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Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday the annual Christian fasting season, known as Lent, begins. Most world religions have an annual fasting season. The Christian one lasts for forty days and significantly coincides with spring. There are many reasons why it is good for Christians to have the fasting season of Lent. Here are a few.

Lent offers us an opportunity to start again, to make a new beginning. Failing and falling are part of the human condition. In the Christian view of life, failing and falling should never be a cause for despondency or despair. The God of Jesus is a God of abundant mercy and radical forgiveness, a God who wipes out past failures and invites us to make a fresh start. We should never be reluctant to begin again. Indeed, our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail. New beginnings are a necessary part of the Christian journey. They are always life-giving.

Lent is also an ideal time to restore the balance in our lives. Virtue is the happy medium, the golden mean. But the golden mean is hard to achieve. There is a tendency in human nature to over indulge, to develop addictions, to abuse our bodies, to become overly preoccupied with work, to neglect important relationships, to put too much emphasis on our material needs and not enough on our emotional and spiritual needs. Lent provides us with an opportunity to get back to a healthy diet – a healthy diet of food, of exercise, of relaxation, of prayer. Restoring the balance in our lives helps us to sort out our priorities, to decide what is good for us and what is not good for us.

Lent is the Christian fasting season which means that it should be focused on Jesus who is the Christ. There is really only one yardstick with which to measure the success of our Lenten fasting: Does it enable us to become more like Jesus? To use the language of St Paul, the goal of Lent is to get rid of the ‘old man’ who is the selfish me and to put on the ‘New Man’ who is the loving Christ. Ultimately, Lent is about Jesus, not about us. It is about Jesus’ vision of life, his values and the building of his Kingdom in the world. Therefore, the best type of fasting we can do in Lent is the fasting that helps us to pay greater attention to Jesus and move closer to him.

Candlemas

Traditionally the second day of February was called Candlemas. It seems that with ever-lengthening days by early February people used one less candle to light the household at night.

In the past candles were essential sources of light during the hours of darkness. Today candles, though not as essential, are still popular. They are used for decoration, but also to create atmosphere. In the Christian tradition candles have always been used as an important symbol of faith. The candle is a simple reminder that Jesus rose from the darkness of death, that he is alive as our risen Lord and that he is constantly present with us lighting our way to our Father’s house. The candle is also a symbol of our baptism. When we were baptised we were received into the glow and warmth of God’s love and became followers of Jesus.

Of course in the Christian tradition candles are used as aids to prayer. They help us express to God what is going on in our hearts. When we light a candle at a shrine in a church we are placing a personal intention, something dear to us, into God’s care and protection. What is more, we are also making an offering of ourselves and our daily activities to God.

The symbolism of using a candle as an offering of our lives to God is powerfully significant. It suggests that our offering creates light. This is what happened at the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple which we recall each year on 2^nd February. When Mary and Joseph offered Jesus to the Father they were told that the offering they were making would become the light not just of their own lives but of the whole world. The old man Simeon made this prophecy: “My eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the gentiles and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:30).

Both the flame of a tiny candle and the words of Simeon are reminders to us that every gift of ourselves, every act of generosity, every sacrifice we make creates light, a light which lights up the darkness in our world, a light the darkness cannot overcome. It is indeed much better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Filling the Hole

Whether we are aware of it or not there is a huge hole inside of each of us that we are constantly trying to fill, often without success. This hole has a major influence on the way we live our lives. Our problem is we try to fill this hole with the wrong things. We think that things like possessions and work and popularity will take away our inner ache and satisfy our longing for happiness. The truth is they don’t. Accumulation, achievement and our need for the approval of others cannot fill our empty hole. To believe otherwise is an illusion and a false philosophy. We human beings have a terrible habit of looking for happiness in the wrong places.

The hole inside of us can only be filled by love. It is love, in fact it is unconditional love, that takes away our inner restlessness. This is why God is the only one who can fill our empty hole. Only God is unconditional love. God loves without requirements and without restrictions. To let ourselves be loved as we are by God is the only way to satisfy the yearning in our hearts.

To let myself be loved unconditionally by God is to know that I am enough. When I am able to say, ‘I am enough’ I am able to say, ‘I have enough.’ If I am not able to say, ‘I am enough’ I will continue to want more. I will want more and more possessions, information, success, recognition, approval, power. To be able to say, ‘I have enough’ is a sign that I am filling my inner hole with the right kind of love.

Of course the culture we live in today does not make it easy for us to say, ‘I have enough.’ Our culture is driven by capitalist and consumerist philosophies; by making money and spending money. It is notable how often we are referred to in the media as consumers. Our culture is also driven by a work ethic that has us measure our worth by what we do, by our achievements and successes. Then there is the impact of social media sites like Facebook that feed our desire for attention and the approval of others. There are powerful forces at work in our lives that want us to fill the hole we have inside with the wrong things. It takes a lot of self-awareness to recognise these forces and much courage to say ‘no’ to them.

There are two ways to fill the hole we have inside. One works, the other doesn’t. The decision is ours to make!

The Messenger

One of the great Advent figures is John the Baptist. John was a prophet and he has some helpful things to teach us about how to prepare for Christmas. Let me mention three all beginning with the letter S.

John was single-minded. The focus of his life was Jesus. He had come to prepare the way for Jesus and to point Jesus out when he came. John let nothing distract him from centering his life on Jesus. At this time of year there is a danger we would forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. We need to try to keep Jesus at the centre of our Christmas preparations and celebrations. If we don’t, Christmas will leave us with a sense of disappointment and perhaps even emptiness.

We are told that John the Baptist lived out in the desert. He sought silence. Silence helped John not only to reflect but, more importantly, to listen to his heart. In listening to his heart John knew he was listening to God. Silence enabled John to experience solitude. Solitude is finding the Presence of God within. It is prayer experienced as friendship. Like John we too need times of silence in our lives, especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. How else can we glimpse the great wonder of God becoming human in a helpless, vulnerable child? Without silence Christmas can be a superficial experience.

John also lived a simple life. The scriptures tell us that he wore a camel skin and ate locusts and wild honey. There was no excess baggage, no clutter or waste in John’s life. His life was focused on the essentials. John’s example is an important one for us who live in a consumerist culture that is in overdrive for months before Christmas. It often feels as if the real religion at Christmas is shopping. Of course it is a good thing at Christmas to give presents. Gifts are an expression of our love and appreciation of others. But there is so much needless spending and waste at Christmas. Waste is offensive to the poor. It also distracts us from the things that really matter – our relationships. The investment we make in building relationships is much more important than our investment in material possessions.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas John the Baptist’s message to us is clear. Don’t forget that Jesus is the reason for the season, create a little time for silence and put relationships before possessions.

We have a King

For the majority of people the days of being governed by a king are long gone. In most parts of the world kingships and kingdoms have given way to governments and democracies. For this reason we are no longer familiar and perhaps even comfortable with what it means to be ruled by a king. For this reason too Christians may find it difficult to relate to the idea that Jesus is our King. If we are able to move beyond any initial reaction we may have we can come to see that the kingship of Jesus is a powerful and beautiful reality in the life of the Christian community.

To have Jesus as our King means that we have someone to look up to, someone who can inspire and guide us. It means too that we have someone who is in control of our lives, someone with power. To know that there is a powerful person in control of our lives makes us feel safe and secure; it also gives us confidence.

Of course there is a particular aspect to the kingship of Jesus that we need to keep in mind. The Gospel tells us that Jesus is the person to whom we must give an account of ourselves when we die. In other words, Jesus and Jesus only is the one who will judge us. But what will Jesus our King base his judgement on? Practical love. Did we care for those in need? Did we feed the hungry? Did we visit the sick and the lonely? Did we clothe the naked? Did we practise what used to be called the corporal works of mercy? St John of the Cross, the Carmelite poet and mystic puts it well, “In the evening of life we will be examined in love.”

It is inspiring and encouraging for us to know that Jesus, our King, leads by example. He does not ask us to do something that he did not do himself. Jesus fed the hungry, he cured the sick, he befriended lepers and social outcasts, he comforted those who felt lost. Jesus was a servant king; in fact, Jesus still is a servant king. Jesus continues to identify himself with the poor, the weak, the unloved. Indeed, in some mysterious way Jesus is actually present in them. “As long as you did this to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did it to me” (Matt 25:40). We meet Jesus in our neighbour and we serve Jesus in our neighbour. This is why Jesus, our King, will judge us on how we treat others, especially those who are most vulnerable.

Using our Talents

I have heard it said that most people only use 10% of their talent. This means that 90% of our potential lies dormant and unfulfilled. If this is true it is certainly a sad and disturbing statistic.

Why do we fail to develop and use our God-given gifts and talents? In The Parable of the Talents which we find in Matthew’s Gospel (25:14-30) Jesus seems to mention two reasons. One is fear. Fear is a very powerful emotional force in our lives. It makes us cautious; it paralyses us; it prevents us from doing the things we know are good for us. Someone once said to me that the devil has no power but fear. The devil uses fear to hold us back, to keep us from changing and growing. The devil certainly uses fear to stop us developing our potential. If there are fears in our lives it is important that we name what these fears are. When we are willing and able to name our fears they lose much of their power over us. It is with good reason that Jesus is constantly saying to us: “Have courage, do not be afraid. I am with you.”

The other reason for not developing and using our gifts and talents that is mentioned in the gospel parable is laziness. What can we say about laziness? It is certainly easier to make a case for fear than for laziness! Laziness possibly comes from a lack of motivation and self-confidence. It is also linked with poor self-discipline. Significantly, we tend to have a negative reaction to the person who is lazy. Perhaps this is because those who do not pull their weight offend our sense of justice. But perhaps it is also because we do not like wasted talent. It is awful to see talent going to waste because the person who has it just cannot be bothered. The lazy servant who buried his talent in the ground in the gospel parable had it taken away from him and given to someone else who would use it.

In a welfare society it can become too easy for people not to use their gifts and talents. There are people who genuinely need the benefits the State gives them, especially at particular times in their lives. But when dependency on State benefits becomes a way of life it tends to deaden initiative and bury much needed talent.

A Reflection for November

I once heard God compared to a mother who took her three young children to the seaside on a summer’s day. The children spent most of their time on the beach playing in the sand. Each of them built a sandcastle, according to his or her ability. When they had finished their work, their mother came to look at what they had done. She praised each of them individually for their achievements. On returning home the mother fed her children, washed them and put them to bed. Then she sat down to relax. She was happy with the day at the seaside; pleased that her children enjoyed themselves on the beach and that they were safe. And in the meantime the tide came in and washed away the sandcastles her children had built.

It is November. It is the month when we remember the dead and when we think about our own death. For all of us life is passing; it is transient. Death is inevitable. We have here no lasting city. The thought of our mortality at this winter time gives us an opportunity to get things in perspective.

A way of getting things in perspective is to ask ourselves some questions. One question we could do to ask ourselves during November is this: What will we have to leave behind us when our earthly life is over? Among the things we will definitely leave behind are the sandcastles we have built. Our sandcastles are more than the buildings we own. They are our projects, our investments, our businesses, our wealth, even our achievements. All these things may have preoccupied us in life, but they will be of little benefit to us in death.

Another question November brings is one that gets to the heart of the meaning of life. What will we take with us when our time in this world is over? The poet William Blake provides the answer: “We are put on earth a little space that we might learn to bear the beams of love.” What will endure are the relationships we have built, including our relationship with God. Relationships are the most important thing in life. It is the investment we make in relationships that we will take with us into God’s other world beyond the grave. It is love and only love that will last. When we meet the Lord face to face in death the thing he will look for is the love in our hearts. So, “if you tend to get overly serious about your work and your responsibilities remind yourself that the most common deathbed regrets have to do with neglected relationships, not unfinished business” (The Little Book of Calm).

Two Invitations

The religion of Jesus begins with the word come. “Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened.” “Come and see where I live.” “Come and I will give you rest.” Jesus asks us to open the door of our hearts to him. He wants a personal relationship with each one of us. He wishes to satisfy the deeper longings we have within.

If the religion of Jesus begins with the word come it also ends with the word go. “Go, teach all nations.” “Go, baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the good news.” Jesus wants us to share our faith experience, to tell others what he has done for us, to pass on what has been passed to us, to give what we have received.

There are of course different ways of sharing the good news of Jesus. Some leave home for Jesus; most stay at home for him. Some are what we can call frontier missionaries; the majority are local missionaries. Whether we travel for Jesus or remain at home for Jesus, we witness to him by what we say and by what we do. The words we speak are important. They are an expression of what is dear to us. In a culture that is becoming increasingly secular it is not easy to acknowledge our faith in Jesus and in his values. But we can no longer be shy about our religious convictions and be private about our beliefs. Jesus asks us to be courageous, to tell the world about him. And the world needs to hear what we have to say.

Of course, it is what we do more than what we say that has the greater impact. Actions do speak louder than words. Actions reveal the authenticity of our words. As followers of Jesus, we must be willing to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. We best proclaim the gospel of Jesus by the witness of our lives, by the way to live. There is no better add for Christianity than a life well lived. William Wordsworth once wrote, “The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” It is not necessarily big achievements and projects that best witness to our faith. There are very few who have opportunities to do great things. For most of us, it is our little acts of kindness and love.

The religion of Jesus begins with the word come and ends with the word go. It is a dynamic religion, a constant flow of life and love. It is built around two movements, one of receiving, the other of giving. We need to participate in both. If we do we will experience a peace and joy the world cannot offer us.

A Down to Earth Mystic

A religious reformer, writer, mystic, Doctor of the Church, founder of seventeen monasteries and, perhaps most importantly of all, a charming and wholesome human being. Who can I be referring to? The sixteen century Carmelite called Teresa of Avila. Here is a little taste of her life and spirituality.

Teresa of Avila was a woman who was down to earth and full of practical common sense. She was a mystic who had her feet firmly planted on the ground. When one of her more pious Carmelite sisters criticised her for enjoying a well-cooked bird, she immediately replied, “Sister, there is a time for penance and a time for partridge.” Teresa believed that the Lord can be found among the pots and pans. Her spirituality was not detached from everyday things and everyday living. It was an integral part of everyday things and everyday living. Her God was a God who was personally involved in the business of her life. She believed that the God, who revealed himself in and through the humanity of Jesus, was revealing himself in and through her humanity too.

Teresa had a great sense of humour. For her religion should make us cheerful. She once exclaimed, “May the Lord protect us from sour-faced saints!” As she travelled throughout Spain founding new Carmelite monasteries Teresa had to put up with plenty of inconvenience and hardship. On one occasion when all of this was obviously getting her down she complained to the Lord, “If this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!” Towards the end of her life Teresa agreed to have her portrait painted by a Carmelite brother by the name of John. When she saw the finished product she turned to Brother John and said, “God forgive you Brother John for you have made me fat and bleary-eyed!” It is refreshing to meet a saint who did not take herself too seriously.

Without doubt Teresa of Avila’s most important contribution to the Christian tradition has to do with prayer. She is the great teacher in the art of prayer. Teresa is clear and adamant: If we want a relationship with the Lord then we must spend time in personal prayer and do this regularly. Her teaching on prayer is perhaps best summed up in these words, “In my opinion, prayer is an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with the one whom we know loves us.” For Teresa, prayer is about the experience of friendship, a friendship that satisfies the longing in our hearts for unconditional love. Teresa knew the Lord as an intimate friend and she wants us to experience his intimacy too.

Belonging to the Kingdom

Even a brief look at the gospels reveals that a constant theme in the teaching of Jesus was the Kingdom of God. Jesus made it clear that he had come to establish the Kingdom of God in the world. His mission was to practice and preach the Kingdom. The ministry of Jesus was to bring about the reign of God in our lives.

For Jesus, the Kingdom of God is not a place or a territory. It has nothing to do with geography or nationalism or indeed political power. It is clear from the example and teaching of Jesus that the Kingdom of God is a way of life; it is about the values we chose to live by. In particular, it is about the way we relate to each other. In a word, it is about love.

Who then belongs to the Kingdom of God? It would seem those who are sincerely trying to live what is known as the beatitudes in their daily lives. These are the peacemakers, the gentle, the humble, the merciful, those who work for justice, those who are persecuted in the cause of right, those who have mellow and grateful hearts. Jesus preaches a religion of the heart and his religion is about developing attitudes that create a right relationship with ourselves, other people, the environment and of course God.

It is important for us to realise that those who belong to the Kingdom of God may be members of the Church, but they may not. We cannot limit the Kingdom of God to the Church. To do so would be exclusive and misleading. Obviously the Church is a community where we are meant to experience the Kingdom of God, but there are many people who belong to the Kingdom of God who do not belong to the Church. Indeed, there might be people who belong to the Kingdom of God and who do not have a conscious awareness of God in their lives. We call these ‘anonymous Christians.’ Kingdom people are sincere people who show kindness and seek to do good. They try to make the world a better place, often working quietly in the background. Kingdom people are a leaven in society. They may not have a public profile but their positive influence is significant, reaching well beyond themselves and beyond even what they dare to imagine.

Towards the end of St Matthew’s Gospel (chapter 25) Jesus makes it clear that we will be judged by the way we treat our neighbours, especially those who are struggling and suffering. Surely this is the same yardstick for deciding who belongs to the Kingdom of God.