2015/03/22 - Homilies - 5th Sunday of Lent

SCHOOL of LIFE

During our earthly life we have to try to learn about how to recognize  the most important things in our life.

A good example is given to us by the Bible through today`s readings. The people of Israel had learnt it throughout the Alliance which had constantly to be renewed: The fidelity of God versus infidelity of His people.

But God is never tired of teaching us his ways for our lives. Today we are learning about the new covenant HE gave.  

In the past God gave them the 10 Commandments. They were written on the stone. Now, He promises to write them on the human hearts.

The revelation of God is going step by step. To follow God and his commands, we can do it by both ways.  Accomplishing the commands like it is asked to do, often without having a very deep knowledge of its spiritual sense. But when do we have a real knowledge of it? We learn it step by step.

But we can also go further and try to understand what does it mean to receive the LAW of God into our heart. We can just apprehend what has been revealed to us by God through his son, Christ our Lord.

Jesus, both, man and God, in the same person, had also to learn to do the will of his Father. His Father who remains in Heaven and himself, Jesus, sharing our human nature, on earth. Jesus learnt how to remain the true son of God full of confidence in his father. Their relationship full of love was never impaired cut, never broken. Even in the time of the Gethsemane deep and sorrowful prayer. Jesus learnt how to obey   his Father. He did it led by the circumstances of his own life.

In our life we can experience it especially when something is difficult to live. In the psychological meaning of the word `obey`, we have three possibilities to find the way of obedience.

The first one is in fact an infantile one, when the child says, `I want to have this and that, I want to have it right now, immediately`. The world around is bound to obey his desire.  

The second one, is when we ask God to do our will. Sometimes, the main concern of our prayers are just a way of expressing it. We admit that the presence of God has an effect on our life.  But we are not able yet to agree to follow His own will.

Indeed, the third way is expected as the most common one. In our live we cannot reach such a level of the meaning of the will of God. It happens only in very exceptional circumstances. But if we learn how to obey to God’s will in the little things, we can surely find it easier to accept it in the most important moments of our lives.

Let us look at Jesus who always abides by the will of his Father. And, step by step, let us learn how to imitate it in our whole life.