Ecclesiasticus 35:1-12 / Mark 10:28-31
Tomorrow the Church begins the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday.
The season of Lent is a time of renewal and there is an emphasis on the three spiritual disciplines, i.e. prayer, penance and almsgiving.
All that is to guide and help us to relook and also to revise what Christianity is about and what being Christian is about.
In fact, that is the core message of the Bible, and that is, God loves us, but we have sinned and strayed, and yet, God continues to call us back to Him.
The 1st reading also has this message of reconciliation with God, as well as conversion and repentance.
That message can be heard with these lines:
With from wickedness, and the Lord will be pleased.
With from injustice, and you will make atonement.
So, in essence, it is turning away from our sinful selves and leaving our former way of life.
We turn to God and to let Him embrace us with love and life.
In the gospel, Peter told Jesus that they had left everything and followed Him.
That is what we must continue to do – to leave our old sinful selves and former way of life.
And to embrace the new life of life and love.
With that, our reward will not only be in this life, but also in the life to come.