Listen and Get it right

Well lent is almost over.  How have we done with our Lenten commitments?  

Have we stuck to them or have we broken a few? 

I know I have slipped a few times and had to start all over again.

But it is nice to have a God who looks past our faults and forgives our weaknesses.  But all is not lost; we still have the most important week of lent just ahead of us to get it right. 

This Sunday starts the holiest week in our Church year. 

Palm Sunday begins a week in which we relive Jesus’ suffering and his death. 

Why should we have re-live all the suffering and pain of Jesus again? 

Why do we have to hear the painful story of Good Friday again, why can’t we just go right to Easter Sunday.

Well, because without Good Friday there would be no Easter Sunday.

Without Jesus’ suffering and dying for us there is no resurrection.

Through his dying he gave us life, a life that will not end.

In today’s gospel we have Jesus wanting to share his gift of life with the people of Galilee, people he taught, people that he cured, people that he will eventually die for, but they weren’t interested, they weren’t paying attention. 

He spoke to them about truth, and said if they would live that truth they would be set free.  But like all of us, they only heard what they wanted to hear and they did what they wanted to do.   They became angry at Jesus for what he said, they were afraid of the truth about themselves and they eventually helped to put him to death.

Aren’t we sometimes guilty of same thing? 

Do we hear God voice and ignore it? 

When he tell us not to hurt others, do we ignore him;                                             when he tells us to listen to our parents do we close our ears;                                    when he tell us to help a friend that is having a problem do we chose not to listen to his voice.  

As we come to the beginning of Holy Week let us try to open our ears and pay better attention to Jesus’ direction and try to follow his example.

This coming week let us try to show compassion and love for others,                             not to be angry with them, or call them names, or make fun of them,                               or be impatient with them.  

If they have hurt us we must learn to forgive them.                                                   Jesus tells us that until we do these things we cannot be his friend.

None of things that He asks us to do are easy.  But the thing we need to do is to listen with open ears and an open heart and pay better attention to his direction.

Only then will we be given a new sense of determination and inner peace by an awesome God who loved us so much that he gave us his life.