Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Friday after Ash Wednesday | USCCB
During this season of Lent, from Ash
Wednesday until Easter, we will be reflecting on our relationship with God
through fasting and penance. Fasting is something we can use to take our mind
off our own physical hungers and start focusing on our spiritual growth and
union with God.
The two days that we as Catholics are
called to fast are on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The church teaches that
those between 18 years of age and 59 are to eat only one full meal during the
day, and two smaller meals not equaling the main meal. Further we are to
abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent. This discipline, if
used with proper understanding, helps us to focus not so much on the needs of our
bodies, but rather on our spiritual needs of getting closer to God.
I recently saw a reflection on other
ways of “fasting”. This reflection called us to “fast” from gossiping about
those in our lives that we may not like. It calls us to “fast” from passing
judgement on people that may be different from us and who we feel are not
living what we consider a good life. It goes on to call us to “fast” from
hatred towards people that may be different from us by race or nationality.
Then it went on to encourage us to
replace the things we’re fasting from with things that are positive and more in
line with our Christian values: we are called to say only good things about the
people that we may not like. Instead of being judgmental, we are called to be
understanding of those people who may be struggling living a life that we would
not approve of. We are called to love those people that are different from us
by race and nationality, realizing that we are all made in the image of God.
With these thoughts in mind, during this
Lent let us turn our focus on the two great commandments: love of God and love
of neighbor. And when we fall short of living out these commandments of love,
let us turn to God in a spirit of true repentance by going to confession and
asking God to forgive us for failing to see the love God has for all the people
in our lives. By doing so, when Easter comes in 40 days, we can truly celebrate
the Resurrection of the Lord with joy and happiness.
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteI follow the Church's rules regarding fasting & abstinence fairly easily. I also take advantage of the opportunity to refrain from eating ice cream, cake, cookies & candy during Lent with the exception of Saturday sundown through Sunday sundown & try to be moderate on those acceptable "cheat" days. I actually have mixed motives because I do this more to be healthy & hopefully to lose weight. I find it difficult to exercise willpower the rest of the year, but if it's for Lent & can have a spiritual & religious component it gives me greater motivation if it is a Lenten practice I can offer to the LORD. Definitely mixed motives, but at least I am honest about my mixed motives & not hypocritical or "holier than thou".
It is a matter of habit, but I have not succeeded in using fasting to take my attention away from the food & giving more attention to the LORD & my spiritual life. I already am thinking about the 2 scoops of Baskin Robbins ice cream I could have on Saturday evening or on Sunday afternoon. I look at the cake display at the diner & think "I can't. It's Lent." I still think it's a good idea to give these up for my health & my diet & "offer it up", but I think I need some help in turning it to benefit my spiritual life & give more honor & glory to the LORD & less honor & glory to myself for my willpower! Maybe there is some prayer I could pray as I eye that cake or pie in the diner's display case?? HELP!!
I am FACEBOOK JUNKIE. I don't give FACEBOOK up for Lent because I consider FACEBOOK a good tool for evangelization for the GOSPEL & the GOSPEL OF LIFE & I have friends & am in groups that share Scripture & quotes from saints & pro-life messages that I share. I am not disciplined in prayer or in spiritual reading. Last year I tried to devote less time to FACEBOOK & some time to reading a spiritual book--the updated edition of FRANCIS: THE JOURNEY & THE DREAM by Fr. Murray Bodo. I read several chapters but still had a lot more chapters to go!
I suspect that you would agree that trying to fast from judging would be a good goal for me. I know that ultimately the decision about everyone's eternal destiny is up to GOD Who alone can read everything in every person's heart & everyone's motives & the circumstances of each person's life. My sense is that the heart & the circumstances do not make a wrong behavior right, but it modifies the person's degree of culpability. I still don't understand why it is wrong to compare people or to view people along a continuum in which some people are better or worse tha others--I think it's just plain common sense & part of discernment, as long as I don't place myself above everybody (I think there are people better than I am in certain ways & people worse than I am) & as long as I acknowledge that with the exception of Our LORD & His Blessed Mother, we are all (myself included) a "mixed bag" of the goodness of GOD because we are all made in His image, & the sin nature that is the remnant of original sin not fully washed away at baptism. Or as my family used to say "There is a little bit if good in every bad little boy/girl & a little bit of bad in every good little boy/girl" (with the exception of Our LORD & His Blessed Mother Who are/were both totally sinless!
From today's gospel: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
DeleteI have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” (Luke 5:32). We are not the one to judge. The Lord is the only one to judge.
From Arlene B. Muller
DeleteFor many years my response to Our LORD saying there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than the 99 who don't need penance was "Why is GOD happier about the BAD people than about the GOOD people?"
I think even now I have the prevailing notion is that GOOD people are people who spend their lives AVOIDING DOING & SAYING ANYTHING THAT IS BAD and in DOING & SAYING THINGS THAT ARE GOOD and that BAD people are people who spend their lives DOING & SAYING THINGS THAT ARE BAD and in NOT DOING & SAYING THINGS THAT ARE GOOD. By that prevailing opinion I consider myself a GOOD PERSON & a RIGHTEOUS PERSON.
But after I had come to know my thoughts & feelings better & after spending time in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal & going to my weekly prayer group meeting for some time it FINALLY DAWNED ON ME: THERE IS NOBODY (except Our LORD & His Blessed Mother) WHO DOES NOT NEED PENANCE! So I am not left out! The measuring rod is not people in the world but Our LORD Himself. As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, "For all have sinned & fallen short of the glory of GOD." On the surface I think I pass everything in life through the filter of the Ten Commandments, Scripture & the teaching of the Catholic Church & what I perceive as contrary I think I tend to reject & what is consistent I tend to accept. So it's easy to deceive myself into thinking I have it together & I am OK. But I have to look deeper into my thoughts, feelings & attitudes & look to GOD HIMSELF as the standard & see where I fall short. I still think of myself as a basically good person, but I need to remember the words that Our LORD said to one of the people in the Gospels with whom I relate (besides the Pharisee who gave the LORD a list of his credentials), the rich young man who was diligent in keeping the commandments but looked at JESUS & realized something lacking in himself & that he needed something more: "NO ONE IS GOOD EXCEPT GOD ALONE."