First Sunday of Lent C
Nobody—not
nobody—is going to outdo Pope Benedict XVI
when
it comes to giving something up for Lent this year!
It
was quite shocking news we received on Monday—
to
learn that our Holy Father was resigning from office,
effective
the end of this month:
shocking
because it’s such an extraordinarily rare occurrence,
and
shocking because there were no clear signs it was coming.
We
certainly ought to pray for our Pope
in
these final days of his pontificate:
prayers
in gratitude for his faithful ministry
as
the successor of St. Peter,
and
prayers for a lengthy retirement
marked
by peace and good health.
It’s
hard to know how history will judge Pope Benedict
for
making this exceptional decision.
Of
course, very few are waiting for history.
Among
the many reactions and commentaries
I’ve
heard in these last days,
I
was particularly struck by one offered
by
Jesuit Fr. James Martin.
In
an interview, Fr. Martin said:
For me, [the Pope’s] resignation is a great sign of spiritual freedom.
Rare is the person today who will relinquish power voluntarily.
And it reminds us that no one is indispensible.
As my spiritual director likes to say:
“There’s good news and there’s better news.
The good news is there is a messiah.
The better news is it’s not you.”
So, he is not Christ.
[The Pope] knows that better than anybody else. (NPR, Morning Edition Saturday, 2/16/13)
Freedom.
Most
of the time, we carry on as if freedom means
being
able to do or have whatever you want.
But
in these first days of Lent,
both
Christ the Lord and his Vicar here on earth
remind
us that God promises us freedom
of
a very different—and of a much better—sort.
Have
you ever seen the TV show, Hoarders?
I
watched a couple of episodes
while
flipping through the channels the other night.
It’s
a reality show that looks at people
who
cling to so much stuff
that
it actually takes over and even buries their lives.
I
saw one man who was an obsessive collector—
including
more than 50,000 empty beer cans
from
all around the world;
he’d
gone bankrupt buying things
and
could no longer walk through his house or garage.
And
I saw a woman who was simply
unable
to throw anything away—
whether an old dress, an empty box, or spoiled food;
whether an old dress, an empty box, or spoiled food;
the
sheer quantity of roaches and mold in her home
turned
the stomachs of the exterminators
and was driving her children away.
and was driving her children away.
If
freedom is doing or having whatever you want,
then
more should be better, right?
These
hoarders ought to be
the
most liberated people on the planet!
But
instead, these folks are clearly slaves:
slaves
to their compulsions,
slaves
to their piled-up possessions.
And
since this is the only way they’ve known for so long—
even
though it’s doing them such great harm—
they’re
desperately afraid to give it up.
Fear
keeps them from finding freedom.
This
homily—as you know—
is
the third in a series requested by Bishop LaValley
on
the Sacrament of Penance.
And
already we have seen its fruit.
I’ve
heard confessions during this past week
which
were in direct response
to
preaching people heard last Sunday or on Ash Wednesday—
some
even after being away from the Sacrament for decades.
As
I did on the TV screen,
I
saw and heard fear in the confessional, too,
when
penitents first came in—
especially
that particularly debilitating form of fear
known
as shame.
But
it was, I assure you, very short-lived.
People
heard the call and came in to lay aside heavy burdens—
some
which had weighed them down for a long, long time.
And
that fear gave way to freedom.
After
receiving absolution,
these
folks practically floated back out the door!
Freedom,
they discovered, is not about hanging on;
it’s
about letting go.
Freedom
is about turning complete control over to God.
As
the Lord made abundantly clear
when—with
signs and wonders—
he led his chosen people out of Egyptian
slavery
and
into the bounty of the Promised Land,
freedom—real
freedom—is what God desires most
for
each and every one of us, his children.
It’s
hard to think of a more widely recognized
and
generally respected figure in the world today
than
the Pope.
What
temptations he must face
from
earthly prerogatives, power, and prestige!
We’re
all-too-aware of how we ourselves
endure—and
fall prey to—the devil’s wiles.
out there in the desert.
There
is not a single one of those enticements
which
belongs to the devil to give,
while
every one of them
is due to Jesus by divine right
as
the only begotten Son of God.
And
yet, Christ rebuffs them all!
What
freedom Jesus demonstrates
in
the face of all the devil’s temptations!
It’s
not the freedom
to do and have whatever you want—
a
false freedom which only serves to enslave us;
no—it’s
the freedom to do whatever God asks
and
to accept whatever God gives:
to
stop trying (as the devil consonantly tries)
to take God’s place,
and
instead allow God
to truly be the Lord of our lives.
The
Sacrament of Penance is there
for
a clean sweep of our sin-cluttered souls,
offering
a fresh start
whenever
we’ve fallen into the devil’s snare.
And
it’s there to give us grace—
strengthening
us to fend off temptation
when
it comes around again.
And
it’s there as often as we need it;
“frequent
flyers” are highly encouraged!
You’ll
find some helps in preparing for confession
inserted
in this Sunday’s bulletin,
including
How to God to Confession, Acts of Contrition, an Examination of Conscience,
and a schedule of confessions.
(We
wanted to anticipate every excuse!)
Don’t
let fear keep you away
when
God, in his love, wants nothing more
than
to set you free!
“There’s
good news and there’s better news.
The
good news is there is a messiah.
The
better news is it’s not you.”
The
Pope seems to know that.
Let’s
make sure we do, too.
It’s
precisely in this faith
that
real freedom is found.
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