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Giving Something Up

For most older Catholics, the first thought that Lent brings to mind is giving something up. In my childhood, the standard was to give up sweets, a discipline that found suitable reward in the huge amount of eggs I received at Easter. Some of my friends even added to the Easter surplus by saving sweets all through Lent, stockpiling what they would have eaten had they not promised to give them up.

A few years ago I urged students to move beyond giving up sweets to giving up some habit of sin that marked their lives. About halfway through Lent I asked the students how they were doing with their Lenten promise.

Lent: Giving Something UpLent: Giving Something Up

One of the girls had promised to give up fighting with her brothers and sisters during Lent. When I asked her how it was going, the girl replied, "I'm doing pretty good, but I can't wait until Easter!"

That response indicates that this girl had only partly understood the purpose of Lenten "giving up." Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ.

Going Deeper

This Sunday we have a third extract from the Sermon on the Mount. It can appear at first glance to be a series of moral statements and rules from Jesus. On closer reflection, we can see Jesus’ message here is the call for each of us to ‘go deeper’. The Scribes and the Pharisees followed the letter of the law but without depth. Jesus is clear that he has not come to demolish the law, rather, this whole passage is a call to a more profound reflection on our lives; not ticking boxes but moving towards a deeper change of heart in dealings with others. Jesus gives many examples of how people might do this: warning against the hypocrisy of offering gifts and rituals at the altar when we may have huge anger and resentment towards another.

Sermon on the MountSermon on the Mount

Is the real sacrament not in reconciling that relationship first? Which offering is more life-giving? It is not enough to ‘not murder’, but we must watch our anger which can lead to violence. Jesus is calling on people to watch their thoughts which can lead to serious actions like murder and adultery.When we encounter Christ, the grace that this experience brings can make us aware of what is not ok in our lives. We are called to a radical conversion, a change of heart.

And so we read today’s passage with our hearts, not our heads. It may help to recall a time when you felt God’s grace bringing you to a deeper realisation about your life.

Salt and Light

In today’s Gospel we hear of two scenarios where salt is concerned: one is that we are called to be ‘salt of the earth’. What salt does for food, Christians are called to do for the world – to give life ‘taste’. You might recall someone who brought ‘taste’ to your own life, encouraging you on your journey, offering hope, a new insight or project, someone you followed and learned from. What gifts did they bring?

The other scenario in the Gospel today is where salt has lost its taste – how can it be restored? You might recall someone you placed great hope in, whether it be a family member, a public figure, a Church leader or politician; someone who had vision and inspired others. Yet the ‘salt’ or the ‘taste’ was lost. We see this all around us in our world, when someone’s potential is lost.

Salt and LightSalt and Light

There are many situations in our world today where people’s light is not allowed to shine. It is controlled, hidden, prevented from being used for the benefit of all because of jealousy or perhaps others are afraid of the consequences. Jesus tells us that these lights must shine, for all, and then we can give glory to God in heaven for the fruits it may produce. To help lights shine and to give flavour to the world is our task today. Another way of putting it might be: how are the effects of our encounter with Jesus Christ evident in our lives?