Journey through Lent

For the remainder of our journey we will contemplate how folk from different context view Lent.

For example, a Catholic priest working in an inner city was walking down an alley one evening on his way home when a young man came down the alley behind him and poked a knife against his back. "Give me your money," the young man said.

The priest opened his jacket and reached into an inner pocket to remove his wallet, exposing his clerical collar. "Oh, I'm sorry, Father," said the young man, "I didn't see your collar. I don't want YOUR money."

Trembling from the scare, the priest removed a cigar from his shirt pocket and offered it to the young man. "Here," he said. "Have a cigar."

"Oh, no, I can't do that," the young man replied, "I gave them up for Lent." 

We too can face such a duality in our thinking as to how we view our passage through the Lenten season, what Jesus called serving two masters.

We all recall the words of Jesus when he said,”'No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matthew 6:24 In the same passage he implores his followers to ‘set your heart on his kingdom first’. It’s is perhaps asking what does this mean for me?  How do I come to a balance between the kind of trust the Gospel invites me to and the need to work and provide for myself and my family? Do I allow my values to be set by others. Perhaps I need to review my wants and desires and ask God's help to be happy with the good things that I enjoy, to resist being wistful about what I am told I lack.

Generous God, in abundance you give us things both spiritual and physical. Help us to hold lightly the fading things of this earth and grasp tightly the lasting things of your kingdom, so that what we are and do and say may be our gifts to you through Christ, who beckons all to seek the things above, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.