Reflection from Friar Nicholas

MONDAY, FIFTH WEEK OF LENT    Dan 13:41-62; Ps 23; Jn 8:1-11 Our Choice to live a Spiritual Life The Gospels we have heard for three consecutive Sundays of Lent have been thematic; the Church uses these different themes to prepare us for the coming Paschal celebrations. The theme of water of life, or the living water, was presented on the third Sunday at the encounter of our Lord with the Samaritan woman. The theme of the light of the world was presented on the fourth Sunday with the healing of the man born blind. The theme of life was presented yesterday, the fifth Sunday, with the raising of Lazarus from the dead. In each of these encounters, the Son of Man offers himself as the living water, the spiritual light, and the life of the world respectively. The offers remain open for each of us to accept or not. At each point of these encounters, our Lord makes it clear that it was not the making of the needy person that he or she is found in that position of need. But...

SUNDAY, FIFTH WEEK OF LENT    Ezek 37:12-14; Ps 130; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 I am the Resurrection and Life As we draw nearer to the Paschal celebrations of the Church, we witness more of the tension between light and darkness, between life and death. The readings the Church places before us make the identity of Jesus Christ clear. As the identity of the Son of Man is unveiled on one hand, the stance of those who oppose him also becomes known. The revelation of light brings to light various works of darkness and also illuminates darkness for us to know it for what it really is, namely, the absence of light or dislike for God. God is the only source of true light; every light derives its source from God alone. As God put forth the light of his word and presence, each of us chooses the role we want to play. It is a choice we make within and by ourselves. Those who choose to be with God and work with him receive light and life. On the other hand, those who refuse to be with ...

SATURDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT    Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:2-3,9-12; Jn 7:40-52 The Sacrifice of the Son of Man As Saint Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 2:15, the spiritual man or a righteous soul can judge all things through the light of God’s word that he has in him. The word of God, which is the light of wisdom illuminating us and all creation, directs the mind and heart of the spiritual person to discern the truthfulness of all things and their purpose in his life. The knowledge of creatures and their usefulness is only a secondary good that the word of God confers on us when we receive it with faith; the first and most important being the knowledge of God and His holy will for us. Our knowledge of God through His Word helps us to order our lives to Him first as our Creator and ultimate good or end. Subsequently, we are able to use all things as they come our way as a means to reach our end in God. Because faith enables us to receive the word of God and build our lives on God,...

FRIDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT    Wis 2:1,12-22; Ps 34:16,18-21,23; Jn 7:1-2,10,25-30 The Origin of the Son of Man The Son of Man is the Eternal Word of God dwelling in our human nature. He is the embodiment of God the Father’s holy will and teaches us the same will. But the identity of the Son of Man is only revealed to faith and not to our human senses. Hence, the Son of Man comes as the revelation of the Father’s immutable will only to the faithful. Those who lack faith in the word of God are deprived of the knowledge of the divine origin of the word of God in the scriptures and as given to us in the Son of Man. As we noted earlier in the previous reflections, the Incarnation of the Eternal Word has renewed the entire creation as a sacrament of God’s presence. So, those who believe in his coming in human nature receive the gift of faith, which enables them to attain certainty on what remains unseen but made present through the visible realities. The chief among the ...

SAINT JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY    2 Sam 7:4-5,12-14,16; Ps 89:2-5,27,29; Rom 4:13,16-18,22; Mt 1:16,18-21,24 Do not fear to take Mary Home The Church celebrates a great saint today. Saint Joseph is celebrated by the universal Church today as the husband of Mary. Not much is known about this noble and quiet man. The scriptures tell us only of his silent devotion to God. His dignity is first revealed in the Gospel when it is said that the Blessed Virgin Mary was betrothed to him. That he was to be the husband of Mary was ordained by God. The dignity of Saint Joseph comes to the fore when we consider the fact that God chose him for the all-important role of taking charge of His new creation: the Woman and her Offspring. If we learn from Scripture that the Woman and her Offspring are archenemies of the ancient serpent and sin, then the man Joseph must be a holy man to live in the company of the woman and her offspring and take charge of them. In fact, ...

WEDNESDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT    Isa 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9,13-14,17-18; Jn 5:17-30 The Son of Man raises the Dead The joy of salvation is exceedingly great in those who have received the word of God truly as the word of God, and not some human thinking or fabrication. What the word of God announces to us is beyond this world; only the believers can comprehend the meaning of the word they receive because the Holy Spirit has given them a new capacity to receive and comprehend spiritual things. By sending His Son in human nature, God has given us a new spiritual birth in the Son. The new birth is the spiritual life we have in common with the Son of Man. So, we are one with the Son of Man spiritually, but many by our material bodies. Thus, what is said of the Son of Man applies to all who constitute his body by their share in His Spirit. Our share in the Spirit of the Son increases as we reorient our minds and hearts to become like His. Since the Spirit defines a desire and o...