Merciful just as the Father.
In the Bible, mercy refers to God's compassionate treatment and forgiveness, withholding punishment or harm that people deserve due to their sins.
Jesus invites us to be merciful, loving, forgiving just like our heavenly Father. Let's remember that the yardstick measure for our mercy, love, and forgiveness is not ourselves but God. Let's think and act just as God's will think and act. With St Faustina, God's mercy is his greatest attribute.
Jesus, I trust in you!
Fr. Georges sac
Saturday of the 1st week of Lent. Mt 5:43-48.
Strive for holiness
Thomas à Kempis in The Imitation of Christ, tells us that: “The patient man goes through a great and salutary purgatory when he grieves more over the malice of one who harms him than for his own injury; when he prays readily for his enemies and forgives offenses from his heart; when he does not hesitate to ask pardon of others; when he is more easily moved to pity than to anger; when he does frequent violence to himself and tries to bring the body into complete subjection to the spirit”
Jesus invites us to seek holiness and perfection. The CCC (2013) teaches that “All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity. All are called to holiness: ‘Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.' By inviting us to be perfect, Jesus is telling us that every person, enemy or not, is our neighbor, a brother or sister in Christ, whom we should love beyond measure and beyond boundaries.
Jésus I trust in Jesus
Fr. Georges sac
Friday of the 1st Week of Lent. Esther 4:17; Mt 7:7-12.
Métanoïa
Ezekiel and Jesus invite us to a change of heart. Lent is about repentance or metanoïa. It is about a complete return to God, not just words spoken out of desperation. The entire salvation history shows that God's mercy is available but must be received with awe and humility.
Since God's mercy is not limited by time, righteousness, too, is a lifelong journey, not a static achievement.
It is better to live each day in a spirit of metanoïa than to gamble one’s eternity on a final breath. Let's be constantly good. Be loving, watchful of our words and actions. St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that metanoïa is important for a life of virtue in union with God.
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Thursday of the 1st week of Lent. Mt 7:7-12
The power of prayer.
“Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” True faith in God based in the confidence we put on in our prayer at all times. Bishop Baron reminds us that prayer is the source of dynamis, real power. This is the power that Queen Esther in the first reading, Theresa of Avila, Vincent Pallotti, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and John Paul II wielded: world-changing power.
Jesus gives the assurance that all our prayers find answers. God's silence to some prayers does not mean denial but an answer in a different way.
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Wednesday of the 1st week of Lent. Luke 11:29-32
Repent and believe in the Gospel
What could make our generation evil according to today's readings?
A generation that is comfortable with sin and evil ways. Late Pope Benedict XVI calls it sin of relativism. We are deaf and blind to the wrong and evil things.
We often procrastinate about our repentance. But God's word in time of Lent is inviting us not to harden our hearts if we hear God's voice. Like the people of Nineveh who turned away from their sins, may we repent from our evil ways and sins. Amen.
Repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15)
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Tuesday of 1st Week of Lent Mt 6: 7-15
Prayer is our hope
I always consider prayer as the sweetest moments of my days just because I speak to the one who loves me the most. In today Gospel Jesus teaches us to pray and invites us to pray like him.
When we pray like Jesus, we also imitate the Apostles and the saints. St. John Paul II sees the prayer of "our Father" as the summary of the Gospel, the core of our Christian faith and practices. Through this prayer, we connect with our loving Father expressing him our needs and hearts desires as well as our love for Him and our love for our neighbors.
Father, may thy kingdom come!
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Monday of the first week of Lent. Lev 19:1-18; Mt 25: 31-46.
Monday of the first week of Lent. Lev 19:1-18; Mt 25: 31-46.
True holiness.
Today's readings give us concrete ways to live holiness. It is not about religious observances and rituals but how we treat others. It is about practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
At the end of our lives, God will not ask, 'Did you give up meat or fast for 40 days?' He will ask, 'Did you love? Did you serve? Did you help the poor?' Did you forgive your neighbor? Did you show mercy as your Father is merciful.
Lent is not just about what we give up, but who we give to. Lent is about giving up our sins. That's true holiness.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Fr. Georges sac
Saturday after Ash Wednesday. Luke 5:27-32.
Nothing is worth Jesus
Levi leaves everything to follow Jesus to remind us all, that no wealth, no material resource, natural resource nothing is worth of the joy of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Jesus indeed came to save sinners and extend God's grace to All. Let's stay away from sin. That is the meaning of true Lent. Turning away from sins and opting for a new life in Jesus. To you as well Jesus is saying: "Follow Me".
Jesus, I trust in you
Jesus I trust in you!
Fr. Georges sac
Fasting!
It is not a competition or comparison with others. It is about self-restrain in order to turn to God. It is about disciplining our spirit. It is not really about the diet of food but the diet of the soul. It is attuning our habits to what pleases God. Isaiah gives us a list of those things. These are works of mercy towards the less privileged in the community. Such a fasting gives joy to the heart. Joy is the evidence of God's presence! Lent brings joy into our lives.
Jesus, I trust in you
Thursday after Ash Wednesday. Luke 9:20-25
Conditions to discipleship.
Denying ourselves is the first condition because Christian discipleship is not about self-promotion but self-denial.
Discipleship is about taking up our cross. Our lives find meaning on the Cross. The cross is our victory and our glory.
Discipleship means following Jesus, the Lord, not people or earthly possessions.
Yes, we are in the world but not from the world.
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Ash Wednesday, 3/5, 2025. Joël 2:12-18; 2 Cor 5:20; Mt 6. 1-6.
Time of great holiness
Ashes are a reminder of our mortality. Our lives have an expiring date. The goal is, therefore, the conversion of our hearts to return to God. For Mother Theresa Seeking holiness by listening to God's voice is the goal of Lent.
Ash Wednesday invites us to do three important things: Almsgiving - doing acts of goodness and love, mercy, and compassion.
Lent invites us to silent mediation on God's word.
Finally, the Lenten season is a training to become humble. Job reminds us that, naked, we came on earth, naked we shall return.
Running back to God is, therefore, the right way to turn away from sins.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Fr. Georges sac
Monday, 3/3, 2025. Mark 10:17–27
Desire of eternal life
Like the young rich man in today's gospel, the deep desire for eternal should be every human person's quest. This is right heart's desire, which is truly found in Jesus Christ. For St. August, Jesus is inviting to radical discipleship and detachment from worldly things. He calls us to be sincere in our faith and love. To inherit eternal life, it is not enough to have the desire, but we should be sincere and totally committed to follow Jesus in his way of life. Charity to the poor is at the heart of Jesus's requirements. "What do I need to let go in order to follow, Jesus and have eternal life?"
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Saturday of the 7th week in ordinary Time, EccIesiaticus 17:1-13; Psalm102; Mark 10:13-16
True strength is dependence on God.
Dear friends in Christ, it is difficult in our today's world to accept our dependency and limitations. It requires humility to acknowledge that we are dust. We should admit that, no matter how much we can be able to achieve, we are still dust. By embracing this truth, we become free. By becoming like little children, we experience God's love, protection and peace. By experience, when we surrender our strength, our wisdom, our intelligence to God's service, He gives us real power and wisdom - the kind that doesn’t fade with time. The greatest danger of our world today is pride and self-sufficiency, leading to the rejection and denial of God. Our dependency on God's strength and wisdom rather determines how we live but also where we spend eternity.
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges Roger Bidzogo sac
Thursday, 2/27. Sirach 5:1-8. Mark 9:41-50
Prioritizing!
Joshua Ben Sirach, invite us not to set our hearts on the desires of this world. Rather, we should place our trust in the Lord. Life in general is about prioritizing.
For us Christians, God and his kingdom come first in all aspects of our life: family, economy, friendship, and socio-political life. "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" as stated in the Bible (Matthew 6:33). This implies sacrificing and cutting off whatever that does not draw us close to the kingdom of God.
Let's be selective about our hearts' inclinations!
Cut off whatever that does not align with our Christian values!
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Wednesday, 2/26, 2025. Sirach 4:11-19; Mark 9:38-40.
Collaboration is divine
To be a child of God does not depend on the church we go, but on the way, we bring God's love to the world. But for us, we often act like John in the Gospel: we condemn and judge those who are not like us, who do not think or do not belong to our inner religious, political and cultural circles. God's wisdom invites us this morning to see others with God's eyes and accept them for who they are. If we all do good in the name of Jesus, we can all be considered as his fellow servants who proclaim his kingdom.
Let's encourage each other to bring Christ's love and mercy to our world. As christians, united we stand. Divided, we fall.
Jesus, I trust in you!
Fr. Georges sac
Tuesday, 2/25, Mark 9:30-7.
Trials lead to glory
Jesus embarked on a secret journey with his disciple in order to reveal to them his upcoming trials, suffering, and passion. In line with the Book of Sirach, Jesus invites us to prepare for trials, which are part of our journey. Our pains, trials, and challenges are meant to strengthen us, and they are only temporary. Jesus will rise on the third day. There is glory and joy in humility and service. There is glory behind our daily crosses. For Jesus, our greatness is determined by service, not by possessions. Humility and service are key to becoming a giant in God's kingdom.
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Monday, 2/24. Mark 9:14-29
Monday, 2/24.
Mark 9:14-29
Faith can move mountains.
The apostles just failed to heal a child who has been epileptic for many years. The boy was brought by his father. This is very disturbing. Why couldn't they heal this child?
For Jesus, we need not only healing power but a life of penance and prayer that connects us with the Ultimate Healer, God. For those who have faith in God, nothing is impossible. Prayer of faith is our safety and shield against any situation. Let plug our lives in the power of prayer, which is a true relationship with God.
The Apostle James says: "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" ( James 5:14)
Jesus, I trust in you!
Thursday, February 20, 2025. Mark 8:25-33
Get behind me, Satan
Peter, one of the most devoted disciples, is called Satan after being commended for his faith. Why?
His idea of the Messiah is far different from who Jesus is: the suffering servant.
He wants a comfortable Saviour and wants Jesus to abandon God's plan. Whatever tempts us to abandon God's will or God's ways or the cross can be considered as Satan. It must get behind us so that we can follow God's directions and plans. Pains and sufferings can become heavenly grace for us.
Get behind me, Satan!
Jesus I trust in you
Fr. Georges sac
Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Mark 8:22-26.
Healing is a process.
The blind man in today's account is healed in two steps. After the first touch of Jesus, the blind man sees people walking like trees. He needed another touch, which now helped him to see clearly. Friends, we should grow on our journey of faith step by step. Our knowledge, our healing, and our spiritual and physical maturity are not a once off events but a daily process. As we grow each day in our faith, Jesus recommends us not to go back to our old habits or that "village" of sin, fear, addiction, prostitution, adultery, drugs and alcoholism that cause our blindness. Do not return to the village!
Jesus, I trust in you!
Fr. Georges sac
Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Mark 8:14-21
Have faith in Jesus!
Jesus addresses in this passage not only the levain of the pharisees but the lack of faith of the disciples who were worried because of the lack of bread. Repetitively, he asked: "Do you not understand?" While situations in our daily lives could be worrisome, we should never lose trust in Jesus who is the Bread of life. Jesus wants us to place our confidence in him who can nourish us both spiritually and physically. As we face challenges and troubles on our journey, let's not focus on them but on Jesus, who is The Solution to our problems. He is the Way, The Truth, and the Life.
Lord, increase our faith.
Jesus, I trust in you!
Fr. Georges Roger Bidzogo sac