In today’s readings, we sense an aura of doom and gloom. Moses directly informs the Israelites that disobeying God’s commandments will result in perishing early. Later, in the Gospel, Jesus adds to the melancholic vibe by relaying the first prediction of his Passion to the disciples, in which he outlines inevitable pain and suffering. However, scripture does not leave us ruminating on the destruction of life; rather, the Lord is conveying to us that there is hope and new life in the choice to accept and carry out God’s will.
Through sin, we estrange our hearts from God’s perfect love; yet, Lent is the ideal time to reexamine our actions and repent for the ways we have turned away from God. By actively engaging in thoughtful prayer, studying God’s word, fasting and giving alms to the poor and marginalized, we nurture intimacy with God and become receptive to all God’s blessings. During this season of repentance and renewal in our relationship with God, we reaffirm our faith and choose the path of eternal life by walking with Jesus.
To turn toward God, Jesus notes that we must follow his example by embracing daily struggle through bearing our own crosses. We should willingly accept our day-to-day stressors that challenge our ability to love God and our neighbor, and with total dependence on God, strive to overcome them. Especially during Lent, we are called to sacrifice our comforts that hinder our relationship with Christ. We must deny our vices, strip ourselves of egos and release worldly attachments to truly grow with Christ. Jesus clearly tells the disciples that there is no benefit to gaining material riches, if in that process, one loses connection to God. In our plight to live like Christ in this fallen world, we must remain vigilant of God’s mission for humanity: to love one another as God loves us.
