By Fr Antony Christy, SDB –
February 21, 2021: First Sunday in Lent
Genesis 9: 8-15; 1 Peter 3: 18-22; Mark 1: 12-15
We have begun the season of lent, with a reminder that we are all going up to Jerusalem…and on this journey it is time to renew our faith, hope and love! The journey might seem long, but it isn’t that long. In comparison to the eternity from which God has chosen us and given us this call to reach Jerusalem, it is but a short journey, however with all its twists and turns, unforeseen drops and sudden bumps, demanding climbs and treacherous slopes and added to all these the faults of out making! On this journey, Lent is like a pit stop! Yes, we are on a pit stop on our way! Pit stops have their own characteristics and tasks, don’t they?
Do you understand pit stops? On a car race, there are these stops to change the tyre, refuel, service and get back on the track for the rest of the laps! On a journey, specially those that are long, there are these stops to relax, stretch, refuel and start again, towards the destiny. These are pit stops. The season of lent is such a pit stop that we have on our Spiritual journey and they have their own purpose and their own tasks. The readings today remind us of these purposes and tasks.
It is a stop, but with a call to REALISE!
It is a stop, a rest, a pause, a slow down, a brake-moment, but not a moment that is inactive or without anything to do. There is a call to realise! Jesus went to the desert to pray. A withdrawal, yes! But not without any purpose or not without demanding tasks! He had to face the Satan, the temptations, the challenges that he had to overcome in order to realise who he were!
With the COVID lockdowns and the resultant restrictions, we have long been in a sort of lent! Have we really taken that time to realise the follies of times, the mistakes in our choices, the anomalies in our priorities… or are we just moving on as we have always been, with nothing new to learn and nothing new to look forward to from life? We could have used this time for an overhauling of our spiritual selves, but have we really? Or have we been so busy complaining and coping that we have failed to realise things that have to be attended to? If we feel we haven’t managed much out of it, here is an added pint of time – Lent. Let us make use of it, to realise the areas in our life to work on! Jesus made use of that time in the desert, to reinforce his belonging to his Father, his commitment to his mission and his dedication to the task entrusted to him. That is why, the arrest of John did not hinder him, but pushed him forward to set his mission to a start.
It is a halt, but to RENEW and move on!
A pit stop is a halt, but not an end. It is a halt for the movement, but the work continues, there is so much of things to be done – to repair and service, to renew! Peter reminds us of our life tasks in the second reading today – to trust in the pledge we have in the Lord, to open ourselves to the Risen Lord and the cleansing waters of the Spirit, to ride on the waters of salvation towards out destiny.
We are saved by the death and resurrection of Christ; we are won over by Christ’s blood for the salvation that we are promised as children of God. But these are promises and guarantees, and not automatic processes. We have to take our decision to get ourselves washed off the dirt that we have accumulated; we have to refill the fuel of the Spirit that we have depleted within us; we have to repair the broken pieces of the ark of our salvation. We need to mend our relationships; we need to revise our priorities; we need to reconsider our paths; and we need to retrace our journey. Somewhere in the last lap we have missed our way or lost our precision, and this is the time to recalibrate the dimensions of our life. What has been promised to us on the part of the Lord, remains the same – while it is, we who have to realign ourselves to the project we had undertaken at the waters of our baptism. Yes, it is a time for renewal, renewing our faith, hope and love, the real fuel for our Spiritual sojourn.
It is a retreat, but only to RESUME and remain afloat!
In the fast-moving race, or in the ongoing journey the pit stop can be considered a retreat, a lagging behind, but they are essential in order to resume the rest of the journey or at least the next lap, and remain on the run till the next opportunity to retreat. Noah’s Ark is a typical image of this – when he began to build that ark, no one would have understood what he was really upto. But when the floods came and the household began to float, then things came to light… it was the Covenant of the Lord.
The Lord has made a covenant with us – I shall be your God and you shall be my people. And that covenant is the greatest of all guarantees that we have in life…while my God is with me, who can be against me! At times it can happen that I falter on my way, miss the road on my journey, overstep the track on my race…but there is the time to stop, renew and most important, Resume! Looking at where I have gone wrong, taking stock of the faults that have ruined my days, understanding the choices that have costed me dearly, rendering account for the moments wasted and occasions missed to do all the good that I could…these are ways to renew myself and not moments to lose the spirit within me. Confessions, sacrifices, prayers, charity to others…these are instruments of renewal that the Lord offers. They need to goad me on to resume my journey with more intensity and vigour. Just as the Lord gave Noah and the household a brand-new chance, so does the Lord give us a chance to start again, pick the pieces of our brokenness and resume our journey. The stop cannot be for long… I cannot lose myself in regret and guilt for too long, I have to pick myself up and start again, start fast, and start strong… because the journey is on, and I go to remain afloat, on the waters of the promises of the Lord.
Lord teach me your ways, we pray today! The way of faith, hope and love: the way of profound faith, the way of unfailing hope and the way of unconditional love. That will keep me moving on!
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him.