Friday, March 5, 2021 - Second week of Lent - God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that those who believe in him may have eternal life - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 21, 33-43 . 45-46

This season of Lent allows us to rethink how we respond to the love of God.

The parable about the homicidal winegrowers, which we have just heard, shows us how much God loves us and how our love is far enough from his expectations. The love of God is benevolent: it is benevolent, for God is not afraid to risk loving. In the parable, He entrusted a delicate responsibility - to care for his people who are the vineyard - to farmers who will become the murderous winegrowers. His love persists even in the face of categorical refusals: He has never ceased to send his messengers, even his Only Son to convert these winegrowers that He Himself has chosen; to reason with them. He sent prophets and judges to warn them of the danger of being far from God. These characteristics of love still exist to this day and we experience them whenever we sincerely receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Unfortunately, sometimes we are ungrateful, stubborn, a people with a stiff neck, like these homicidal winegrowers. We do not want to listen to his words through his messengers; we don't want Him by rejecting His messengers. We don't want Him to enter our inner space, our territory, our comfort zone, perhaps out of fear of being absorbed into Him. Sometimes we don't want Him to enter certain interior areas of our life because we want those areas to remain in the dark, without being evangelized.

During Lent, let us try to welcome God into our life and respond to Him with our actions, words and thoughts.