Father John Cusick, ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1970, is the Director of Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese. He is responsible for the Church’s outreach to women and men in their twenties and thirties, married and single. The Young Adult Ministry Office and his residence are at Old St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Chicago.
That question was asked of me on Ash Wednesday evening during a conversation with a friend of mine. I paused for what seemed to be a long time before I responded. And when I did, I did not answer the question directly. I replied, “For me, it is not giving up stuff for Lent. It is ‘What do I want to do for Lent?’”
I paused and hesitated before responding because “What did you give up for Lent?” seemed so Catholic. “Oh, it’s Lent. I will give up drinking for Lent. Or I will give up desserts, or sweets, pizza or pop.” It’s the Catholic thing: giving up something for Lent.
However, “What do I want to do for Lent?” is a much more challenging question. What do I want to do for Lent? I want to be a better person, that’s what. And in order make that goal a reality, there is no doubt that I will have to give up some things.
If I want to be a better person, I have to be more conscious with what I put in my mouth and give up some stuff that is less than healthy.
If I want to be a better person, I have to be conscious of what comes out of my mouth and “give up” some language and behavior that is far less than my best.
If I want to be a better person, I have to be conscious of what I see with my eyes and be more aware of the everyday events that will give me insights and new learnings. I have to give up judging in order to do more seeing.
If I want to be a better person, then I have to take time to reflect on what is important, then find a way to make important things real. I have to give up the little stuff that takes up so much of my time and worrying.
If I want to be a better person as a result of Lent, then I need to pray (practice the presence of God) on a more consistent basis. I need to raise to my consciousness the activity of God that surrounds me all the time.
If I simply give up alcohol, desserts, sweets, pop or pizza, there is a good chance that really nothing has changed. And Lent is all about change and growth.
But something is missing here. I think it is the reason “why” we do anything different during Lent. This is a time of the year that is built on Faith. It is really a very spiritual time of the year.
Why do I want to be better person? Why do I (and hopefully you) choose to behave differently this time of the year? The answer is two words: Jesus Christ.
With varying degrees of intensity, we call ourselves Catholic or Christian. We might even waffle a bit and say we were raised Catholic. Whatever we call ourselves, we have some relationship to Christ. That being said and that being so, we believe that the life and behavior and actions of Christ are the goals to achieve in our own lives. The way of Christ is the goal we wish for ourselves.
I paused and hesitated before responding because “What did you give up for Lent?” seemed so Catholic. “Oh, it’s Lent. I will give up drinking for Lent. Or I will give up desserts, or sweets, pizza or pop.” It’s the Catholic thing: giving up something for Lent.
However, “What do I want to do for Lent?” is a much more challenging question. What do I want to do for Lent? I want to be a better person, that’s what. And in order make that goal a reality, there is no doubt that I will have to give up some things.
If I want to be a better person, I have to be more conscious with what I put in my mouth and give up some stuff that is less than healthy.
If I want to be a better person, I have to be conscious of what comes out of my mouth and “give up” some language and behavior that is far less than my best.
If I want to be a better person, I have to be conscious of what I see with my eyes and be more aware of the everyday events that will give me insights and new learnings. I have to give up judging in order to do more seeing.
If I want to be a better person, then I have to take time to reflect on what is important, then find a way to make important things real. I have to give up the little stuff that takes up so much of my time and worrying.
If I want to be a better person as a result of Lent, then I need to pray (practice the presence of God) on a more consistent basis. I need to raise to my consciousness the activity of God that surrounds me all the time.
If I simply give up alcohol, desserts, sweets, pop or pizza, there is a good chance that really nothing has changed. And Lent is all about change and growth.
But something is missing here. I think it is the reason “why” we do anything different during Lent. This is a time of the year that is built on Faith. It is really a very spiritual time of the year.
Why do I want to be better person? Why do I (and hopefully you) choose to behave differently this time of the year? The answer is two words: Jesus Christ.
With varying degrees of intensity, we call ourselves Catholic or Christian. We might even waffle a bit and say we were raised Catholic. Whatever we call ourselves, we have some relationship to Christ. That being said and that being so, we believe that the life and behavior and actions of Christ are the goals to achieve in our own lives. The way of Christ is the goal we wish for ourselves.
What did you give up for Lent? To be honest, I am hoping to give up some parts of life (very slowly!) that stifle my growth, slow down my faith and hold me back for shaping my life as a better follower of Christ.
So on this TGIF Lenten day, take some time. Practice the presence of God. Reflect with your eyes wide open and for this one day “give up” a thing or two that is less than Christ would be. Let’s give it a try!
Have a good weekend!
Fr. John Cusick
Here, here. I posed that question to my Sunday school students and have been asking for the past weeks (I teach fifth and sixth grade combined), and they really struggled with figuring out something to do to deepen their relationship with God. In the end, many of them promised to pray. A few students challenged themselves to take actions based on the Beatitudes, like being peacemakers or being more humble.
ReplyDeleteI actually struggled myself as I taught these units to my students. In the end, I decided to consume in moderation and to meditate more. These two things have been an ever-growing challenge now that I am a mom. And of course, I promised myself (I mean to God) to reflect on the scripture. The funny thing is that my first inclination was to do something selfish, like write every day. I’m not saying the right kind of writing can’t deepen your relationship with God, but that wasn’t the writing I was going to practice. I guess my point is that sometimes we can rationalize doing something because we want to do it in the guise of serving God (like, being vegetarian to sacrifice AND lose weight, when the goal is to shed pounds).
So here’s to another Lent, where my desire is to do what to Lord wants to grow closer to Him, not because it’s convenient or easy but because it’s long overdue.
Thank you Father Cusick for your reflections. I am a Catholic in Portland, Maine. My fiance is going through the RCIA program to be confirmed and I am her sponsor. I gave up alcohol for Lent and was thinking as Easter is only a few days away now, what's next? What am I going to do now? Your reflections helped answer that for me. Thanks again and Happy Easter!
ReplyDeletePatrick