[Holding a rope] For some of us, Lent is a time to untie some of those habits or faults, where we look at things that choke us or look at ways we’re strung out. For others, we look at how we’ve become unraveled and try to put ourselves back together.
Well those are all good, but the problem is when we look at Lent and really only see it as a time for “me” to work on MY spirituality.
It’s like this rope. It’s strong, it’s good . . .but only because it’s made up of all these little strands. We are like the strands, alone (one by one) we could break easily. But together, we become strong. We take all ourselves, though weak individually, and become a support for each other.
Now, Jesus Christ talks about three great religious disciplines (these are found in all great world religions): prayer, fasting, alms. But each one of them is not meant just to better ourselves, but to better the community. For example, with alms giving, we don’t just feel good inside ourselves but our giving helps others . . . so consider what you can contribute to the Rice Bowls, the Bishop’s Appeal occurring in March and perhaps contributing more with your offering to the parish. Your generosity helps us be generous.
Or with fasting, perhaps with the money you save by not eating as much, go buy a can of something to bring in for the local Food Pantry. Or go take some cooked goodies to that elderly person who lives near you.
For example, In praying, it’s not just for us to deeper our relationship with God, but to help others in their relationship with God. Like I said this last weekend, pray simply for others’ well being. Or with someone struggling with something . . . pray that they can relax, that they can find calm as they face their difficulty. Pray for the people listed each week in our bulletin. And pray especially for people that you don’t care for.
It’s like Joel people in the first reading. We do not come to God alone. We don’t go stray alone, nor do we return alone. We’re all in this Lent thing together! And Lent is occurring all over the world. Think of all the people gathering just like we are.
[Joke] It’s like the story of the man driving in winter who gets stuck. He goes to a farmer and the farmer hooks up his horse Buddy and they go get the car. Buddy is hooked up and the farmer yells, “Okay Ginger, pull!” Nothing. “Okay Cocoa, pull!” Nothing. “Okay Buttercup, pull!” Nothing. Finally, “Okay Buddy, pull!” Buddy easily pulls the car out. The man asks why he was yelling all those other names. “You see, Buddy is lazy and blind. If he thought he was the only horse pulling, he wouldn’t do it!”
We’re in this together. We pray, we fast, and we help the poor. It’s like the second reading . . . our mission (like the Corinthians) is to do Christ’s mission. We are ambassadors for Christ. In the next few weeks we will have opportunities for you to put your faith into action with a number of service projects . . . including looking at how we can help homeless people and help poor people in Haiti.
We are entwined together, like this rope. Let this be a season to deepen the faith of all those we meet.