In the March 11th issue of the Catholic Star Herald, there is an article about Pope Benedict’s Lenten message. The entire message will not be re-printed here, but one glaring excerpt will. The Pope stated that Lent is a time for self-examination and to let go of all traces of selfishness, which is the root of violence. He said, “The greed of possession leads to violence, exploitation and death”. He continues that we must engender giving, “which is the capacity to share.”
This was touched on earlier, in the Ash Wednesday blog. “Giving up things” and “denying ourselves” are all recognized forms of Lenten sacrifices. These in and of themselves are noble, difficult and well-meaning. But if we look at them closely, aren’t we focusing primarily on ourselves? I will give up cigarettes. (It is also good for me to do so.) I will cut back on cake and candy. (It is also good for me to do so.) I will diet and lose some weight. (This is definitely good for me.) I am not saying that we shouldn’t do these things. I am just pointing out that the beneficiary is….ourselves.
The Pope points out that we must engender giving, which is the capacity to share. What are we sharing if we give up things that we would normally be giving to ourselves? Before we leave this area, it would be wrong for us not to mention that we are saving money from not buying cigarettes, not buying cake and candy. If we then use these acts of denial as a means to obtain something of value that we can give away, that we can share with people in need, then there can be merit in these actions.
What is possibly the most precious thing that we have? Think about it. If we are thinking along lines of material things, we are looking the wrong way. Not to turn this into a guessing game, let’s just point out that our life and all that makes it noble is probably our most precious possession. Our mind, our ability to love, our desire to help, and our willingness to go out of our way for another and many more selfless acts dignify humanity. The time that we have, the strength that we have, the awareness and willingness to serve others these are all ways to engender giving. While we are doing any of these, we do not have the spotlight on ourselves. We are focused solely on the other person as being the beneficiary. Presumably, we know that such and such an action is needed, maybe desperately needed, by the person.
Pope Benedict points out that selfishness is the root of violence. This may sound like a harsh sentence, but think about it. It is the person who thinks of him or herself before others; will put his or her needs ahead of anything else; who covets what others have; who prizes his or her possessions above people, this is the selfishness of which the Pope speaks. Because, if we feel this way, if we think this is true, then any action is seen justifiable to reach these goals. Lying, slandering, stealing, even killing will be seen as justified in our twisted view. Selfishness is truly the root of violence.
The call to being a giving person, a caring person is being once again laid before us this Lenten season. It is not to be practiced and then forgotten once Easter is celebrated. Lent is a time to practice our goals, to test out what we can and can’t do. We may stumble. We may trip up every day. Some of the goals may seem to be set too high. But we are not expected to be saints on earth. We are expected to try and after falling, try again. While we are trying, some people who we meet along the way will get the benefit of those efforts. Lent is a time to begin practicing the love that we will have for the rest of our lives.
Tag Archive: Responsibility
Joseph and Jesus
(2nd in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)
We call God, a Father. What is a father, fatherhood? Yes, a father brings his children into the world, but this is merely a biological function. The real meaning of fatherhood is derived from the relationship existing between father and child. He fiercely protects and stands by his offspring. He works diligently, in so many ways, so that his children will have food, clothing and a roof over their head. He is attentive to his children’s needs and is always nearby to assist them. All of this flows out of his love for that which he brought into the world and for whom he has responsibility.
It is in this fashion, but so very much more, we call God our heavenly Father. The first line of William Wordsworth’s, Ecclesiastical Sonnets. XXI, reads “Father – to God himself we cannot give a holier name…” In Christianity, God is called Father because of the Father-Son relationship, as well as the qualities of being creator, law-giver, and protector. If the qualities we mentioned above depict what a human father is on earth. How much more so does God reflect these qualities? This sentiment is fully contained in Matthew, chapter 6, verse 26:
“Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are?
Our Father in Heaven, He is always with us, always caring for us, what a wonderful realization to have. We know He is watching over us, and is attentive to our needs. Why then, do we worry so? Were we worried as children, when we crossed a street, while holding our father’s hand? When we were awakened at night by a strange noise, weren’t we comforted because our father was nearby? To whom did we go when we had a problem, that we were afraid to tell mom? Wasn’t it dad?
Why do we concern ourselves about our security, our health, our stature, our complexion? All of these fade into insignificance when we realize that God, our Father, is with us, is looking out for us. Have we forgotten that God IS nearby? Have we overlooked the fact that He loves us more than we can possibly imagine? Or, do we know He is near us, but don’t trust Him? We don’t trust that we will like, or agree with, His determination of what is best for us. Maybe we are afraid that once we give up our will and accept what He thinks is best for us, we will never be happy again.
Whatever our concern is, we must re-establish our relationship with God, the Father. We must, like little children, hold His hand when crossing the streets in our life. When we are frightened by the onslaughts of life, we must look to Him and see the calm in His eye. He has not left us. We have wandered from Him. The Gospel in today’s Mass has two lines that are appropriate to this:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind…” goto next segment>>
-1 Matthew 22: 36-37
How do our children learn? If you are a parent, you had better know. You have to know. It is your job, your responsibility, and your primary goal in life, to know. View full article »
‘In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.’
Theodore Roosevelt 1907 View full article »
Many of the Acts of the Apostles, contained in the New Testament, address the early formation of the Christian Church. View full article »
