Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Monday of the 8th week in ordinary time, March 3, 2025

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 17: 24-29; Rs psalm 32: 1-2.5.6.7; Mark 10: 17-27LENTEN BELL The theme for our meditation today is: Lenten Bell.Having passed the 8th Sunday in ordinary time yesterday, in thisweek, which is Wednesday, our Church celebrates Ash Wednesday. From here, webegin to enter the period of Lent. In the liturgical year, we end the 8 weeksin the ordinary time after Christmas, and we will focus our faith journey onthe mysteries of the Passover of Jesus Christ. The Lenten period brings us to the core event which isthe Holy Week. We make Lent a time of preparation, marked by kinds of Christiandiscipline in the form of fast and abstinence, as well as acts of repentance.In connection with this discipline and action, on Ash Wednesday, part of thisliturgy is the reception of ashes for each follower of Christ. The minister whomarks the ashes on our heads mention out these words: Repent and believe in thegospel. The call to repentance comes first of all from theLord Jesus Christ. He reveals the command of God that has been conveyed sinceancient times during the time of the prophets, namely man must repent of his orher sins in order to be saved. On this day, the word of God proclaimed inaccordance with the Church's liturgical norms expresses this call. If it isanalogous to the bell of a church, chapel, or monastery that is useful forconveying our attention to an activity that is about to take place, we can seeGod's word today as a time when the Lent bell rings. The book of Sirahh focuses our attention on the calland commandment: Repent to the Lord and abandon your sins. The bell ringsshould be seen as a command, so each of us is reminded that Ash Wednesday is infront of our eyes and we will soon enter to the season of Lent. A thief who waswell known in his neighborhood, may also heard the sound of this bell. What washis real reaction? He heard that, it could be as a person who wanted to repent,or a person who felt hard to repent because stealing was his favorite thing inlife. Usually, we humans are not so easy to quicklychange.  If the thief, despite his faithand great hopes for change, needs a sort of transition which might be difficult.Big and problematic bad habits and inclinations must be stopped, it definitelyrequires a very serious self-denial. It is the same as the difficulty of aperson who was asked by Jesus to sell all his possessions, then followed JesusChrist with nothing for his survival. In essence, we are indeed required tochange ourselves as sinners, even though it is hard to do.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, forgive oursins and deliver us from all evils in this life that threaten our salvation.Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...