“Seeking to live a life that is sinless, with a faith that is fearless, for a hope that is endless!”

(Based on Deut 4:1-9 and Mt 5:17-19 – Wednesday of the 3rd Week in Lent)

Here is an interesting read….

First dentistry became painless;
Then bicycles chainless
The latest steel rustless,
And probably laws, enforceless.

Next, cookery became fireless,
Telegraphy wireless,
Cigars nicotineless
And tennis courts, grassless

Soon oranges were seedless,
The proper diet, fatless,
The motor roads dustless,
And coffee, caffeineless.
Our times are such that there are many advancements made as a result of great technology.

However a danger has also appeared in rendering things to be made “¬¬¬____less”

Our prayers seem to be devotionless
Charity heartless
Preaching depthless
And religiosity, faithless!

While it’s wonderful to allow technology and modern techniques to make our life ‘easier and relaxing’, it’s a grave danger to allow the same “relaxing and easing” tendency to overpower our spiritual endeavours!

The Gospel of the day is a warning by the Lord to be wary of this inclination to “relax” and “loosen” things which are pertaining to God and thus be exposed to the risk of being “lowered” in the eyes of God.
“Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven… “(Mt 5: 19)

The Lord addresses Himself as the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets (Mt 5:18)

God, in the Old Testament, while delivering the commandments to the people of Israel, had strictly enjoined on them to keep His decrees and laws close to their hearts and to follow them carefully:

“But take care, as you value your lives! Do not forget the things which you yourselves have seen, or let them slip from your heart as long as you live; teach them, rather, to your children and to your children’s children.” (Dt 4:9)

But as time passed on and generations went by, the intensity in the following of these commandments drastically reduced.

The laws began to lose their original spirit and motive.

The instructions of the Lord were abandoned for their spiritual value
The commandments began to be followed more from a social perspective
There began a “loosing” and “relaxing” of the commandments and the laws of the Lord!

The Greek word for “relaxing”, that Jesus speaks of in referring to the commandments of God is a word – “luo”.

This word “luo” can imply different meanings:

It could be to break up or to demolish or to destroy that which is bound up firmly.
It could be the loosening of the bond of matrimony between a husband and wife
It could be to loosen any person or thing, that is tied or fastened to something
It could be the undoing or dissolving of anything or any thought or idea.
It could be to annul or subvert something especially laws or authority.

This “luo” is a grave danger to which all of us are also exposed to…

The danger to allow lethargy to troop in, in the name of “easiness”
The danger to allow lukewarmness to creep in, in the name of “convenience”
The danger to allow sluggishness to dominate, in the name of “broadmindedness”

The Lord today invites us to examine and probe into areas of our life that needs a real “tightening” and “intensification”

Has my prayer life become relaxed and casual…

Can I “tighten” it up, to grow in deeper communion with the Lord?

Has my participation in the Holy Eucharist become too monotonous and more “ritualistic”…

Can I “intensify” my preparation and participation in this most sacred act of the world?

Has my reading of the Word of God taken a backseat or lost its significance in my daily life…

Can I “tighten” it up, in order to draw strength from the mighty sword of God’s Word?

Has my relationship with my fellow people and the needy ones, devoid charity and kindness…

Can I “intensify” with a truer interest in their concerns and making a difference in their lives?

Let us seek to have and live…
A life that is sinless…
A faith that is fearless…
An enthusiasm that is limitless…
A joy that is deceitless
And a hope that is endless!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism:
WALKING BY FAITH

We walk by faith, not by sight! We perceive God as “in a mirror, dimly” and only “in part”.
Even though enlightened by him in whom it believes, faith is often lived in darkness and can be put to the test…
… the world we live in often seems very far from the one promised us by faith.
Our experiences of evil and suffering, injustice and death, seem to contradict the Good News…
… they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it.
It is then we must turn to the witnesses of faith…
… to Abraham, who “in hope… believed against hope”
… to the Virgin Mary, who, in “her pilgrimage of faith”, walked into the “night of faith” in sharing the darkness of her son’s suffering and death
… and to so many others
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely…
… and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (CCC # 164-165)

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