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A Spiritual Workout for Lent
Fr. Larry Reuter, S.J. / Loyola
University Chicago
Fr. Reuter serves as Associate VP for Mission & Ministry
at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood; on many weekend
he assists at Ascension Church in Oak Park.
A few years ago, just before Lent, I met up with
one of Chicago’s most colorful priests---Msgr. Jack Eagan.
It was in the courtyard at Holy Name Cathedral where he was presiding
over the annual burning of the palms to make ashes for Ash Wednesday.
We greeted each other and spoke a bit as more palms were tossed
into the flames. “You know what I like about Lent?”
Msgr. Eagan said. “It’s that all of us get to start
over once again. The magic of Lent is that we come to understand
anew the guts of our humanity, and in the process God holds us so
very close.” The sacristan handed him the holy water sprinkler
which Jack used with gusto as he said the blessing prayer. As the
ceremony ended, Msgr. Eagan left me with this salvo: “Did
you ever notice that life is what happens when you have other plans?”
The calendar reminds us that Lent is coming, no
matter what our other plans may be. We will rush to receive ashes
on Ash Wednesday, worrying about the project sitting on our desks
or awaiting us at home. As we embark together on this faith-filled
journey of Lent, let us think a bit about those plans that God may
have ready for us during Lent this year. How will the experience
of faith make its entrance for us these 40 days? What bits of life
will stare us in the face? How will God surprise us with some particular
challenge or blessing? And just what pieces of Christ’s passion
and death will you and I experience along this Lenten road to Easter?
Just asking the question isn’t enough….there
has to be some follow through in terms of the discipline, the training,
the workout of Lent. So the church offers us the time-honored practices
of prayer, fasting, and the giving of alms. Think of it as a trip
to a spiritual fitness center or workout room. Here is an exercise
routine to consider.
1) To become more “fit” at prayer,
consider turning off car stereo and spending some time conversing
with the Lord in the chapel of your car. Or begin the day at your
office or home computer with interactive daily prayer program from
the Irish Jesuits. You can find it at www.jesuit.ie/prayer. Finding
some sacred space each day does make a difference!
2) For a fasting workout, try “fasting” from bickering
and quarreling, from badmouthing others, and from daily patterns
that say “the world revolves around me.” A daily diet
of putting yourself out for others stretches your awareness of God’s
life and presence all around our world.
3) To strengthen those muscles of almsgiving, give a buck to the
Streetwise vendor or to groups that support the poor and homeless.
Or to really feel the pinch, give a bit more of your self --- your
time, your schedule, your special talents. Then again you may be
great at volunteer work but you could well focus more energy on
self-giving to those you live with, those you work with, those you
love. “Feeling the pinch” expands your worldview and
gives you new eyes of awareness and commitment.
Throughout this Lenten workout, our focus must be on Jesus. Our
eyes must come to his cross, which goes before us these days of
Lenten grace. As we bring the ordinary workout of our daily living
to the wood of the cross, Jesus will slowly, quietly, sometimes
quite powerfully remind us that God does have wonderful plans for
each one of us. All we have to do is watch and pray, listen and
learn. Happy Lent!
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