We would be blind to say that the consumer society in our present Country is not filled with an abundance of many things: money, food, technology, clothing, cars, pet food, things which make our life more convenient and comfortable, on and on and on. Americans want for very little if anything. If they do it is unfortunate that they have not been given an opportunity but those choices are not far away and easily accessible. We really have no idea what it is like to be hungry, starving, homeless, or truly poor with no resources available. We are told to spend, buy things, upgrade whether we need to or not and our "wants" become our needs. We have access to the internet which is barely filtered and open to anything we want to explore - good, bad, ugly is at our beck and call.
The more we spend the more the economy keeps churning out wealth and opportunity. So, in the end how can we possibly wrap our heads around the value of going without - anything? "I want this because I can have it and in the end it is my free choice to live the kind of life I want to." Advertising saturates and convinces us that this kind of lifestyle should be the goal of every single citizen of this Country and those who come to live and work here. "You really need all this to have a happy and fulfilling life." So goes the familiar but seducing mantra.
However, it is not all bad and the above description while I believe fair also has brought comfort, health and wealth to most of us. Yet, how rich is rich enough? How middle class is middle class enough? How much free time for pleasure and relaxation is enough? Such questions may be right to ponder this Lenten season. A time of grace and renewal but also a time to consider the value of going without.
I think it is only in the pursuit of higher moral and spiritual values that any answer to "going without" makes sense. Poverty and being poor is not a good thing in and of itself. The poor suffer and in some cases suffer needlessly and unjustly. St. Francis of Assisi and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta were not born into poverty. For the sake of the Gospel they, and others like them, freely chose to live that way in a radical pursuit of the Gospel that calls us all to let go of the attachment of things, to see them as they are in their limited usage and value, and to build up spiritual wealth through prayer, participation in the sacraments of the Church, self-less service for others and to conform ourselves more and more to the image of Christ himself.
Not an easy task by any means. Only by God's abundant grace can we achieve higher levels of holiness but we must do our part. We must do something otherwise the blind pursuit of more and more will consume us. This Lent offers us the opportunity to take an account of our lives and to voluntarily make the choice to cleanse, clean out, let go, and put in order my spiritual life. To make God the center of my existence and all the other stuff will come into light of that as not nearly as important. I can tell you honestly that as priest who is called to articulate these things for those I serve I don't often find it any easier than you may. I know my broken humanity fights against voluntary sacrifice at times mightily so it behooves us all to take heart this Lent.
The point of all this is not to create dour and sour faced Christians. Lent is not about self inflicted suffering, drudgery and starving empty stomachs. That would be psychologically questionable to say the least. The purpose is to find greater freedom, joy, peace and a renewed life in the Lord. Jesus came to bring us such things; he came to make us happy and bring us joy and hope but according to his way and not what the world defines as such things. Holiness and joy are synonymous in the Christian way of life. It truly is about the resurrection.
Below is a link to an article from the Franciscans on the value of fasting this Lenten season. As we enter the true spirit of the Gospel this Ash Wednesday let us pray for and support one another. Peace to you all. We have six weeks to do what we need to do. Let's not waste it.
The more we spend the more the economy keeps churning out wealth and opportunity. So, in the end how can we possibly wrap our heads around the value of going without - anything? "I want this because I can have it and in the end it is my free choice to live the kind of life I want to." Advertising saturates and convinces us that this kind of lifestyle should be the goal of every single citizen of this Country and those who come to live and work here. "You really need all this to have a happy and fulfilling life." So goes the familiar but seducing mantra.
However, it is not all bad and the above description while I believe fair also has brought comfort, health and wealth to most of us. Yet, how rich is rich enough? How middle class is middle class enough? How much free time for pleasure and relaxation is enough? Such questions may be right to ponder this Lenten season. A time of grace and renewal but also a time to consider the value of going without.
I think it is only in the pursuit of higher moral and spiritual values that any answer to "going without" makes sense. Poverty and being poor is not a good thing in and of itself. The poor suffer and in some cases suffer needlessly and unjustly. St. Francis of Assisi and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta were not born into poverty. For the sake of the Gospel they, and others like them, freely chose to live that way in a radical pursuit of the Gospel that calls us all to let go of the attachment of things, to see them as they are in their limited usage and value, and to build up spiritual wealth through prayer, participation in the sacraments of the Church, self-less service for others and to conform ourselves more and more to the image of Christ himself.
Not an easy task by any means. Only by God's abundant grace can we achieve higher levels of holiness but we must do our part. We must do something otherwise the blind pursuit of more and more will consume us. This Lent offers us the opportunity to take an account of our lives and to voluntarily make the choice to cleanse, clean out, let go, and put in order my spiritual life. To make God the center of my existence and all the other stuff will come into light of that as not nearly as important. I can tell you honestly that as priest who is called to articulate these things for those I serve I don't often find it any easier than you may. I know my broken humanity fights against voluntary sacrifice at times mightily so it behooves us all to take heart this Lent.
The point of all this is not to create dour and sour faced Christians. Lent is not about self inflicted suffering, drudgery and starving empty stomachs. That would be psychologically questionable to say the least. The purpose is to find greater freedom, joy, peace and a renewed life in the Lord. Jesus came to bring us such things; he came to make us happy and bring us joy and hope but according to his way and not what the world defines as such things. Holiness and joy are synonymous in the Christian way of life. It truly is about the resurrection.
Below is a link to an article from the Franciscans on the value of fasting this Lenten season. As we enter the true spirit of the Gospel this Ash Wednesday let us pray for and support one another. Peace to you all. We have six weeks to do what we need to do. Let's not waste it.
"10 Reasons to Fast this Lent"
No comments:
Post a Comment