By Lou McCormick, OFM
Lent has been an intense spiritual experience for followers of Christ throughout the centuries. Our forty days of Lent are modeled after the forty days Jesus spent in the desert immediately after His baptism in the Jordan River. At the end of that time, Jesus was tempted by the devil. Those temptations which Jesus experienced and rejected had to do with POWER, PRESTIGE, AND POSSESSIONS. Anyone the least bit in touch with themselves and events in our world know that these temptations to power, prestige, and possessions are still very operative. I would say that all the problems and pain in our world are because of the desire for power, prestige or possessions.
Following the example of Jesus' words, the traditional practices of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Notice how all three of these activities focus on God and others. Prayer brings us into God consciousness; fasting brings us into a sense of God's many gifts to us and expresses a desire to give up some of these gifts temporarily for the good of others; and almsgiving is a sharing of some of these gifts with others.
The fundamental Franciscan charism (spirit) has to do with relationship. Francis of Assisi had a profound understanding of God the Father as creator of everyone and everything. If all that exists is created by God, then we are all “brothers” and “sisters” to all that is created.
Relationship is the core of the Christian life because Jesus tells us that love of God and love of neighbor are the core of religion. Jesus came to show us that relationship and how it is to be lived.
The spiritual journey for any of us is the lifelong movement from ego-centered to God-centered living. As we move along this journey, our lives become more and more influenced by the life and teaching of Jesus. Power, prestige, and possessions become less important because others become more important. How I relate to the world becomes more informed by the needs of others, as do my patterns of consumption. We are gradually able to differentiate between “needs” and “wants.” In most cases our needs can be taken care of fairly simply, and in that simplicity, we are better able to share with others.
Through the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we are able to reflect on our ways of relating to people and things. We may even be moved by God's grace to change some of the ways we do relate so that the needs of another may be met and Jesus' message made more clear.
The Franciscan “thing” is to love the best way we can today, live as simply as possible, and always give thanks and praise to God who loves us and desires us beyond our imagining. The Lenten journey can help us along this path when we enter it with some intentionality.
God loves me so much that He can't take His eyes off me. As I come to understand and believe this, my way of relating to the world changes. My life becomes one of relating in love to the presence of Jesus among us.
Peace and love to all of you.
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(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)
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