What are you doing for Lent?
A Call for Introspection
He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40)."
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I want to suggest that Lent is an opportunity to do something we might not otherwise do. Many people give up chocolate or caffeine for Lent and admittedly (as a Mountain Dew addict) this can be quite a sacrifice. However, I want to suggest that rather than merely giving up something material for Lent, that it may be possible to do something a bit more radical. That is, I want to recommend the idea of possibly making an attempt at some sort of (small or large) personal transformation.
Lent, among other things, is about contemplating what Jesus Christ did and continues to do to save sinners. It is also an opportunity for introspection. Not to be too cliche, but God helps those who help themselves. Ought we not take the opportunity of Lent to look inside and find one thing we can give up that is keeping us from God (Matthew 9:13, Luke 15:7)? Or, ought we not take the opportunity to look inside and find some spark of Love within us that we can bring to others (Matthew 6:14, Matthew 5:44-47, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3)?
I realize that the sort of introspection I'm calling for is tougher than simply giving up chocolate (or even Mountain Dew). So I decided to put something together that might help spark some ideas. Still, I hope that my call for personal introspection (in prayer, if possible) is not glossed over. I want to recommend looking again at the two greatest commandments for the introspection I'm calling for here (Matthew 22:37-40).
The Greatest Commandment
Again, the greatest commandment is: "You shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5)." It ought to be simple to find one way to love the Lord more:
- through giving God back the time He gave us by praying or attending Mass
- through giving up something that keeps us from God or spending time with Him(at work, at home, or in our "free time")--easy examples: wasting time in front of the television, the computer, or magazines
- through becoming involved at one's parish
- through learning more about one's faith, via reading the Bible or another spiritual work
Very related, is the second greatest commandment: "The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39b)." In truth, this one can be looked at through two lenses: a)love of neighbor and b) love of self.
In many ways, loving one's neighbor is very much like loving God Himself:
Then the righteous will answer him and say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?" And the king will say to them in reply, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:37-40)."Again, it ought to be simple to find one way to love one's neighbor more:
- through forgiving another whom we have not truly forgiven
- through helping another person in need: at a soup kitchen or a nursing home
- through recognizing Christ in a person others ignore
- through teaching or talking with another about Christ and His saving grace
- through truly loving a person we interact with daily rather than merely criticizing them
- through being loyal and faithful to a friend or family member
- through looking on others with love rather than lust
- through not giving up on another labeled "a lost cause"
Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
Just as thinking about love of oneself is often difficult, finding a way to love oneself is often difficult as well. Yet there are still ways to love oneself:
- through deciding not to destroy God's temple through the misuse of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol
- through maintaining a healthy lifestyle in terms of food and exercise
- through dressing modestly so as not encourage others to sinfully look upon oneself as an object
- through not destroying God's temple through sin
I don't offer any simple answers here. Again, my hope is that this can give some food for thought and I pray that at least a few people will indeed consider what God is calling them to do for Lent that will be truly transforming.
I also don't offer any excuses for the fact I haven't written anything publicly in a while. Rather, I will say that I'm finally settled in Rome and classes just began yesterday for me at the Angelicum (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas). This means that I will be putting more things on TomReagan.com in the upcoming weeks (including a few things I've already written but not had a chance to get online).
posted by Tom Reagan at 3:31 PM
Hey Tom,
Peace be with you! This is a great post about lent and what we are called to do....and this is exactly what it is, a "calling." God has brought us to a certain point in our faith journey and He wants to lead us further, but we are holding on to something. It is different for each person.
Over the last few weeks, a group of my girlfriends and I have been discerning what God is specifically challenging us to do during these 40 days in the desert. We started out reading some writing on St. Augustine, John Henry Newman, and St. Clare. As a result, I could list a least 20 things I "could" do, but what is God calling me to uniquely do to lead me and others closer to Him? This is a difficult question. Rather than seriously praying and discering this question, I suppose I could attempt do all 20 things, but this would be just me trying to cover all possiblities and in some ways it is legalistic. I would probably get burned out on the depravation and miss the point. But worse, I would be dependant on myself to meet these sacrifices rather than God - naturally since I did not consult Him seriously on the question when making the initial choice.
Instead through prayerful discernment, my lenten sacrifice is a contract and a love relationship with God. When Augustine wrote about fasting, he suggest that our observance be a secret between only God and ourselves...how beautiful and intimate! Of course, we do not usually broadcast what we are doing, but during this time some people, especially Cathlics, may ask "what are you giving up for lent?" How great would it be if it was just between the Creator and ourselves?
btw: I just had a non-Catholic ask me at a seminar a couple of hours ago. I said, "I do not know." Is lying worse? ...well, I was not lying because I am still prayerfully discerning, but I wonder what I will say tomorrow?!
God be with you! Enjoy Rome - it is the mothership.
Kathryn
Kathryn,
Peace be with you too!
I think you hit the nail on the head about doing what we are called to do. (Thus the hopefully almost-subtle request about praying about what we are to do.)
As for the personal nature of what we are going to do this Lent being personal: I think that's great, assuming we do not need somebody else to help keep us accountable. I personally have a few people I told one-on-one here in Rome for the purposes of them keeping me accountable to what I decided to do. Not that I shouldn't be accountable myself, because I should.
Instead of lying and saying "I don't know," maybe you could tell people that you are in fact doing something but that it's very personal?
Thanks for the comment!
Tom
Tom,
Hope all is well.
I'm struck very much by your choice of biblical quotes - the two commandments. This quote has long struck me as a marvelous example of the originality and authority of Jesus' teaching showing through.
Not only does Jesus unify the first three commandments into one and the remaining seven into one more, he also completely changes the goals of mankind and mankind's relationship with our Creator without changing the content of the Creator's commandments. Who else could do so much, so convincingly and so invitingly, with so few words?
No longer is the goal to avoid doing wrong ("Thou shall not....."), but rather the new goal is to cling to the pursuit of the love of God and neighbor! No longer shall we settle for avoiding the abyss. Now the goal is to leave the abyss behind and rush toward God with every step.
This reinforces the uniqueness of Jesus. He is able to completely change the intent of the original commandments without changing the commandments themselves. Who else could do such a thing?
Profound.
Aunt Ren,
Really, the only simpler way to put it would be the command "Love!"
But that would have been lost on most of us.
Tom
Thank you Tom. I am in my second year assisting with RCIA. I was asked by our leader to present the "two greatest commandments". I was pleased to find your insights here.
When I let Him, God will lead me!
God bless you with yours studies.
Debora