THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2024
THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY YEAR B
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Luke 9:22-25
CONFRONTING CHALLENGES IN THE JOURNEY TO GAIN LIFE DURING THIS LENTEN SEASON
The season of lent offers us opportunity to make conscious effort and strive towards confronting the challenges that comes with choosing life in Christ. For indeed the challenges of life in Christ and success in life is enormous and demanding. The journey to gains life is tedious
The book of Deuteronomy, our first reading today directs us on the consequences of the choices we make in life. To choose to follow God, to walk in his ways, to live according to his commands or to follow his injunctions bring life, success and eternal life. While on the other hand, the consequences of renegading and turning against God brings death.
The consequences of what ever choice we make in life will always follow us. And it is our God given freedom to choose what we want for ourselves and how our lives will be and where we want to spend our eternity.
In the gospel, Jesus gives us the indication of the challenges that his followers will be confronted with in their followership of his ways. For Jesus therefore, to follow him and attain the life of grace demands denying oneself, humbling oneself, totally forgetting oneself and bearing ones cross. Jesus was not pampering us when he talked about the cross.
And he did not just state his conditions but he himself underwent the same condition of experiencing suffering on the cross and dying a shameful death on the cross. So Jesus sets his life as a model for us all who desire to follow him and those who seek life and victory over life.
For us, this Lenten season offers us great insight and opportunity to reflect in order to understand the life we are called to live. Our acts of penance, mortification, fasting, almsgiving and prayer are symbols of the self giving required of us all by Christ Jesus.
We must then give ourself to it as we embark on our Lenten observances and be serious with it for the salvation and uplift ment of our souls.
God of mercy and compassion, we are privileged to be called your children, birth already in the waters of baptism. Grant that during this Lenten season, we will earnestly strive to build up and maintain a life of purity, sanctify and righteousness. Help us to bear our crosses patiently and to carry it perseveringly to the end without complain through Christ our Lord
Fr Norbert Uchuno
