Before the industrialization of education, the main means of learning was by finding a master who would teach you. Most masters or teachers in history did not have massive classes with multiple subjects but had a core group whom they instructed in those subjects they knew by heart: whether martial arts or philosophy or religion. The student would spend years with the teacher, going through the various exercises and rigors necessary, until he was acknowledged as an equal by the master. This is not just something that happened long ago with the knights or the samurai or whatever group you may think of; it still happens and must happen now for all who follow Christ the divine Master.
We must not regard Jesus as some historical figure who has some wisdom to hand down to us through the ages. Rather, Jesus is the divine Master really alive and still teaching us how to live our lives, and what our priority should be. Jesus teaches us not merely by His words but by the supreme example He gives in His earthly life, demonstrating His teachings so that we can follow and be equal to Him. He is the good tree which produces much fruit, and we must be grafted on to Him if we are to be good as well.
What is the greatest example which our Master or our Teacher gives to us? He shows us how and why to suffer. If the latest news about the war in the Ukraine should awaken us to anything, it is that suffering is not so far away from us who live in the comforts of the modern world. If anything, we are increasing that suffering or switching it from the merely physical to the psychological or spiritual, which can have a far deeper impact and hurt worse than anything physical. God the Son opens Himself up to this suffering by taking on our flesh, by becoming Jesus, by joining us in this valley of tears. He teaches us that we must suffer well if we are to share in His victory over sin, over Satan, and over death. Only through suffering may we become capable of bearing good fruit.
But how can we suffer well? We do it first by embracing the sufferings that come our way in our daily lives. We do not have to go far to experience this, even if we may not be suffering physically like so many in the war-torn or impoverished places of the world. We will suffer because we are hated by people who hate Christ or His Church; we will suffer from the sins of others; we will suffer even from our own sins. It is in the acceptance of these sufferings that we will begin to see the beam removed from our eye so that we may begin to be capable of pulling the splinter from our brother’s eye.
Yet we must follow the divine Master’s example by not only accepting the sufferings that come to us just as the Cross came to Him. We must also embrace some sufferings of our own. We will hear in next week’s Gospel the account of the journey of Jesus in the desert for 40 days and nights. In that time, He willingly fasted and prayed. Not only that, but Jesus often accepted additional fasts or times of prayer and penance. How can we say we are above the Master when He willingly fasted so much or prayed so often and we do not do the same?
Our age is an age of comfort and luxury, far more than any other age before it. Our country has one of the highest rates of obesity and sickness from obesity in the entire world, and it does not affect merely the rich. Even with the sharp rates of inflation in the past few months, we can still find food all too easily and cheaply. If there is great danger of damaging our bodies from all this excess, is it not so surprising that our souls would be just as damaged in our gluttony? When our stomachs are too full, our hearts are too congested to rise up to God in prayer and thanksgiving.
This is why the Church calls us to fast in the holy season of Lent. Beginning with our mandatory fast and abstinence this Wednesday, we are meant to join ourselves in voluntary suffering with Christ in order to follow the teachings and example of our good Master. We are required as Catholics to fast from food on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, along with abstaining from meat on every Friday of Lent. This is the minimum we are mandated to do, but we should willing do more than that. If Jesus gave everything on the Cross for us, then we can give up some more food beyond those two days. If the Master suffered so much in being scourged and whipped and cursed at and crucified, then we too can suffer in giving up meat on more days than Fridays.
“From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks,” says the Lord. He also says, “By their fruits, you will know them.” Shall we embrace the path of the Master and accept the sufferings of Lent in union with Him, or shall we grumble that we must do so little? Shall we open our hearts to be transformed not just by fasting but also prayer and almsgiving so as to become the good trees producing good fruit, or shall we remain the rotten tree that remains fruitless and only worth being thrown into the fire? May the divine Master help us to remove the beam of sin from our eyes so that we may see and follow His holy example, not just through this Lent, but through the Lent of life, so that we may be worthy of joining Him in that eternal Easter where suffering shall be no more, and where we shall celebrate the victory of Christ over death, knowing that our labor here below was not in vain.
BONUS: BULLETIN ARTICLE
FROM THE PASTOR – FASTING & ABSTINENCE
This coming week sees the start of Lent with Ash Wednesday. “Again we keep this solemn fast,” as the famous hymn begins. We begin this solemn season with the usual fasting and abstinence (see the table below). Yet this is not the only way that we can fast or abstain in this penitential time. Here are some other ideas to help you more properly observe this season.
· ADDITIONAL DAYS—Besides the mandated days of fasting and abstinence (see below), we ought to willing practice these acts on other days. The traditional days of penance are Wednesdays and Fridays. We could do more fasting on those days or more abstinence.
· SWEETS—While this has been the classic example done by children, we can and should seriously abstain from sweets in Lent. The intentional self-denial of that which is pleasing to us reminds us that our true sweetness and joy are found in God and not in the things of this life. Not only ought we to give up sweets, but we should even be willing to take on some more bitter or less pleasing foods, or not use as many spices or condiments to make something tasteful to our tongue.
· ENTERTAINMENT—We should abstain from the multitude of media which entertains us, and give that time instead to growing closer to God. Instead of the TV or the computer or the devices, spend that time in prayer or sacred reading, or go out and do some act of almsgiving.
· MATERIAL GOODS—This is the time of year for spring cleaning. We should clean out our closets not merely with the mindset of what haven’t I worn or used in a while, but whether I can get along without this thing. Let’s be honest: most of us have more than we need, and we can afford to give to others.
This is the time to grow in God and to become holy. Let us take up the practices of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting to increase in the Lord. Let us not merely complete the minimum but strive to become all we can be, so that our earthly Lent may prepare us for the eternal Easter.
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