Lent:

		Notes from the  Vicar General  Msgr. Paul J. Swain

Watching the Winter Olympics these last days I have found myself turning off the sound to avoid the critique of the commentators.

It allows me to simply enjoy the incredible physical acrobatics of the athletes. The skill of the skiers is truly amazing as they fly off the high jump toward the heavens, twisting and turning with no certainty of a clean landing on the slick snow far below.

Through this the commentators focus on the negative. "His skis should be closer together and more parallel; there will be a deduction for that."

As the figure skaters leap and spin in the air before landing on a sliver of metal, they uplift the spirit with their discipline and fearlessness.

The commentators note that the turns were only three in number instead of the planned four, or that a knee was slightly bent on landing. "That will be a deduction."

None of us are perfect

They are only doing their jobs, of course; they are helpful in explaining why one competitor scores better than another. In these sports, each competitor starts with a perfect score and receives deductions based on how they do not measure up. The evaluation is negative.

Perhaps we approach one another, or ourselves, in that way. We expect perfection and inevitably disappoint. None of us is perfect.

The fact that the Father sent the Son for our redemption underscores our need. Christ calls us to perfection -- be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect -- but he recognizes that we become so a step at a time and is pleased with each step we take.

Lent is a time to reflect on how we are doing, how our journey of conversion is going. It is a time to ask, are we mired down in the negative?

He walked the extra mile to Calvary

There are things about us that no one else knows that can wear us down out of fear or shame or uncertainty of how to handle it all. These can create tensions and affect relationships even though the cause is not understood. How liberating it is to be able to open up and talk candidly with someone who cares.

Through prayer, through the sacrament of penance, through owning up to our mistakes, Jesus invites us to come to him with contrite hearts, ask forgiveness and let it go. He showed us that God loves us even in our imperfection. He knows we can be better than we are.

Jesus teaches that we are to love God first, with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. We are also to love our neighbor as ourselves, not as critics but as fellow travelers on the road to perfection. He walked the extra mile for us, from Pilate's house to Calvary.

Lent is a time to re-walk our journey or start anew, to re-acknowledge our need for forgiveness or first admit it, to refocus our lives on Jesus the Messiah or initially accept him, and to recommit, or commit for the first time, to being his personal disciple and public witness in this imperfect world.

When we do so, we will truly be able to celebrate Easter with humility and joy.

Opening our hearts:

		Grand Mom  Audrey  Mettel Fixmer

This year Ash Wednesday nearly collided with Valentine's Day.

That fact seemed to provide a different perspective of Lent. Our pastor, Fr. Jim, was quick to make the connection between "the heart" and Lent, and shared his wisdom with us during his Ash Wednesday homily.

To me it seemed that making the connection between Lent and love was further proof that the church has become a kinder, gentler mother, one who has abandoned the practice of spanking in favor of "time out."

Lenten sacrifices

Those of us who are senior citizens can remember many years when Lent was a synonym for "sacrifice."

The emphasis was on atoning for our sins by fasting, going without, focusing on, and sharing in the suffering of Christ. They were 40 gloomy days, and we couldn't wait to get through them.

In my memories it was Good Friday that was the highlight or climax of the drama. Easter Sunday's celebration of the resurrection seemed anti-climactic.

Was it just me? Or did others feel the same way? Give up candy, (but save it up for Easter). Later it was give up Coke or cigarettes or beer, (but try not to take it out on the kids). What did all of this accomplish?

Well, maybe some Bookkeeper Angel was keeping tabs, and maybe it just helped me to overcome the "Instant Gratification" urge. And certainly it helped me to develop the kind of will power I needed to give up all smoking 25 years ago, in time to save my health, perhaps.

'Rend your hearts'

But Fr. Jim was pointing out the universal symbolic use of the heart to communicate love, and the commonality of the word in our vocabulary: heartfelt, heartbroken, heartless, and heartsick, for instance.

Then he quoted from the Book of Joel, in which he exclaimed, "Return to me with your whole heart. Rend your hearts and not your garments!" Fr. Jim explained that the ashes he would place on our foreheads were a reminder that we must open our minds and hearts to God.

What a concept! We can open up our hearts to God by doing some spiritual reading. We can open up our hearts to the poor and the hungry by donating to the food pantry. We can open them to the needy by taking meals to or running errands for the sick.

We might even go so far as to welcome and respond to those pesky telemarketers who are, after all, trying to put food on their families' tables. I'm not sure I'm up to that much sanctity.

The readings for Ash Wednesday certainly made it clear how we were to go about these good works: quietly, not calling attention to ourselves, and with smiling faces that belie our suffering.

We are reminded that when we receive the applause or praise for our good works, we have already received our reward on earth and shouldn't expect it again in heaven. Sort of like an IRA, I guess. Get it now, pay later.

We need time out

I have said that Mother Church has abandoned the practice of spanking us when we are bad in favor of the time-out policy. And it is surely true that she advises us to go off alone to a quiet place for meditation.

In these days in which our senses are bombarded with the noisy racket and flashing images of the television screen, the phone, the traffic, and the kids, we need that quiet place to be restored. We need time out.

As the Ash Wednesday Mass progressed, we went into one of my favorite hymns and I smiled at some of the words that tied in with this concept, but it also reminded me of those little candy hearts that say, "Be mine."

Happy, heart-warming Lent!

"Grandmom" likes hearing from other senior citizens who enjoy aging at P.O. Box 216, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.