In merciful God’s court, everyone gets ‘probation’

Well, the sentence is in: “We’ve all been found guilty of sin.” But the Judge is clement — in fact, he is merciful. While we deserve a much more harsh punishment for our transgressions against his Laws — God has given us another chance to make things right. We are on probation for six weeks — 40 some days in which we, through prayer, fasting and charity, are called to turn our lives around for the better. We are to refrain from sinning and seek holiness wherever we can. We are to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel, which is to say, we are to be faithful to the Good News of God’s love made incarnate in Jesus.

To be faithful to Jesus is no easy task — after all, we are fueled by the way society has conditioned us. We have been shaped by people who tell us that we should only look out for ourselves. Or, we should do whatever it takes to get ahead. Society tells us that we should place our needs before those who surround us. Well, to be faithful to Jesus requires a complete “about-face” and a stance which is, to say the least, counter-cultural. Now, we have to focus on others. Now, we have to be other-centered. We have to put the needs of others before our own, which is the meaning of “service.” We have to incorporate into our daily lives all those things which come with Gospel: The Beatitudes, the Law of the Gospel which is Love of God and Love of Neighbor. We have to put into practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

This season of Lent invites us to meditate on the price paid for our redemption, our ransom from the separation of God that we effected from turning our backs on him. The key to Lent is repentance. To repent is to change whatever needs to be changed in order to become more like Jesus. How do we do this? Here are a few ideas.

We might wish to prayerfully read the Scriptures, the writings of the early Church Fathers, the lives of the Saints. Other means of repentance include meditating on the Stations of the Cross. One of my favorite Lenten practices is to pray daily the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. We should make an effort to seek out the sacrament of confession to atone for our sins. And, while we are in church, perhaps we could take some time to adore the Blessed Sacrament.

If we cannot attend daily Mass, we should make an effort to return to Sunday Mass, which is better than watching it on television or a computer because we must be physically present in church to receive the Eucharist, the Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life. Like Catholics before us, we should approach the altar for spiritual nutrition and communion with God, two beautiful graces that accompany our reception of the Eucharist.

Repentance is the heart of Lent. During these six weeks, let us make an effort to refrain from things that we like in order to show that we are not slaves to things but to Christ alone. Yes, the influx of grace and the cooperation of free-will, can change us, as individuals and as Church, for the better, which  fulfills our quest of repentance.

God’s sentencing us to six weeks of probation is a gift. He bestows this sentence on all the living as a “second chance,” right what is wrong and attain holiness so that we can be once more in good standing with God. This is truly righteousness! We tasted the fruit of this grace in our baptism. Let us return to the font of our youth and convince our Judge, God the Father, that His mercy, this sentence, is not a waste of time, or an exercise in futility, but an opportunity to appreciate the redemption wrought by the suffering, death and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ.

Now is the time for repentance. Now is the time to turn back to the God who judged us guilty of sin but redeemable in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.

Father Comandini is managing editor of “The Catholic Spirit”