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Dear Friends,
As human life is moved along by the change of seasons, one coming after another, bringing with it heat and cold, rain and snow, fertilizing the earth so that it gives fruits, so the Church displays the mystery of the life of Jesus so that we contemplate the riches of the abundance of God’s mercy through which we have been saved and come to walk resolutely to the goal of our life, which is our eternal salvation.
With Ash Wednesday, we have started the time of Lent. This period of five weeks is a time of grace that God gives us by calling us to conversion of heart in preparation for the commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus. The goal of this period of time is that, through fasting, prayer, almsgiving and penance, we pursue holiness and conform our life to that of Jesus who, accepting sacrifice and suffering, died on the cross for us.
Each week of Lent is a reminder of what we have to do in order to come to that goal. The focus of the first week of Lent is on the forty days of Jesus’ stay in the desert, where fasting and praying, he came to triumph over Satan by the power of the word of God. We too can triumph in our own temptations when we stick to the word of God.
The second week focuses on the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain. The glory of the transfiguration reminds us that, in spite of dark moments crossing our life and all the problems surrounding us, we are prepared for a great glory. If we persevere until the end, we will reign with Christ.
The third week reminds us, through the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan, that God alone can satisfy every longing of our heart, which at times lets us run after finite and perishable things.
The focus of the fourth week is on the healing of the man born blind. It reminds us that Jesus Christ is the only one who can heal us of the blindness of heart that prevents us from seeing the glory of God around us and in our lives.
The last week of Lent, through the resurrection of Lazarus, invites us to anticipate the joy of the Resurrection of Jesus and to renew our trust in God who makes the dead live.
Let us walk together in this period of time as a moment of grace and mercy in preparation for the feast of the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
Rev. Felicien I. Mbala, Ph.D, STD
Last changed: April 23, 2021
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