Third Sunday of Lent

03-24-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

Dear Parishioners,

How is your prayer life and the Lenten observances going by this Third Sunday of Lent? The Scripture Readings today focused mostly on prayer, especially the prayers of intercession. In the First Reading today, God called Moses to play the role of an intercessor, to stand on behalf of the Israelites and plead for their freedom from the Egyptians. Similarly, in the Gospel today, Jesus gave a parable of a gardener who pleaded for more time for a fig tree and offered to help nourish the tree to bear fruit. Like Moses and the gardener, part of our call during this Lenten season is, not only to pray and intercede for those who need our prayers, but also to reach out in almsgiving to those who need our help. No matter how successful we are in life, we must always keep it in mind that no one is truly self-reliant. We all need someone to stand for us, at one point in our lives or another, and we all depend on someone to move us from one stage to another. As St. Paul stated: "What do you have that you have not received?" (1 Cor 4:7).

The scripture readings today invite us to remember those who were like the "gardeners" in our lives, those who helped us to move from barrenness to fruitfulness: our parents, teachers, counselors, pastors and friends who helped us in our lives to move from one stage to another. Let us always remember to thank God for them. The parable of the gardener and fig tree also reminds us of our roles to speak out for the voiceless, to stand up for justice for the oppressed and to extend a helping hand to those in need of our help. Who are the most vulnerable, helpless and voiceless around us? The unborn children whose lives are threatened by abortion, children who are waiting for someone to adopt them, the elderly, the immigrants, the homeless. If we cannot find them by ourselves, we can still reach out to them through the charity organizations around us and, above all, we are called to pray for them. As we reach out to those in need, we also look up to Jesus, the best "Gardener" in our lives, who intercedes and mediates for us before God. May he give us the grace we need and the help to move from the moments of barrenness to fruitfulness in our lives, especially within this Lenten season.

Thank you and Remain Blessed.
Fr. James

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