Mercilent 2016- 1st Sunday: 14th February
Dt 26: 4-10; Rom 10: 8-13; Lk 4: 1-13
Testing Times never lack! Every person goes through these times in quite a succession! Lent is proposed to be a workshop to train us for testing times that might come our way, all through our life! Today the Word gives us three lessons on confront these testing times:
1. Our Disposition: Be Prepared to Wander
The First reading invites us to understand our history! Every one who has reached some significant point with the Lord in his or her life experience, has passed definitely passed through a phase of wandering. It is an essential spiritual experience to get closer to oneself, to each other and to the One who leads us.
2. Our Approach: Never Cease to Ponder
Yes, the One who leads us into the wilderness knows what is in store! We would miss it all if we do not keep pondering on the way. Pondering is such a powerful exercise that it can makes sense of everything that happens, in its own time of course. When we cease to ponder we run the risk of wandering without purpose; the point is wandering with a specific purpose, in a specific direction...which the Lord alone knows.
3. Our Attitude: Be ready to Surrender
That specific purpose, that specific direction will be revealed in time, just in time! Hence the challenge is to surrender and not to fret. Surrendering would first involve the humility of saying to myself: I am not in control of everything. Secondly it would mean lifting my eyes to accept that God is in-charge. And thirdly it is a serene acceptance of God's will with utmost cooperation on our part, not rushing through or forcing things.
It may be tough to find times so testing, but only when we are tested, we could be sealed OK.