Lent 2011

I truly hope you all are experiencing a truly fulfilling Lenten Season thus far. This past week we have had a 24 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to mark the beginning of Lent, Exposition and Stations of the Cross on Friday, and our traditional Lenten Soup Supper. What a wonderful way to celebrate a wonderful season. For many of us, there seems to be a convergence of many different duties and obligations this time of year and these celebrations offer a welcome escape from a life that can oftentimes be overbearing and demanding. I encourage everyone to participate in what your individual parishes offer to more fully experience what Christ and the Church has to offer.

Winter is receding and the weather in changing. As you can see, there is not much snow left on the ground. This is where the sins of Autumn are revealed: the unraked leaves and clutter in the yard are now fully exposed again. Our “To Do Lists” become a little longer while to good weather beckons us outside. We are called forth from our caves. Spring Clean-Up is close at hand as well as Opening Day, fishing, and other activities. At the same time, we are called to examine our faith, our life, and all of our relationships; especially with Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a lot there, especially when you factor in the state of the economy and current events that offer the possibility of a loved-one going overseas or being an obstacle in front of some natural disaster.

As it does in so many different circumstances, Sacred Scripture offers us some valuable insight into this season. Immediately following His Baptism, Jesus goes off into the desert and disappears from public view. Imagine the impact this had. His baptism was a public event where the Trinity appears it all its glory: the Spirit Descending in the form of a dove and God the Father proclaiming, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Then, He was gone; alone in the wilderness.

We are invited to do the same. We are encouraged to remove ourselves from our worldly surroundings and find our own spiritual wilderness; just us and Christ. We are encouraged to visualize Christ before us, waiting for us to talk to Him, to open our hearts, and bring forth all that we keep inside: our faults, our sins, shortcomings, and pain. He wants us to lay everything bare and empty ourselves completely. Christ becomes our oasis, our central focus; a place of security and safety. From there, we can truly get to know Him and deepen our relationship with Him.

The visualization of a desert is perfect. There are no distractions or obstacles. There is only emptiness except for Christ. Our eyes and attention are naturally transfixed on Him. We examine Him in all of His humanness. What a wonderful state of being that is: to be alone with Christ and to break bread with Him. As we surrender something to God this Lenten Season, thee is an emptiness that brings us back to the reason why we sacrifice: the emptiness REMINDS us of Christ constantly. You see, when we fast we are hungry. Why are hungry? Because we chose to surrender something to God to share in His Eternal Sacrifice. His words should ring all the more true: “You cannot live on bread alone.” If we choose, we can truly try. There are those who do. They cloud their lives with worldly surroundings and indulge themselves constantly. In the end, they only encounter emptiness, for what they are pursuing is something that ends as quickly as it began. As Ecclesiastes says: “The sun rises and the sun sets,

and hurries back to where it rises.” Why chase after something that is gone almost as soon as you get it?

Here, we are building a home. We lay the foundation by practicing our faith and living our faith. Together, we continue to build that house intricately putting the pieces together. The skills in one area that one may lack another has and shares. We all help each other in our own way. As the house rises from its foundations, we invite others to come and join us. Through this process, we get to know each other more and understand ourselves all the more.

Just as in any major project, everyone gets tired. There are those who will slow down or start getting sloppy. There there are those who will abruptly say, “I quite,” throw down their hammer, and walk away. I can safely say that we all have been there. That is the exact time when we need to take that journey into the desert and be tended to by Christ; to be given that Living Water and to be nourished by Him. We can lay our heads gently on His lap and be comforted. Then He can lift us up and together we can carry our crosses to continue our journey.

We all need that time in the desert; a time away from responsibilities and pressures. Here, we can truely examine our conscious and open ourselves up to Christ. There, things become all the more clearer.

As well, we should keep all of ourselves in our prayers as we journey forward to build up what no man can tear down: our home.