15th March 2009 :: 3rd Sunday in Lent
I suppose if you were to conduct an opinion poll on what people think about God and Religion a dominant answer would be that it is solely connected with rules and regulations; you should do this, you should not do the other. In speaking to a lady the other day she remembered as a child being very fearful of going to bed because she felt she was going to die and to end up in hell for not doing one thing or another. She did not make that up herself; she acquired that from the society and the church of the time. That was very wrong, and thankfully the image of God that we all are asked to think about is that of a kind father, someone who is rich in mercy and whose name is Love.
Many people today still live their lives according to the Ten Commandments and that is very worthwhile as long as one does not become too legalistic or indeed scrupulous. Jesus when he came knew all about the Scriptures of the Old Testament, he no doubt would have lived his own life by the Ten Commandments. But he came also to simplify them and remove the overly legalistic tone of them. He introduced a new code, 'you must love God, and you must love your neighbour as you love yourself. He did not ignore the Commandments; he simplified them into that short sentence. If you think about it, if you love God and your neighbour you will follow each of the Ten. The First three Commandments are directed towards God, the next seven involve how we relate to one another. For example coming to Mass is a way of showing that you love God, it must not be merely because of obligation. Not bearing false witnesses is a very important one that we all struggle with from time to time. And we try to follow it not because we may get found out, but because we recognise deep down that it is wrong to lie, and that we certainly would not want anyone to do that to us.
Lent is that time when we get the necessary space to examine how we live each day. Is the life I lead worthy of being a follower of Christ? Do the words I speak, does the faith I profess match how I behave in the world, within my family, or even in the parish I worship in? Put very simply do I love God, and my neighbour as I love myself?
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Homilies Archive
17nd May 2009
26th April 2009
3rd Sunday of Easter
12th April 2009
Easter Sunday
9th April 2009
Holy Thursday
29th March 2009
5th Sunday in Lent
22nd March 2009
4th Sunday in Lent
17th March 2009
St. Patrick's Day
15th March 2009
3rd Sunday in Lent
8th March 2009
2nd Sunday in Lent
1st March 2009
1st Sunday in Lent
25th February 2009
Ash Wednesday
22nd February 2009
8th February 2009
1st February 2009
25th January 2009
18th January 2009
11th January 2009
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
6th January 2009
Feast of the Epiphany
4th January 2009
2008 HOMILIES ARCHIVE
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