Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7, 7-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”
Ask to be able to change
1) Process. During Lent, you are called to change. Stop being the same old capricious person. You can’t keep justifying your actions saying, “that’s the way I am”. You have to change something, at least make an effort and try. But change is a process, everything takes its time. For example: if you want to make a barbecue, you have to buy the charcoal, the meat, the salt and everything else you need. You salt the meat and add lemon but you must wait for a good fire to light and then wait a while before you put the meat on the grill over the coal embers, as least that’s the way we make a good barbecue in Argentina! And it comes out tastier if you leave it on low heat. When you cook too quickly the meat looks as if it’s done but it’s raw inside. Well, it’s the same with your life, you might have to change everything and make a big turn in your life, but the key is the time it takes for you to change. If you try to make all the changes abruptly, you will end up like the meat: burnt on the outside and raw on the inside, and the change will not be permanent.
2) Experiencing situations. We all go through situations in life that make it harder for us to change. Again, it’s a process. First, when faced with a situation, you can fall, feel hurt and beaten, thinking that it is someone else’s fault. Second, when facing a situation that strikes you and hurts, you “pretend” not to see it, and say that it’s not your fault again. Thirdly, you may fall back into it because it is a “habit” but, this time your eyes are wide open, you know it’s your responsibility and you immediately get out of this situation. The fourth stage is not to fall into it, but see it from the side… Finally, the fifth stage is to take another way in life without even having to meet or face that situation. That’s the process in life, first you fall and hurt yourself in a situation, but sooner or later you go through your life in a different way when faced with that same situation that led you to fall. When you fall at first you don’t realize but remember that you can get out of that and walk through your life differently, but everything takes its time. There is always a way out of everything.
3) Be good. Act honestly, be prudent and learn to shut your mouth and bite your tongue. Don’t let listlessness and lack of effort lead you to fall into the pit of life’s routine. You have a lot to give.
Remember that something good is on the way! God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
