February 23, 2020
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As the Gospel of Matthew continues to spell out the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to a higher standard of discipleship. We are called to love our enemies. We are called to forgive rather than seek to get even. We are challenged to go beyond worldly standards and carry ourselves in accord with the standard of God’s unconditional love. Our response to this call takes a great deal of courage and faith.
This Wednesday, we, as a Church throughout the world, will begin our Lenten Journey, a time of reflection and renewal. This acceptable time is meant to renew our hearts as we journey toward the new life of Easter and the mission of Pentecost. This is a time of prayer, introspection and sacrifice which should bring us closer to God and one another. We renew our covenant with God and we renew our covenant with each other to be true disciples.
This past week, the television show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” returned to the airwaves. Dedicated volunteers come together to give a needy family the house of their dreams. Often, it is far beyond what they imagined and this is where the “extreme” in the title plays a role. Many of us enter Lent with that singular purpose of remaking ourselves to the extreme, a complete makeover forgetting that Lent comes every year and we do not have to do it all at once. Lent is not the season of weight loss or of just giving up some favorite thing though these may assist in our renewal. This Lent, it might just be small steps that we take that lead to the renewal we seek.
Maybe we could spend an extra two minutes in prayer each day. Perhaps we might read a chapter of Scripture each day. We might reach out to a friend with whom we lost touch. We might do something extra to help our parents. We could stay for the whole liturgy rather than leaving before the final hymn is over. We might visit a loved one who is ill. These may seem small in scope, but they will produce great results.
So as we begin this journey again, let us vow to pray for each other. Let us look to little things we can do to make a difference. Now is the acceptable time. Lent is a gift and an opportunity for us all. God Bless us all as we begin again.