Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together to listen to the Sacred Scriptures and as we continue to journey together through this time and season of Lent, let us all ponder on what the words of the Lord had meant for us, for us to trust the Lord’s mercy, grace and forgiveness and to be merciful in our own way of living and actions. We must not forget the ever generous compassion and mercy which the Lord has always had for His people, that is all of us, just as He has once had mercy and compassion on the Israelites, His first chosen race and people.  We must always do our best to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness, trusting that our loving Father will pardon us our faults and mistakes if we sincerely keep on doing our best to live in accordance with His ways.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Daniel, we heard of the prayer that Daniel, a prophet of God’s people in exile in Babylon, offered as a collective prayer on behalf of the people of God, the Israelites and their descendants living in exile, seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness. At that time, the Israelites and their descendants had been living in exile for a few decades while others had been scattered longer from their homeland, both from the northern kingdom of Israel that had been destroyed by the Assyrians and also the southern kingdom of Judah that the Babylonians had also destroyed. Daniel was one of those whom the Babylonians had brought to the land of Babylon in exile, away and uprooted from their homeland.

And the reason for their misfortune was their wickedness and sins, their disobedience against God and refusals to obey His Law and commandments despite repeated reminders, help and guidance from the many prophets and servants He had sent into their midst. They had abandoned the Lord their God Who has always provided for them and guided them so patiently, and as a result, they had to face the consequences of their actions and lack of faith, which had led them all to be defeated and crushed by their enemies around them, and trampled upon by their neighbours and eventually having their cities destroyed, their homes overturned and burnt, and nothing was left in the end of what was once glorious kingdom of the golden age of David and Solomon.

Daniel gathered the prayers of the people, and prayed on their behalf, interceding for them and their elders who have lived in exile and in shame, in the loss of their homeland and the Temple of God in Jerusalem, which was once the centre of the whole community of the people of God. Daniel asked for the Lord to have mercy and compassion on all those scattered people, who were indeed like lost sheep without a Shepherd, without the guidance of God. He reminded the Lord of the love which He has always had for each one of His people, and how those people had come to regret their sins and those of their predecessors and ancestors, desiring once again to worship the Lord their God, and to gather once again as one people.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard the Lord Jesus exhorting His disciples and followers to be merciful and compassionate in their actions and way of life so that they may truly embody their faith and everything that they believe in, and not to be contradicting what He and the disciples were preaching about. As those whom God had called and chosen, they ought to be like their Father, Creator and master in all things, and this includes being merciful and forgiving for all those who have wronged them. That is why we are reminded of this today as during this time of Lent, we are called to be more forgiving, kind and compassionate on each other.

Let us remember that before we despise others or be angry at those around us, and those who have hurt us, we have done the same to the Lord Himself through our actions and way of life. And yet, God still patiently loved us and He has always been kind, forgiving and merciful towards us, ever ready to welcome us back to His loving presence and embrace. And we should never take His love and kindness for granted, because God has always been considerate to us and gave us all so many opportunities again and again, for us to seek Him and to embrace His love wholeheartedly. We should remember that we are truly beloved, and therefore, we too should be loving, compassionate, considerate and caring for everyone around us, even those who have despised and hated us first.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians all of us are called to be the bearers of God’s love and truth in our world today. The question is then, are we truly able to embody His love in our world today? Are we able to live our lives full of love and compassion, generosity and mercy towards all those who have wronged and hurt us? Or do we rather seek revenge and show our anger and hatred towards those who hated us, and therefore perpetuating the cycle of hatred, vengeance and violence? Let us all break this cycle and chain, brothers and sisters, and start behaving and acting in the manner that is truly worthy for all of us as true and genuine Christians, so that everyone may know that we are indeed Christians and followers of the Lord by our lives.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and forgiving God continue to show us His great love and mercy at all times, helping us all to seek Him and His forgiveness whenever we erred and made mistakes, and whenever we fell into the trap and temptations to sin. May God continue to show us all the path forward in life, in entrusting ourselves to His guidance and providence even when we face the greatest hurdles and obstacles in our journey of life and faith. Let us all continue to draw ever closer to God during this blessed time and season of Lent, now and always. Amen.