Bennett Cerf tells the following
story in his Book of Laughs:
One cold day at the police court they brought a trembling
old man before Fiorello La Guardia charged with stealing a
loaf of bread. His family, he said, was
starving.
"I've got to punish you," declared La Guardia. "The
law makes no exception. I can do nothing but sentence you to
a fine of $10." But La Guardia was reaching into his pocket
as he added, "Well, here's the $10 to pay your
fine." He
tossed a $10 bill into his hat.
"Furthermore," he declared, "I'm going
to fine everyone in this courtroom 50 cents for living in a
town where a man has to steal bread in order to eat. Mr. Bailiff,
collect the fines and give them to this defendant!"
The hat was passed and a shocked old man left the courtroom
with $47.50.
The judge in this story understood
the principles of our Scripture lessons for tonight. God is not
interested in our doing things to make ourselves look good in
the eyes of others nor is God interested in our doing things
to impress God when we also ignore God when we think God is not
looking.
The disciplines of fasting, praying and giving money
are all important and each of them needs to be observed. However,
like most things, there is a right way and wrong way of doing
them. In the Ash Wednesday issue of Synthesis it
is stated, "Alms giving,
prayer and fasting are beneficial and worthy responses to God's
grace only when they are part of intimate, unfeigned fellowship
with God — the God of our Lord Jesus Christ who died for
us."
Lent is a season of introspection. Ash Wednesday is a day for
confession and repentance. Repentance is not just feeling sorry;
it is a radical turning around from one lifestyle to another.
The lifestyle we are invited to live in Lent is meant to last
a lifetime. God is not nearly so much interested in our performing
meaningless and empty rituals as God is interested in what truly
is in our heart. How that is primarily revealed is seen in how
we treat others.
Our repentance is not intended to see what we can earn for
ourselves. It comes about because we know we are in need of forgiveness
and realize and accept God has already accomplished that for
us through Jesus Christ. Repentance means we have realized that
there is a special way to live, the way God wants us to live.
It involves loving our neighbor as Jesus commands and then doing
something about that love.
We can work to pass legislation that helps improve the lives
of the poor and weak in our society. Fasting, means nothing if
we do not give the food to the hungry. It means nothing if we
do not spend the time we would use to prepare the food, eat the
meal and clean-up the dishes either being with God or serving
the needs of others or both.
Giving money, no matter how much we give, does not begin to
truly bring us joy until we learn how to give without it being
from our abundance or from what is left over after we have all
we want. True spiritual giving comes from learning that we can
live with very little if our living is truly centered in God.
Very few people, including many large givers, have never learned
this lesson so they have not really experienced the reward God
desires for us to experience.
In Isaiah 58:8, we are told when we share our bread with the
hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked and no longer hide
from others in need we will have a new understanding of life
and our old self shall be healed and renewed. Too often we limit
healing to our physical selves and maybe our emotional selves.
We need to begin to understand our need for spiritual healing
which involves seeing life and our life from a different point
of view. We need to see these things through the eyes of God.
This seeing only comes through the Holy Spirit being invited
into our life because we want to be transformed into this new
being with new awareness about the purpose of life.
When the wealthy landowners of Isaiah's day fasted they had
no work done by their day laborers. The result of this was that
these men and their families went hungry until the next time the
men worked. These who thought they were pleasing God gave no thought
to their neighbors who went hungry. In fact they did not consider
their hired hands as neighbors. They were just part of the equipment
that helped produce the landowner's income.
Unfortunately, many people are still viewed this way. We turn
our backs on these practices and pretend they don't exist
so we can enjoy products at lower prices. Meanwhile we attempt
to impress God. Is this much different than the practices Isaiah
criticized in his day?
The Word of God is never meant to put us down nor is its intent
to make us feel guilty. The Word of God is intended to reveal
a new Kingdom and a new lifestyle for those desiring to be part
of the new Kingdom of God.
Lent should be a time we invite the Holy Spirit of God to show
us a new way of living that opens up to us joy and fulfillment
that only comes when we have truly learned how to live with others
who are our sisters and brothers.
Lent is a time in which we can learn how to be with God not
so we can attempt to impress God but so we can experience the
wisdom and power of God.
The ashes we impose tonight are not for show. Wash your forehead
as soon as you get home. The ashes are a reminder we were nothing
prior to being created. Without bringing God into our life as
a matter of first priority ashes is all we will ever be. The
Good News is that when we accept God's gift we are given
life that lasts forever. |
