Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Many things strike me from today’s readings. For instance, the visual imagery the reading describes when we turn to God. Our life will be like light rising in the darkness. We will be like a watered garden that has for its water source a spring that never ends. Our life will be like ancient ruins that are rebuilt.
However, what stands out to me the most is the second paragraph for the first reading. God calls us to keep the Sabbath day holy by not being preoccupied with our own interests. That is difficult to do in our culture. It seems that there is always something to do and somewhere to be. Sunday is often treated as a day off work to do other things. Some people work on Sunday. Many events that are not Mass end up being scheduled on Sunday. But what would happen if we reserve that day for God? Lent after all is a time of repentance, turning back to God. Perhaps we can find a Lenten practice in making Sunday (or another day in the week) all about God.
Lent is also about intentionality like in making the Sabbath day holy and a day of rest. I see this in today’s Gospel. When Jesus called Levi to follow him, we didn't read about any dialogue between the two of them. Nonetheless, it is remarkable to me that Levi left everything behind to follow Jesus. Doing so must have taken some conscious effort as he probably had many possessions. In a sense, we learn that turning to God requires leaving behind our own interests, pursuits, and habits that hold us back from following Jesus. Then we can truly delight in God and God can delight in us. Who says that Lent has to be a season of sadness? May you find joy in God this Lent.
-Sr. Emily Sandoval, FMI