2nd Sunday of Lent, Year A, 01.03.2026

Genesis 12:1-4a / 2 Tim 1:8-10 / Matthew 17:1-9  

In life, we have many desires. And there is no doubt that one of the top desires is the desire for happiness. 

So, putting it simply, in life we want to be happy. 

But the reality is that life is difficult. 

Indeed, life is difficult, but we don’t seem to accept this reality. 

So, we will find ways and means to make life as happy as possible. 

We want to be happy and to enjoy life. 

So, we will try to gain as much money as possible, so that we can do the things we want to do and be happy. 

We would want to go for holidays, and enjoy good food and the luxuries of life. 

We dream of enjoyment and happiness, but life turns up with many difficulties and challenges. 

But it must also be said that life does have its moments of happiness, and that gives us the motivation and inspiration to go on in life. 

In the gospel, Jesus went up a high mountain and brought along Peter, James and John. 

Up there on that mountain, Jesus was Transfigured. 

Jesus was in His divine glory, and Moses and Elijah also appeared and they were talking with Him. 

The disciples saw all that, and they were amazed with what they saw. 

Peter started talking about building three tents and all that. 

Then suddenly, a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said: 

This is My Son, the Beloved, He enjoys My favour. Listen to Him. 

And then, just as suddenly as Jesus was Transfigured in His glory, then it was back to normal. 

Moses and Elijah were not there anymore, and only Jesus and the three disciples were around. 

Then on the way down, Jesus told His disciples not to tell anyone about what they had seen until He is risen from the dead. 

Jesus would go on with His mission of proclaiming the Good News of salvation. 

But He would also face mounting opposition and rejection, that would finally end with Him nailed to the Cross. 

So, it can be said that for Jesus, life was difficult, and His life came to an end with a shameful death on the Cross. 

But the Transfiguration was a bright moment in the surrounding darkness. 

It was in the Transfiguration that Jesus felt the love and affirmation by His Father. 

And it was that one moment that gave Jesus the strength and the courage to go on and complete His mission. 

So yes, life is difficult, but God will give us moments of happiness to rise above the difficulties and challenges. 

We may have heard of the baby monkey named Punch who was born in the Ichikawa zoo in Japan. 

Punch was rejected by his mother at birth, but somehow he kept surviving. 

Videos on the internet about his story have gone viral with viewers rooting for him. 

The zookeeper came to his help, he was given a plushie, a soft toy, in the form of an orang-utan.

But he was also bullied by the other monkeys and chased around. 

His heart-wrenching story touched the human experiences of rejection, opposition, suffering, survival and resilience. 

But in the midst of all that difficulties and challenges, an older female monkey came around and took Punch, the baby monkey, into her care. 

And then another male monkey also took Punch under his care and taught him how to live as a monkey. 

The story of Punch is still developing, but his story also touched the depths of our human experiences and taught us lessons about life. 

The Transfiguration of Jesus also taught us many lessons about the difficulties and challenges of life. 

Through the Transfiguration, we learn this:

In difficult moments, let us keep something beautiful in our hearts. 

For Jesus, He remembered His Father’s voice from heaven and those words of love. 

May we also remember the voices of love and the words of love that others had spoken to us. 

And may we be a voice of love that speaks words of love to others who are facing challenges and difficulties in life.

1st Week of Lent, Saturday, 28-02-2026

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 / Matthew 5:43-48   

When we look at the people around us, we will certainly have some opinions about them.

In our minds, we will put labels on them.

It can be labels like: trustworthy, reliable, honest, sincere, etc.

Or it can be labels like: fair weather friend, unreliable, dishonest, insincere, etc.

So when we look at the people around us, we not only have our opinions about them, we will also put judgement tags on them.

It can be said that we look at others with tainted eyes.

We look at them from our perspective and how they fit or do not fit into our ideas.

On the other hand, we have heard it said that love is blind.

Love is blind in that it does not see faults and failings in others.

So it can also be said that love is not only blind, it is also kind to all persons that it sees.

May the Lord open our eyes to see as He sees, and to be kind just as He is kind to all.

And may we also be able to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

1st Week of Lent, Friday, 27-02-2026

Ezekiel 18:21-28 / Matthew 5:20-26   

The changes in life are almost like how the weather changes.

Bright sunshine can turn into a thunderstorm in just half an hour.

And the ups and downs of life have also made us respond and react differently.

When we are up and about, and all seems bright and shiny, we will have happy thoughts and nice things to say.

But when we are down and out, and all seems dark and gloomy, then our thoughts will be dark and our words will be sharp.

Those dark and gloomy moments make us frustrated and when things go wrong, we will look for someone to blame.

It is then that sharp and cutting words come out of our mouths, and we will even use abusive words and disparage others.

In the gospel, Jesus teaches us even using words like “Fool” and “Renegade” are so abusive that the punishment is hell fire.

Words reveal the state of our minds and hearts.

When we find ourselves swearing and using abusive words on others in our minds, then we also know what is in our hearts.

Let us ask Jesus to heal our hearts of anger and resentment, and to grant us peace.

With the peace of the Lord in our hearts, may we also have loving thoughts of others and also speak words of peace.

1st Week of Lent, Thursday, 26-02-2026

Esther 4:17 / Matthew 7:7-12  

 

Prayers are said in Church, and as usual, we say the prayers in a sober and solemn way.

But not all prayers are said in Church.

Some of the most fervent and desperate prayers are said in hospitals.

To be warded in hospital would mean that the illness or sickness required specialized treatment.

And the patient would be desperately praying for a cure and relief from pain.

But it is not expected that desperate prayers be heard in palaces.

In the 1st reading, queen Esther was facing a mortal peril which had overtaken her.

But she took refuge with the Lord and she besought the Lord God with fervent prayers from the depths of her heart.

And it was the final sentence of her prayers that expressed the depth of her prayer:

“come to my help, for I am alone and have no one but you Lord”.

Yes, our prayers are most fervent and desperate when we have only God for our help.

In the gospel, Jesus said this: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Let us always ask the Lord first, so that we will search at the right places and the right door will be opened for us.

And may prayer be our first option and our last option when we are in a desperate situation.

1st Week of Lent, Wednesday, 25-02-2026

Jonah 3:1-10 / Luke 11:29-32    

When something unexpected happens, we may think of it as an exceptional occurrence.

More so when it cannot be explained logically or reasonably, we may just keep it aside and continue to ponder on it.

Although it may not be able to be understood logically or reasonably, but if it is wonderful and heart-warming, then we will attribute it to the workings of God.

Yes, when God works wonders, we will know that it is not the work or the abilities or the efforts of man, but it is from the hand of God.

In the 1st reading, the conversion of the Ninevites was unexpected and beyond human reasoning.

What is even more astounding is that from the king right down to the animals, all did penance and fasting for their sins.

Certainly it was not because of Jonah, because Jonah himself was skeptical that the Ninevites would repent.

In fact, he had secretly wished for them to be punished because of the horrors they did to God’s people.

But the conversion of the Ninevites was so amazing that it can be none other than the work of God.

Only God can change hearts and minds.

During this time of Lent, let us have the hope that those who commit wicked and evil deeds will repent, and we must pray for them.

We also pray for ourselves that God will open our minds and hearts to see the wonders that He will show us so that we will know that our God is merciful and compassionate.

1st Week of Lent, Tuesday, 24-02-2026

Isaiah 55:10-11 / Matthew 6:7-15   

The world usually puts its focus on quantity and size.

So the bigger the better. The more, the merrier. The higher, the happier.

So, in the end, the measurement is in numbers, percentages and profits.

Those will indicate the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of the work done.

But in the gospel, Jesus tells His disciples not to babble in their prayer and think that by using many words, they will make themselves heard.

He then taught them the prayer of the “Our Father”, a prayer that is short and simple enough even for children to recite it.

But that prayer is not just about being short and simple.

It has to be prayed with humility and charity.

We need to be humble to pray that simple prayer and not to impress others by saying many other prayers.

Prayer should also make us charitable and compassionate, and to forgive others their failings, just as we ask God for forgiveness.

Jesus taught us that prayer to help us come closer to God and to be like God in His love for us.

And just as God loves us, may we too love others, and may we keep praying that we grow deeper and stronger with God’s love.

1st Week of Lent, Monday, 23-02-2026

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 / Matthew 31-46   

The general purpose of religion is about the search for peace and happiness in life.

And if there is a belief in the afterlife, then by living a good life on earth, there will be reward in the afterlife.

But if one lives a life of wickedness and evil on earth, then there will be punishment in the afterlife.

As Christians, we too have these basic beliefs.

And the 1st reading, as well as the gospel parable, tells us how to live a good life here on earth.

In the 1st reading, the Lord spoke through Moses as He tells us not to steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with others.

Besides that we are not to exploit or rob others, or curse others.

Besides that, there are also other laws that essentially direct us to live good and upright lives.

Those are basic and fundamental for us as human beings.

Similarly, in the gospel parable, Jesus teaches us to respect the dignity of those in need and to help them to have their basic needs in life.

We adhere to these not because they are laws or commandments that we must obey.

It is in these basic and fundamental laws and commandments that we strive for holiness.

The Lord our God tells us to be holy, just as He is holy.

It is because we want to be holy that we live by God’s laws and commandments.

It is in living holy lives that we will have peace and happiness here on earth, as well peace and happiness with God forever in heaven.