God entered our world where many humans try hard to be gods, while the one true God entered our world simply to become human. This alone should cause amazement and awe.

God came with abundance because God had everything. Needing nothing and needing no one, God still choose to be one with us. To this day, despite our sad history, God is still our loving God, and we are still his beloved people.

When God decided to become flesh, Jesus, his son, laid down his life restoring God’s creation. With his death and resurrection, the bond was reinstated, God and creation became once again best friends forever once again.  Amazing as it sounds, it is true. Yet Peter, the apostle, understood.

One day after one of his tough ministry walks and talks, Jesus asks his remaining twelve followers if they too will walk away.  Peter responds, “Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life.” Peter added: “You are the holy one of God.” A declaration of where Peter was in his faith.

No wonder Scripture says of Jesus that can we not bend a knee in thanksgiving and adoration when we think that God, creator of our universe, redeemed us from our deepest wounds, and saved us from our greatest fears without any hesitation.  Only God could become that human and have his son, Jesus befriends and save us.

Why is God so ready to bathe us in mercy? Because our God is about life and not death. He doesn’t want his creation to perish. God wants to save us, not condemn us.  That’s his modus operando and it has never changed. 

God lives for tomorrow, yesterday is over. Today is tomorrow’s beginning moment.  The spiritual life points always forward. Jesus coming among us confirms that the past is over and finished.

His appearance states that crying over what’s done is time wasted. In plain words God says, “Okay you stumbled and fell.  Fix it in the time left.” Lent is that good time. Jesus tells us, “Bring your sorrow and your tears and together we can mend whatever it is and move on!”

Again, don’t forget, I say again: Jesus came to save us, not to condemn us. In his heart Jesus wanted no one to perish. Didn’t he show us this when he left the ninety-nine to seek the one lost sheep? And he’ll do the same for us, his baptized family.

No matter what we’ve done our future is forever full of wonderful possibilities.  In one of Bobby Kennedy’s last speeches before his death he said: “The future is beyond our vision, but not our control.”  Bobby is correct. We can’t see it, but we have faith to know that Jesus will be there when we arrive. It’s just over the hill. This Lent, get ready for it.