A Quinquagesima Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right
Today isn't just one of those "ordinary" Sundays. Check the traditional Liturgical Calendar and you'll find out why: It's Quinquegesima Sunday. As we have these past two Sundays (Septuagesima and Sexagesima), we prepare ourselves for Lent, which arrives this week on Ash Wednesday.
Last Sunday (Sexagesima) we looked at why and how our Lenten discipline ( prayer, fasting, and almsgiving), vigorously pursued, can toughen us up to face an increasingly difficult world. We acknowledged the serious challenges posed by our post-Christian secular humanist culture; also how how a soul strengthened by an increased focus on and practice of prayer, fasting, and acts of charity (almsgiving) can help us face those challenges. We referenced verses from Chapter 2 of the Book of Wisdom to help us understand not only what we face today, but what all people of good will, who seek to do God's will, have faced from the beginning.
But even as we enter the penitential holy Season of Lent, it's important to remember what awaits us on the "other side": Easter! The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which weighs on our hearts and minds during these 40 days, opened the Gates of Heaven. When Adam and Eve committed their Original Sin in the Garden, those gates closed. But all that changed when Our Lord gave His life for us. And His Resurrection shows us what awaits us if we but persist in our desire to be holy, despite the lures of the world, the flesh, and the devil. In the very next chapter (3) of the Book of Wisdom we find words to console and inspire us to stay the course:
"But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them."
The troubles we all face in our daily lives become our way of purification and perfection:
"Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them , and found them worthy of himself."
Being a faithful servant requires sacrifice and discipline in the face of affliction. We may stumble and fall as we attempt to walk the straight path of the righteous. Today we may suffer and we may falter, but our reward awaits us. It's not easy but if we remain His faithful servants:
"The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over people...They that trust in him, shall understand the truth: and they that are faithful in love shall rest in him..."
All who sincerely work for the Kingdom of God will find it. No matter our station in life, we share a common labor: In all our thoughts, words, and actions, embrace the Ten Commandments, pursue truth and justice, seek the beautiful amidst our often mundane, sometimes ugly surroundings. It takes dedication and work; but it's well worth the effort.
"For the fruit of good labours is glorious, and the root of wisdom never faileth."
We chose those parts of Chapter 3 of Wisdom that provide encouragement for us to take our Lenten discipline seriously. Doing so will build strength and enable us to persist and, with God's grace, ultimately prevail. If you read the rest of Chapter 3, you'll find what's in store for those to reject or even neglect the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. But, of course, we don't want to go there.
So if you haven't yet outlined your plans for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for Lent, Sunday's a perfect time to get down to it. A good Lent ultimately enables a good life. Who doesn't want that?
Last Sunday (Sexagesima) we looked at why and how our Lenten discipline ( prayer, fasting, and almsgiving), vigorously pursued, can toughen us up to face an increasingly difficult world. We acknowledged the serious challenges posed by our post-Christian secular humanist culture; also how how a soul strengthened by an increased focus on and practice of prayer, fasting, and acts of charity (almsgiving) can help us face those challenges. We referenced verses from Chapter 2 of the Book of Wisdom to help us understand not only what we face today, but what all people of good will, who seek to do God's will, have faced from the beginning.
But even as we enter the penitential holy Season of Lent, it's important to remember what awaits us on the "other side": Easter! The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which weighs on our hearts and minds during these 40 days, opened the Gates of Heaven. When Adam and Eve committed their Original Sin in the Garden, those gates closed. But all that changed when Our Lord gave His life for us. And His Resurrection shows us what awaits us if we but persist in our desire to be holy, despite the lures of the world, the flesh, and the devil. In the very next chapter (3) of the Book of Wisdom we find words to console and inspire us to stay the course:
"But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them."
The troubles we all face in our daily lives become our way of purification and perfection:
"Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them , and found them worthy of himself."
Being a faithful servant requires sacrifice and discipline in the face of affliction. We may stumble and fall as we attempt to walk the straight path of the righteous. Today we may suffer and we may falter, but our reward awaits us. It's not easy but if we remain His faithful servants:
"The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over people...They that trust in him, shall understand the truth: and they that are faithful in love shall rest in him..."
All who sincerely work for the Kingdom of God will find it. No matter our station in life, we share a common labor: In all our thoughts, words, and actions, embrace the Ten Commandments, pursue truth and justice, seek the beautiful amidst our often mundane, sometimes ugly surroundings. It takes dedication and work; but it's well worth the effort.
"For the fruit of good labours is glorious, and the root of wisdom never faileth."
We chose those parts of Chapter 3 of Wisdom that provide encouragement for us to take our Lenten discipline seriously. Doing so will build strength and enable us to persist and, with God's grace, ultimately prevail. If you read the rest of Chapter 3, you'll find what's in store for those to reject or even neglect the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. But, of course, we don't want to go there.
So if you haven't yet outlined your plans for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for Lent, Sunday's a perfect time to get down to it. A good Lent ultimately enables a good life. Who doesn't want that?
Happy Quinquagesima Sunday!
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