A man, walking through the forest, saw a fox that had lost its legs. He wondered how it survived. He then saw a tiger with game in its mouth. The tiger had its fill and left the rest of the meat for the fox.   The next day, God fed the fox by means of the same tiger. The man began to marvel at God’s goodness and decided that he too would rest in the corner of the forest and trust that the Lord would provide what he needed. He did so for many days, but nothing happened until the poor man was famished and near death. Then he heard a voice say to him, “Open your eyes to the truth. Follow the path of the tiger, not the disabled fox.”

The meaning…On the street I saw a small girl cold and shivering in a thin dress, with little hope of a decent meal. I became angry and said to God, “Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about it?”   For a while, God said nothing. That night, as I prayed, he replied.  “I certainly did do something about it. I made you.”

The application…Lent is the time we focus on the sins and failings of our lives. There is much that needs changed in our world. There are many injustices and much suffering and pain. Yet, the true purpose of the season is not simply to be aware of these sins in the world and in ourselves; the true goal is to change. We are not called to be mere observers of God’s plan.   One cannot love while sitting on the sidelines.  Is the darkness of our world caused by God’s unfairness?  Or does the true darkness come from our unwillingness to participate as God desires?