How's Your Lent Going?

We're currently in the middle of the Lenten season. A season of sacrifice.

According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, sacrifice is defined as "destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else; something given up or lost."

As a kid, I attended a parochial school where the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters asked the million dollar question: What are you going to give up for Lent in order to be closer to God?

Chocolate and candy always came to the top of the list.

Observant Catholics also gave up meat on Fridays - to help us think of the sacrifice Jesus gave on Good Friday. This was mandatory. But still a sacrifice, especially if you didn't happen to like fish sticks or tuna fish.

It wasn't until high school that I remember other nuns suggesting that you could also DO something for Lent, not just give something up.

Like practicing being kind, or helping others.

That was a huge revelation, opening the door to a deeper exploration of sacrifice.

In the book of Micah, God is having a conversation with the people of Israel. He asks a hypothetical question: "Should I come before the Lord with burnt offerings...will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil?"

God answers the question this way: "He has shown you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. " (Micah 6:6-8).

The first type of sacrifice seems to focus on giving up something we have - rams, oil, material possessions.

But God is telling his people that what he's looking for goes beyond material possessions.

It's a sacrifice that's harder.

Doing justice - we're being called to go beyond weekend services in synagogues, mosques and churches. To show up and actively become involved in social justice.

For people living in the 21st century that looks like standing beside refugees and immigrants and supporting them in practical ways. It looks like standing with people of color when they stand up against oppression.  It looks like feeding the hungry, housing the homeless.

Doing justice is a lot more complicated that giving up chocolate!

What is 'loving mercy?'

Could it be looking for the good in others? Extending forgiveness? Not putting our own needs first? Isn't mercy the social lubricant that allows us to do justice in the first place? Because mercy becomes our first response. Our world view. An ingrained part of our thought process towards others.

And what about walking humbly?

Humility allows space for someone else. For another point of view. Humility helps us realize we aren't the center of the universe.

Keeping all of this in mind, you could make a case that true sacrifice requires suffering. Being uncomfortable at times. Going without, or sharing. Not giving in to fear when faced with the unfamiliar. Being willing to admit fear in the first place.

Maybe the call of Lent is actually a call not to deny as much as to grow.

Given all this, what are some practical things we can do to make Lent meaningful?

- Have a conversation with a neighbor you don't know. You could begin by smiling and saying, "Hello!"
- Get to know your elected representatives better by researching their stance on immigration and refugee settlement. Write or call them to encourage efforts that promote kindness and compassion.
- Research organizations that are already providing aid and comfort to those in need, locally seek volunteer opportunities; internationally, consider making a donation.

As Mother Teresa once encouraged, you don't have to go very far to find someone in need.