Lent, seeing the light in
darkness
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA, roycimagala@gmail.com
March 5, 2017
WE are now again the in
season of Lent. It’s important that we know how to see the good,
bright and happy side of this season that otherwise is usually
considered as dark, and also associated almost exclusively with pain,
suffering and sacrifice.
We need to confront the dark
reality of our sinfulness as well as the reassuring reality of God’s
mercy. These two realities should go together, and the Lenten period
is the good time to strengthen our conviction about the helpful
relationship these two should have with each other.
Whenever we feel the sting
of our weaknesses and sinfulness, together with their antecedents and
consequences, their causes and effects, let’s never forget to consider
also God’s mercy that is always given to us, and, in fact, given to us
abundantly.
We have to avoid getting
stuck with one while ignoring the other. Our sinfulness should be
viewed in the context of divine mercy. And vice-versa: God’s mercy
should be regarded in the context of our unavoidable sinfulness.
And from there, let us
develop the unshakable conviction that no matter what sins we commit,
no matter how ugly they are, there is always hope. God’s mercy is
never lacking.
May it be that while our
sinfulness would have the understandable effect of making us feel bad
and sad, we should not allow it to scandalize ourselves to the point
of running away from Christ rather than going back to him contrite.
Let’s strengthen our
conviction that Christ has a special attraction to sinners, that he is
ever willing to forgive us as long as we show some signs of repentance
that he himself, through his grace, will stir in us.
Let’s play the part of Peter who, after denying Christ three times,
realized his mistake and wept bitterly in repentance. Christ looked
kindly on him and forgave him and even made him the prince of the
apostles.
But we have to learn how to handle our weaknesses and temptations. And
the secret is always to be with God. The more we are stirred and
bombarded by them, the more we should be with God. That’s the secret.
To distance ourselves from him can only mean disaster.
Truth is, we always need God in our battle against temptations. We
should disabuse ourselves from the thought that with our good
intentions and our best efforts alone, we can manage to tame the urges
of temptations.
We cannot! That’s the naked truth about it. We only can if we are with
God. And we have to be with him in a strong, determined way, not in a
passive or lukewarm way. Do flies flock on a hot soup? No. But they do
on a cold or lukewarm soup.
We need to do everything to be with God. Our mind and heart should be
fully and constantly engaged with him. We always have reason to do so
– at least, we can thank him for what we are having at the moment:
health, food, air, work, etc. Let’s never leave him!