January 31, 2008
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Once again the season of Lent has come around. Like the Israelites leaving Egypt, we sojourn in the desert, waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled, learning anew His ways. Like them, we must learn to trust and depend entirely upon God, who will give us the life-giving manna of His own Son, risen and glorified. Like them, we need a time of conversion before we can accept whole-heartedly His great generosity and providential love.
Lent is that sojourn, that preparation and conversion. We are given these few brief weeks in order to remember the truth of our baptism: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." How do we guard and foster Christ's own life within us? How do we live it out in transforming love? How do we share it with others, so that they too can believe and be saved?
In Baptism, our Lord gives His own life to us. We become members of His body, sharing in the Paschal mystery of His life, death, and resurrection. This sharing is real, tangible, not just a symbol or an idea. No one fails to recognize a true saint when they meet one: the tangible holiness of Christ's life lived uncompromisingly is obvious, even to great sinners, precisely because it is Christ's holiness. But we are not made great saints merely by Baptism. His life in us only begins there. We need to work at living the Christian life, His life, if we wish to be truly His. Our work is not our own effort, but simply the choice, at every moment, either to cooperate with grace or to reject grace.
To make that choice for grace, for God, over and over again, every moment, is difficult only because we are attached to things which are not God. We treat things which are not God as ends in themselves; in Saint Augustine's classic term, we "enjoy" them for their own sake. But if we take seriously the life of Christ in us, such that "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me," then the only end to be enjoyed for its own sake is God Himself. This is the Great Commandment, to "love the Lord your God with your whole mind and heart and soul; and love your neighbor as yourself." Right attachment to God, by grace, excludes wrong attachment to the things of this world. So then, a correct attachment to the things of this world treats them only as means to the final end. Thus we love God alone, and love each other as children of God.
Understanding what we are supposed to do still doesn't make it easier. We remain attached to passing things, not loving God and neighbor as we ought. We need the process of conversion, a constant retraining of our choices. We need a regimen of self-discipline, the daily practice of choosing to cooperate with grace in small ways, so that we can begin to do so more completely. We need forgiveness and healing. That's why we need Lent, why the Church in her wisdom keeps this penitential season in the calendar.
The most important thing we must do to live Christ's life in us more deeply is to pray every day. Our schedules are so full, and our lives are so hectic; often we promise ourselves that we will pray later, and later never comes. This Lent, renew your commitment to pray every day. It is not hard, and it does not take much time. Even five minutes of daily prayer will enliven you noticeably. Try saying an Our Father and a Hail Mary as you dress in the morning, or as your coffee brews. Ask God to open you to the graces of the day, to strengthen you for His labor. Ask the Holy Spirit to be present in your heart to protect you from anger and pride. Tell Jesus you love Him, and ask Him to make His presence known to you throughout the day.
A very significant part of prayer is our worship of God in the Holy Mass. This year, as part of our Lenten discipline, I would ask all of us to deepen our sense of joyful reverence for the Paschal sacrifice. Give a little more time to proper preparation, to prayer and examination of conscience, before coming to the church. Be respectful of those who are praying before and after Mass, offering them your silence as a loving gift. Our exterior disposition - how we dress, speak, and act - helps shape our interior disposition, our faith. As we cultivate a deeper devotion and commitment to the holy sacrifice of the Mass, let us carry forth that true light into the world.
It is also very important to practice fast and abstinence during Lent. Christ's people have been observing Lent this way since the beginning of our faith. "Fasting" means eating little or no food. "Abstinence" means not eating any meat. The Church asks us to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday; a minimal fast means eating only one full meal that day, with two small meals and nothing between meals. Fasting is required of adults aged 18 to 60, unless illness prevents. We are also asked to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays in Lent. Abstinence is required of all Catholics aged 14 and older. Some measure of fast and abstinence is also encouraged throughout Lent, even for those for whom it is not required.
Another form of abstinence is the common practice of "giving something up" for Lent. The point here is not to make Lent into a new diet fad or a self-help program; rather, the point is to overcome our attachment to something that may be spiritually harmful to us. Do we watch too much television, or spend too much time on the Internet, for example? We could practice changing this bad habit by not doing it for a while, or at least by doing less. We're not supposed to return to the bad habit after Lent, either. Choose this kind of abstaining carefully, and this year, don't just give it up for Lent; do so for the whole year! You will find Christ filling the place vacated by the bad habit, if you look for Him there.
Almsgiving, or charitable giving of one's resources (time, talent, and treasure) to the needy, is another excellent practice to cultivate during Lent. If you don't already do so, find a new way to give this year. Perhaps you have a relative or a neighbor who needs more of your time. Perhaps you could find a way to donate something you would otherwise just throw away. If you do already give alms, use this Lent to renew your commitment and your willingness or cheerfulness in giving.
Lent is an opportunity to use these ancient tools of prayer, fast and abstinence, and almsgiving, to renew again the life of Christ in us from Baptism. As we prepare for the great joy of Christ's Resurrection at Easter, we need to scrub away the grime of our attachments to what is not God, our weaknesses and sins, our bad habits and ordinary faults. We are all called to be holy men and women, living the holy, perfect, glorified life of Christ our Lord. Let us renew our commitment to Him, and to each other, in our shared faith, hope, and love.
My brothers and sisters, pray for me, for I too am a sinner, and I need your prayers to serve and lead you well. Know that I pray daily for each of you, and especially that God's great mystery of love will overcome you and take root in your heart forever. May God bless you all ever more abundantly with every spiritual and material grace and preserve you in faith!
Your brother in Christ,
Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Bishop of Sioux City