Year C; First Sunday in Lent (6 March 2022)
This first Sunday of Lent comes at a critical time
for humanity. War has returned to Europe on a scale and at a speed we
have not known in generations.
Many are anxious and unsure. And now an even
greater gulf has opened up between East and West fanning the flames of distrust
and enmity. We are challenged to do something.
Lent is traditionally
associated with spiritual warfare. In the 'desert' we are left to contend with
the devil, the world and the flesh just as Jesus did on the eve of his public
ministry. How do we enter into the spirit of Lent during this time of
enormous stress and anxiety?
How do we reset the compass
so that our actions and words reflect the mind of Christ?
We need to take some time
out for ourselves even if many of us have no peace or place to lay our troubled
heads. In the noise and commotion of living we need to find quiet spaces
in which to listen and be refreshed. You see the world is in a mess because we –
humanity - have not listened to the voice of God crying out in the least of our
brethren.
We took so much for granted
- peace, free speech, democracy, gas and oil, wheat and grain, travel, holidays,
rule of law and relative prosperity. Now, everything could be up for
grabs. Virulent nationalism not just in Russia but also in China, in the USA, in
the UK, in Europe, yes and even fragments of the Ukrainian political landscape,
Africa, India is on the rise and menaces the delicate peace that held for much
of the globe for much of the last 70 years.
Here in Ireland we know something of virulent nationalism and its toxic
effects.
Yet, in all this chaos we
are witnessing extraordinary examples of heroism, generosity and integrity.
Perhaps we, in our place, are being urged to consider opening our hearts, our
homes and our countries to some of the many millions that will be displaced
across central and western Europe?
In all of this we must
remember our brothers and sisters in other continents for whom war, famine and
deprivation are a daily reality. Perhaps the one of the biggest human catastrophes
triggered by war has been in Syria in the last decade. Afghanistan is
undergoing famine as we speak. And there
is the never ending brutal war in Yemen and other places. We do not hear as
much about these conflicts and the pernicious role of all the super powers both
historically and in more recent times.
But back to the here and
now. What about us? I suggest three things for today and the coming week – the first
full week of Lent.
1.
We need to steady our minds in the presence of God.
Find a place and a time each day where you can rest even if only for a few
minutes.
2.
Second, reach out to the person nearest you. Be
mindful of others who are in need and who face their own worries and
uncertainties.
3.
Third, be ready for all eventualities. We literally
know not the hour or the day when we will have to give an account for our lives
(Matthew 25:13). In the end we will be judged on one thing only: love.
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