Reflections: Fifth Sunday (B) of Lent

Reflections for the fifth Sunday (B) of Lent

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (B) - Rev. Fr. Robert Crasta

Nothing generates in nature without first passing through death. Death is like a cloud that hides the sun. A grain of wheat, for example, first disappears under the soil before turning into a wheat stalk. Fullness of life is to be attained first by dying to self that consists in:

(1) Sacrificing one’s self-seeking ambitions and,

(2) Sacrificing one’s self-will for God’s will. If one does not want to serve others, live for others, do good for others like Christ then life in this world for him/her is meaningless and not worth living.

Losing one’s life means working for others, washing the feet of others without expecting anything in return. Christ gave Himself up to death for our sake. If He had not died then we would not have been saved from the bondage of sin. Humankind’s highest life consists in giving and self-sacrificing.

Rev. Fr. Robert Crasta, a Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Mangalore in India and currently serving as the Parochial Vicar at the Church of Our Lady of Victory, 60 William Street, New York, NY 10005, is the founder of America's Mangalorean Konkan Catholic Prayer Society (AMKCPS), an online prayer society of free membership, dedicated to strengthening the spiritual life of Mangalorean Christians abroad. To know more, visit MangaloreCatholics.org

---

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (B) - Rev. P. J. Sexton

Talking and Laughing

One of the major goals of Lent is to force us to reflect on our own death and to see our way through it. We all must die, as much as we don't like the fact. We try to hide it, dodge it, and deny it. Has death replaced sex as a taboo subject? Even if it has, we cannot escape it. Jesus came into the world, not so much to do away with death (not immediately), but to teach us how to die - by his example - and then to assure us that death does not say the last word. Jesus talked openly to his friends about his death. Open conversation and discussion about our own death is a wonderful way of preparing ourselves, it also helps our family and friends. It eases the grieving process for all. Do we discuss death in our family? When we walk into the valley of death we do not walk alone. Jesus is with us because he's been there before and knows what it is like. Moreover he promises us that just as he rose from the dead so will we. We will all be young again. We will all laugh again.

Happy talking, happy laughing!

Posted by Rev. Fr. Robert Crasta

Tags: Reflection Lent Lenten Mangalore Mangalorean Prayer Society America Roman Catholic Priest