First Week of Lent

Lenten reflection:

Lent offers a time to confront the central claim of Christianity that Jesus was raised from the dead and offered the world a different vision, a vision that has inspired countless men and women to throw everything away to follow him.  Lent is a time to eschew the shallow Christianity that offers a saccharine and sanitized faith that doesn’t challenge us to live the Gospel message with integrity and intentionality.

At the opening of the Jubilee Year dedicated to the virtue of Hope, Pope Francis observed that hope, “is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness.  Hope calls us – as Saint Augustine would say – to be upset with things that are wrong and to find courage to change them.”

Let’s not stand still this Lent.  Let’s contemplate the challenge of the Gospel, especially the always challenging parable of the Good Samaritan and take advantage of the disciplines of Lent – fasting, almsgiving and prayer – to soften our hearts and open our arms for our sisters and brothers in need.

Brother Robert Schaefer, FSC, B.A. ’89, M.A. ’94
Visitor
District of Eastern North America

Looking at the art:

Balassi has depicted the iconic scene recounted in John’s Gospel where Mary Magdalene approaches the empty tomb and finds the risen Jesus whom she had thought to be the gardener. As she draws close to see if it’s really the one they recently crucified, Jesus recoils telling her not to touch him. The scene has been portrayed in Christian art from the third century to the present. Here Balassi endows it with typical Italian Baroque characteristics, namely arrested action and chiaroscuro, which highlights the contrast between dark and light. Set against a dark background, dim light shines on Jesus’s body while brighter light shines on Mary’s face and particularly on her sleeve as she gestures toward him. The hands and Jesus’s flowing robes suggest stopped action across the diagonal of the canvas. Additionally, the two figures are carefully contrasted by the different colors of their robes, Jesus in blue and Mary in red with muted brown, thus separating the two figures and countering even a visual touch between them.

Reflection

It may seem strange to start a series of Lenten Reflections with a resurrection appearance.  The idea of starting with a resurrection appearance highlights the inseparable connection between death and resurrection, reminding us that renewal and transformation often come through letting go of the familiar.

The command that Mary receives from Jesus Noli Me Tangere (Do not touch me) in the Greek is closer to “Cease clinging to me.” The phrase “Cease clinging to me” resonates deeply, suggesting that our spiritual growth requires us to release our hold on past experiences and comfort zones. This can indeed be challenging, but it’s through this process that we open ourselves to new insights and deeper relationships with Jesus. Lent calls us to renew our relationship with Jesus in anticipation of the great feast of Easter.  Each year i approach Easter with a full year of experiences that I did not have last Easter.  Those experiences should lead me to examine how my relationship with Jesus is changing and what I need to let go of so that some new insight or image can take root.  Letting go is always difficult.  It is always easier to cling to what I am comfortable with than to move toward something that may not be as safe, that may require something from me.

As I approach Easter with a year’s worth of new experiences, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how these have shaped my faith and what I might need to release to embrace the renewal that the Resurrection offers. It’s a journey of trust and courage, moving towards something greater and more profound. But to experience the Resurrection I really don’t have any choice.