Yesterday in my faith reflection, I observed that this Lent 2020 could easily be remembered as “Extreme Makeover: World Edition.” Lent began with the words from Ash Wednesday, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” These are words of conversion, an extreme makeover. We are to repent of our sins and believe in the mercy of God.

Pope Francis said last Friday evening in his special blessing for the world, this is “a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with the Lord and with others.” https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-03/urbi-et-orbi-pope-coronavirus-prayer-blessing.html 

The Church gives us practices to get our lives back on track with the Lord and with others: pray, fast, give alms. 

For prayer, we can binge pray all four mysteries of the rosary, watch daily Mass, and reflect on the scriptures for daily Mass. 

Fasting is always difficult in the United States of Consumption, especially when we are staying-at-home 24/7 with the refrigerator, but in fasting, we unite ourselves to the Lord on the cross and with those who suffer, it’s that powerful. Fast. 

We give alms. In the past two weeks in response to the explosion of need, Nativity has given thousands of dollars to Shepherds Hope (free medical clinics), Pathways of Care transition facility for veterans, and The Sharing Center for food pantry and assistance. Our parish Lent project is the Life Choices Medical Clinic for crisis pregnancies, more on that tomorrow. Their clients in best of times struggle. Now they are desperate, and millions have lost their jobs and need help. Fear hoards toilet paper. Fear hoards money. Fear cannot give. But hope can. Thank you for giving alms to those in need thank you for your witness to hope.

We pray, fast, give alms, to get back on track with the Lord and others.

Even as we repent of our self-sufficient self-determining ways, we believe the gospel. Christ suffered and died to set us free from sin. Just as the virus causes physical suffering and even death, sin causes spiritual suffering and even death. In his passion and death he won the victory over sin the root cause of death. We celebrate his victory in a special way on Palm Sunday tomorrow and during Holy Week.

Pope Francis last Friday said to trust in the Lord even in the midst of this pandemic. The Lord ‘will not leave us at the mercy of the storm.’ St. Peter himself says, ‘Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:7).

Many speculate what good will come out of this pandemic. You might get to know your neighbor by name. More time with family and less hours at work might re-balance how we spend our time. The pandemic has revealed that we have plenty of bullets but not enough face masks or ventilators. The month of March for Central Florida was the hottest March on record, seven degrees hotter than normal, and at the same time the driest March on record. We have made our planet sick yet expect to remain healthy? 

We who see with eyes of faith see much more than tweaks to our lifestyle or even social change for the least. We see people being freed from fear and anxiety, even free from fear of dying and death, for the only thing to fear is for our soul, and Christ has won the victory over sin and death to save our souls.

What we see is not a fantasy future. What we see and proclaim is here and now. Christ has won the victory. Christ has redeemed the world. The Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world and grants us peace. He is the resurrection and the life. This is what we celebrate every Sunday, this is what happens at the altar every time we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection for the life of the world.

Blessed Lent,

Father David