When we begin a journey, we prepare! This was surely driven home to me this past week when Wendy and I went to North Carolina to visit #1 grandson Calvin. Part of our adventure was going to be a mid-week journey to the mountains, hopefully for a little skiing. Under normal circumstances this would take lots of preparation. But as we watched the weather, we really had to prepare as the coldest weather that region has ever seen would coincide with our trip. In fact the high temperature on one of the days in the mountains was predicted to be -4; that is below zero. So we prepared, and prepared some more.
We all know about preparing. We prepare to go to school and work, we prepare for our retirement, hopefully, and we prepare for things like vacations and the weekend! Heck, many of us prepared lavishly for the Mardi Gras celebrations that just ended. I hope we prepare for Mass with as much enthusiasm and our spiritual well being too!
As people of faith we are called to be prepared for the most important journey in our lives, from here to eternity.
So we arrived at Lent this past Wednesday. All the Mardi Gras frivolity is behind us and we wake up on Ash Wednesday to contemplate our own mortality. Overflow crowds pressed into church after church to receive a smudge of ashes and hear the words: remember man you are dust and to dust you shall return. But then sometimes, when you receive ashes you may also hear the words we heard today, spoken by Jesus, in Mark's Gospel: Repent and believe in the Gospel. Jesus gave us a major part of our preparation for our life long and ultimate journey: repent, turning away from sin and committing to sin no more, and believe the Good News; the Gospel.
Every Lent we remind each other that our preparation for Easter and eternity includes three mileposts along the way: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As Catholics, we are called to pray everyday but why focus on prayer during Lent? Well, the easy answer is that is exactly what Jesus shows us to do when he began his "personal Lent". Scripture tells us he withdrew for 40 days to pray. Jesus, the only Son of God, sent to this world to save you and me, began with prayer. At all the seminal moments in his life on earth, Jesus began with prayer. At all the important moments in our lives, and even the not so important, we are called to begin with prayer. Do we? Lent, this journey toward Resurrection, calls us to pray!
Fast. What is a fast? The Church encourages us to fast during Lent. Of course we can and should fast at other times too. Fasting is helpful in reminding us that there is nothing we absolutely have to have or should be so dependent on, except the love and mercy of God. Of course we would do well to remember the Scripture that tells us to fast humbly. We are not to call attention to ourselves or look for at-a-boys or even sympathy because we are fasting.
By the way, here it is very good to remind everyone about abstaining from meat on the Fridays of Lent. We all know what a darn sacrifice that is down here. Now we certainly want to support our Knights in their fundraisers every Lent. But is it really a sacrifice to sit down Friday at lunch or dinner to gumbo, shrimp creole or a platter of char broiled oysters? Nope, probably not. Even the Pope weighed in this week reminding us that meatless Fridays does not mean a seafood smorgasbord.
Almsgiving is a wonderful thing to teach to our young ones, although I bet a few of us not so young can learn a thing or two. Again, giving something of value to one less fortunate than us is a great thing to do year-long. In Lent, coupled with prayer and fasting and the totality of the teaching of being prepared, it makes sense. Sharing with others from our necessities is far superior to sharing with others from our excess. Children can learn to give alms in doing small things for mom and dad, brother and sister, perhaps their teacher or a friend. Almsgiving is about what we put into it from our interior place, not just a checkbook or wallet.
So on this first Sunday of Lent, we prepare. As a family, or individually, repent, turn to and believe in the Gospel as we embrace prayer, fasting and almsgiving. May our Lenten journey truly prepare us for that ultimate journey we are walking with Jesus Christ; from here to eternity! And an eternity spent in Heaven with God!
By the way, thanks to our preparations, we survived the impressive snow, ice and dangerous cold that hit the mountains of North Carolina. Preparation is important, and it works. Be prepared!
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