We live in a world that is very focused on the self. We are always looking for ways to boost our image in others minds, to boost ourselves to a level worthy of recognition and praise. One of the hard parts of sharing this wonderful experience is just that: pride creeps in.
When you tell people you are going to Africa, they look at you differently, as if to say, "I didn't know you had it in you" or "that's good for you" or "you are insane".
It's the same face and look that people gave me when I told them that I was selling most of my worldly possessions to live in solidarity with our poor brothers and sisters. It's the same look that you are given when you tell people that you are going to live a life of simplicity, without cable television or high speed internet. One frequent response many of my teens would give me, filled with that typical teen blend of sarcasm and reality of their true inner thoughts: "HOW DO YOU LIVE?"
What a great question.
How do you live?
How do I live?
What are we living for?
What are we dying for?
Are we dying at all?
Lent is a great time of year to talk about dying and death, but we don't like that. And frankly, sometimes we don't even talk about death during this time! We don't like death. Death is scary. Death is hard to understand. Death is mysterious and harsh and cold. And we need not be afraid any more. Thanks to a little thing called the cross.
Our dependencies on worldly things must die. Don't get my wrong: none of those things are immoral, per se. But we need to live differently. Our lives need to reflect that of Christ, because the lives we are called to live are radically different than the one we sometimes actually live.
It's easy to write a check. It's easy to conform to the world. Many times we do, it's called sin. But how are we living? Are we being intentional in the way we seek Christ in new ways? Are we open to His call in our lives? Or are we blinded by a world of flashy, glittering things? A world where movements are now trendy? Adopting a child from Africa or being more environmentally conscious: what's at the root of that movement in America? What's at the root of the movement in our hearts?
Again, it's not that they are wrong, but our root desire in those things can be. Our worship can be misdirected and misleading. Those things which may be good are being used as tools to prop ourselves up, instead of lifting up His Kingdom and His glory. It's not about money. It's not about image.
It's about PEOPLE.
People who our loving God thirsts for. People who live and breathe. People who suffer and rejoice. People who worship. People who pray and don't pray. People who are called to love.
I read that Mother Teresa was once asked what she thought of her movement in terms of leading to solving the problem of the poverty and world hunger. Her reply: "God does not create poverty. God gives enough for everyone. We create poverty." It blew me away. Its looking at the world through a radically different lens. No longer this modernistic, relative world view, but a God view.
We create poverty. Not just physically, but spiritually. We have grown stale. In our lack of activity, we have become weak. It is time for the Church to rise. In all of our imperfections, in all of our weaknesses, in all of our gifts and talents, and rise in all humility to serve the Church we often over look and ridicule, not just in Africa but in our own towns, churches and homes.
And just when it seems as if all hope is lost, and our weaknesses take over, we are confronted with a love that knows no ends, a love that sends us our empowered. And finally, of all those things we have and could have, we have found a reason to sacrifice and die.
How beautiful is that cross which brings this hope.
How beautiful is the glory of the Resurrection that brings us new life.
How beautiful is the bride of Christ, sent to all the nations.
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