For those of you who somehow missed that we just jumped into the liturgical season of Lent, welcome. I only went to Mass once on Ash Wednesday, so I make no guarantees about what you may have heard in your homily, but the one I heard was right on the money. Fr. Tom talked about Lent being a special time to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. For most of us the fasting takes the form of giving something up. Fr Tom talked about the need to check our motives when we are giving something up and I couldn’t agree more. How are we really honoring God if what we are giving up is really something for ourselves? If we look at Lent as a time to give up sweets and our real goal is just to lose some weight, is this really what the spirit of Lent is all about? Not that it is bad to give up sweets (I think my wife has) but the goal should be to grow in holiness through self discipline, not to lose weight so we feel better about ourselves when we look in the mirror. Instead of giving things up this year I have a different challenge to lay down for everyone, young and old alike (and those who are young or old at heart). I challenge you to start showing up at daily Mass at least twice a week. For those of you who want to lean on your high school as a crutch for not coming to Church, have no fear. Your classes begin at 8:15AM and Mass is usually out by 7:45/7:50, so even if you don’t have a sweet set of wheels you still have enough time to walk up to the high school and be on time to your first class. So there you go. You really can have your cake and eat it too, and while you are eating your cake you can be partaking in the Divine Wedding feast through your participation in the Mass. Am I not ridiculously cool for offering you this fine suggestion? Even if you have already decided to do something else for Lent, going to Mass certainly isn’t going to hurt. In fact it might make it easier for you to offer up whatever you are doing. If everyone just showed up twice a week for daily Mass, Fr. Tom (after he picked his jaw up off the floor and put his eyes back in their sockets) would be forced to move it out of the chapel and into the main church. Why not give it a try? If you are really interested in growing in holiness there can be no substitute for frequent reception of the Eucharist. The body of Jesus Christ himself taken into your stomach, broken down, and sent as both physical and spiritual nourishment into every cell in your body. Cool? You better believe it. Amazing? Definitely. But the real question is, will you come?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Welcome to another Lent: And no, we don’t meant the stuff in your navel
For those of you who somehow missed that we just jumped into the liturgical season of Lent, welcome. I only went to Mass once on Ash Wednesday, so I make no guarantees about what you may have heard in your homily, but the one I heard was right on the money. Fr. Tom talked about Lent being a special time to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. For most of us the fasting takes the form of giving something up. Fr Tom talked about the need to check our motives when we are giving something up and I couldn’t agree more. How are we really honoring God if what we are giving up is really something for ourselves? If we look at Lent as a time to give up sweets and our real goal is just to lose some weight, is this really what the spirit of Lent is all about? Not that it is bad to give up sweets (I think my wife has) but the goal should be to grow in holiness through self discipline, not to lose weight so we feel better about ourselves when we look in the mirror. Instead of giving things up this year I have a different challenge to lay down for everyone, young and old alike (and those who are young or old at heart). I challenge you to start showing up at daily Mass at least twice a week. For those of you who want to lean on your high school as a crutch for not coming to Church, have no fear. Your classes begin at 8:15AM and Mass is usually out by 7:45/7:50, so even if you don’t have a sweet set of wheels you still have enough time to walk up to the high school and be on time to your first class. So there you go. You really can have your cake and eat it too, and while you are eating your cake you can be partaking in the Divine Wedding feast through your participation in the Mass. Am I not ridiculously cool for offering you this fine suggestion? Even if you have already decided to do something else for Lent, going to Mass certainly isn’t going to hurt. In fact it might make it easier for you to offer up whatever you are doing. If everyone just showed up twice a week for daily Mass, Fr. Tom (after he picked his jaw up off the floor and put his eyes back in their sockets) would be forced to move it out of the chapel and into the main church. Why not give it a try? If you are really interested in growing in holiness there can be no substitute for frequent reception of the Eucharist. The body of Jesus Christ himself taken into your stomach, broken down, and sent as both physical and spiritual nourishment into every cell in your body. Cool? You better believe it. Amazing? Definitely. But the real question is, will you come?
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