Today is Wednesday of the fourth week of Lent. As I reflect on what Lent means to me I cannot relate it to the warmer, sunnier, greener, scented days of spring in the Northern Hemisphere; in my home country any day of the year is warm and sunny and rainy and sunny again, and then cold. Lent means to me the process of preparation to truly appreciate the greatest sign of genuine love to people: that Jesus gave his life for us.  This, nonetheless, was not the only gift Jesus gave us with his sacrifice. Jesus taught us about one of the most sacred, yet sometimes complex for some, relationships: Father and son relationship. 

The first reading tells about the Lord taking care of his people in the same way as a parent would take care of her child. The second reading enlightens us more in this regard.  Jesus was a “hands-on” learner who was trained by his Father to give testimony of Him. And so is what Jesus did. Not all parent-child relationships that I am aware of are as harmonious as that of Jesus, but most of those that I know are based on love. How challenging it is to teach your child all you think she/he might need to have the life she/he wants to have. How challenging it is to put in practice all your parents taught you to have the life you want. How much I pray every day to be wise enough to teach my children that love is the most simple yet most powerful fuel to reach what they want.

As I think of Jesus as a learner I feel compelled to think of my students. It is so “easy” to prepare a good lecture… and so challenging to truly reach students out! Beyond a momentary smile, beyond a “fun time” in class, beyond a transient feeling of understanding I wish my students would in 10, 20, 30 years from today give testimony of work ethics and respect for nature.

I am a believer that everyone has something to teach and something to learn. What did you teach today? What did you learn today? I pray for our teaching and our learning to be guided by the example of the Lord teaching his Son.