Dear St. Rita Families,
All of the Scripture readings for Mass during the Season of Lent are very intentionally chosen. In contrast, remember that readings during Ordinary Time are a gradual working through one of the Gospels and the Letters of St. Paul. But during Lent, and likewise during Easter, Advent, and Christmas as well, the readings are chosen to remind us of some particular aspect of the Liturgical Season. Friday’s Gospel was the two greatest Commandments – love of God and love of neighbor – and the Lenten angle on this Gospel is that following these Commandments is “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mk 12:33) – even, believe it or not, your Lenten sacrifices!
Annually I get the question, “Is it a sin to break your Lenten promise?” The first time I heard it, I was somewhat taken aback, because it had never crossed my mind that breaking your Lenten promise would be a sin. Of course, simple reflection on the language used helps you to realize how someone might think it is sinful to break your Lenten promise: a promise is a promise, and to go back on your word is a violation of integrity – a version of a lie. And it is good that we take our promises to God and to others seriously, precisely because of that integrity. That said, it is better to speak of and to make Lenten resolutions (or practices) rather than promises.[1] This is true not only for the sake of your integrity, but also because of the purpose of these resolutions.
The purpose of your Lenten resolution is not the keeping of your Lenten resolution. The purpose of your Lenten resolution is love of God and love of neighbor, which, again, is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. While I highly doubt that any of you are sacrificing animals and burning them in offering to God (if you are, please stop), I am quite sure that you are engaged in regular denial of your preferences, in abnegation of your own will, in mortifications of the flesh – all these are sacrifices – in order to enter more fully into the Lenten season. But, as we are now over halfway through Lent, it is good to ensure that these practices are in fact assisting us in an increase in charity.[2]
One of my favorite Lenten phrases has in recent years become, “You don’t choose Lent. Lent chooses you!” It is a not-so-subtle reference to the fact that difficult things seem to happen in Lent that seriously try us much more than our feeble (or even quite intense) Lenten resolutions (not promises). While God appreciates the generosity with which we approach Lent, He also knows what it is we actually need in order to draw closer to Him. He knows that with our wills set on being united with Him, we will gladly and with great patience endure and embrace the crosses He sends us, since we also know that this is our path to Him.
Thus, it can be the case that the cross the Lord sends you during Lent prevents you from keeping your personally chosen Lenten resolution. This is not bad. It is always good to surrender our own will to the will of God, and these cases are no exception! That surrender is a great exercise in loving God more than myself and in trusting in His Love for me, which is directed towards enabling me to love Him. And that is the goal – love of God first, and then, of course, love of neighbor as well.
And so, the surrender of our will to God also is great practice for us when it comes to loving our neighbor. If we are honest, loving our neighbor probably causes us more heartache or headache than do the external practices of loving God. Those practices can be sweet, refreshing, peaceful, and the like. But the minute I have to forgive the one who offended me, or love my enemy, or pray for my persecutors, or turn the other cheek, or go two miles when he only asked for one, or give not only my cloak, but also my tunic – yikes. And yet, these are all Gospel admonitions, commands from the Most High Himself. If I am accustomed to surrendering myself to the will of God in the crosses He sends me, I can more readily surrender myself simply to following His commands, which are just His will in another form. And the opposite is true as well – surrender to His will in loving my neighbor helps me to surrender to the crosses He sends. Surrender begets surrender.
Perhaps surrender is not a good thing if we are fighting an enemy, but God is not our enemy. He is Father, Good Father, Loving Father, Merciful Father. Is not strong fatherhood widely acknowledged as greatly lacking in this world? In order to be good fathers (or mothers), we must be good sons (or daughters). Surrender, then, to Him, and all will be well!
In Christ,
Fr. Christensen
[1] If you think you made a Lenten promise rather than a resolution, ask yourself, “Was this really a promise to God in my heart, or did I use the language of ‘promise’ while intending to mean ‘resolution’?” Remember, virtue happens in the struggle, so struggling to keep your resolution – even if you fail – still helps you to grow.
[2] This is a good examination of conscience during Lent.