Lenten Recollection based on Pope’s Message for Lent 2022.

[Music] this year the holy season of lent begins for us catholics on ash wednesday the 2nd of march land is the most appropriate time of our liturgical year it is called the springtime of the church and of individual christians and as the springtime it is the time of spiritual growth it is the time of blooming and producing plentiful fruits befitting a christian call and discipleship and this year pope francis message for lent is a reflection [Music] of saint paul's letter to galatians chapter 6 verses 9 and 10. galatians 6 9 and 10 and these verses read like this let us not grow tired of doing good for in due time we shall reap our harvest if we do not give up so then while we have the opportunity let us do good to all as a spiritual exercise let us together reflect along with pope francis on this teaching of the apostle to the gentiles and i read again this verses let us not grow tired of doing good for in due time we shall repower harvest if we do not give up so then while we have the opportunity let us do good to all first of all pope francis reflects on the theme of sowing and ripping what is sowing and ripping apostle paul recalls the image of sowing seeds and reaping a harvest an imagined theme very dear to our lord himself as we see in matthew's gospel chapter 13 is not only during lent but our whole life should be a time of sowing the seeds of goodness that is doing good to others so that we reap and reach a reward but we often find ourselves too selfish to solve the seeds of goodness selfish like the foolish man of the gospel who had an abundance of crop and he thought to himself that he has enough and more grains for his lifetime and so he should pull down the existing bonds build new ones and store his grains as he does this he decides to spend his time eating drinking and making memory but that very night the lord comes knocking at his door requiring his soul we read this in luke chapter 12 verses 16 to 21 my dear sisters and brothers this rich fool is a representation of all those who are selfish of all those who are unmindful of the plight of the poor and the needy and of all those who are unwilling to share their good fortune with others but we see exactly the opposite trait in our god god is a god who is generous in giving giving and giving and giving god is a god who is rich in mercy and goodness god is a god who continues to sow abandon the seeds of goodness in our human hearts saint john reminds us god so loved the world that he gave his only son so that anyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life john 3 16 and the son of god in his term went about doing good acts chapter 3 verse 38 jesus healed the sick fed the hungry gave sight to the blind befriended the sinner drove out the evil spirits raised the dead and finally gave his life a servant son for many shedding even the last drop of his blood god who is so generous in sowing the seeds of goodness invites us to be god's co-workers in sowing goodness 1 corinthians chapter 3 verse 9 this call to saw goodness should not be seen as a burden but as a grace whereby the creator god wishes us to be actively united with his own bountiful goodness saint paul teaches us the relationship between sowing the seeds and dripping the harvest anyone who sow sparingly will reap sparingly as well and anyone who source generously will read generously as well 2 corinthians chapter 9 verse 6 what harvest are we talking about first of all the first fruit of the harvest of sowing goodness is found in the sower himself that is in each one of us it manifests itself in our daily life by sowing goodness and love we become better persons by showing goodness and love we become loving persons by sowing goodness and love we become more joyful persons it brings us also the fruits of sanctity in each one of us pope francis against us sowing goodness for the benefit of others frees us from our narrow self-interest it infuses our actions with generosity and it makes us part of the magnificent horizon of god's benevolent plan for the world secondly it gives us the harvest of eternal life jesus tells us when i was hungry you gave me food when i was thirsty you gave me drink now enter into the home of my father matthew chapter 25 verse 30. the hope of resurrection is the greatest light that the risen christ brings to the world for if our hope in christ has been for this life only we are four people the most repeatable ones in fact however christ has been raised from the dead as the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep 1 corinthians chapter 15 verses 19 and 20. those who are intimately united to jesus in love by dying a death like his will also be united to his resurrection for eternal life then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father matthew chapter 13 verse 43 pope invites us that we should not grow tired of doing good let us not grow tired of doing good heat tests bitter disappointments at shattered dreams deep concern for the challenges that lie ahead of us discouragement at the poverty of our resources all these can tend us to seek refuge in self-centeredness and indifference to the sufferings of others the lenten season calls us to place our faith and hope in the lord and pope francis reminds us of various things that we should not grow tired of let us not grow tired of praying the holy father reminds us jesus taught us to pray always without becoming weary in our prayer luke 18 1 we need to pray because we need god thinking that we need nothing other than ourselves is a very dangerous illusion the recent pandemic has taught us how much we need to trust in god and how much we need to pray ceaselessly secondly the pope tells us let us not grow tired of uprooting evil from our lives let us not grow tired of uprooting evil from our lives the bodily fasting to which land calls us in a way fortifies our spirit for the battle against sin one of the ways to approach evil from our life is by asking forgiveness from god through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation knowing that god is never ever tired of forgiving and another way is to fight against our inordinate desires selfishness and evil that lure us into sin into addictions and into several types of bondages and one of these addictions in the modern times is the digital medium which weakens human relationship land is the opportune time to resist these temptations and to cultivate instead a more integral form of human communication made up of authentic encounters face to face and in person person to person and again let us not grow tired of doing good in active charity towards our neighbors during this lent may we practice the virtue of amsgiving by giving joyfully to corinthians chapter 9 verse 7. land is in fact your personal time to care for those close to us and to reach out to our brothers and sisters who lie wounded along the path of life luke chapter 10 verses 25 to 37 the good summer written and therefore land is a favorable time to seek out and not to avoid those in need to reach out and not to ignore those who need a sympathetic ear and a good word to visit and not to abandon those who are lonely let us put into practice our call to do good to all and take time to love the poor and the needy those abandoned and rejected those discriminated against and marginalized if we do not give up if we do not give up saint paul tells us we shall reap our harvest in due time there is always the temptation to give up as time passes by our initial enthusiasm [Music] and very many lenten resolutions will slowly fade and vanish we need to ask god to give us the patient perseverance of the farmer who waits for the seed to sprout to grow and produce fruits day and day out we should never grow weary and tired of doing good and if we fail on the way we can once again stretch out our hands to our loving father who is ever ready to lift us up and if we find ourselves lost if we are misled by the enticements of the evil one let us not hesitate to return to god who is generous and forgiving the soil is prepared by fasting the soil is prepared and watered by prayer and enriched by charity let us believe firmly that if we do not give up we shall reap our harvest in due time if we do not give up we shall reap our harvest in due time and may god bless all of us to have a fruitful london experience amen to me [Music] keep us [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] you

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Length: 19min 47sec (1187 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 01 2022