5th Sunday Lent (B)

“Sir, we should like to see Jesus”

In the Gospel reading, some Greeks approach Philip and say, “Sir, we should like to see Jesus.” It is clear from all four Gospels that Jesus’ reputation spread quickly and all sorts of people were attracted to him and went out of their way in order to meet him, including sinners, outcasts and foreigners.

Surely, as we continue on our journey of faith, the request of the Greeks is one that we should be making all the time: “We should like to see Jesus.” The prophet Jeremiah in fact predicts a time when people will no longer have to say, “Learn to know the Lord,” because they will have come to know God and experienced his forgiveness.

There are still two weeks of Lent left and still opportunities to “see Jesus” in the Sacrament of Confession, on Saturday mornings, before the two weekend Masses, and at the Reconciliation Service on Tuesday 26 March.

Then Holy Week itself offers profound opportunities to “see Jesus” as we commemorate the Institution of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday, Christ’s Passion and Death on Good Friday, and his glorious Resurrection at the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday and Easter Sunday Masses. I urge you to make the most of these opportunities.

God bless, Fr Kevin.

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2nd Sunday Lent (B)

by Fr Kevin 25th Feb 2024 • 01 Mar, 2024

This is my Son, the Beloved. In the Gospels, Jesus speaks about his Father in heaven, and at key moments, the voice of the Father speaking about the Son is heard. This happens first at Jesus’ baptism, and the affirmation of the Father helps to launch Jesus on his mission. In today’s reading, at Jesus’ Transfiguration, the voice from of the Father speaks from the cloud, “This is my Son, the Beloved.” The experience is surely an encouragement for Peter, James and John, who soon were to see Jesus crucified; and it is surely another affirmation that will help Jesus to remain in a rock-solid love-relationship with his Father, through the worst of human ordeals. In Lent, there can be a danger for us that we somehow think that through our efforts of prayer, fasting, penance and almsgiving, we are going to get rewarded or be loved more by God. But God’s love for us in unconditional and we cannot earn it. It is more the case that our Lenten devotions will help us to hear the loving voice of God through the cloud. It is very hard for us to be loving disciples of the Lord, offering our lives in service to those around us, if we have not first experienced the love that God has for us. Lent is a good time to pray for a new experience of the Father’s love. God Bless, Fr Kevin

5th Sunday Lent (B)

“Sir, we should like to see Jesus”﻿

2nd Sunday Lent (B)

“Sir, we should like to see Jesus”