Martin Jumbam

Catholic Meditation: Second Sunday of Lent, Year B

Martin Jumbam

Mother Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, March 01, 2015, as the Second Sunday of Lent – Year B. In the Entrance Antiphon we pray: “Remember your mercies, Lord, your tenderness from ages past. Do not let our enemies triumph over us; O God, deliver Israel from her distress. Amen.” In the first reading, Abraham is presented to us as the Father of all believers. He is an example of obedience to God who commands him to leave his country, family and society to go to an unknown land. To cap it all, God even asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, to him and, unquestioningly, Abraham obeys and finds favour with his God. In the second reading, Saint Paul tells the Romans that God did not spare his only Son, but offered him as a sacrifice for the redemption of mankind. God empties himself and gives himself for our sake and we, on our part, must put our trust in him, for Christ is our Mediator and Savior. In the Gospel, Saint Mark shows us the transfigured Christ who is assured of his Father’s love when the Father tells the overwhelmed Apostles Peter, James and John, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to him. We pray during this Holy Mass for the grace of unconditional obedience to God so that he will also say of us that we are his beloved children in whom he is well pleased.

Catholic Meditation – First Sunday of Lent – Year B

Martin Jumbam

Mother Church celebrates Sunday, February 22, 2015, as the First Sunday of Lent – Year B. The Entrance Antiphon of this day’s Mass says: “When he calls to me, I will answer; I will rescue him and give him honor. Long life and contentment will be his. Amen.” As we enter the Lenten season, it is appropriate to answer the question: what is Lent? The word ‘lent’ does not have any religious or Christian meaning, being an old Anglo-Saxon word for spring time, lencten. It describes the gradual lengthening of daylight after the winter solstice. So it is a word that is associated in Europe with the weather, marking the transition from winter to spring. It’s not clear how it became associated with Christianity, but it is the period coming about a month and a half after Christmas during which the whole Church goes on retreat for six weeks, that is, for 40 days, for an annual spiritual renewal. It prepares us to celebrate Christianity’s most fundamental belief, i. e. that Christ died, rose from the dead and is alive. In the absence of this belief, there is no Christianity.

Catholic Meditation - Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year B

Martin Jumbam

Mother Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, February 8, 2015 as the fifth Sunday in ordinary time in the Church’s Year B.  In the Entrance Antiphon we pray: “Come, let us worship the Lord. Let us bow down in the presence of our maker, for he is the Lord our God. Amen.” The first reading of this day presents one of the most dramatic passages of the Old Testament, that is, the story of Job, who was put to the test and had to go the hard way of suffering. It reminds us of the tragic condition of human life and the need for trusting in the Lord in good as well as in bad times. In the second reading from First Corinthians, Saint Paul puts himself wholly at the service of the Lord without looking for personal advantages in return. Preaching the gospel was the only thing that mattered in his life. In the Gospel, Saint Mark continues to present to us Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry. He has embarked fully on preaching the Good News in synagogues, houses and public places, and curing the sick and chasing away evil spirits from the possessed. Working miracles is an integral part of our Lord’s ministry. Let us pray in the course of this Eucharist for our brothers and sisters who are sick. May they learn to turn to Christ our Lord, who cures us of all our infirmities.