OUR SUNDAY’S IN FEBRUARY

February 17, 2009 is Ash Wednesday and thus Lent begins! Have we forgotten God? Do we take God for granted? 1st Corinthians and 2nd Corinthians appear in our readings during this entire month. Paul was writing to them because of their sinfulness. It was a port city with lots of sailors and prostitution was rampant. Our society today mirrors what Paul addressed at that time. Do we forget what God has done for us? Do we ever consider our day to day actions in light of what He wants? Worst of all, do we not ponder the deep significance of the passion and death of Jesus Christ? When (and if) we no longer concern ourselves with sin, we no longer feel a need for Christ in our lives. How are we at forgiving? According to sociologists, too many of us do not think we need much forgiveness – the notion of sin or forgiving others has just slipped away.

Example: A surgeon struggled to regain his reputation. He had been accused by another doctor of illegally writing prescriptions. After months of investigation he was cleared. Professional damage had been done to his reputation. A few years later the accuser found he had a cancer that required very specialized and delicate surgery. The wronged surgeon was one of the only few that could perform the surgery. Amazingly, the doctor requested the very surgeon whom he had falsely accused. Initially the surgeon refused, but the doctor came to the surgeon and begged. Seeing his fear and pain, the surgeon agreed to operate. “You know,” the surgeon replied, “I found that if I was to go on with my life I would have to forgive you.”

The point is, that during Lent we will be called to focus on the passion and the death of Jesus. Forgiving our sin and restoring us to the family of God – establishing the Kingdom – was the most important thing Jesus did for us. We cannot begin to appreciate the magnitude of this gift unless we see that our relationship with God needs healing.

During Lent we might ask ourselves again if we need forgiveness or do we need to forgive someone in our past against whom we have hardened our heart . None of us are perfect. Now is the time for the Sacrament of Confession. Do we take God and our relationship with Him for granted? Have we forgotten God? We are called to witness the beauty of Christianity, a witness of respect and compassion that can change the world.

The most rev. john p. Walzer, D.D.