BENDING OUR HEARTS TO JESUS

Meditation for Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

(Jer 7:23-28; Lk 11:14-23)

The prophet Jeremiah laments the stubbornness of heart of the people. Despite persistent appeals and warnings, they refused to obey the voice of the Lord. Worse still, they added iniquity after iniquity, and increased in their evil ways. These are the people who liked to do things in their own ways as against the ways of the Lord, and who would not accept discipline.

 

In this meditation, we already see another importance of discipline as proposed by this season of Lent. It helps to ‘soften the heart’, so that we will not be stiff-necked people, who act only according to their feelings and from their comfort zones. If we bury our hearts in self-indulgence, it shall become deaf to the word of God, and we may end up growing in evil. The resistance of a stubborn hearted person against the truth of the word of God is like the opposition Jesus faced in the gospel.

After witnessing to great works of Jesus in setting a demoniac free, some of the people who refused to believe accused Him of casting out demons by Beelzebul. Some others, to justify their stubbornness of heart, asked Him to give a sign from heaven. Jesus explained to them that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Anyone living a life of self-contradiction will end in self-destruction! To deny what one knows to be true is self-contradiction, and a violation of conscience. To avoid this, and for us to grow in virtue, we impose certain disciplines on ourselves this Lent. This is our humble way of bending our hearts to Jesus, who is the Truth and the Life. He says, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Thursday March 16^th, 2023.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

23rd Lenten meditation

FULFILLING THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS

Meditation for Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Dan 3:2, 11-20; Mt 18:21-35)

Yes, Lenten season supposed to prepare us to be in a state of grace and to be pleasing to God. This requires that we keep the commandments. Fasting energizes us and strengthens our will to choose rightly, and deepens our love for God and neighbor. However, because man is created with a sublime free will, he is naturally inclined to freedom without restriction. But such a freedom without borders turns out to be euphoric and unrealistic since man by nature is unlimited. So, laws and discipline are necessary to bring the human free will down to earth, and order it in accordance with God’s will.

 

With Jesus’ constant emphasis on love of God and love of neighbor as the fulfilment of the law and the prophets, it seems the many ordinances of the Lord as given by Moses are no more necessary. Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them.” When we focus on love of God and neighbor, we cover all aspects of the law and at the same time, satisfy its purpose. Above all, in Christ Jesus, observance of the law begins from the heart. That is why the Christian is expected to be detailed in keeping the commandments as promotes goodness and does not give room for any form evil.

 

Therefore, conversion of the heart in love is the bold step we take in keeping the commandments. Conversion of heart is not just avoidance of wrongdoing, it means to follow Jesus more closely, to act with the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). The more the life Christ is promoted in our words and actions, the more we satisfying every detail of the law.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Wednesday March 15^th, 2023.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

22^nd Lenten meditation