Reflection for the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A 2023

 God commands us to aspire to holiness. God tells us to Be holy, for I…am holy. To Be holy is to set aside our selfish desires, and to make loving God and serving him the top priorities in our lives. It means to strive to learn from Him to be gracious and merciful, slow to anger and most loving.

      As we prepare for the season of Lent. We are once again confronted by the Lord and the wonderful manner in which he was able to put people in their place nicely, but firm.

        The wonderful season of Lent begin next Wednesday with Ash Wednesday. We will once gain, remember Jesus being our delivered into the hands of those who put him to death, three days after his death he will rise. We will be confronted by our sinfulness during the next several weeks and we will be asked to become like little children. In this way we will be open to the Lord’s message and have simplicity of faith.

       Next Wednesday, millions upon millions of Catholics will receive the mark of death on their foreheads. Many baptized and confirmed Catholics, who do not practice their faith, who shun the Sacraments, will be knocking on the doors of the rectories to find out when they can get their ashes. Most  of these people do not realize that there is no obligation to receive ashes on one’s forehead on Ash Wednesday, they rush after the symbol of human mortality- ash – while ignoring the Bread of Life and the Cup of Eternal Salvation which are available to them in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. which  is obligatory for most adults today is to have only one full meal – and to refrain from eat meat. But even that is  symbolic of the spirit that we are meant to adopt as our own starting Wednesday for the next forty days.

        The Church gives us the season of Lent to help us make a new commitment to living as Jesus wants us to live, without any compromise. Our Lord made it possible for us to live as he did, to die as he did, to rise as he did, through the sacraments administered by the Church he created.

        Do you want to live as Jesus did? Do you want to die as Jesus did , selflessly and unconditionally? Do you want to rise as Jesus did? If you do, then now is your chance to change. Now is the chance to turn away from sin, to make a good confession, to receive our Lord worthily in the Blessed Sacrament, to dedicate yourself unreservedly to the Cross of Jesus Christ. He is Divine Mercy!

        We should resolve right now, are we going to take this season of Lent seriously as a genuine , sustained period of growth to Jesus and his Holy Church?

         As we prepare to come forward to receive the Holy Eucharist today, be mindful of Christ offering himself as the Bread of Life for our salvation. May this Sacrament fill your hearts  the desire to share Christ’s love  with your families and the broader community in all that you say and do.

May God bless you all 

Fr. Dominic 

Your brother in Christ