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Lent, the beginning of a new commitment to serve
our neighbor.
Once again we are in the season of Lent. Many of us remember Lent as a
time for fasting, abstinence, way of the cross, alms giving and penance.
Many too consider the Lenten campaign as a means of raising funds for
the poor. We become very generous during this season and donate
graciously towards this fund. These may nevertheless be some of the ways
of observing Lent but there is much more to Lent than just donating
generously for the poor and denying ourselves of some pleasures in life.
Goodness, sacrifice and charity should not be just
confined to Lent but rather Lent should be the beginning of a new
commitment to share what we have with fellow men. It need not be money
or wealth but our time, energy, talents, skills and above all our love
with those we come into contact daily especially the poor.
Who are the poor? Traditionally the poor refers to
those financially deprived without food, clothing and shelter but in our
country although there are still such hard core poor in our midst who
need such aid but more often we encounter other forms of poverty
particularly in urban areas.
To
certain extent everyone around us is “poor” in some way or other as they
are silently suffering from some form of ailment either physical or
mental; serious illness, loneliness, loss of loved ones, financial
problems, failures in career, and the list is in fact endless.
All it takes is for us to open our eyes and ears
to realize their cries and offer our hands of friendship that could help
to alleviate their suffering. We may not be in a position to totally
eradicate their “poverty”, only God can do that, but I am sure we can do
the little within our means to reduce their pain and agony.
This Lent let us recall the words of Jesus “I say
to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you
did for me” (Mathew 25:40). It should be a reminder to us that Jesus
dwells in those around us, especially the needy, oppressed and the
despised. We will only be cheating ourselves if we say we love Jesus
while refusing to lend a hand to those around us.
We can sacrifice some precious possessions of ours
- our time, energy and wealth for the betterment of fellow mankind. At
the same we can give up something which we all possess in abundance -
pride, selfishness, ego, anger and greed which impede our endeavors to
serve others.
The real meaning of Lent is sacrifice, not for our
well-being but that of others. Fasting, abstinence and prayer are just a
means to achieve that goal not the goals themselves. We are asked to
become holy but our holiness in God must benefit others more than
ourselves.
Let’s make this season of Lent the beginning of
being more aware of the needs of those around us, especially those who
are suffering in loneliness. Let’s lend a hand to someone who is lonely
and at the brink of death. Let’s start with those lonely in our own
families especially our elderly parents. Let’s be generous and gracious
not just with our money but also with our precious time that money
cannot buy.
We may be having a tough time ourselves coping with all the stresses in
life to make ends meet. We may have terrible problems of our own to
handle, with our spouse, our children, our work, our financial
difficulties, and our illness and so on, but amidst all these we must
find some time for those who are gripped with the fear of loneliness,
those in the twilight of their lives.
We can be assured that if we can do that to one of these least brothers
of His, we will be doing it for Him.
Have a very Happy Easter and may the Lord bless you
and keep you.
Sincerely,
Stan and Colette Zmorzynski
and Family
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