Merciful God,
you called us forth from the dust of the earth;
you claimed us for Christ in the waters of Baptism.
Look upon us as we enter these Forty Days
bearing the mark of ashes,
and bless our journey through the desert of Lent
to the font of rebirth.
May our fasting be hunger for justice;
our alms, a making of peace;
our prayer, the chant of humble and grateful hearts.
All that we do and pray is in the name of Jesus
for in his Cross you proclaim your love
for ever and ever.
Amen
(Catholic Household Blessing & Prayers)
"For gracious and merciful is he"
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
As much as I enjoy movies with a good story, I’ve always
thought the Oscar’s were a bit self- serving, to say the least. We should recognize acting as a talent and
every actor knows that the person they are portraying is not who they truly
are. But, the academy awards are given
to recognize an actor who has portrayed a fictional character or some noted
historical figure in a convincing and hopefully somewhat inspiring way. It does indeed take a particular talent to
become the person you are presenting in a way that makes that person
believable. Few actors are able to do
that convincingly but those who can are awarded for their skill and hard
work.
But, who is deciding who deserves the award? Those involved in the movie industry. A kind of Hollywood telling Hollywood how
wonderful Hollywood is. In a true sense,
however, they would be the ones who know what they’re looking for and recognize
the skill it truly takes. Doctors could
rate other doctors of course based on their knowledge of medicine; teachers the
same for other teachers, etc. You have
to be experienced enough in the art yourself to recognize true talent when you
see it in others. So, when the Oscar is
given to the recognize actor, applause, music, and multiple kudos of adoration
come their way. The name(s) is announced
and they receive their reward – all adoring eyes upon them.
Today we begin season of Lent.
Our yearly six week journey of self-reflection, penance, renewal, and a
turning back to the Lord in order to “clean house” before the fifty days of
Easter glory celebrating the resurrection of the Lord. It really is a season of grace in which we
are called back to be the best version of who we should be in the eyes of God. Unlike movie stars, this is not a time to put
on the act. It is a time to take off the
costume and come before God as our true selves that we may put aside barriers,
change our wandering ways, admit our need for repentance, and embrace the
forgiveness and mercy of a loving God.
Our familiar Gospel passage from Matthew is read each year on
Ash Wednesday. It is not one that would
be especially favored by the Hollywood dignitaries on Oscar night: “. . . do
not blow a trumpet before you . . . do not let your left hand know what your
right is doing. . . that your almsgiving
may be secret . . . go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your
Father in secret . . . wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting
. . .” Such warnings against making oneself the center of attention and praise
have deep spiritual implications that would be the opposite of a glittering
Oscar night and acting in general.
It seems to me that if we follow Jesus’ advice our intentions
would undeniably be more pure and pleasing to God. Why? Because we are not undertaking works of
penance an charity in order to be noticed by others. Jesus reminds his disciples this is what the
Pharisees do, that’s what the pagans do.
It’s all about them. They go
through all the motions to appear to be something or someone they are not. They are consummate actors and they seem to
do so convincingly. They’re just putting
on a show the whole point of which is to receive praise, not holiness. Don’t follow their example.
So, the true spirit of this graced season of Lent is to be
genuine and humble before God and others.
We’re not acting here. Humility
is a far more attractive virtue than pride. Genuine charity from another, done
in a sincere way, is more beautiful than a face filled with makeup or the most
elaborate costume. A very generous
donation to a worthy cause done anonymously has greater value than all the
plaques and buildings that may bear the name of a noted benefactor.
So, it’s often a balance in our lives. I’m all for a good movie, a suspenseful plot
and fine acting but in the end it’s all pretend. What you see on the screen does not exist
except in the computer generated image of a creative technician: special
effects. The wonderful and worldwide acclaim of the Downton Abbey series a few
years back was deserved. We began to
look forward to the unfolding story of the Aristocratic English families each
season. The problem, though, is that
they did not exist. There is no Downton
Abbey. I think I make my point. A
world of fantasy or fiction is fine as long as we know the difference between
that and reality. Lent is that
opportunity to strip away the façade, put on ashes as a reminder of our frailty,
and get real.
So, this Lent, let’s be real.
Let’s work on being our true selves before God and come before him not
seeking notice and praise before others but to receive his ever redeeming grace
and mercy. If true change happens in our
life over the next six weeks it will not be because of how many prayers I said
or how many days I fasted or even how much money I may have donated to a
particular charity.
While all these things are very good for they open doors of
grace within us. They help us to put a
leash on our wandering. If we have become a new creation in Christ it is by his
grace that we were disposed to receive. True
holiness is what God does with us and what he makes us to become pleasing in
his sight. Our reward may not be a shining gold statue but rather, eternal life.
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