Lent is traditionally understood as a time of repentance and penance and it is easy to focus on ourselves as sinners. Fortunately, the liturgical readings for Lent focus our attention on the goodness of God and the blessings that flow from this into our lives, rather than on human sinfulness and any attempt to make amends for it through Lenten practices.
Again it is easy to turn our eyes inwards and conduct a 'search and destroy' on our sinfulness, promising to do better from now on.
We are now well into Lent, how is it going? It is never too late to turn our gaze from ourselves during this time and focus on the goodness of God.
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are three major actions in Lent.
Prayer keeps us in touch with God.
Fasting helps us 'make space' for God in our lives as well as teaching us discipline.
Almsgiving encourages us to be generous, especially to poor and disadvantaged people.
When I think about almsgiving, it reminds me of a comment which has given me pause for reflection. When I go to town I buy The Big Issue (The Big Issue is a not-for-profit social enterprise that develops solutions to help homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people to positively change their lives). I mentioned this to a friend of mine, who works for St Vincent de Paul. He asked me if I ever offered to shake hands with the vendor? I was surprised to realise that all I wanted to do was to buy the magazine. It had never occurred to me to shake his hand. My friend pointed out the importance of this simple act for both of us. A handshake or a pat on the shoulder can make such a difference in the day of someone who is feeling lonely, disadvantaged or depressed. This gave me a lot to think about. I know that I can do better.
We can be perplexed and anxious about Lent because it brings out the issue of doing better and being better. The imperative to be 'as perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect' (Matt 5:48) has always been a struggle for many people including myself!
Since Lent is about having a change of heart, of seeing things differently, I have decided to take a different tack. In what is left of Lent, I am taking some time to recognise my shortcomings and be at peace with them by keeping my focus on the goodness of God. A scary option might be to ask someone who knows you well what your shortcomings are.
For all of us our focus for Lent ought to be on the goodness of God and not on ourselves. Because we are not perfect, Lent can be a joyful season because we are reminded that we are always in need of God’s mercy which is always there waiting for us.
Have a joyful Lent.
Fr Gary Walker SSC
director@columban.org.au
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LISTEN TO: From the Director - We are now well into Lent, how is it going? (Duration: 3:13mins. MP3, 1.52MB) |
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