The words of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face that “It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love” is crucial in the present times. This in the Gospel of Mathew is a commandment;You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mathew 22:37-39). Allow me to flash black to Pope Francis’ message for Lent 2024. The Holy Pontiff reminds us that, Lent is the “season of grace in which the desert can become once more in the words of the prophet Hosea the place of our first love (Hos. 2:16-17),” where “God shapes his people, he enables us to leave our slavery behind and experience a Passover from death to life. Like a bridegroom, the Lord draws us once more to himself, whispering words of love to our hearts.” As we journey in faith as a Synodal Church, we recognize with Pope Francis that Earth, air, and water are polluted, but so are our souls, needing freedom each day of our lives. This should be our
living sacrifice, for us to encounter Christ daily. An opportune time to act, to pause and “hear the cry of so many oppressed brothers and sisters and to let it move us to concrete action. According to Pope Francis, the supplicating trust of the faithful People of God receives the gift of blessing that flows from the Heart of Christ through his Church. He offers this timely reminder: “The great blessing of God is Jesus Christ. He is the great gift of God, his own Son. He is a blessing for all humanity, a blessing that has saved us all. He is the Eternal Word, with whom the Father blessed us ‘while we were still sinners’ (Rom. 5:8), as St. Paul says. He is the Word made flesh,
offered for us on the cross.”[1] 2. This is why we rejoice. Easter is everything. Jesus’s death frees us from sin and his resurrection ensures new life for us. This was however born in humility, for Christ “…being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
death— even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,…”(Philippians 2:8-9, NIV) This should be our prayer, not only today, but each day of our lives; to trust in God alone who gives us eternal freedom, and most importantly, in humility, to be sensitive to the needs of others. May our Easter light enkindle the lives of others.
He is indeed Risen, Halleuia!
