There are three traditional practices that accompany the celebration of Lent. These are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. But these practices are not done to impress others or to show people how ‘holy’ we are. We observe them to remind us in a very special way what it means to be Christians. Prayer invites us to be in dialogue with God and deepen in us God’s presence (Prayer). Fasting is an ascetic practice that reminds us that we are more than food, power, and wealth. It calls us to become more aware of ‘who’ and ‘what’ we truly are. And Almsgiving is a platform for us to share our gifts and resources to people in need. In the Alay Kapwa Lenten program, the sharing can be expressed in three ways: sharing our Talents, our Time and our Treasure.
This year 2014, being in a house of formation (OMI Postulancy), I made special effort to celebrate the beginning of Lent. I decided to abstain from the use of the Internet from 6 pm Tuesday (1st Vesper of Ash Wednesday) to 6 pm of the actual Ash Wednesday. Actually I planned also to refrain to use my cell phone in order to devote the time in prayer, spiritual reading and simply to be still! Wow! I did manage to do them! For spiritual readings, I took the booklet of Sr. Mary Niere, OCD (Zamboanga City Carmelite) entitled: The Gospel of Contemplation. It is a very down to earth presentation of St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross based on her years of struggle as a Carmelite nun. It is comparable to the presentation of great thinkers and authors for dummies… so it is Theresa of Avila and John of the Cross combined for Dummies.
The other booklet I took for the day is the work of Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP - former master General of the Dominicans. The title of the booklet is ‘Seven Last Words’. Again, Fr. Timothy presents this yearly ritual of Siete Palabras in simple encounters with ordinary people. I recommend both books for their reading during the season of Lent. The first is available in any St. Paul Publication outlet, while the latter is a Claretian Publication that was originally published by Novalis.
There is also another way of celebrating the season of Lent. In my FB account, I have posted what I shall endeavor to do during this season. The ways are really taken from Isaiah chapter 58 verses 1-9. This is also based on my spiritual conference to the OMI Postulants last Friday.
‘This is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own’ (Isaiah 58: 6-7)
Almsgiving and charity are GOOD. They alleviate the sufferings of the poor. But Isaiah goes for the jugular… He goes to the VALUES of the Kingdom of God - Justice and Peace. He speaks of doing justice to those who have been wronged; releasing them from whatever bondage and untying any yoke of oppression. These acts are coupled with actions on behalf of the poor by way of sharing our bread, our shelter and our clothes to anyone in need.
I said to myself at the beginning of Lent… I will make all attempts to contribute to the realization of these Kingdom values of Justice and Peace both in small and big ways.
This theme fits well the message of the Gospel reading for the 1st Sunday of Lent (A) - the three temptations of Jesus. Three times the devil tried to trick Jesus and three times Jesus rejected them. The narrative is not simply about the Jesus and the devil, but it is about us and our own struggle in life to SEE what is real and what is false. Jesus invites us to shed off the illusion or the devil’s trick - bread without toil, the blinding brilliance of the wealth of the earth and the corrupting decay of power.
We are dazzled by these same tricks… and we succumb to them in our dreams and ambitions… Yet Jesus is telling us now that person is MORE important than bread, wealth or power. Often these lead to death and NOT to life. The season of Lent is a special occasion and prayer that we may see again… It opens our eyes in order that we may see the truth before us.
source: gmanetwork.com
