by Father Mark Goldasich
It’s said: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
We’re now walking through this long season of Lent, a time set aside to delve deeper into our spiritual lives by the traditional disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. If you truly desire to grow in holiness in these days, then don’t make the journey alone. Lent is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. And if you want to successfully “do” Lent — to go far — walk together.
Let me clarify things through this little story:
Late one December, the principal of an elementary school said to her teachers, “Let’s all write out New Year’s resolutions about how we can be better teachers, and I’ll put them on the staff bulletin board.” The teachers agreed, and when the resolutions were posted, they all gathered around to read them.
One of the young teachers suddenly went into a fit of anger. “She didn’t put up my resolution! It was one of the first ones turned in. She doesn’t care about me. That just shows what it’s like around here!” On and on, this teacher ranted and raved.
The principal, who overheard this from her office, was mortified. She hadn’t meant to exclude anyone’s resolution. Quickly rummaging through the papers on her desk, she found the missing resolution. Immediately, she went to put it on the bulletin board.
And what was that irate teacher’s resolution? “I resolve not to let little things upset me anymore.” (Story adapted from Paul J. Wharton’s “Stories and Parables for Preachers and Teachers.”)
How serious are you about any Lenten resolutions you’ve made? Will you keep them to yourself? Or are you courageous enough to share them with others, to be held accountable by family and friends?
I need to make my Lenten resolutions public if I’m serious about keeping this season well. So, with that in mind, here are mine:
• I order too much stuff, too often, from Amazon. Sadly, it’s often things that I want but don’t need. So, during Lent, I resolve not to buy anything from Amazon or other stores, other than groceries or medications.
• For some reason this past Christmas, I left a number of people “ungreeted” with cards. I resolve each day of Lent to write one note to these neglected friends and to other folks I’d like to keep in better touch with.
• Lastly, this one is absolutely the hardest thing for me to do (and it’s one that I’ve failed at multiple times): I resolve to spend one hour each day simplifying my life. I’ll push myself to spend 20 minutes each morning, afternoon and evening bringing order to what is often chaos in my home. (In fact, I have a few boxes of items to donate that I collected months ago but never took the time to get them out of my house. I’ll be loading them into my trunk after writing this column!)
How will you spend this Lent? Let’s resolve to walk together in these 40 days, asking our loving and merciful God to help us live out these words of Pope Leo:
“Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities.”
Above all, as you journey through the ups and downs of Lent, keep in mind these words of St. Francis de Sales: “Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”
