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Lent: Love and Learn First . . . Then Act
“What are you giving up for Lent this year?” Television? Sweets? Alcohol? Coffee? Or, are you “doing something” for lent, such as going to weekday Mass, reading the Bible or praying the Rosary? Why? Did you “get something out of” doing it last year? Or, did Easter find you pretty much the same person, but with one heck of a craving for chocolate?
Unfortunately, many of us were taught spirituality “in reverse.” The importance of ascetical practices was impressed upon us, without a deep understanding of their beauty. We learned to live the “ethic” (the obligatory actions) before we embraced the “ethos” (moral nature/guiding beliefs). As such, St. Paul warns that we are in danger of either “gaining nothing’ or becoming “clashing symbols” (see 1 Cor 13).
In the reading for the second day of Lent (Dt 30:15-20), Moses teaches us the right order of the spiritual life. First we are called to love the Lord. Next we are called to “walk in His ways” (i.e. follow Him, learn about Him). Only then, we are called to “obey His commandments.” We see how these first two must precede the third in our Lord’s personal relationship with the Apostles. In love, Jesus sought them out. He called to them. And, at first, He commanded only one thing of them: “follow me.” None of the Apostles were called to heroic actions (including martyrdom) until after they had fallen in love with Him and had come to learn Who He was.
Taking on an ascetical or positive practice during lent is a wonderful idea, but only if your “heart is in the right place.” Giving up chocolate may decrease your waistline, but will bring you no spiritual benefit if not done out of love. Remember, in giving up chocolate, you are not giving a gift to God. Rather, you are emptying yourself in order to make room for Him. You are experiencing denial of something base in order to desire something infinitely better. If this is not your attitude, all you are doing is moping around with a stomach deprived of chocolate. Similarly, reading the Bible is not an exercise in increasing your reading speed, nor is going to Mass an exercise in sitting still for a half hour. These are to be actions of love wherein you go before our Lord and say to Him, “Fill me with You!”
Above and in all things you decide to do or not do this Lent, choose first to love Him and second to walk in His ways!
+JITIY+
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Gospel Commentary
for 5th Sunday of Lent
Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap
(A useful reflection for evangelizers preparing for the LOTW Consecration liturgy)
ROME, MARCH 7, 2008 (Zenit.org).
The story of Lazarus was written to tell us: There is a resurrection of the body and there is a resurrection of the heart; if the resurrection of the body will happen "on the last day," that of the heart happens, or can happen, everyday.
This is the meaning of the resurrection of Lazarus that the liturgy wishes to point out to us in the first reading from Ezekiel about the dry bones.
The prophet has a vision: He sees a vast field of dried bones and understands that they represent the low morale of the people. People were saying: "Our hope has vanished, we are lost." God's promise is directed to them: "Behold, I open your tombs, I raise you from your tombs. […] I will fill you with my spirit and you shall live again."
This example is also not dealing with the final resurrection of the body, but the resurrection of the heart to hope. Those cadavers, it is said, came back to life, began walking and were "a great army, exterminated." It was the Israeli people who began hoping again after their exile.
From all of this we can deduce something that we also know from experience: That we can be dead, even before we die, while we are still in this life. And I am not only speaking of the death of the soul caused by sin; I speak also of that state of a total absence of energy, of hope to fight and to live that one can only call: death of the heart.
To all those who for various reasons -- a failed marriage, spousal infidelity, the sickness of a child, financial ruin, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse -- find themselves in this situation, the story of Lazarus should resound like the bells on Easter morning.
Who can give us this resurrection of the heart? For certain afflictions, we know that there exists no human remedy. Words of encouragement often fail to suffice.
Even at the house of Martha and Mary there were "Jews who came to console them," but their presence didn't help. We need to "call for Jesus," as Lazarus' sisters did. To invoke him as people buried under an avalanche or under the ruins of an earthquake who, with their cries, get the attention of the rescuers.
Oftentimes people in these situations are not able to do anything, not even pray. They are like Lazarus in the tomb. They need others to do something for them. Jesus once spoke these words to his disciples: "Heal the sick, raise the dead" (Matthew 10:8).
What did Jesus mean? That we must physically raise the dead? If that were the case, history shows us that the number of saints who put this into practice could be counted on our fingers.
No, Jesus meant, above all, those whose hearts are dead, the spiritually dead. Speaking of the prodigal son, the father said: "He was dead and has come back to life" (Luke 15:32). He could not have been talking about physical death, if he had come back home.
The command to "raise the dead" is addressed to all of Christ's disciples. Even us! Among the works of mercy that we learned as children, there was one that told us "to bury the dead." Now we know that we must also "raise the dead."
[Translation by Mary Shovlain]
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Father Raniero Cantalamessa is the Pontifical Household preacher. The readings for this Sunday are Ezekiel 37: 12-14; Romans 8: 8-11; John 11: 1-45. |
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