Lenten Reflection - Day 2 - Break the chains that imprison us

Sisters and brothers in Christ, in his homily for Ash Wednesday, while speaking on the corporal works of mercy - particularly visit the prisoners - Fr. Charlie talked about writing to inmates and ministering to inmates in hopes that, through the working of the Holy Spirit, they would be led to conversion of heart and repentance. Fr. Charlie also talked about those who are imprisoned by their sins and how Jesus wants to give freedom to those imprisoned by their sins. For them, like those who are physically incarcerated, we are also called to reach out to them, speak the Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and hope that, through the working of the Holy Spirit, they too are led to conversion of heart and repentance.

In today's first reading, from the Book of Deuteronomy, God tells what we need to do to live and grow and be blessed: obey the commandments of the Lord, your god. However, if we "turn away [our] hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods", we will certainly perish. God sets before us "life and death". . . "the blessing and the curse". . . and tells us to "choose life". It is as simple as that and yet so hard for us because it means that we would have to take up our cross and follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ daily.

This Lent, let us cooperate with God on a "Lenten game plan" to help us break the chains that imprison us to our vices and sin. Let us use the pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to attack this vice and sin relentlessly so that come Easter we will gain the freedom that God so desires for us. Let us let this question from our Lord Jesus Christ, in today's Gospel, be written on our hearts to inspire us to conversion: "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?"

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Gospel of the Day

Jesus said to his disciples:

"The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected

by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,

and be killed and on the third day be raised."

Then he said to all,

"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world

yet lose or forfeit himself?"