Lent,March15,09

(For Children’s mass, Chicago,09)
What is economic meltdown? The financial disaster being experienced now—There is a moral breakdown in our values and faith. Lent is a time for restoration , for a new moral stimulus package to be infused into our lives.
Here is what a 7th grader from San Diego, California(Veronica Wilson ) wrote(Faith and Family,March, 09):
“Spreading the Gospel is spreading the faith. Talk to people of other religions or of no religions. Tell them about your traditions, about what we do at church every Sunday. Never be embarrassed about your faith.You might get teased or made fun of, but Jesus will always be within you and that will make you confident. Try to see the best in people. There is a best in everyone, because Jesus is within everyone.(The words of the Holy Father to the Youth on the World Youth Day in Sydney,08: “The Lord wishes you young people to stir up the wind and fire of a new Pentecost in the world.”)


Today’s Gospel---Jesus compares the deafness and the neglect of the people of Israel to His mission to the actions of the tenants of a vineyard. Through a powerful and telling parable , Jesus shows them how stone-deaf are his listeners. The tenants killed the servants sent to them to collect the owner’s share of the produce but the tenants killed the servants as well his son. The owner took a drastic action of expelling and punishing all of them. The same is going to happen to all of them because of their rejection of Jesus.
Now we are the chosen people. But we too reject Jesus in our lives through many of our actions.
---Through our dealings in the community, at home and work place--- Occasions when we should give forgiveness, show compassion and reach out But we don’t. Christian faith grows through the sacrifices of our selfishness. Devotions and practices help us to have that new life. Without undergoing spiritual regeneration, we are just empty shells, hollow men.
We too get warnings in our life. The prophets do not come ..but intimations come. Through the words of the priests, colleagues, spouses, children, we come to know some of our actions are not good, that we are not acting as Christians.
As St.Paul points out, we are the children of God, the adopted children of God.Live like the children of God.
This Lent—for a new life. Call some one that you have not called.Speak warmly to a person that you have not called or criticized often.This is not weakness but strength from the presence of Jesus in our lives.