Second sunday of Lent

Today we celebrate second Sunday in Lent. Lenten disciplines such as prayer, fasting and
helping others call us to rekindle our spiritual life and thus to get closer to god our
father.Once a baby camel came to the mother and said, "mom, I am so depressed and I don't know
what to do?"Mom looked at the baby and asked, "what is wrong with you my child?"The baby camel asked, "mom...why do we have long legs and three toed feet and they are so
ugly?"Mom said, "we have long legs and three toed feet for reason. They help us to walk in the
desert".Then why do we have these long eye-lashes?The mother said, "these help us to protect our eyes from sand in the desert".The baby camel looked at the mother and asked, "mom...why do we have this big hump on our
back""Oh.. this is water storage. It helps us to live longer without water in desert"The the baby camel looked at the mother and asked, "Mom.. if we are created to live in
desert, what are we doing here in Toronto Zoo?"
some times we all struggle to fit on earth. we ask ourselves, 'if we belong to heaven and
if heaven is our real home, then what are we doing here on earth?'we have heavenly nature and are given soul that belong to heaven. We focus our thoughts,
ideas and actions towards God our father every day and then why are we here and how can we
connect ourselves with God?
we are here to know and love God and thus enter into heaven. we are here to love others as
we love ourselves.
Knowing and loving god helps us to enter into our real home that is heaven.And prayer is the way to know and love God. prayer takes us to God and open ourselves in
the presence of God.
Once a holy man was travelling with a group of people in a beautiful ship. All people came
together and prayer to god before the departure of the ship and the holy man didn't pray
and was just looking at them. Then before and after meal, the people prayed to God and the
holy man didn't. Then there came a big waves and the ship was almost going to sink, so
people came together and prayed to God to save them but the holy man was just standing
without praying. So the people got mad and came to the holy man and asked, 'how come you
are not praying and call yourself a holy man?.The holy man looked at them and said, "asking me to pray is like asking a fish in the water
to take a bath. I am always in prayer. Prayer should be a way of life. If we make our life
a prayerful one, then we will ready to face any situation.Today's gospel says when Jesus prayed his appearance of his face changed and his clothes
became dazzling white and there came Moses and Elijah and visiting them. He became heavenly
being. Then a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved son, listen to him". Yes, when we
pray without ceasing, we too will come to know that we belong only to God our father.
once a priest visited one of his parishioners who was sick at home. when he went his place,
beside his bed, there was an empty chair and the priest said, "how do you know that I am
coming and put a chair for me and the man said, father... for many years, I struggled with
my spiritual life and I didn't know how to pray and one day while I was talking to one of
my friends, he said to put an empty chair and imagining that Jesus is sitting on it and
then pray and now I feel so peaceful and every time I pray I feel that Christ is with me.
we all find different ways to connect ourselves with god. And when we explore our oneness
with God, then we too will radiate the love and light of Christ in the world. Amen.

First sunday of Lent

Today we enter into new liturgical season called Lent. These forty days of Lent invites us
to explore ourselves in the presence of God and others; it helps us to say, "yes" to the
love of God once again. Lent is not only about fasting, it is also about feasting and
celebrating our oneness with God our Father.

Today's gospel deals with three different temptations such as to go against God, against
others and against oneself.

1. The first temptation: Going against the love and kindness of God our Father;

once a king called all his wise men and asked, "what should I do to a person who kicked me
and slapped and spat on my face". The people who heard it were so furious and one person
said, "you should immediately execute the person". Then the other said, "you should behead
him in public". Everyone came up with different solutions. Then one person said, 'you
should kiss the feet that kicked you, you should kiss the hand that slapped you and adore
him". The king was surprised and asked him why. The man said, "my lord, no one has the
authority or power to do anything against you except your little son who loves you so
much".
yes, that is the relationship, Jesus wants us to have with God; Father and child
relationship. Even we go away from God, our relationship should stay the same. But when we
focus more on our physical needs as the tempter asks Jesus, then we begin to make stones
into bread, we forget to live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
prayer helps us to get closer to God our Father.

2. The second temptation: Going against our neighbours and others;

Once there was a beautiful island where all the feelings lived such as happiness, joy,
sadness, love and so on. And one day, they were announced that the island was going to sink
and all the feelings got out of the island except love. Love waited until the last moment
and when the island had almost sunk, love decided to get out. Richness was passing by love
with big boat but refused to take with him. then the happiness said, "i am too happy to
take you with me and sadness said, 'i am too sad to take you with me". then at last time
came by and helped love to reach the dry land. Then love said to all, "only time is capable
of understanding how valuable love is". when we take time to be with others, we come to
know the meaning of love and life.
when Jesus was given authority to control over everything, he said," i am here to love and
serve God. when we spend time to love and serve humanity, we love and serve God. Fasting or
giving up the things that hinder us from loving humanity, we begin to serve God.

3. The third temptation: Going against oneself;

Once a man who was an alcoholic was criticized by all. His wife threatened him of leaving him
and his children never respected him. He was so depressed and helpless and nothing helped
him to stop drinking. Then one day, he met with his best friend who looked at him and said,
"Friend, I understand you. I love to accept as you are. when he heard that there is someone
who could accept him as he were, he experienced a big change in him and he, right there,
stopped drinking. He became a new man.
When people go against us, we too go against ourselves struggling to accept our limitation and conditions and try to blame God for everything. when we accept ourselves, there we will change for better.

During the season of Lent, let us explore ourselves in the presence of God and others. Amen.