|
Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary-
Homilies |
"Lent: God's Renewing
Breath of Life in Us"
Homily for the
1st Sunday of Lent
Fr. Jonathan L. Reardon
13 March 2011
Year A
When I was a
kid, I had terrible asthma. In fact, I still suffer from it now
but not as bad as I did back then. I remember going through
multiple inhalers, breathing treatments, trips to the emergency
room and so on. I remember one incident in particular when I was
about 12 or 13 years old. I was playing golf with a friend and
doing fine, keeping pace with him, and playing well. About the
fourth hole he noticed that I started to slow down and kept
waiting for me. By the time we reached the fifth green, I
couldn’t breathe. He ran to the clubhouse and the pro came with
a cart. We went inside. The pro asked me where I kept my inhaler
and he would get it out of my bag. I didn’t have it with me – I
didn’t think I needed it. I had to call home but no one was
there. Finally, I called my uncle who went to my house, got my
inhaler and rushed to the course. The minutes that passed in
clubhouse while waiting for my uncle felt like a lifetime. The
feeling of not being able to breathe properly is one of the most
frightening things imaginable. Panic was setting in – which only
makes it worse – right about the time my uncle showed up with my
medication. Once he arrived, my mind was set at ease and as I
inhaled the medication, finally I was able to breathe again. It
certainly makes a person appreciate the simple act of breathing
and appreciate being able to breathe properly and with ease. In
moments like these, even at a young age, one can’t help but
think about how important breathing really is and how our lives
depend on it.
Just as
oxygen – and in my case medication as well – help us to breathe
and continue to live, in the same way, God breathes His life
into us. The Book of Genesis reminds us of this fact – not only
by breathing life into the human family at the dawn of time but
throughout our lives, He continues to breathe His divine life
within us. There are certainly many ways in which God breathes
His life into us. During the Season of Lent, it is good for us
to touch base with those means. First of all, we can truly say
that He does so by way of the spiritual discipline in which we
are engaged during these forty days – in giving alms: reaching
out to others, extending ourselves to help those in need; in
fasting: controlling our inordinate desires for food, practicing
moderation in eating in order to strengthen our spirit, overcome
temptation and become truly free in heart and soul, and finally
through prayer: in speaking to Him, communication with God in a
dialogue that deepens our love and devotion to Him. Prayer helps
us to stay connected to God, reminds us of our dependency on Him
and the need for forgiveness.
But yet,
there is still a more excellent way in which God breathes His
life into us and it is none other than through the Sacred
Liturgy – through the Sacraments of the Church, and in
particular the Holy Eucharist. Over the course of the next 8-9
months we will be speaking about and implementing some changes
that are being made to the words of the Mass. The structure,
rites, and gestures will not change – it will be the same Mass –
but some of the language will be different. These changes are
being made so that we can truly enter into a profound dialogue
with God in this act of worship – the true worship of God. Each
liturgical celebration – specifically the sacraments – brings
about a direct and real encounter with Jesus Christ – Our Lord
and God. The sacraments really make happen, by God’s grace, what
they say they will. They are a continuation of Christ’s mission
of salvation, each one culminating in the Eucharist. The Church
feels it necessary, then, to use language that is dignified and
profound. Thus, in order to experience fully the life that God
breathes into us through the mystery of the Eucharist, we must
first understand the nature of the Eucharist.
As a
sacrament, the Eucharist has a double aspect. It is a
remembering of an event and the making present of that same
event, though veiled in the form of bread and wine. The
Eucharist therefore, is a sacrifice, a presence, and a food.
That which is most familiar to us is the Eucharist as food –
food for the soul, the food that nourishes us spiritually. Thus,
the Eucharist brings about our union with Christ, separates us
from sin, unites us to the holiness of God Himself – giving us
strength of soul in order to continue our spiritual journey
through life until He calls us home to heaven. Thus, when we
receive Him, we receive the power of the Resurrection –
forgiveness of our venial sins, union with Christ in the here
and now, and are given a foretaste of the heavenly union with
Christ for which we long. Our Christian lives are fueled by this
food – in the celebration and reception of the Holy Eucharist,
Jesus not only breathes His life into us but we become Him. As
St. Augustine once commented – we consume Him so that we may be
consumed by Him.
During this Season of Lent, if we truly
wish to be renewed by God’s grace, to have Him breathe His life
into us in a new and profound way – then may we approach this
sacred act of worship in an attitude of receptivity, being more
attentive to the Word of God, in a true spirit of prayer and
gratitude, with ears able to hear Him speak to us, minds open to
better understand His teaching, and hearts open to His grace.
