John Chrysostom was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders.
Of Lent he wrote, “What is more important than the practices we take on is the heart attitude behind them. If there’s anything we should give up this time of year, it’s our sense of superiority either to those outside the church or those inside the church who do things differently than we do. The cross levels us all. And that’s true whether or not you practice Lent.”
It is said that an attitude is an inward feeling expressed by an outward action. There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
"Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did, and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "Hmmm," she said, "I think I'll part my hair
down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "Today I'm going to
wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "YEAH!!" she yelled, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"
Attitude is everything. As the saying goes, “The kind of life we will have isn't determined by what happens to us, it's determined by our reaction to what happens to us.”
Lent is an opportunity to review the intentions behind our actions, the motives behind our murmurings. Paul in Philippians puts such attitudinal standing in this way: “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus….”
That is a lifelong task, to have the same mind in me as was in Christ Jesus. Lord, you ask me first to empty myself, to see this small creature that is me against the backdrop of creation; to make myself open both to the processes of mother earth, and to the needs of those around me. It means vulnerability, surrendering control and power. That emptying is also a lifelong task, and I could not attempt it without the Holy Spirit, who shapes me. Amen
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