EAT THE CHOCOLATE!
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.’”- Luke 6:36-37
On the first Sunday of Lent, the pastor of the parish I attend began his homily with, “Eat the chocolate.” Not what was expected. He explained that while the traditional Lenten practice of giving up sweets can be a worthy sacrifice reimagining a fresh approach for Lent this year might deepen our relationship with God as well as family and friends which in the end brings us closer to God.
I wholeheartedly agreed. As an overweight child I succumbed to an eating disorder as a teenager and young adult. The traditions of fasting and abstaining are practices I avoid after living for too many years fasting and abstaining for the wrong reasons.
At the beginning of Lent my sister, an Episcopal priest, and I had a conversation about what we might do during Lent that would bring us to a place of peace at Easter, a place closer to Jesus. Independently, we each concluded that living in an intentionally loving manner with everyone we met seemed a reasonable practice. We agreed that loving our neighbor, giving them the benefit of the doubt, particularly when the neighbor annoyed us, would be a practice that would be a good practice for Lent.
Oh, how naïve we were. In this age where civility is challenged in a way as never before I realized how influenced we are by our culture. It takes far more energy to view people we question in a positive light than to dismiss them as either bad or crazy.
In today’s gospel, Luke reminds me that Jesus calls me to stop judging and condemning. Jesus calls me to forgive and ultimately to be merciful with everyone. All of this is far more difficult than giving up anything and each day the effort must be renewed. Some days I can pray at the end of the day saying I did it and other days I cannot say that. Lent is a journey, another journey that leads us closer to our God one small step at a time.
Who do you judge? Who do you condemn? How can judgment or condemnation be turned into the mercy Jesus calls asks?
Anne Hansen