Msgr. Beaulieu – Paths of Amendment

Three Paths of Amendment

During the fifth week, the first reading involves incidents: the accusation against Susanna, a healing image lifted up in the desert, the three faithful witnesses who survive the fiery furnace, the account of God’s covenant with Abram, Jeremiah’s fearful trust in the midst of the plot against him, and Ezekiel’s incredible vision of a restoration of the nation – that God will make a new and everlasting covenant. Each of these readings is matched with a gospel passage from Saint John.

Daily, you will hear about witnesses, testimony and judgment, about the Lord’s being lifted up both on the cross and in glory, about the freedom or the liberation Jesus came to bring, about Himself as the fulfillment of God’s covenant, the new and everlasting covenant. You can also sense the opposition rising against Him. Then, as you grow in devotion and grace, gradually, you come to realize that all that happens is “for you or, better yet, for me.”

During the days of this fifth week of Lent, do three things: (1) bend your knee while praying for the gift of humility; (2) mend your heart by turning away from selfishness and egotism; and (3) lend your hands by embracing Christians attitudes of almsgiving.

Gift of Humility

In the film Amadeus, Mozart famously brushes off humility and refers to it as the “little cousin of mediocrity.” The kind of humility Christians are to embrace differs greatly from that. Pope Francis grounds our call to humility in Jesus’ willingness to leave “his heavenly glory in order to come among us: he ‘fell to earth’” and, on top of that, to allow “himself to be split open by death as a seed lets itself split open under the ground” (General Audience, 12 April 2017). There is nothing mediocre about this kind of humility. It reminds us that “true humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less”.

Mend the heart: Turn Away from Selfishness

In the eyes of the world, those who pursue their own self-interest may be winners, yet in the eyes of God, they “swell with pride and lose.” And while those who are ready to serve others may be losers in the eyes of the world, they follow God’s will, which makes them winners in the eyes of God according to Pope Francis. When we choose to follow Jesus, we gradually discover that the successful way of life is that of the seed that dies, which is the way of humble love and “only this bears fruit.” This radical choice to embrace death to self, of course, requires a major change of heart, which we know is necessary yet difficult. We need to be willing to let go of all that we cling to, because the more we have and the more we want, the more difficult it will be to become the seed that needs to die to give life. One small step during Lent could be to ponder in our heart the challenging words of Jesus, “He who loves his life loses it” (Jn 12:25).

Embrace Christian Attitudes

Our world is facing many difficulties, and sometimes we may be tempted by despair. As Christians, we believe that the world can be changed. As a matter of fact, it is our mission to change the world. This can only happen by changing the hearts of people one at a time. The best way to change people’s hearts is to show them love as Jesus did. Pope Francis aptly observed that “it is lovely to help others, to serve others.” However, he is also very realistic in that it is not always easy, and we may get tired! Nevertheless, to serve others as the Christian way of life, doing so will fill one’s heart “with joy and hope.” He further bemoans the fact that “we have lost the joy that comes from caring genuinely about others” and he asks that we rediscover the beauty of caring for others rather than just thinking of ourselves. Those who serve others become “seeds of hope for the world.”

Excerpted from http://www.mary.org. Johan van Parys, PhD. “The Fifth Week of Lent: Paving the Path to Salvation.” 14 March 2024