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| Jesus on the Cross - Photo taken from another website |
The Filipino Catholic Church has started the Lent season last Wednesday, 9th of March which they called as "Ash Wednesday." I am not very well-versed with the catholic rituals, so I asked my friend how they are actually celebrating it, and though, I am from another religion, I am aware of what is meant by this Season. The season of Lent spans for 40 weekdays or 45 days all beginning on Ash Wednesday and climaxing during Holy Week with Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday, and concluding Saturday before Easter.
Traditionally, lent has been marked by fasting, meditation and alms giving. There are foods which they are not allowed to eat in particular days during fasting like meat, alcohol, sweets and the like. Some Catholics are strictly following this tradition while others are focusing on doing some charitable works like sharing of clothes, foods, money, etc to some institutions or for those who needs it. Moreover, this season is the season for penance, repentance and this is the actual celebration of God's redemption through Christ's death and resurrection.
The true meaning of lent is most likely rooted on God’s love that because of His unconditional love, He permitted His only Son, Jesus to die on the cross of Calvary to pay all our sins so that everyone may have ever lasting life. This is a season of preparation for the day when the Son of God was crucified to save us all from sin.
John 3: 16 (New international version)
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The question is-- why did God allow this to happen? Why there is a need for Jesus to get crucified, then died and resurrected. It may sounds like confusing but the answer is because all of us have sinned so God the Father allowed His Son to die for us all to live.
Romans 3 23-26: (New International Version)
24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Another question is why it had to be Jesus? The answer is-- since we are all sinners as we inherited sins from Adam and Eve, from our origin, we are not free from it. All of us did not qualify and no one can ever meet the standards of God so there is a need for pure and holy one who had never sinned to become a sacrifice to wash away all our sins. Man is the one who had sinned so only man as a human is the only one who can be a sacrifice to save every human being from the hands of the enemy, so Christ Jesus came into the picture as a Messiah who was born as a man to save us all.
John 14:6 (New International Version)
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
After the resurrection and after Jesus paid all our sins, it does not mean that we are all now save and safe. The story does not end there so here comes the next question of what is our role after or what is our response with all the sacrifices of Christ? From here, the process of “SALVATION” is being highlighted, that for us to be saved we have to repent and then accept Jesus as our personal Savior. The moment we become a believer of Christ, we became Christian and that comes with a role of living the Christian way.
John 3:17-21 (New International Version)
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
This Lenten Season is the season of LOVE and Sacrifices. A season that would always remind us about the unconditional love of God, how He sacrificed His Son, Jesus to wash away all our sins with His own blood. A season that gives us more reasons to find more time to talk to God and be more thankful of the chance of having the second life together with Him. Let us all wait for the Lord to come and allow Him to take over with our lives as we follow His divine purpose.
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