From Rev. Ronald Check:
Journey to the
Foot of the Cross: 10 Things to Remember For Lent
From Bishop D. L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
This week…here are the second five:
1. Don’t do too much. It’s
tempting to make Lent some ambitious period of personal reinvention, but it’s
best to keep it simple and focused. There’s a reason the Church works on these
mysteries year after year. We spend our entire lives growing closer to God.
Don’t try to cram it all in one Lent. That’s a recipe for failure.
2. Lent reminds us of our weakness. Of course, even
when we set simple goals for ourselves during Lent, we still have trouble
keeping them. When we fast, we realize we’re all just one meal away from
hunger. In both cases, Lent shows us our weakness. This can be painful, but
recognizing how helpless we are makes us seek God’s help with renewed urgency
and sincerity.
3. Be patient with yourself. When we’re confronted
with our own weakness during Lent, the temptation is to get angry and frustrated.
“What a bad person I am!” But that’s the wrong lesson. God is calling us to be
patient and to see ourselves as he does, with unconditional love.
4. Reach out in charity. As we experience weakness
and suffering during Lent, we should be renewed in our compassion for those who
are hungry, suffering or otherwise in need. The third part of the Lenten
formula is almsgiving. It’s about more than throwing a few extra dollars in the
collection plate; it’s about reaching out to others and helping them without question
as a way of sharing the experience of God’s unconditional love.
5. Learn to love like Christ. Giving of ourselves in
the midst of our suffering and self-denial brings us closer to loving like
Christ, who suffered and poured himself out unconditionally on cross for all of
us. Lent is a journey through the desert to the foot of the cross on Good
Friday, as we seek him out, ask his help, join in his suffering, and learn to
love like him.
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