LENT: FASTING FROM CHOCOLATE, AND...

   Many of us give up chocolate for Lent.  This is a good traditional way to make a little sacrifice in preparation for Easter Sunday. Then, when we celebrate Jesus's resurrection from the dead we will also celebrate our own rising from our sins and weakness in the grace of the risen Jesus.  I would like to call our attention especially to the weakness of indifference to those we should care about every day.

   First a note:  Up to now, this blog has been read by people from 96 countries.  That's half the countries in the world!  My sincere thanks to everyone of you.  You elate my spirit every day!  My thoughts in this post will apply particularly to my American culture, with the trust that those of you around the world will apply what I suggest to your own culture.

   How about adding to our chocolate "sacrifice" by reaching out to a Muslim woman in the supermarket and saying to her that she enriches our country and our American soul, and wishing her peace?  How about smiling at a couple who have a baby or young children and wishing God's blessing upon them.  How about smiling at young people, no matter how they are dressed, and telling them they are beautiful both externally and internally, and wishing them great success in their studies and lives?

   How about getting actively involved in our government by contacting our legislators and saying strongly and respectfully that we fully expect them to vote for justice and peace for all people, with a special option for the poor, sick, vulnerable and outcast.  If they have acted well, let us thank them and encourage them to continue doing positive things for all the people.  If they have acted against justice and peace for all, let's tell them strongly and respectfully that they are not doing what they were elected to do. If they are afraid of not being reelected, let's ask them what good they expect to do while in office.

   And let us point out to our legislators that there are far too many people around the world who cannot approach their political leaders as we do, and urge them to do all that they can to bring such blessed freedom to all others.

   Many of us Americans have friends all over the country and even abroad but don't really know our neighbors.  To be Catholic is to be committed to wholeness.  A good Lenten "sacrifice" is to get to know our neighbors better, especially those who are needy.  And to work to make our neighborhood more friendly, and where necessary, more safe.  

   We Catholics are the People of Christ, our Savior who showed us how we should live our lives every day of the year.  So along with giving up chocolate for Lent, let us use Lent to remember anew that we are Catholics every day and every season of the year. 


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2019 EXPANDING OUR CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS

    Imagine what Jesus was conscious of when he looked around at the world.

   Being divine, he saw the world the way God sees it.  Being human, he saw the world the way we see it--or ought to see it.  He saw divinity present within everyone and everything.  Divinity-within-the-world is the Christ Reality, or the Christ.  So in a special way, Jesus, the Christ, saw himself.  And he saw everyone and everything as images of him.

    In the glow of the global Christ Reality, Jesus saw the world filled with creative, healing, and world-transforming, world-evolving love.  He saw love flowing into everyone in the form of  their vocations, i.e., in the form of their personal talents, opportunities and possibilities for moving the world forward toward becoming the Kingdom of God on earth.

   He saw wondrous possibilities in every child:  in their loving family, their good school, their job and career possibilities, their social possibilities, etc.  He saw the same possibilities in every adult.  Today, he looks at us and weeps for the way our possibilities are being curtailed or even destroyed by a disintegrating family life, poor education, dissipating social life, lack of  leadership, greedy handling of the economy, indifference toward climate change, etc.  He cries over those who have fallen into the despair of addiction and crime.  He sees in everyone and everything what could be if we cooperated with the grace he is giving us every moment, and the strength to act upon our grace.  The world can be changed, however little, for the better.  But God will not do it without us.    God will do it only with us.  

   In his life on earth, Jesus put his love-consciousness into action.  Everything he did--every lesson he taught, every blessing he gave, every person he fed, ever person he healed, every opportunity he had, big or small, he took advantage of.  All were acts of his overflowing love.

   What he did was his way of teaching us what we can and should do, in our own way, throughout our lives.  So now is a good time to resolve to work to develop ever more clearly the love-consciousness that we have from him.  We can resolve to relate to everyone we know and meet within our consciousness of love.

   With our Christ-consciousness, for example, we can figure out how to relate to family members with whom we disagree, to be calm and clear with our fellow citizens who strongly oppose us in today's dehumanized political swamp, and to treat with love all people who are poor, sick, vulnerable or outcast.  We must also do our part to understand those who want to harm us and our country.  In sum, we must put on the mind of Christ.  With Jesus as our guide, we must get actively engaged in our family and society to bring the creative, healing and world-transforming consciousness of love wherever we are able.

   Leadership, of course, is difficult.  Jesus suffered opposition from some of his own people and worst of all from the Romans, who crucified him for the political "crime" of being "King of the Jews."   Pilate in his spiritual blindness could not see that Jesus was King of All Kings.

   As I said above, the great problems of our day are at heart, spiritual problems, problems with our lack of Christ's love-consciousness.  So many of our leaders in politics, religion, business, education, science, entertainment, etc., are prone to shrink their consciousness from the bright fullness of order, peace, love and the true joy of life to the puny humanly destructive, dark emptiness of greed and uncaring.  In Christ we cannot permit our politics, education, corporations, etc., to be inhuman.  In Christ we can and must work to make the world more human                  

   The least we can do is to question our political, religious, education and professional leaders and ask them to explain what they are doing to help elevate our humanity and where necessary, humbly work to correct its faults through knowledge, peace and love.  Those of us who are qualified should offer insights as to how to expand the love-consciousness of those in the various fields, so they can bring greater understanding, order, peace and love to their fields.  Doctors treat people, not medical cases; politicians serve the people, not their own careers; teachers teach people, not math, science, etc., corporations serve the people while making a fair profit and protecting the environment, etc.  Those in charge may and often will resist.  We must call upon our strength in Christ and persevere in working to bring more order, truth, peace and love to our society.  In this way we build up the Kingdom of God on earth, which is within us now and needs to be nourished and constantly built up.    

   May 2019 be a year when we expand and clarify our own Christ-consciousness so we can bring ever more love-consciousness to our society and grow in love and charity that will be with us here and in eternity.

Comments:  massimini7@gmail.com