Lent: Nineveh's Lesson

It always seems like the season of Lent comes at the right time. While the main focus of Lent is to practice fasting, conversion, prayer and simple living, for me it always seems that the weeks prior to the season is the exact opposite. The soul and the senses are restless, we hunger for a temporary satisfaction, lacking in prayer, indulging, doing our own things. But Lent, is a time to change all of that, its a time to see all that we have done wrong even those small things and truly repent and feel completely sorry for what we have done. Lent is a time for conversion of heart, prayer and a time for us to share in the Resurrected Glory of God in the end by defeating sin and conquering death.

I'm always fascinated at how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. This journey of Jesus marks the start of a 40 day fast, an embarking that allows the Spirit to move in own lives by how we live. It's interesting, because during lent we can see that there is a definite call to repentance. A call to step outside of what we are used to and do something else and give up what we enjoy. It's a call to live outside our comfort zones. The gospel reading today, is the story of Jonah and his pilgrimage to Nineveh to proclaim to the Ninevites that they should pray, repent and fast.

"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth"

 That was the call, and in some ways, it is a prefiguration of the Lenten call we see even today. It's a call to pray, a call to fast and even more so, a call recognize what we have done wrong and wear the penitential sackcloth of our own sin and repent. For each of us, Lent should be a time of conversion, prayer, fasting and repentance, just as it was for the Ninevites. It's a time for us to finally say goodbye to those things that we have grown so accustomed to, namely, Sin. This lent, don't just stop doing what you know isn't good for you, but recognize what hurts you, recognize your sin, [pray to the Blessed Mother to reveal to you your sins] and seek to be whole-heartily sorry for all those things that keep us from obtaining a perfect relationship with the Father.

A Lesson from Death

Lately, it's been a normal ride, just doing things to get them done. However, it's easy to get caught up. Just in life, I get caught up and find myself making myself a little too comfortable. It's like I am falling in love with everything that has been created. Falling in love with the world and what it has to offer. Like money, possession, wealth, fame, even lust and false pride. The great thing is that through all of this there is something always missing. There's no true joy or happiness. The philosopher Aristotle writes that there are four things that constitute false happiness. Those are wealth, fame, honor, and riches. The desire, is wanting to leave these things and pick up something more meaningful, like the cross.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read of Jesus telling his disciples that whoever does not pick up their cross and follow him, can't be his disciple. It's as simple as that. There's an idea of dying to yourself and rising with something greater. The idea of leaving yourself behind, all that you have and all that you want and "seek Jesus or die trying" as a good friend of mine from South Africa would say in his heavy accent.


Anyway, I realized this in a better way tonight. It was after mass as I said goodnight to everybody. I walked away, then I heard bells from the Church to ring. One by one they rang with complete silence in between. Me and my friend looked at each other and ran back to the church. We knew what had happened, In monastic communities, bells are rung when a member passes away. As we were running my mind flashed and I remembered reading about Peter and John running to the tomb of Jesus after his resurrection. I thought of them. I went inside and prayed, it was at that moment I realized that our dying of the things here on earth can be just as painful and discomforting. It reminded me of how necessary it is to forget about the things that have no meaning or value when we pass. I was amazed at how there was a soul being lifted at the same time by God and then called to enter his Kingdom.

Rest in Peace Father Charles Massoth., O.S.B.