2nd Sunday of Lent
Gen 12:1-4
2 Tim 1:8-10
Mt 17:1-9
… not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace.
As we begin the 2nd week of Lent, we are reminded of the grace of God in our readings today. We are once again confronted with the mystery of God and our faith.
In the first reading, it states ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you.’ The second reading adds, ‘With me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News’. Matthew also writes in the Gospel today that, ‘When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear.’
The above doesn’t seem like who we know God to be. Indeed there are many things beyond us that we can fully understand or comprehend. And this is exactly when we are called to trust in His grace, to allow His grace in our lives for we are nothing, and can do nothing without His grace.
Lent is a reminder of this grace that we may have overlooked or taken for granted. A grace that can’t be earned by good works but a grace we can all receive when we remain in full communion with God.
This grace will allow us a glimpse of the heart and mind of God, to not focus on the ‘suffering’ or ‘sadness’ of Lent but to understand its true purpose and that is for us to reconcile with God, with one another and more importantly with ourselves.
For the Lord is eager to bless us, as in the first reading — ‘I will bless those who bless you: I will curse those who slight you. All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you.’ For the Lord is eager to save us, as in the second reading, ‘relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy’. For the Lord is eager to meet us and speak to us, as in the Gospel.
May this Lent be a time where we look beyond ourselves and our ‘sufferings’. May it be a time where we look to God, to receive His grace and blessings and share them with all we meet. Amen.
(Today‘s OXYGEN by Benjamin Mao)
Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray for the grace to trust You, especially in the difficult moments of our lives. We pray for the grace to understand that you have never wished for us to suffer and that You desire only the best for us. Dear Lord, help us to rely on Your grace as we battle with temptations daily, to choose You over sin, to love You over our humanly desires. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord, for Your grace and mercy, even when we are not deserving. Thank you for pouring out Your graces on us freely. Amen
OXYGEN 
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