Most days I don't get hungry, I have to remember to eat: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are exceptions. Those of you who were generous in your Lenten intentions might already be trying to think about how to mitigate the rigour you have chosen or be apprehensive about the next six weeks.
Well good!
Lent is not an orgy of Pelagian self improvement, that turns it into something vain and worldly. Lent is about probing are weakness and offering that to God"Remember you are dust and to dust we shall return", are words that should dominate our Lent. God takes dust, breathes his life into us and we become human beings, without him we return to dust. Our existence depends on Him, by ourselves we are nothing, blown away like dust in the breeze.
Lent is the time when we are supposed to realise without God we are nothing, and God is everything. That for us Catholics it is the sacraments; Baptism, the Eucharist, Penance, those direct contacts with God himself that give us Life.
Realising we are weak and God is strong, that we cannot depend on ourselves but only on Him, if we are confronted with that, then Lent will have some value for us. If we learn to weep over our sins and to run to him in the sacraments not just for his forgiveness but for his strength then Lent will not be wasted.
7 comments:
I liked this post Fr Ray..it is tough, vibrant, & has an edge to it.It is real rather than over pious..I hope I can put your words into practice..
But also Father, particularly remember, that God the creator decided, that without you, His creation would be incomplete.
That's why He said, "Let there be ONE Father Ray, once, and forever. And there was/is/shall be."
Have a great Lent Father! Love you, and your blog.
And pray your Rosary!!!
Thank you for this reminder Father.
Lent is not an orgy of Pelagian self improvement, that turns it into something vain and worldly. Lent is about probing are weakness and offering that to God
Great quote.
One of the prists at my parish, in his EF Mass last night explained why prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are each necessary.
Prayer is oriented to God
Fasting is oriented to ourselves to cleanse ourselves of attachments, many of which hinder a deeper relationship with God. It is good to include other things besides food, like secular TV programs.
Almsgiving is oriented to our neighbor, whom we are commanded to love.
Almsgiving is o
Father, could you talk more about Pelagianism and how the concept of Pelagian self-improvement shows up in Lent?
It always amazes me how quickly I turn from God to the world. This Lent I've given up all sweets and already I've caught myself complaining about not being able to eat them (2 days in!).
It's frustrating but, like the post reminded me, it's just another reminder of how weak I am and how much I need God. Great post Father!
Christpher,
see here:
http://marymagdalen.blogspot.com/search?q=pelagianism
Post a Comment