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JESUS
IS THE LIGHT FOR OUR JOURNEY!
When a person is taking a long journey for the first time,
there are many worries because one does not know what will happen on the way and
one does not know exactly where one will end up.
A small boy, Tom, had just been selected to go to grade 10 after
successfully passing his exams. This was a period of anxiety and preparation not
only for the journey but also for new life in the boarding school. He had heard
a lot of stories about the diet, about mockery, about sports and about different
subjects. His worries were very many.
On the eve of his departure, Tom sat with his parents and
brothers and sisters as they always did during evenings. They spoke about a lot
of things but this night’s discussion was rather special. Much of the
information was focused on the journey of Tom to the boarding school. His father
advised him never to leave his bag with strangers. At the station he should stay
awake most of the time as thieves are always looking for an occasion when they
can snatch anything from travelers. He was told not to buy something to eat from
unhealthy places but only from clean places so that he would not fall sick.
Tom followed carefully the instructions of his family.
Without fear, he finished his journey with no troubles and arrived safely
at the school. He was happy to have
heard the advice of those who loved him very much.
Something similar is happening in the readings of this
Sunday. In the first reading, we hear how Abraham was called to take a journey
to a place that he did not know. However, he had confidence because he knew that
the call came from God. St.
Paul tells us in the
second reading that followers of Jesus should not to be afraid or discouraged
because of the difficulties they face. If
we rely on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy, we will
find that God is truly our guide and protector.
The life of a Christian is similar to the journey
that Abraham undertook many years ago. When you and I are baptized, we begin a
journey that is not easy, often long and much unknown.
Remember the promises that we made at our own Baptism and that we hear
each time someone is baptised here in our church.
We denounce the evil ways that the devil tempts us to and we embrace the
saving ways of Jesus. We travel on
this journey not by ourselves alone, but in the community of other believers and
we help each other along the way.
The story in Matthew’s Gospel
today shows us that Jesus is the guide and the light that gives direction to
each of us Christians on our journey. Jesus
calls Peter, James and John to be near him and to see him “transfigured” –
he becomes like a bright light. He says to them: “Stand up! Do not be
afraid!” In every life situation,
we too need to refer to the life of the Lord himself for inspiration and
guidance. If all of us Christians were able and willing to refer to the life of
Jesus whenever we were making important decisions in our life’s journey, what
a different place our world, our Zambia, our church, would be!
Imagine how schools would be
like if all the teachers had the heart of Jesus in caring for their pupils? What
about workers who would be as hardworking and as honest as Jesus in their places
of work? Think of politicians who would make decisions after prayer, after
consulting the Lord. What if our priests always served the people faithfully,
humbly and selflessly? The teachers
would teach with more dedication despite the hardships, the workers would seek
the betterment of their companies and the people they serve, the politicians
would acquire hearts of service and justice, putting the interests of the people
first before their own interests, and the Church would be a place like the
African Synod describes: “the Family of God”!.
This is the reason why our
Catholic bishops, our pastoral leaders, often write to us what are called
“pastoral letters.” They are
instructions to guide us in our journey as Christians facing the challenges of Zambia
today. For example, last year the
bishops wrote a pastoral letter on the need for our new Zambian Constitution to
respect the rights of everyone. They
urged that the Constitution be a people’s Constitution and be adopted through
a Constituent Assembly. They also
wrote a letter about education and the fact that every child, rich or poor, has
a right to be in a good school. And
our bishops joined the leaders of other churches to write a letter on the
occasion of the celebration of Zambia’s 40th Anniversary of Independence.
They reminded us of the blessings of the journey we have been on as a
country and the challenges that still face us in the journey of the future.
When we meet this week in our
small Christian communities, let’s ask ourselves questions like this:
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How are we preparing ourselves
in this journey of Lent to be faithful followers of Jesus?
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What are some of the serious
challenges we face along the way of our journeys and where do we get our
confidence to keep going?
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Do we know about the pastoral
letters of our Bishops and how can they can help us in our journey?
During this Lent, the Lord
invites us all to withdraw a bit and reflect on our life’s journey.
And as we heard in the Gospel of today, he tells us very clearly and
strongly, “Stand up! Do not be
afraid!”
SKETCH
Have a boy who has just qualified for secondary school. The
parents advice him before he leaves for school. He starts off the following day
and follows all the instructions and having faith in God. He reaches the school
happily because he was obedient to the advice of his parents.
COMMUNITY PRAYERS.
- God,
strength us in this Lenten journey of 2005. Be our light and guide on this
journey. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.
- God,
help us to stand up and not to be afraid this journey. Let us pray to the
Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.
- God,
open our hearts and eyes so that on this journey we may be able to see and
help others travelers. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.
[Jesuit
Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia]
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