigal Son refers to the younger son. The son asked for his father’s inheritance while the father was still alive; wasted the money away on debauchery; before returning to the father and was reconciled to him. We can imagine how heart-broken the father was when the son asked for his inheritance while the father was still alive. It spoke of the son’s disregard for the father – of whether he was alive or dead. It also marked an intention for the son to sever his relationship with the father, all for the sake of money. Then, after wasting all the money away, the son came to his senses. He said to himself, “I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.'” (verse 18-19). He was sincere in acknowledging his failures and genuine in his repentance. Meanwhile, in spite of being heart-broken, the father never gave up on the son. He was probably looking out his windows constantly, hoping to see his son returns. Hence, “while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him” (verse 20). What a touching scene! Filled with love for the son, the father unconditionally and totally forgave the son’s past failings. He restored the son’s dignity, putting on him a robe, a ring and sandals; and welcomed him into his house (verse 22-24). For this reason, some call this the Parable of the Prodigal Father. To the son, “prodigal” refers to how he wasted the father’s money and love; but to the father, “prodigal” refers to the lavish mercy he showered on his sons – not just on the younger son, but on the elder son as well.

Let us conclude this week’s reflection with the epilogue on the elder son. We read how the elder son became jealous of how lavishly his father treated his younger brother. When the elder son heard how his father “has killed the fatted calf” for his younger brother, he was filled with self-righteousness and became indignant. He was unable to love his brother the same way the father loved his brother. He was unable to forgive the brother. He said to the father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” (verse 29-30) Let us reflect, in my life, were there occasions when I was this elder son? Do I try to earn God’s favour, failing to acknowledge that the grace of God is an undeserved gift from God? Do I deem myself more righteous than others? Do I fail to recognise that I too am a sinner? Do I fail to recognise that I too need the mercy of God? For just like the other sins, the sin of self-righteousness too leads to brokenness. In the parable, we read how the Prodigal Father was as prodigal to the elder son as he was to the younger son. He said to the former, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” (verse 31-32) The truth is, if I have been a good Christian, but often feel self-righteous like the elder son, then I too am in need of God’s mercy just as much as the younger son was.

My brothers and sisters, on this Laetare Sunday, let us reflect, repent, reconcile and restore. Amen.