Oklahoma State Council
of the
Knights of Columbus
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From the State Chaplain's Desk February 10, 2008
Greetings to all the Knights, families, friends and supporters of the
Knights of Columbus:
May the blessings of God be with each of you!
First Sunday of Lent “Jesus was led by the Spirit to the desert, where he was tempted by the devil…He
fasted for forty days and nights.” (Mt 4:1-2)
My friends, just last Wednesday, we received a cross of ashes on our foreheads to remind us of our frail humanity. We were told to “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” and “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Are we still wearing the ashes on our head?
We are beginning a journey in the life of the Church called Lent, where we enter into the desert in order to begin to share with Christ in His journey. We were marked by a sign of the Cross made from the ashes of Palms. Forty-six weeks ago, we were in Church, proclaiming Jesus to be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We were waving fresh palms as a sign of our joy and happiness that a new King was in town. What happens five days later shatters everything we can imagine because now this King of Kings was hanging from a cross.
It is this cross marked on our heads that leads us now into this 40 plus day journey of Lent where we begin to die to ourselves. It is this journey of Lent where our dependence upon God’s love, mercy and forgiveness are more in demand than ever. But why participate in this journey? Why do we acknowledge our sinfulness and weaknesses now? It is precisely the crux of our journey in Lent, to focus on our glaring deficiencies, acknowledge them, seek forgiveness and then move toward growing in holiness and love with God.
How do we accomplish this? By following the example of Jesus in the Gospel and doing our best to die to self. Genesis points out how sin enters into our lives because of selfishness, self centeredness and a turning away from God. So, what in your life turns you away from God? Is it greed? Arrogance? Power? Food? Sex? Bitterness? Gluttony? Work? Computers? Video games? What obstacles in our lives light our dark side and make us ashamed of who we are? It is these obstacles we focus on during Lent in order to let them go. These obstacles are the ones that are like the apple—appealing and irresistible. Yet, these obstacles are indeed what shift our focus away from God to self satisfaction and denial of God’s immense love for us. It is these obstacles which point out our nakedness before God. St. Paul tells us that it takes an act of the will and heart for us to grow in holiness and understand the depth of God’s love for us.
In order to rid ourselves of these obstacles and establish positive growth in our lives, two things have to happen. First we have to think thoughts of conquering these distractions and sinful inclinations in our lives. These thoughts then are put into action and when we do these actions enough, it becomes a habit. These habitual actions then become part of our character- it defines who we are. Then in turn we are led to a profound realization of revealing the power of God’s love in our life- or lack thereof.
Jesus shows us today in the Gospel an example of being rooted in God. He refused to fall prey to the tempters demands and wishes. He rejects Satan outright, something that Adam and Eve could not do. In rejection of Satan, he tells us that this will lead us to the promise of eternal life which He will purchase for us. Yet we know that temptation is all around us, we cannot escape it. We are dependent on God to give us courage and strength to resist Satan. Lent becomes this opportunity to experience again and again the grace to die to ourselves so as to rise again. Lent is the journey from our death to life in Christ.
Secondly –and this is most important- there is a need to realize the purpose and journey we are embarking on for the next 40 days. Think back for a moment to 46 weeks ago. We were waving fresh palms welcoming the King of Kings and the Lord of lords, only to nail Christ to the Cross five days later. It is so important NOT to forget that victory has been achieved for us by Christ’s passion, death and Resurrection. Therefore, it is necessary for all of us to see the Crosses in our lives as assets to sharing in the glory of victory. We cannot get to Easter Sunday and the glory of the Resurrection without the Cross. We need the Cross to help us appreciate how truly blessed and dependant we are on God’s mercy. It is the Cross which is the port key to sharing in the victory of everlasting life promised and purchased for us.
This becomes our hope which fuels our desire to come humbly before God in order to acknowledge our dependence on His forgiveness. This is why the Church journeys with Christ in a spirit of repentance and humility because only Jesus himself can set us free. Only in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, are we truly able to begin to experience in our hearts God’s everlasting mercy and forgiveness.
Our Lenten journey is just beginning, and we are moving closer to celebrating in joy and hope the victory Christ purchased for us. Let us not forget the power of the Cross which marks us in humility before God. Let us not forget how we depend on God’s forgiveness and mercy. Let us share in the graces of the Cross and in the victory won for us by journeying with Christ in the desert, dying to the selfishness within us and bearing our Cross with Christ so as to rise with Him in the promise of the Resurrection.
Vivat Jesus!
Fr. Jim Caldwell
State Chaplain
Archives of Father Jim's Previous Letters
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