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PASTORAL LETTER FOR LENT 2010
Introduction
Many South Africans believe that 2010 is going to be a very special year. They base their expectation on the promises coming from the organisers of the FIFA World Cup. For those in business and commerce the World Cup is a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a windfall, which will make them rich for life.
But there are others who want 2010 to be special for very different reasons. First there are the successful matrics, who see 2010 as an opportunity to make a good start out on a new path in life, in studies or in a chosen profession.
Then there are those who believe 2010 will be special because they are determined to begin a spiritual transformation which will change or deepen their relationship with God, through a real and intimate encounter with Jesus.
It is this special encounter that Jesus and his Church offer us during the holy season of Lent. Jesus set the tone for Lent by giving us the three things that are needed for us to truly change our life: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Lent - an invitation to “come and see”
But before we look at the means, let us be clear about the goal and the purpose. There are many different ways that we can understand or describe Lent, but one of the best is to see Lent is an invitation from Jesus to come and see where he stays. It is a call to be with him for an extended time in order to get to know him.
That goal and purpose is very well expressed in an incident that took place in the area of the River Jordan, where John the Baptist had been baptising. On hearing John say “Look, there is the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world”, Andrew and a companion began to follow Jesus. When he asked them: What do you want? They answered “Master, where do you live?” To which he answered “Come and See.” Andrew and his companion spent the time with Jesus so well that at the end of their visit they were able to testify: “We have found the Messiah, he is Jesus of Nazareth.”
“Come and See”
These 3 words are one of the most basic ways of saying what it means to be a Christian. They went after him and spent the rest of the day with him. Thereafter, Andrew sought out his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus.
From this incident we learn a number of things:
- When it comes to spiritual matters which touch our life deeply, it is important that we listen to those who have had experiences different from our own. Here Andrew and his friend listened to John.
- If what we hear, demands that we take new action – we should take it. In fact our Scripture passage assures us that Jesus is ready to meet us more than half way.
- What Jesus is prepared to do, engages him with us and our needs much more than we could ever expect. His “come and see” wasn’t something that took just a few minutes. He was willing to give us his time.
- The encounter with Jesus, which takes place because we are looking for him and what he has for us, requires that we also clear our diary to go and spend time with him, even as much as “the rest of the day”.
- Once we have encountered Jesus on his invitation, where he stays and for as long as we need to be with him, then we can be sure that he is going to turn our life around, beginning with our understanding of who he is; then what that knowledge of him is going to make us do.
Andrew sought out his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus: why, because his encounter with Jesus had convinced him that Jesus was the Messiah, the one whom God had promised to send.
In other words, one of the first and surest outcomes of an encounter with Jesus is to spread the good news – “God has sent his special Messenger to save us.”
How does this apply to Lent?
If Lent is a call to “Repent and Believe the Good News”, a time to show the Good Fruits of Repentance, and if Repentance, Conversion, Change of Life are to lead us back to what God had in mind for us when he created us “to Know, Love and Serve him in this life”, then the best thing, indeed the only thing we can do, is take Jesus seriously: “No one can come to the Father except through me”. And this will mean putting into practice all that we learned from Andrew’s encounter with Jesus.
In order to make this exercise fit in with all that the Church traditionally does during this time of Lent, I propose you consider and try to do the following.
Regarding Prayer:
Listen, Read, Imitate what others who have encountered Jesus as a real person have said, written or done about their experience of being with him for the “rest of the day”. Somehow I cannot imagine Andrew and his friend talking to Jesus by reciting words that they had learned off by heart; or by following a previously worked out method of entering into communication with him. What jumps to mind is that they would have been asking him a lot of questions about himself, who he was, what he’d come to do, how they could link up with him, but especially what he wanted them to do!
Obviously, the main outcome of such a session of prayer is to share with others what you’ve been through and what it has done for you.
Regarding Fasting:
From the history of those who have walked this path before us, it is clear that fasting from food and alcoholic drink, has a definite value in what we are trying to do on the spiritual side of our life. Denying ourselves things that we are used to, or may even regard as “must haves”, certainly helps us to do the same with things that are similar in our spiritual life, such as saying our prayers without really thinking, or receiving Communion out of habit. By the discipline of fasting we are brought back to our senses.
Fasting is based on the principle “Mens sana in corpora sano” – a health mind/spirit needs a healthy body.
To fast is to stay away from bad habits, just as to diet is to stay off “bad” foods.
Regarding Almsgiving:
One of the things that Jesus taught us very clearly is that when we are faced by people who are in serious need, then we must take the responsibility to meet their needs. Remember what he said when his disciples said to him “Master, these people have been in attendance on you for three days, they need food!” Jesus replied “You give them something to eat yourselves”. Almsgiving – caring for the poor and needy is therefore something that Jesus expects us to do because we are his disciples. Furthermore, he expects us to do it from the resources that we have at our disposal.
So during Lent we are expected to make almsgiving a real and practical outcome of our efforts to pray and to fast as a sign of what knowing Jesus has done to us.
Conclusion
Jesus’ invitation “come and see” is a very good and solid foundation on which to build our Christian Catholic life. “Come and See” is his warm and personal invitation to you; and Lent is the time he has given you to make sure your encounter with him bears good and lasting fruits.
May God bless you with every good gift this Lent.
+ Wilfrid Cardinal Napier OFM |
