ISABELITA T. SALINAS
Luke 15: 1-2, 11-32
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.
This passage struck me as a stark reminder of our present global dilemma, the coronavirus. I can clearly see God’s hand calling, chastising, and purifying us, his erring children.
I, Me, & Myself
The greatest sin in the world today is SELF-INDULGENCE.
I bravely invite each one to join me in all honesty of being guilty of this sin. The “I, ME, and MYSELF” has been pampered to the maximum in every aspect. There seems to be no limit to our insatiable desire. Either in our pursuit of pleasure in every area, the satisfaction of every kind, or accumulation of worldly goods.
We often forget what we have in our homes until it’s a little too late. These are foods that have expired or things that could have been either given or thrown away.
We are his Prodigal Children
This is quite similar to the prodigal son in the gospel. He “squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.” Through this coronavirus, it is as if God is telling us:
ENOUGH!
How do you expect to enter the kingdom so heavy laden, with your hearts filled with worldly concerns and possessions?
Highest Time to Practice Self Restraint
God has many reasons to send us the “tiny virus.” Maybe one is to remind us that life itself is his greatest gift to us. It can be snuffed out speedily, anytime without mercy. This virus can efficiently execute this without a problem.
I am convinced that God is calling us to go on complete “fasting on the self.“
Being on lockdown in our homes is a way of giving us this most unusual opportunity. It is time to come before God in silence.
Psalm 46:11
Be still and know that I am God.
In our quiet private homes, God may slowly show us our whole life thus far. And through his mercy, he can direct us in taking a fresh and thorough look into areas of our life. Called for will be the need for drastic change and his merciful healing.
With his forgiving, kind heart, God grants us many blessings. He gives us the grace to see, realize, and finally experience the real meaning of self-restraint. He gives us this chance to practice true fasting on the self.
Return to the Father
The viral situation affects everyone in the world. It invites us to open our hearts, minds, and hands to help each one in need. This is in whatever way, capacity, and measure that we can.
He is also teaching us to practice not just almsgiving but also “arms” giving. He gives us a chance to embrace each one who needs us emotionally, physically, psychologically, spiritually, and financially.
Lastly, when this global crisis ends, I pray that our beloved Lord may find it in his gracious heart to grant us total forgiveness because He alone is fully aware of our weaknesses and limitations.
And like the prodigal son, God can change us with his garment of cleansing and purification. This, in turn, will allow us to “deserve to be called his child” again.
In these COVID times, we are asked to clean our hands frequently so the virus can be washed away, but God seems to be calling humanity for a inward cleansing of all our impurities.
What a sacred season of Lent! May I not allow this time of grace to pass me by.
How enlightening, and then deeply comforting to see this present tight passage we encounter in the context of the Prodigal Son, and to know how God loves us relentlessly through all our self-centered wanderings and indulgences.
Truly a message for Lent… and for all seasons. Thank you, Lita!
Truly, this time is preciously, our lock-down with God! It is a time of personal ’wilderness’, where a most meaningful thing to do is to savor quiet moments with God, alone in prayer and reflection, or in actively witnessing love to family at home, those closest to us, who oftentimes in the world we moved in before ’corona’, needed to shout loudly that we give them top priority! How ironic, that then we wished for ’quiet’ days of retreat and recollection, and now that that most-wished-for time seems to be endless, we find ourselves, uneasy! God is calling us to Himself, indeed! A ’corona’ moment, indeed!
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