March 26
Fifth Sunday of Lent
“With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”
Readings
Reflection
Are we in the flesh or in the spirit?
Our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans asks this question indirectly.
Paul states that, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
What does it mean to be in the spirit? We know, through our Baptism in Christ that he claims us, and that we are part of his death and resurrection, which means we not only share his cross in this world, but we share in his resurrection in the end time. This should give us hope during our daily struggles in this life!
While we certainly feel the weight of the crosses we bear in this world, and often times those crosses lead us into sin, we also must realize, that as Paul says, when we are in sin we cannot please God. So, let this Lenten season be a blessed time when we acknowledge our dependence on the spirit and know that the spirit strengthens us if we only recognize that the spirit indeed dwells within us.
Peace,
Fr. John
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