We are at the beginning of the season of Lent, a time in the liturgical year when our prayers, fasting and charitable acts may dispose us to the spirit of repentance and conversion, through the renewal of our baptismal promises.

The passage from Romans helps us to see how rejecting our human condition, that is, our creaturehood, has led to sin while obeying God's words and accepting God's power over all things leads to our total freedom and is pleasing to God.

As creatures, we are subject to limitations and vulnerabilities. Thus, we do not and cannot know all things; we need physical and spiritual sustenance. We are attracted to things that are pleasant and we tend to avoid discomfort and pain. We sometimes forget we are human beings, lovingly created by God. Above all, we may harbour ambitions that block us from acknowledging the reality that we are not God.

Let us pray for God's grace to be aware of our offences towards God and our neighbour and to be truly sorry for all our sins. May the Lord Jesus teach us the wisdom to live in love and holiness; may he give us the strength to live in obedience to the Father's commandments.