Wednesday March 8, 20171st Week of Lent
First Reading: Jon 3:1-10 Gospel Reading: Lk 11:29-32
As the crowd increased, Jesus began to speak in this way, “People of the present time are evil people.
They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here there is greater than Jonah.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Repentance may be as urgent to us as it was to the Ninevites in order to hold back the hand of God. In this Season of Lent let us express sincere repentance by sprinkling “ASHES” upon ourselves. “ASHES” can be an acronym for Almsgiving, Silence, Humility, Expiation and the Social responsibility of improving the lives of others.
Almsgiving covers a multitude of sins. Maximus of Turin imagined almsgiving as a fountain of salvation that douses the flame that had been kindled by sinning (Sermon 22.1, CCSL, 23). Silence is important during Lent too. Just as silence is the best environment for any word to convey meaning, so silence makes it possible to enflesh the Word on one’s life. This goes with the virtue of humility because proud people are always loud and noisy. In a humble person silence creates a vacuum that sucks in so much grace from above. Humility takes him low enough to make transfer of grace possible. If one assumes a position higher than the heavens, how can such transfer happen when grace moves only by the gravity of love?
Lent is also the best time to do expiation for sins. While it is true that expiation is still possible after death at purgatory, time makes the big difference. Once we cross the threshold of death time assumes the cadence of eternity. It is quicker to do it on earth, and it even goes faster if one gives it a social dimension by helping others improve their lives.
In this season of Lent let us purify ourselves with these “ashes” to manifest sincere repentance not just for the purpose of holding back the hand of God but for love of him. God our Father bestow upon us the abundance of your mercy so that as we repent in this season of Lent we may merit everlasting life. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM.
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