by Lauren Lye What is Pentecost and what does it mean for us today? The readings for the Feast of Pentecost not only describes the events that took place many
Pope Benedict XVI encourages us to keep our eyes on the Lord. He writes that the Cross “speaks to all who suffer…and it offers them hope that God can transform their suffering into joy, their isolation into communion, their death into life.” In Christ, the weight of our sin and shame is replaced by His overwhelming, and limitless love. In this very love, we are invited to unite our hearts with Him, to draw close and experience the redemptive, transformative, power of Christ and His sacrifice.
Pope Benedict XVI encourages us to keep our eyes on the Lord. He writes that the Cross “speaks to all who suffer…and it offers them hope that God can transform their suffering into joy, their isolation into communion, their death into life.” In Christ, the weight of our sin and shame is replaced by His overwhelming, and limitless love. In this very love, we are invited to unite our hearts with Him, to draw close and experience the redemptive, transformative, power of Christ and His sacrifice.
This week’s chapters reminded me of the need to constantly seek God’s mercy, and to allow Him to teach us to live a new life of love. In Jesus’s death and Resurrection, we experience the fullness of God’s mercy and are invited into new life.
In the darkness of sin, we fail to see God’s goodness and His promise of new life. But God, in His infinite goodness, sends us Jesus to show us the way of mercy to reveal to us God’s love and forgiveness. This way of mercy is the Way of the Cross that Jesus walked, so that come to share in the promise of new life through His Resurrection.
We experience His joy when we declare Him Lord over our lives. His Lordship is not one that harms. Instead, it loves, purifies and frees us. Pope Benedict XVI writes, “After Jesus has told us of the merciful Father, things are no longer as they were before”. When we come to know and encounter the redeeming love of God, we are transformed in an undeniable way.
In our Lenten journey, true freedom requires total dependence on the Lord. As we entrust ourselves fully into His hands, it is essential to claim the truth of who He is everyday. Pope Benedict XVI writes, “Our God has a heart”. He is not only sensitive to our sufferings, but He is with us in our sufferings. In our brokenness, the Lord blesses us abundantly with His gifts of kindness, mercy, and love. His light cleanses and reconciles us back to Him.
Over this past week, we have reflected on the image of Jesus who waits at the well for us, and who desires to offer us not just drinking water for survival, but living waters for fullness of life. Have we dared to come close to Jesus, to seek forgiveness, and to say, “Lord, there are many ways I have sought fullness of life in the world, only to be left empty. I desire to see and receive you anew?”
Jesus reminds us this week that He thirsts for us (John 19:28). He thirsts for our faith, our hope and our total surrender to His mercy and goodness. He waits for us, just like He waited for the Samaritan woman to approach Him so that He may give us living water that will fill us with life anew. How then, can we respond to God’s thirst for us and how does this correlate to our Lenten commitments?
By living according to the truth of the cross and the resurrection, I become free from myself to look ahead towards God in that paschal dynamism from death to life. Pope Benedict XVI describes the transfiguration of Jesus as such, a prayer experience where the spirit of the human being adheres to that of God, and their respective wills merge to become a whole.
by Janice Toh Today, we enter the Second Sunday of Lent. As we continue our journey through Lent, we are encouraged not to lose sight of Christ. Perhaps our sincere
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Today we arrive at Day four of Lent. Perhaps we are beginning to feel the true struggle of being invited to put aside all distractions and deny ourselves. As we
Today, we enter the Season of Lent. In the coming days, we will no doubt hear repeatedly about turning away from sin and taking up our crosses. It is language
Today, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Josephine Bakhita. She was born in the Darfur region of Sudan and grew up in relatively prosperous circumstances. It is believed that
Let us persevere in this season of Ordinary Time, running so that we may win the prize – Jesus Christ.
by Anita Zidar Today the Church celebrates the birth of Christ. Emmanuel, the HOPE of the world. Especially for those of us who are cradle Catholics (like myself), the impact
by Francine Ho What does it mean to truly love another as God desires for us to? What does it mean for us to love like God loves? – These
by Frances Gan This week’s theme of joy is a personal call for me to open my eyes to the wonder of God’s grace. I was invited to reach out