It is hard to believe that Lent began just this past Wednesday. The tragedy in Florida seemed to take away the attention from everything else - which is indeed proper. Nonetheless, we have looked at some insights of Pope Francis for Lent. In earlier posts, we've looked at staying focused and being authentic - rather essential characteristics of the Christian life. In this post, consider the words of Pope Francis in giving us specific tools to lead a good life during Lent. I call them "tools." Call them anything you want. But they are among the most traditional and time-honored things to do during Lent.
LIsten to what Pope Francis suggests on these three tools of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting:
"By devoting more time to prayer, we enable our hearts to root out our secret lies and forms of self-deception, and then to find the consolation God offers. He is our Father and he wants us to live life well.
Almsgiving sets us free from greed and helps us to regard our neighbor as a brother or sister. What I possess is never mine alone. How I would like almsgiving to become a genuine style of life for each of us! How I would like us, as Christians, to follow the example of the Apostles and see in the sharing of our possessions a tangible witness of the communion that is ours in the Church! For this reason, I echo Saint Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians to take up a collection for the community of Jerusalem as something from which they themselves would benefit (cf. 2 Cor 8:10). This is all the more fitting during the Lenten season, when many groups take up collections to assist Churches and peoples in need. Yet I would also hope that, even in our daily encounters with those who beg for our assistance, we would see such requests as coming from God Himself. When we give alms, we share in God’s providential care for each of His children. If through me God helps someone today, will He not tomorrow provide for my own needs? For no one is more generous than God.
Fasting weakens our tendency to violence; it disarms us and becomes an important opportunity for growth. On the one hand, it allows us to experience what the destitute and the starving have to endure. On the other hand, it expresses our own spiritual hunger and thirst for life in God. Fasting wakes us up. It makes us more attentive to God and our neighbor. It revives our desire to obey God, who alone is capable of satisfying our hunger."
If you have not come up with things to do for Lent or if you want to review your list of things to do, be sure to include the three tools of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Prayer goes without saying - but emphasizing our prayers is always helpful. Pope Francis reminds us that what we possess is not just ours - it is a gift from God to be shared. Fasting is more than just a spiritual diet. It connects us with our spiritual hunger for the things of God.
Are you a better person yet this Lent? I'm not. I have a lot of work to do. At the same time, I do not want to make Lent complicated. It really is not meant to be. It is a help to us - let's pray for each other that we use it properly. It seems like such a long time ago when we received ashes. Sigh.
TODAY'S GRATITUDE: Feeling just tired - so many things happening. Hard to focus on gratitude today. So I guess that i'm grateful for the reminder to be grateful. It is never a good thing to take gratitude for granted.