THIRD WEEK OF LENT ........ SATURDAY 02.04.11

RANDOM REFLECTIONS

THIRD WEEK OF LENT....... SATURDAY   02.04.11

LUKE 18:9-14.....  JESUS SPOKE THE PARABLE TO SOME PEOPLE WHO PRIDED THEMSELVES AND DESPISED EVERYONE ELSE.

"All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (MENSTRUAL CLOTH);
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away." — Isaiah 64:6 (TNIV)

"Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short of God's glory."-- Romans 3:23

The Pharisee proudly claimed that he was not greedy, unjust or adulterous when compared to others and that he has been going to church regularly, paying subscriptions on time and fasting on prescribed days. But God was not happy with him because he was still a sinner and did not own up his sins. His chief sin was spiritual pride which blinded him to God and lack of love for his neighbor which made him despise the Tax collector in his heart. Instead of praying to God he prayed to himself ( he did not really love God either ) and mouthed empty insincere words of thanking God for his virtues. In his eyes he exalted himself and passed severe judgement over others. His eyes were blinded by pride and hence he was not even aware of his sinfulness. Since he failed to seek forgiveness his sins remained.

Whereas the Tax Collector was acutely aware of his shortcomings so much so that he dare not lift his eyes to God, but sincerely repented in his heart. He communicated with God, his prayer was heard and his sins forgiven.

Jesus made himself a sinner for our sake when he carried the cross. He fell three times but lifted himself up by prayer while he was being helped and encouraged on the way to Calvary by our blessed mother, by the women of Jerusalem, by Veronica and by Simon of Cyrene. Jesus' fall represents our innumerable falling into sin and subsequent repentance by God's grace and forgiveness of our sins. We are after all human and are bound to fall into sin frequently, but Jesus is there to help us to reach heaven provided we make sincere efforts to repent and reform.

God does not see how many times we have sinned, but how many times we have sincerely repented. He knows we are mere humans and weaklings.

God Bless.