2nd Sunday of Lent Year A

Genesis 12:1-4
2 Timothy 1:8-10
Matthew 17:1-9

Have been obedient to God’s call? If not, why not?

My dear brothers and sisters. Last week, we reflected on the virtue of obedience to God; and how disobedience leads to sin. On this second week of Lent, let us continue to reflect on the virtue of obedience. We begin by asking this question of ourselves: Have I been obedient? And if not, why not?

In both the First and Second Reading this week, God called his followers to be obedient. In the First Reading, God said to Abraham: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (verse 1) It is not easy to go to an unfamiliar land, even if it is guided by the word of God. Abraham knew what God called him to do would undoubtedly involve sufferings and discomfort. To be obedient, as Abraham did, takes great faith. As rewards for his obedience, God promised Abraham: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (verse 2-3)

St Paul too was called by God to be obedient, but in suffering. In the Second Reading, we read how God called St Paul: “join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling” (verse 8-9). But unlike Abraham, God did not promise St Paul any reward. This makes the calling even harder to obey. So, how do we remain obedient in the face of such callings from God? We must recognise that, often, such callings are not for our own purposes, but to serve God’s plan, as we read, “not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace” (verse 9). Hence, there is not always a reward for us who is called, at least not in the secular sense rewards are perceived. Such is the mysterious ways the grace of God is bestowed upon us.

In truth, God often does not reveal his full plan to us. He reveals His grace. This is the encounter of Peter, James and John in the Gospel this week. At the Transfiguration, we read how the disciples witnessed the grace of God, manifested as the appearance of Moses and Elijah; and Jesus’ becoming dazzling white (verse 2-3). But in spite of the grace revealed, the disciples remained ignorant of the significance of the event they were witnessing. In the Gospel of Mark, we read, “Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.” (Mk 9:5-6) So, what do we do when we are ignorant of God’s plan. We simply obey. For this is the essence of faith and trust in God. Abraham and St Paul demonstrated these qualities of obedience, faith and trust in the First and Second Readings. Or, as Jesus teaches us through the Parable of the Obedient Servant, our role is simply to play the part of an obedient servant. Like the servant in the parable, we say: “we have done only what we ought to have done!” (Lk 17:10)

But, as we reflected in the story of the Fall last week (Gen 3:1-7), we human are impatient. We yearned for full knowledge even though it is not for us to know; or at least the time has not yet come for God’s to reveal fully to us. As we read in the First Reading last week, this is the tragedy of Adam and Eve. In their impatience, they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Indeed, disobedience is often the trigger for our sins. We become disobedient to God when we do not know His full plan. We become disobedient when His calling to us entails sufferings and discomfort. We become disobedient when we are not prepared to pay the price. In times when the devil tempts us to disobedience, let us reflect on Jesus’ obedience. In last week’s Gospel (Mt 4:1-11), Jesus remained obedient in the face of overwhelming temptations. Indeed, Jesus was obedient to the point of death – dying on the cross. That is why, in reflection of His obedience, God said of Jesus in the Gospel this week: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased” (verse 5).

So, my brothers and sisters, what do we do? How can we form ourselves in the virtue of obedience? Our Lenten practices is a good starting point. This Lent, as we partake in our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, let us look beyond the immediate suffering and discomfort. Let us allow these practices to become channels of God’s grace. In fact, let our attitude not confined to just the Lenten practices, but our calling in life as well. My dear friends, let us ask: What is God calling me to do? How difficult is the calling? Perhaps He is asking me to sacrifice my time and comfort to serve the poor. Perhaps He is asking me to have compassion on someone. Perhaps He is asking me to forgive someone. Perhaps He is asking me to seek forgiveness from someone I have wronged? What is my reaction? Does my response warrant God saying to me, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased” (verse 5). Let this be our Lenten reflection this week.

Peace be with you.

1st Sunday of Lent Year A

Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11

On sin, redemption and obedience.

My brothers and sisters, we have begun the Lenten season. Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, the season of life. Why do we need a preparation period for life? In truth, it is because all of us experience death in our life – not just physical death of people around us and our own eventual physical death; but also spiritual death in our own life. What is spiritual death? Spiritual death is the culminating effect of all the things in our life that takes away our joy – whether it is a strained human relationship, an unfulfilled aspiration, a financial challenge or an illness. Often, these come about because of sins – ours and others. As St Paul said in the Second Reading this week, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned” (verse 12).

But isn’t suffering a fact of life? It is. And if life is just about facing our inevitable sufferings, then does life have any meaning at all? The First Reading reminded us that our suffering under sins was not God’s intention. God is love (1 Jn 4:8). God created us in His image (Gen 1:27) and out of love. We read in the First Reading, “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” (verse 2:7) God created us for blissful living. He provided for us: “Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life” (verse 2:8).

Alas, humankind’s blissful existence did not last long. In the First Reading, we read how the devil tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God, by falsely offering life, knowledge and power, to the extent that they could rival God. The devil said, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (verse 3:4-5). He was of course lying. No one could be God but God Himself. Thus, with a lie, the devil tempted Adam and Eve to become their own God. But isn’t this what we succumb to all the time? We walk away from God, thinking that with our intellect, wealth or power, we could be our own God. For Adam and Eve, this very act of sin brings certain death. How cunning of the devil to offer death disguised as life! As Adm and Eve disobeyed God, sin enters the world. By their sins, they lost the blissful life they were enjoying. Their sins were many fold, one of them being the sin of lust, manifested as a realisation that they were naked. For all of a sudden, their union was corrupted. Their bodies become objects of desire that they each was tempted to use for the sole purpose of personal gratification: “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.” (verse 3:7)

Isn’t the fall of Adam and Eve our story as well? How often do we let the sins of lust, anger, pride, greed and envy control us and take away our joy? How often do we forego something good to pursue something else that we think will bring us more happiness, only to bring spiritual death onto our life and the lives of those around us? In the hope of amassing wealth and power, we lose more than we gain. Under the control of sin, we neglect love and even commit immoral acts. Think of career-minded husband foregoing his family to pursue ever greater success and power. Think of how a one-night stand of an unfaithful spouse bring about the breakup of the family. Think of misbehaving volunteers scandalising the church. Indeed, there are ample of such examples around us.

But God is always forgiving and merciful. After Adam and Eve brought death and sin upon themselves, God promised redemption. He hinted at this as He said to Eve after the fall: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Gen 3:15) God was of course referring to His Son Jesus the Redeemer. As a sign of God’s love for us, Jesus went to the cross to wash away our sins and restore our lives. But the devil tried to derail God’s plan. First, as we read in the Gospel this week, the devil tried to make Jesus reject the cross by tempting Him. Having failed in tempting Jesus, the devil tempts us to reject the grace of the cross.

In the Gospel this week, we read how the devil tempted Jesus. The devil tempted Jesus in three ways. These are also the same ways he tempts us.

1. First, Jesus was tempted with food to quench his hunger. “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” (verse 3) Jesus rejected the devil. What about me? What physical things do the devil tempts me with? Sex, food, comfort?
2. Secondly, Jesus was tempted to doubt and test God. The devil appealed to His human ego. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'” (verse 6). Again, Jesus rejected the devil. What about me? What egoistic gratification do I thirst for, things that satisfy my pride? Status, fame and prestige?
3. Finally, the devil tempted Jesus with materialism: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.'” (verse 8-9) What about me? Am I tempted by wealth and power?

Having resisted these temptations, Jesus began His journey to the cross. For if He had succumbed to his physical, egoistic and material gratifications, He would have taken the easy way out and not went to the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, we read how Jesus was obedient till the end: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42) What about me? Am I prepared to accept the crosses of my life? Am I prepared to accept the grace of Jesus’ cross – of love, forgiveness and redemption? Or have I fallen for the devil’s temptations and taken the easy way out?

My brothers and sisters, obedience to God is the key. In the words of St Paul in the Second Reading, “For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (verse 19) Or, as Samnuel said to Saul when Saul disobeyed God: “Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Sam 15:22)

For this first week of Lent, let us reflect on our sins and the virtue of obedience. May the Holy Spirit be our guide. Amen.