Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
"Sshhh! Do not be too noisy. Do not laugh too loud. It is Lent."
As children, we have been often reprimanded for being too happy during Lent. The conventional understanding was, that when we have entered the Holy Season of Lent, we have to be austere and meditative in bearing and disposition. These are the days to be quiet and to in silence reflect on the sacrifices of the Lord Jesus. And if this is so for Lent, it is much more so during Holy Week, especially on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
There is of course much truth in this.
The Season of Lent is a penitential season. The first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday (The Gospel we cited above is the reading of that day's Liturgy.) sets the penitential tone - we are marked with ashes, an Old Testament sign of contrition and sincere sorrow for our sins, with the words, "Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel."
The Season calls for much reflection. We are to reflect on the great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, and on our own personal struggles for a faithful Christian life.
The Season calls for us to be austere - to practice self-denial by fasting and abstinence. The Holy Father Benedict XVI in his Lenten Message in fact rediscovers the value of the discipline of Lent. He wrote,
It seems abundantly clear that fasting represents an important ascetical practice, a spiritual arm to do battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves. Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person.The Season is a time to quiet down (read: slow down). We are called to be more cognizant of the presence of God in our lives, in our relationships, in our world. We are called to not be constantly subsumed by the busyness that we are constantly pushed to. We are called to stop, look, and listen. We are called to more consciously stop from our "full schedules" to have time for ourselves before God. We are called to unclutter our lives. We are to look into our lives and make sense of what is happening in us, with our lives, relationships, directions. We are called to pick up scattered pieces, fragments of our life and find some patterns. We are called to listen - to ourselves (Come to think of it, we often miss this, don't you think?), to others (Again, don't you think we miss this too?), and of course, to God (Yes, there is God.).
Amidst the call to contrition, reflection, self-denial and recollection though, we are called to be people of joy and hope. Our attitude amidst this discipline is one of a willing and joyful heart - willingly sacrifice and deny ourselves in loving response to God who has loved us first, and a joyful heart filled with hope that what the Lord has done - conquered sin and death, and triumphed in new life for all eternity - will also happen to us, that we will also share in the Resurrection, ultimately in the future, but beginning in our present life, relationships and world.
What is more, this motive of willingness and joy is trustworthy. We know and believe that the hope promised us will be ours.
Is this not a source of joy?
1 comment:
father willie..i know what you mean.although my mom is gone iwas and still am into her teachings.we were brought up no laughing, no noisiness or saying bad words specially on holy week.even now that i live in the states i still do the same.
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