Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 11, 2016 - Thursday after Ash Wed.
[Deut 30:15-20 and Luke 9:22-25]"What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself." [Luke]
Lent is about fundamental choices, and I don't mean a choice about what to "give up" for forty days. Lent is about choosing between God and "other options." Moses tells the people in Deuteronomy today that he, in the name of God, is offering life and prosperity on the one hand, and death and doom on the other. Obeying God's commandments will bring the first. Going after the idols of other nations will bring the second. Jesus offers life but warns that it can mean carrying the cross after him. Going after prosperity in any other way will mean the loss of one's own self.
There's an old saying: "There are no pockets in a shroud." Our choices in faith and morals shape us, not our pocketbooks or wallets. Lent offers us a time to examine our choices and priorities, especially in the realm of forgiveness. It is not simply a matter of cleaning out the garage of stuff we don't need any more, as helpful as that might be. It is a matter of cleaning out our hearts and minds of grudges and unforgiveness. When we do this, our actions in the realm of works of mercy take on an integrity that is powerful. This is what Pope Francis is continually preaching in this Jubilee Year of Mercy. We will be better missionaries of mercy if we realize our own need for it first. That is a fundamental choice. AMEN
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