Lent Reflection: Waiting in Silence

Psalm 62  

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
² He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Lord, for those who avoid waiting in silence because of the pain it causes them, we pray. 

{silence}

Amen. 

Lent Reflection: The Enemy Within

56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
² my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
³ When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
⁴ In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

 The psalmist here is almost certainly identifying his "enemies" as those persons who oppose him, possibly either politically, religiously, or militarily. We can identify with his heart.  In this political season we know who are enemies are, whether they be Democrat or Republican, pro-life or pro-choice advocates, conservatives or liberals, et al. Who better to call on for aid then almighty God?

The desert fathers took these passages, mostly from the Psalms, and offered a unique interpretation of them. Living in isolation, far away from any urban setting, they discovered that one's true enemies are internal. Our inner struggles are difficult enough to control without worrying about others. And when the monks shined the light on the soul, they discovered that there are numerous enemies:  greed, lust, envy, pride, vainglory, anger, sloth. We all need God's deliverance from these enemies!

Lent Reflection: Glorifying God in Speech

^{Psalm 50}

¹⁶ But to the wicked God says:
    “What right have you to recite my statutes
    or take my covenant on your lips?
¹⁷  For you hate discipline,
     and you cast my words behind you.
¹⁸ If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
     and you keep company with adulterers.

¹⁹ “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
     and your tongue frames deceit.
²⁰ You sit and speak against your brother;
    you slander your own mother's son.
²¹ These things you have done, and I have been silent;
    you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

Scripture places great emphasis on the value of our speech. Scripture itself is speech in written form.  Prayer and liturgy are speech. Jesus and the apostles moved others to action through their sermons.


God created the world with words. The covenant relationship between God and the Hebrews was ratified in writing. Psalms such as this one even dared to put words in God's mouth. In the first half of Psalm 50, God speaks of his disdain for animal sacrifices when compared with divine desire for our thanksgiving and praise.


Our speech is indicative of the content of our hearts. We have the power to persuade others, both to harm and to edify. The reverse is also true. When we keep the company of liars and gossipers, we become like them. 


Benedict of Nursia understood the power that is inherent in speech. In his sixth century rule, Benedict instructed his community of monks to practice the discipline of silence (RB 6). Coarse language and idle words prevent one from listening to God.  Thanksgiving and praise do not come easily for us, while gossip and deceit slip off our tongues with ease. Benedict understood that we must train ourselves to edify one another with good conversation. 


We were made in the image and likeness of God.  God spoke into creation with language, and we were also given the power of language to create. In our words of thanksgiving and praise, we glorify Him.

Lent Reflection: In Search of Jesus

^{Mark 1
35} And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.  
³⁶ And Simon and those who were with him searched for him,  
³⁷ and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”  
³⁸ And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”  
³⁹ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
⁴⁰ And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” ⁴² And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

One of the curiosities of the gospels is the inclusion by Mark of the so-called "messianic secret."  Throughout Mark, Jesus either conceals his identity, instructs others to conceal his identity, or makes himself scarce. This is unexpected behavior in a Messiah, who has presumably arrived to complete a special, and very public, task.  


Notice that the disciples have to find their lord, and come close to rebuking him.  "Everyone is looking for you." The very next story tells us about a leper who finds Jesus, and is healed. 


One of the mysteries of faith is that we have to seek out God. This has been a stumbling block to atheists and agnostics for centuries.  Why should the creation have to seek out the Creator? 


Mark does not answer that question for us, but instead suggests a truth about faith.  Those who do make the effort to seek out Jesus will be rewarded. In this incident, the leper is physically healed.  In the ancient world, physical healings were demonstrative of a transformation in the soul's condition.  Jesus made him clean, not simply on the outside, but also on the inside. 

Throughout the centuries, Christian mystics have reminded us that the search for God will lead inward. Seeking the Holy One requires a pure heart. Paradoxically, it is the Holy One who heals our hearts, providing the conditions by which it can be pure. 

Lent Reflection: God is Love

^{Psalm 48}

⁹ We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
¹⁰ As your name, O God,
    so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹     Let Mount Zion be glad!
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments!

During the season of Lent, it is easy to focus on penitence and mourning -- so much so that we forget to praise God and remember His steadfast love.  Penitence, or the act of repenting, is a movement of the soul back towards God, from whom we have turned away. God is worthy of our praise, because God is love. 


Dante meditated on the doctrine that God is love while writing the Paradiso. God is the cause of love, and creation is an act of love. God generates love in Himself, and causes this love in us. God's love circulates through the universe like blood through the body. 


Our acts of penitence are acts of love that circulate back to the Creator. The love that we demonstrate to ourselves and to each other participates in God's love. 

May we remember the depths of God's love in our penance --and in our praise -- this season of Lent.