Forms of Breakup
Third Sunday of Lent
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”Ps. 25
If love is the first fruit of the Spirit, and therefore cannot be lacking in the disciple, then it is impossible to be united to Him and not to practice it unceasingly; heartbreak becomes a sign of the lack of Life in the soul, which unfortunately is more frequent than we think. As God’s word makes very clear, love is not in intentions or good desires but in works. (James and 1 John)
In the superficiality that many Christians live today, they live more as allies of the ego, the world and the enemy (the 3 enemies of the soul) settling for mere minimum fulfillments, to deceive themselves thinking that with that they are already good with God. Many believe that they are okay only because they are not as bad as they see others be, they do not kill and do not steal, and with this they settle.
Obviously he who kills or steals, or dares to hurt someone in any other way, clearly does not have the ABC of the disciple, daring to bear bitter fruit, to manifest heartbreak or do some harm. These are what Jesus means when he says he will say to them:
“I assure you that I do not know you. Depart from you who do evil.”
There is another level of lack of love that many supposedly practicing believers have, without being “bad” people, considering themselves good, respectful, Christian, of good will (LIKE THE OLDER BROTHER OF THE PRODIGAL SON) but who are far from being what Christ wants them to be as his disciples: it is to live in a mediocrity that does not please God, For it is an immaturity that does not allow us to bear the fruit we are called to give:
- Having God and the Church in less consideration than any amateur has his hobby. Therefore, gives less heart, interest, time and money; with frequency as little as possible, as a fulfillment by obligation.
- You don’t have the time or motivation to help. He can see a paper in the Church, and he doesn’t pick it up. He can see priests, brothers in the faith or the Church in need and not lift a finger.
- He buries his talents, because he does not put them at the service of others. He could help in many ways, but he prefers to live for himself and for his family, he does not have enough love to provide his services and support to the Church.
- He lives centered on himself, wants to like them, but does not bother to please others. He wants others to bear good fruit that he himself does not give.
- He fulfills from his ego, out of selfish interest he goes to mass and confesses, in a bad way, because he does not do it for love of God and others, but to save the “skin”, trying to avoid his possible condemnation, but he wants to continue in his sin. He believes that by telling the priest from time to time he already fulfills and deserves forgiveness.
- You have no more time to serve, to deepen your faith, to share your faith.
- This person may be in elementary school childishness, he thinks he is fine, but he is not yet the disciple that Christ wants him to be, because he does not seriously seek holiness or live the Life that Christ came to give us.
Readings for the Week
Monday: 2 Kgs 5:1-15ab; Ps 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4; Lk 4:24-30
Tuesday: Dn 3:25, 34-43; Ps 25:4-5ab, 6, 7bc, 8-9; Mt 18:21-35
Wednesday: Dt 4:1, 5-9; Ps 147:12-13, 15-16, 19- 20; Mt 5:17-19
Thursday: Jer 7:23-28; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Lk 11:14-23 Friday: Hos 14:2-10; Ps 81:6c-11ab, 14, 17; Mk 12:28-34
Saturday: Hos 6:1-6; Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab; Lk 18:9-14
Sunday: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41[1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38]