Keep the lines of communication open

For this first Sunday of Lent, the scriptures propose three spiritual tools to help us draw closer to the heart of our God.  Here are some thoughts that I shared with others who came to pray with us.

In conversation

Every time I call my parents, I can hear joy in their voices.   We sometimes have conversations on the phone that last for hours.  I can usually tell whether both mom and dad are listening, each on his or her own extension, even if we aren’t all trying to speak at the same time.  If my brothers and their families happen to be at home, or if we have other family members visiting, they too often join in the conversation.  Most often we share stories that pertain to current events, but on occasion some references to our shared past also get mixed in.  In recent years, we have also added Skype and Facetime to our repertoire of communication tools and these have added another note of celebration to the time that we get to spend together.

Whenever we gather around the Lord’s table, we have a precious opportunity to get caught up with another family to which we all belong.  Here, the stories of our lives are recounted and from time to time we also have opportunities to include references to our common past – our faith story in this exchange.  One such opportunity is recounted in the reading we heard today from the Book of Deuteronomy.  Each of us has come to place a basket before the Lord our God (cf Deut 26:4).  This basket contains the prayers we offer as well as the support we bring for others.  Sometimes our offerings are visible and tangible and other times they come in a different form.  We come to this place so that we can remember that we share a common faith story too: a story that began with a people who were once exiled from their homeland and sent to live in Egypt, as aliens, in slavery, but the Lord brought them out of Egypt … and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey (Deut 26:5, 9).

Some journeys happen once in a lifetime, and some experiences leave their mark in our memories, on our hearts.  This was one such journey, and it has left its mark for all generations because it constantly reminds us that God is good to us.  If he once stayed with us even during the time that we were enslaved, cut off from our homeland, and cared enough for us to bring us back home, how can we doubt the fact that he is still doing the same today?

The tradition of the Church proposes three disciplines for our Lenten journey.  Fasting is meant to remind us that we have it in our power to satisfy every one of our own hungers, but if we lose sight of the fact that it is God who has given us such abundance, we will remain focused on selfish desires and lose sight of the fact that there are others on the phone with us, each of them wants to hear our adventures and each of them wants to share a part of their story with us.

Almsgiving is a natural response that flows out of our fasting because as we are more and more able to turn our focus away from our own selfish desires and more and more toward the needs others, God puts within our hearts a sincere desire to help those who are in need.  However there is always a temptation to possess worldly glory (cf Lk 4:6), fame and fortune for ourselves.  Many have known the allure of this light, but those who have surrendered to it have quickly discovered that it is shallow, unable to fulfill the true desires of the human heart.

Prayer, the conversation of heart that happens between our Father and us, is the most reliable remedy to fight the devil’s temptations.  When we fall on our knees and utter sincere words of praise and supplication, he will always listen, like a parent on the other end of the telephone.  He will offer advice and guidance. Remember, his word is near to us, on our lips and in our hearts (Rom 10:8) and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom 10:13).