LENT AGAIN?

2/18/16

IS IT LENT AGAIN?

            Every year we are faced with another Lent.   What should I give up?

What good works should I do? The older you get the harder it is to be original. Before you despair, read these words from Isaiah.

“You call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? “

Says the Lord.

“This is the fast I want:

Releasing those bound unjustly,

Untying the ties that bind,

Setting free the oppressed

Breaking off every yoke.

Sharing your bread with the hungry

Sheltering the homeless and afflicted

Clothing the naked when you see them

And not turning your back on our own.

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn

And your wounds will quickly heal

And the Lord God shall be your rear guard!”  (Is 58:5-8)  

            There are many words in scripture that we read but do not live.  Few of them are as powerful and timely as these. The question is does anybody listen?  Has anyone ever listened?    God has been speaking to us for centuries, first through the prophets, and then through Jesus.   Telling us that all he wants from us is that we love one another.  People who do listen and act on these words of God are few and far between and they are called saints for living them, as though it were some incredibly difficult task that only a super-human could do.  God is so clear. He does not make his requests complicated.  He has told the world for millennia that what he wants is for us to love one another putting aside political, social and cultural differences. Instead of working on perfecting that, in or out of Lent, we have ignored the most important thing and concentrated on harsh sacrifices that carry guilt trips with them for good measure and, which do nothing to further his will.

            It’s time we looked at Lent with more clarity.  Giving up things for Lent in a vain attempt to make amends to Christ for his crucifixion is both foolish and vaguely insulting.  It’s like giving someone a dollar reward for saving your life.  God has told us numerous times what he wants from us. As he hung on the cross He continued to set the example by forgiving his murderers. It’s time we put away our past ideas and dedicate our Lent to be the one where we finally acknowledge the message and begin in earnest to act on it. We can begin by pledging to finally let go of that grudge, forgive that trespass, do everything in our power to drop a prejudice, resolve to stop gossip in its tracks or simply be kind to everyone.  Be warned, it could take the rest of your life.  Could that be the idea?

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin, OPA