2nd Sunday of Lent, Year B
The call to discipleship is centered on Faith and Trust in God which emphasizes the omnipotence of God and fidelity to His promises as we were reminded by today’s first reading from the Book of Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 with the story of Abraham. Faith and Trust in God is also the backbone of our journey to repentance and back to God as the season of Lent reminds us. It was Faith and Trust in God that made Abraham leave his homeland for the promised land. It was Faith and Trust in God that made Abram become Abraham. It was Faith and Trust in God that made Abraham believe in the mercy of God to have a son in his old age. It was Faith and Trust in God that made Abraham accept to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. So how strong is your Faith in God? How strong is your trust in Him?
But Faith and Trust in God are not the only essential aspects in the call to discipleship as shown us by Abraham. Abraham showed us that Obedience to God and Sacrifice are very important in being better disciples of Christ. Abraham was obedient to God and having sacrificed a lot already in leaving his homeland to the land promised him by God, still was willing to sacrifice more, his only son Isaac because with God, everything is possible and nothing is impossible.
Hence, Obedience and Sacrifice are also very important elements in our journey to repentance as the story of Abraham and Isaac points out to us today. How faithful are we to God? How obedient are we to Him? Could we imitate Abraham in living out the virtues of obedience and sacrifice? Are we willing to sacrifice a little to and for God who gave us His only begotten Son to die for us on the cross so as to become better disciples of His? Are we willing to pray more for others who need our prayers this Lenten season? Are we ready practice alms giving or charity to reciprocate God’s love for us and his blessings to us? Can we fast for the greater glory of God’s name as our sacrifice to change our spiritual lives and be better neighbors to all?
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do not forget that repentance entails obedience to God; obedience to God leads to total submission to God’s will in our lives and total submission to God’s will leads us to true and sincere transformation in our spiritual lives. So let us pray for God’s grace to come closer to Him this Lenten season through these practices. Amen!
