Saturday, February 18, 2012

Accepting New Life: Seventh Week in “Ordinary Time” and Beginning of Lent: February 19-25, 2012

As the Sundays and weeks of “Ordinary Time” are interrupted by the special focus and readings of Lent, the liturgy first prepares us, then invites us to accept the call to “metanoia.”

We translate metanoia as “repentance,” but it really means a “complete makeover” of mind, will, heart and lifestyle. Really active Christians can never get bored, because the Church keeps calling us to change.

From Sunday to Tuesday the readings try to overcome our fear of change. The truth is, we are afraid to think about Scripture or to ask Jesus questions, because we assume we won’t like the answers. We reject “wisdom” because we accept in practice, if not in theory, that “ignorance is bliss.” We deliberately choose not to be disciples, “students” of the mind and heart of God.

We can avoid asking the questions. But we cannot avoid the consequences.

The readings reassure us. The call to “repentance” is always joyful, because it is always joined to the promise of life-experience on a higher, richer, more satisfying level. Every sin is a sign of an unsatisfied heart. Jesus promises “life to the full” to those who listen to his words.

And that is what discipleship is: “committed listening.” Lent invites us to commit to meeting regularly with Jesus, asking him questions and letting him teach us.

From Ash Wednesday to Saturday the readings pinpoint what “repentance” means. It means to accept a new mindset. For those who are already “practicing Christians,” Scripture emphasizes the choice between focusing on law observance or on living and giving love. This is a major crisis in the Church today. And always.

Jesus focused on giving life, not on enforcing rules. The Great Metanoia is 1. to realize we “became Christ” by Baptism; and 2. to commit ourselves in concrete ways to learning how to think, love and live like him.

This is the commitment that makes us disciples.


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