Obey Christ to Be Free
3rd Sunday of Lent
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”Ps. 95
Jesus chose to be of our same blood to destroy the devil through His death—the one who, through death, held power over humanity—and to free those who, out of fear of death, lived as slaves all their lives (Hebrews 2:14).
The fear of death is a lack of trust in God, who has promised us salvation and eternal life in Christ. The love that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the divine life within us that frees us from fear-the fear with which the devil seeks to enslave us, and indeed, many are under his control.
To have no purpose for dying is to refuse to accept reality and life as they truly are. Christ teaches us to live life with purpose, embracing all that life encompasses, including what we find humanly unpleasant-sufferings and the daily cross that Jesus Himself bore by assuming our human condition, thus giving meaning to everything.
This is why Jesus said that He came to give us life in abundance. He leads us to live and embrace this life with all it entails so that we may love life and love God in prosperity and adversity, not only in health but also in sickness, every day of our journey through this world until we are called to be born into the life of heaven—for this is how we who follow Jesus understand death.
Those who do not follow Jesus do not trust Him, nor do they know His words or promises. Therefore, they live in darkness and suffer much more because they do not receive the light of Christ, who came with His wisdom and revelation to spare us much suffering. They fear every daily cross, every daily death-that is, they fear suffering, or things not turning out as they wish—because they have put themselves in God’s place, erecting their will as the ultimate truth to which everything and everyone must submit. For this reason, the text says that they live as slaves out of fear of death, as enemies of the cross of Christ, subject to idols.
Indeed, we are slaves to the one we obey-either to sin leading to death or to Christ leading to life (cf. Romans 6:16). Those who prefer to obey their own ego fall under the worst tyrant; the self is like a cowardly hired shepherd who flees at the first sign of danger, clinging to life in this world (and they will lose it). In contrast, Christ is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. By following Him, we also lay down our lives, denying ourselves (our ego that loves sin), accepting the cross, and finding freedom in obedience to Christ.
Freedom is the ability to choose the path of Life, which is Christ, for this is the only goal worth living and dying for—the greatest and the only truly important one. What good would it be to gain the whole world if we do not have eternal life? Unless you repent, you will all perish likewise. The human soul is truly enriched only by the life that God gives us. He calls us to conversion and to bear goof fruits.
Mortal versus Venial Sin
Question:
What is the difference between mortal and venial sin?
Answer:
Sin is a deliberate thought, word, action, or omission contrary to God’s law. Since the beginnings of the Church, sin has been distinguished by its gravity. “Grave matter” is traditionally defined by the Ten Commandments. If a person commits a grave sin with full knowledge of the action’s evil and with the complete consent of their will, this is a mortal sin. The effects of mortal sin are grave—the loss of sanctifying grace, which can be restored by a fresh outpouring of God’s mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Venial sin does not fit one or more of these conditions (for example, a less serious matter still freely chosen or grave matter committed while under force or ignorance of God’s law). The effects of venial sin—while still damaging to the human heart and human society—are less severe. Even so, smaller sins build habits, which can obstruct our growth in virtue. When we are serious about following Jesus, we should do our best to avoid all sin, whether large or small!
Weekly Readings
Sunday: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15/Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 (8a)/1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12/Lk 13:1-9
Scrutiny: Ex 17:3-7/Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)/Rom 5:1-2, 5-8/Jn 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
Monday: 2 Kgs 5:1-15b/Ps 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4/Lk 4:24-30
Tuesday: Is 7:10-14; 8:10/Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10,11/Heb 10:4-10/ Lk 1:26-38
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, 6-7, 8-9/Lk 11:14-23
Friday: Hos 14:2-10/Ps 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9,10, 11ab, 14 and 17/Mk 12:28-34
Saturday: Hos 6:1-6/Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab/Lk 18:9-14
Next Sunday: Jos 5:9a, 10-12/Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (9a)/2 Cor 5:17-21/Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
Scrutiny: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (1)/Eph 5:8-14/Jn 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 3rd Sunday of Lent
Tuesday: The Annunciation of the Lord
Next Sunday: 4th Sunday of Lent
