Catholic children are no strangers to the concept of Lenten sacrifices, and if you were a Catholic child who attended a parochial school, then you are no doubt accustomed to the annual time-honored tradition of committing those same sacrifices onto a piece of paper on Ash Wednesday as a way of making them “official.”
Sometimes, my teacher would pass out special stationary upon which to record our promises, while others required us to jot our private intentions in our Religion notebooks, but nearly all of my teachers encouraged us to think beyond the obvious.
“Remember, you don’t have to sacrifice something,” they often told us. “Giving up chocolate or TV is fine, but you could DO something for Lent instead.”
The idea of a sacrificial investment struck me as a strange bargain. It often reminded me of the logic behind saving for a rainy day: Sure, it kind of stings to have a little less money in the present, but you know it’s not gone for good. You know it will benefit you in the long run and what’s more, with interest, you get a little more back than you put in to begin with.
I knew people who volunteered at the local food pantry, collected spare change for the poor or did other good deeds for the Lenten season and invariably, they always said that they got more out of it than they put into it. To my young mind, this didn’t seem right. A sacrifice was supposed to hurt. It was not supposed to be enjoyable. It was supposed to remove you from your comfort zone for 40 days and cause you to count down the weeks, days, hours and minutes until you could go back to your old ways.
But today’s first reading caused me to re-think my position on Lenten promises that promote less sacrifice and encourage self-improvement. By refraining from negative comments, sharing your blessings with others and forgoing your own pursuits to dedicate just one day a week to the Lord, you will begin to love your life with intention and, with any luck, will make a permanent change for the better.
Don’t misunderstand…this is far from easy and it is almost impossible to perfect in practice, but big changes aren’t supposed to be easy. Habits are hard to break and if you don’t believe me, then ask anyone who has struggled to lose weight, quit smoking or give up alcohol altogether. Anyone will tell you that setbacks happen and I dare you to refrain from fuming at that idiot driver who just cut across three lanes only to slam on their brakes when they get in front of you. I’m speaking hypothetically of course…this has neverhappened to me. (Sarcasm)
But as you commit to conquering these little things beginning in Lent, you will find that there is a light that begins to grow. It will cause you to do more and to be more and to find new ways to invest yourself in the world around you. By not “giving up” you will find that this is a change that can last beyond the Lenten season and can impact your whole life. I only wish I would have learned that lesson when it was first taught…still, it’s never too late to begin. After all, it’s not the righteous ones who need repentance, but the folks like us who struggle every single day.
Today’s readings for Mass: IS 58:9B-14; PS 86: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6; LK 5:27-32
