Life or death. Seems like a radical choice, and should be an easy one, right? This was the choice presented to the Israelite people and the formula used at their yearly covenant renewal ceremonies. Sort of like how we at Easter will renew our Baptismal promises during the Mass with the Catechumens and Candidates all around the world. Life or death. God or idols. This choice wasn’t made by just the first Israelites, but the choice that has to be made by every person, every generation. It is a choice that must be made individually and as a community, a nation, and people. Those that choose life often live at odds with those around them, with a nation that has instead chosen death.
The Gospel reminds us that Jesus began speaking about His death and the way of the cross by telling us to follow Him we must pick up our crosses. The path of Jesus then is clearly spelled out as a way of suffering, dying, and resurrection. If we don’t deny ourselves, if we don’t challenge our thoughts and desires, if we don’t pick up our cross, we are trying to cling to what we want. We are trying to “save our lives” but in the process could be losing eternity with Christ. But if we accept our cross, if we carry it with joy and peace, if we simply turn it over to Him and allow Him to guide us, we can indeed “save our lives” in the proper way.
The Church reminds us with the Gospel today that this is the purpose of Lent. It’s a time to look inside our spiritual life. To examine how we are living. By looking at the three pillars: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; we can find out if we are truly choosing life. They make us look at our relationship with God, our self-discipline, and our relationship with others. As we journey together towards Easter, it is helpful to pause every day and examine what we “have given up” for Lent. To see if it is truly challenging us to grow toward the person we are supposed to be. Because the goal of Lent is not to punish ourselves just for the sake of punishing ourselves. It’s to slowly help us to begin to look more and more like Jesus Christ, and less like the world around us.
A reflection on the readings for Thursday after Ash Wednesday: March 3rd, 2022