Listen to Jesus! Jesus did not come to be worshipped but to be listened to and followed2nd Sunday of Lent (A) : 5th March 2023Gen. 12:1-4; Ps. 32:4-5,18-20,22; 2 Tim. 1:8-10; Mt. 17:1-9 (Ps. Wk. II) Hearing the voice of God is only one-half of our faith journey. The other half is obeying and following…
Lord, help me to imitate Your Perfect love - pray for enemies and unfriendly people...1st Week of Lent : Saturday 4th March 2023Deut. 26:16-19; Ps. 118:1-2,4-5,7-8; Mt. 5:43-48 (Ps. Wk. I) Jesus called on His followers to be “perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”. But how is that possible? To be perfect is clearly…
Lord, give me the grace to forgive others & see and admit my faults1st Week of Lent (A) : Friday 3rd March 2023Ez. 18:21-28; Ps. 129:1-5,7-8; Mt. 5:20-26 (Ps. Wk. I) Jesus appreciates depth. In His words of advice to His disciples today, He counsels that the commandment not to kill goes deeper than just…
This Lent - fast from angry hurtful words, say kind words, be patient...1st Week of Lent (A) : Thursday 2nd March 2023Est. 4:17; Ps. 137:1-3,7-8; Mt. 7:7-12 (Ps. Wk. I) In his Christmas (2022) message, Pope Francis urges us to PERSEVERE in “PRAYER for those brothers and sisters who are suffering so much, especially those…
Lord, help me to forgive and pray for those who have wronged me1st Week of Lent (A) : Wednesday 1st March 2023Jona 3:1-10; Ps. 50:3-4,12-13,18-19; Lk. 11:29-32 (Ps. Wk. I) People and nations invest a lot of energy in hating their enemies – especially those who have done them great harm. The Israelites hated the…
God is faithful - sit and pray quietly alone with Him1st Week of Lent (A) : Tuesday 28th February 2023Is. 55:10-11; Ps. 33:4-7,16-19; Mt. 6:7-15 (Ps. Wk. I) The prophet encouraged the people to follow the Lord God. He contrasted the faithfulness of the Lord with the ways of the Israelites. This passage emphasises the…
God is the Holy One and commands us to be holy like Him1st Week of Lent (A) : Monday 27th February 2023Lev. 19:1-2,11-18; Ps. 18:8-10,15; Mt. 25:31-46 (Ps. Wk. I) Our God is a self-revealing God anxious to communicate with us to reveal what He is like. What is God like, then? From Yahweh’s conversation…
Lord, help us rely on Your Word to prevent us from falling into the temptations of the world1st Sunday of Lent (A) : 26th February 2023Gen. 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Ps. 50:3-6,12-14,17; Rom. 5:12-19 (or 12:17-19); Mt. 4:1-11 (Ps. Wk. I) In Matthew’s Gospel, the Baptism of Jesus (Mt.3:13-17) is closely connected with His Temptation (Mt.4:1-11). It…
Lord, help me to genuinely care and love othersSaturday after Ash Wednesday : 25th February 2023Is. 58:9-14; Ps. 85:1-6 Lk. 5:27-32 (Ps. Wk. IV) The Book of Isaiah describes the prophet speaking out against the observance of rituals on the Sabbath without any due consideration for matters related to mercy and justice. According to the…
Lord, deepen my spiritual understandingFriday after Ash Wednesday : 24th February 2023Is. 58:1-9a; Ps. 50:3-6,18-19; Mt. 9:14-15 (Ps. Wk. IV) God continually tells us through the prophets that He is not interested in worship and piety, which are not the fruits of compassion, mercy, and justice. It’s just a sham – play-acting. God outlines true…