Friday, February 8

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind." - Hebrews 13:16

SITUATION EXPLAINED
Have you ever noticed how many meals we eat that involve 'meat?' I don't usually, unless it's LENT. Ever kick yourself at lunchtime after ordering a burger on a Friday in March and go, "Oh, my gosh.....it's Friday?"
So what's with this 'no meat' thing? "What did YOU give up for Lent?" "Why do you Catholics give up stuff for Lent?" Ever hear any of these questions?

SOLUTION OFFERED
When I was a kid, Lent didn't mean a whole lot. Lent meant substituting a filet-o-fish for the usual Friday happy meal. It meant grilled cheese or cheese pizza every Friday night. It meant that the music at Mass got more 'serious,' and we didn't say the "A" word.....you know, (Allelu---). It meant that SOON, Easter was coming.....and do you know what that meant? That's right, EASTER egg hunt against my brothers!

It seems like many Catholics who 'give things up' for Lent don't really know "why," and just proceed to make the rest of the world miserable. An example: I tried giving up caffeine one year. Not a good idea for me personally. Once the initial headaches wore off after a couple weeks, I was still pretty difficult to get along with (wow.....that's an understatement....it's like saying that Hitler wasn't a real nice guy.')

So what's the big deal with Lent, and what's the point of sacrifices, anyway?

The very word, LENT, comes from the Anglo-Saxon "lencten," which basically means "Spring." Why Spring? Well, in part, because Spring is about death and life. Look at the trees and flowers......that have died, and are now coming back to life. That's what Easter is about. The Death of Good Friday and the LIFE of Easter Sunday.....that's what we call the Paschal Mystery, the fact that in order to RISE....we must first DIE.

How does that translate to our daily lives, especially during Lent? Lent is the Church's 'spiritual wake up call' to you and I to prepare for Easter, and to remind us that we need to DIE to ourselves. Dying to ourselves, means dying to our own selfish wants, pleasures, desires, etc., to better focus on what God wants for us in our lives.

If you're like me, there are things in your life that occupy A LOT of your time and thought.....a lot more than God does. Lent is a great time to re-prioritize. For a lot of us, God is just a 'Sunday thing,' and the world says that that's cool. God does not.

Let's see here. He created you. He created me. He gave us everything we have. He gave us life, our families, our parents, our friends, our talents. So, mathematically (and this is NOT my strong suit), He gave us EVERYTHING, and sometimes we give Him back only, 1/168 of our week.....one hour on Sunday. Seem fair?

When we sacrifice anything during Lent, either something we 'need' (candy or caffeine), or something we enjoy (meat on Friday)......it's the sacrifice that counts. The sacrifice isn't meant to make us miserable, but to help us keep in mind (to a much lesser degree) what an incredible sacrifice God made for us atop a stony hill, so many years ago. Just as HE sacrificed and 'gave up' His flesh on that Friday (Good Friday), now we honor Christ by abstaining from or "giving up" meat on Fridays during the forty days of Lent.

SALVATION GIVEN
"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind." - Hebrews 13:16

Sacrifice, WITHOUT a little discomfort, is probably not really a sacrifice.