Dear Friends,
I am continuing my sharing that I began earlier. Sorry that my mails sometimes
carries some other junk with it. It is the problem of the server; I tried to ask the
people concerned many times, but they seem to do nothing. Sorry about it.
Now that the Lenten season is begun I hope to continue my sharing as and when
the Lord prompts me. Now I was thinking about the common Lenten practices. You know
what they are: Prayer, Fasting & Alms giving. Traditionally these have been practiced
to purify ourselves. How can we make them more meaningful and fruitful??
If you remember the readings of last Sunday (March 2), there is a little
explanation and embarrassment there. The readings were Hosea 2:16b, 17b, 21-22 & Mark
2: 18-22. That being the last sunday before Lent, the readings were kind of oriented
to the Lent. The explanatory part is more in the first reading from Hosea. It speaks
about "relationship"; and Lent is all about relationship. Just as Hosea kept a very
faithful, forgiving and gentle relationship with his unfaithful wife, so do God keeps
an ever faithful relationship with His people (us). Now it is ours to examine our
relationships during this season: the relationship with God as well as others; with
our parents, spouses, children, bros & sists, neighbours, colleagues, authorities,
strangers etc. For sure there had been some ruptures in those relations through our
words, actions, dealings etc. NOW IS THE TIME to repair them and come back to the
original faithful relationship.
The embarrassing part is in the gospel where Jesus tells that as long as the
bridegroom is with them they do not need to fast. We know that Jesus is the bridegroom
who is always present with us. But we advocate and encourage fasting as a very
effective means of self purification. How does it go together?? It is there that we
have to clearly understand the concept of fasting. In our Indian tradition we call it
"UPAVASAM", meaning to stay closer - closer to the Lord, the Loved one of the soul.
Jesus also is telling the same: the true fasting is coming closer to the Lord,
experiencing the bridegroom's presence in our daily life. So here comes the importance
of our Lenten practices.
Let us make sure that we spent some more time than usual with the Lord in
PRAYER. See that we try to attend more MASS - if we go only once or twice a week, try
to increase it; make a good CONFESSION at the very beginning of the Lent not pushing
it to the end; spend some more time with the Lord in reading the SCRIPTURES; try to
even spend some time with some of the POOR & NEEDY who are the most beloved of the
Lord - if possible go to some orphanage / old age home / hospital etc. and make visits
and comfort them and thus be with the Lord who is in them. In all these means let us
make our "Lenten Practices" more meaningful. See that the Church calls Lent "A JOYFUL
SEASON".
Fr. Thomas Tharayil
USA
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