A reflection on the halfway point of lent

We have now reached the halfway point of our Lenten journey and hopefully we are continuing to be reminded of the amazing love and sacrifice our Lord God has set before us. To me, I find his love and grace in the most interesting times and places. St. Augustine’s words which are on my office door allow me to reflect more deeply of God’s love as well. Augustine wrote, “Late have I loved you. O Beauty ever ancient ever new, late have I loved you.”[1] It is interesting that these words call for reflection and tie in so nicely to today’s Gospel passage, and for that matter, almost all scripture as well. We hear the famous line in today’s Gospel from John which we see at sporting events (in the end zones) and many other places as well. We hear “Jesus (say) to Nicodemus…For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”[2] What an amazing gift of love, grace, and mercy we receive from our Creator. God loves us so much and yet we continue to freely keep this love at arm’s length only allowing glimpses of his love to illuminate our hearts. This is where I find St. Augustine’s words to come into play, at least for me. He is realizing, as most of us are, the beauty and gift of the love of God to each of us. As our Lenten journey continues over the next few week and as we continue our preparations for the Sacred Triduum, leading to the Great Vigil, and ultimately to Easter Sunday. Let’s challenge ourselves to be open to the guiding of the Holy Spirit and better prepare our hearts to experience our Holy Week and to be led to our Easter, in this time, and in this place. Let us remember, St. Augustine’s additional words and his treatise on the love that God for us. He wrote, “The Lord has marked out for us the fullness of love that we ought to have for each other. He tells us: No one has greater love than the man who lays down his life for his friends. In these words, the Lord tells us what the perfect love we should have for one another involves sacrifice.” [3]We see the sacrifice all around us, but most importantly we see the sacrifice God make for us in the Lord’s Passion and Death. Should we not be more willing to sacrifice for those we encounter?

Reflecting and praying on today’s scripture, there were many directions my heart was leading me. Is this not the way for so many of us? One of the big ones is: How can we go from celebrating and welcoming Jesus to leading him to the cross in such a short time? This is where true discernment can happen. We can pray and truly discern where we are being called and guided to better love and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are given so many options in our world, and yet it seems we cannot choose. The Lord is guiding us to choose to better love and have mercy on others. He is calling each of us by name and gently guiding out hearts to love and forgiveness. Live as the Lord God teaches us. “As Christ laid down his life for us, so we in our turn ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”[4] Over the past few years, we have come to experience the world quite differently. Thankfully, we are in a time where we can still connect with others from all over the world. We have been able to pray with others and feel the struggles of our neighbors locally as well as across the world. We may have experienced more care and compassion from others, but we have also hopefully, been more compassionate and caring to others too. Are we truly sacrificing ourselves for our brethren? If not, why not?

In the Gospel according to John, we hear that Jesus was troubled because he knew his Passion; his time to redeem us all, was coming soon. We hear the savior for all humanity knew he would be betrayed and then handed over to the authorities. Jesus sent Judas forth “and it was night.”[5] This line has always stood out and resounded with me. Notice it says “it was”, not it is or anything to that effect. Here we have Jesus “the light of the world” preparing to enter into the darkness of our humanity. “The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, the darkness of our sinfulness, our selfishness, but the Lord is a Lord of mercy and he will reconcile our shortcomings with the Father.”[6]

There is an ancient Homily that shows up every year on Holy Saturday in the Office of Readings, which I quote, and continually pray and reflect on. It is so beautiful and begins, “Something strange is happening-there is great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness…He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep…he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him victory…He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” [7] This is our calling to awake from the slumber in our hearts and to rise with Christ who redeems us all. I feel like this is why we too are called to reach out to others and allow them to be lifted up into the glorious light, which the Lord opens to us to illuminate our very beings.

Perhaps, many of us are still going in various directions and it is necessary for us to enter the night of this Lent. It is a calling for us to reevaluate our priorities. I find additional comfort in Isaiah’s words, during this, our dark time that is leading us to our Calvary. In Isaiah we hear, “Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God.”[8] My prayer for each of us is that we are able to love and serve one another and know God is guiding us and he is a merciful and loving God who is calling each of us home. He chose the cross so we might live. No greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Let us continue to remember that we are God’s chosen ones from the beginning and we are his friends.

Author: Deacon Chris Knight, Campus Ministry

[1] St Augustine, Confessions, Book 10, Ch. 27.
[2] John 3:16, Brackets mine
[3] St. Augustine, Treatise on love
[4] St. Augustine, Treatise on love
[5] Jn 13:30b
[6] John 3:19
[7] LoH Office of Readings Holy Saturday
[8] Is 49:4