Like many, I am a fan of Fridays. End of the week. Get to take stock of what got accomplished
all week. Get to look forward to a break
from the routine of Monday through Friday.
Get to enjoy the beginning of the weekend. Hanging with friends. All week long, a 1966 hit from the Easybeats
runs through my head…yes, indeed – I got Friday
on My Mind.
But every year around this time, my view of Friday
changes. Look at the calendar. As Catholics, today we celebrate Mass on Ash Wednesday and
officially enter the season of Lent. And
you know what that means for Friday – lots of fish; lots of cheese. I gotta tell ya, I have never been a big fish
fan. And a guy can only take so much
cheese. So I find myself “sacrificing”
during Lent. No burgers. No cheesesteaks. No hoagies. No meatballs. No chicken. On
Friday. What a pity. But really, how much of a sacrifice is it? And when it comes down to it, how much is any
“sacrifice” that falls into the category of “I’m giving this up for Lent?”
We give up candy or soda for 40 days. Big deal.
We know we can have it for the other 325. We invent rules like, “Sundays don’t count
and traveling doesn’t count” as ways to “get around” the sacrifice. “What kind
of discipline is that?” It’s sad, really
that we can’t make it 40 days. And what
if we “make it all the way through Lent” without straying from our “sacrifice?” Do we see that as a personal achievement or do
we see it as self-denial – the kind of self-denial that reminds us that life is
not all about us? When we compare our 40
days of “giving up,” to the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert and to his being
nailed to a cross, it really doesn’t seem like such a big deal at all.
So as I do every year at this time, I want to challenge
all of us to get beyond the usual “giving things up” for Lent because quite
frankly that approach is short-lived.
I’m not against the “give up for Lent” practice but I see
Lent as an opportunity for so much more.
While we should realize that abstinence and penance have a place in
Lent, this season is way more than going without. It is a time for conversion – a long term change of heart and mind. In Lent we can take stock of the way we live
our lives and how that compares to the model we have been given - our Lord,
Jesus Christ. In Lent our God has given
us another chance to “get it right.”
But where do we start?
As a sinner, some days it seems to me that there is just so much to “get
right.” And like most long-term projects,
we can become paralyzed trying to figure out how to begin. Well, how about this. Let’s start with relationships. And more specifically, let’s start with
broken ones or wounded ones – those relationships with family, friends, students,
teachers and others which fall apart because of something done, something said,
or simply a misunderstanding. Just
maybe, Lent can be a time to repair and heal those relationships into the kind
that Christ modeled for us. Have we hurt
someone with our words or actions? Have
we justified that they “deserved it?”
Maybe it’s time to say, “I’m sorry.”
Let’s not cop out by saying, “It’s been so long, I’m sure they’re over
it by now.” How do we know? Maybe it’s too hard to say it face to
face. Start with a note – a sincere note
that expresses the sorrow we feel for the hurt we’ve caused. And just as important when healing
relationships is the willingness to say, “I forgive you.” Even Jesus, who died on a Cross, forgave
those who put him there. And remember, it
wasn’t just the Romans who put him there.
Our sins are every bit responsible.
Surely we can forgive those who have done less. Sound weird to say those exact words? Then let’s start by letting go of that grudge
we’ve held for so long. Let’s talk
again. Let’s be respectful again. Imagine a family where building the
relationships was more important that being right. Imagine a school where people followed the
same philosophy. Imagine a world like
that.
And the true measure of our conversion is the long-term
effect it has. If we apologize and
forgive now but tomorrow hurt again or create a new grudge to hold, what have
we accomplished? Lent, is as much about
persistence as it is sacrifice. It’s
about continually striving to live a life committed to Christ. It’s about trying, failing and trying
again. The message is simple. We don’t let up when things are tough.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Lent is not something to get through. It’s not something to tolerate. It’s not something to manipulate. It is a time for soul-searching. It is a time to determine what’s really
important. It’s a time to commit
ourselves to change – a change in our hearts that makes a difference in the
lives of others.
We all look forward to Easter and the joy the day
brings. We should also look forward to
the impact of Easter and the everlasting life that the Resurrection
brings. And just as there can be no
Easter without Lent, there can be no Resurrection without the Cross. What load are we willing to bear?
May all of us find on Easter Sunday that the conversion
that brings us closer to the lives our Lord Jesus Christ has in mind for all of
us.