LENTEN DIGEST with Fada PIUSRALPH

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

Table of the Word
First Reading: Book of Hosea 6:1–6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 51:3–4, 18–19, 20–21ab (R. See Hosea 6:6)
Verse before the Gospel: See Psalms 95:7d, 8a
Gospel: Gospel of Luke 18:9–14

Theme: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.

Reflection
Every sick person longs for healing and restoration. Yet when healing seems delayed, a troubling question often arises: Where is God? In such moments we sometimes forget that every experience in life carries a lesson and a deeper invitation to trust in God.

Indeed, God often writes with crooked lines. He acts according to His divine wisdom and will. Our trials, hardships, and distress are not meant to destroy us but to purify, strengthen, and draw us closer to Him.

It is in this spirit that the Prophet Hosea proclaims:
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.” (Hosea 6:1)
This passage reveals God’s enduring readiness to heal and restore His people. Yet the healing God seeks to give is not only physical; it is also spiritual. He desires to heal us of the deeper illnesses of the heart: hatred, envy, pride, selfishness, and indifference.

In the Gospel, Jesus contrasts the proud Pharisee with the humble tax collector. The Pharisee offers outward religious acts, yet lacks humility and mercy. The tax collector, aware of his sinfulness, cries out: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” It is this humble plea that God accepts.

Thus, the Lord reminds us that what He truly desires is not empty religious performance but sincere conversion of heart. Mercy, humility, and genuine repentance are more pleasing to God than any external sacrifice.

Prayer
Rejoicing in this annual celebration of our Lenten observance, we pray, O Lord, that with our hearts set on the Paschal mysteries, we may be gladdened by their full effects.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thought for the Day
“If you have no mercy toward others, how can you ask God to have mercy on you?”
— St. John Chrysostom

Lenten Commitment
Today, I will examine my heart with humility like the tax collector. I will show mercy to someone who has offended me and sincerely ask God for forgiveness where I have failed in love.

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