February 14, 2016

First Sunday of Lent

Lent is not just a concept that the Church invented. It is written into our
human nature. The idea of reassessing our lives and planning to do
something new or different is something that is part of our DNA. We have a
need at times to refocus and examine what we are doing and discern what
we need to do to put ourselves on a path that is a little more narrow and is a
little more directed to Jesus.
The spirit of lent is not just penance and self-denial but is a time for growth
and change. Many people talk about what they are going to give up for Lent
which is self-denial. But this sacrifice should be part of something bigger
aimed at growing and changing. In the first reading Moses explains how we
should start our prayer with an acknowledgement of how generous the Lord
has been. All we have is from the Lord. Part of this lenten journey is to
identify what our first fruits are and how we can set them before the Lord.
We identify our gifts and talents and try to understand how the Lord can use
these to grow the kingdom of God. There is more than one path to
discovering the mission we are called to. In Moses case, after fleeing Egypt
and spending time in Midian, God called him to a mission, the release of his
people from slavery. Moses' experience with the cruel Egyptian masters gave
him an understanding of the injustice of the Jews' situation. Through prayer,
Moses understood what he was called to do before he knew how he was
going to do it. Exodus 4 tells of how Moses discussed this with God. Moses
had speech problems. God suggested to Moses that he use Aaron as his
spokesman. Moses spent a lot of time talking to God, prayer. This is how we
discern the mind of God. When we are open to his direction and spend the
time in prayer, we can start to understand where he is leading us.
The second reading reassures us of our value before the Lord. In the second
reading we are told,"The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart."
Jesus is the word. Our faith drives us to be Jesus' hands and Jesus' voice in
this world. But how? That is a question for us to resolve during lent.
Discernment starts with personal prayer and then personal inventory. What is
it that God is leading us to and how might we use our personal talents to
accomplish it? We consider different paths and find reasons why we should
or should not do them. Is being the spokesman, like Aaron our talent or is
being the leader our talent. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is joy. When we
are doing God's work, joy is one way we know we are on the right path. Joy
or the ability to express it others to lead them to the Lord might be our
talent. During our silence when nothing seems to be calling us, reading
about how those in the bible listened to God and followed Him, or how one
saint or another charted a course to salvation might offer some insight. We

can ask, "Do I have something similar in my life to these holy men and
women?"
As in the Gospel, desert time is needed for discernment. Moses spent it in
the hills of Midian. Jesus spent it in the wilderness. The desert is not just a
place. It is a metaphor for setting aside time to be in the presence of the
Lord, exercising discipline with ourselves and praying for guidance. As the
second reading says, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved. Change is not something that happens only once. It happens again
and again. That is why we have Lent every year. We continue to have
different and evolving talents, circumstances and handicaps. The question
then is "Lord, how can I bring to you the gifts and talents of who I am today."