Gratitude is the natural response to a gift. We see this particularly at Christmas or on birthdays when family and friends gather, and gifts are exchanged. We respond to these gifts with gratitude, words of thanks, hugs and kisses. No one, however, can surpass the gifts of God, the greatest of which we recall and celebrate at every mass - God’s gift of his one son. The Divine son who teaches us, that, ‘greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’. This gift breaks the chains of sin. This gift enables us to know the freedom of forgiveness in this life and to taste the peace and joy waiting for us in the next. God has given us great gifts and we should reflect on these and, as we do at Christmas or on a birthday, we should express our thanks. We have so much to be grateful for.
Now, as we begin our Lenten journey, it is time to make a greater gift of ourselves. Lent is a time to journey further and in a more purposeful way into the mystery of God by wondering off the well-worn worldly trail and into the foothills of holiness. During Lent, we are told to pray, fast and to give alms.
We commit to prayer. So often prayer time can become a checkbox item. But with a renewed sense of gift giving, we can place ourselves before God despite all the demands of our busy lives. We should begin our prayers with the attitude of gratitude and with words that say, “this time, these ten or twenty minutes, I give to you dear Father despite the distractions and inevitable interruptions. Time is a precious gift, and we only have so much of it, or so little of it. By giving God our time, we acknowledge him as Lord of our life and make clear that we place Him first.
We fast. Christ’s church asks so little of us; today and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence. And Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence. But should we strive for the minimum or should we do more? What other gifts of fasting can we offer? Perhaps we can fast from entertainment, the endless hours of TV, of sports, or YouTube? We can also fast from some of the usual activities of our day, by committing to daily mass, or to reading scripture, the lives of the saints, or other spiritual books. So, we pray, we fast.
We also perform works of love and charity, quietly and unseen by others. This can be gifts of money, gift cards for the needy, and so on. Having practiced giving our time to God, we now give time to our neighbor and to the stranger. A phone call to someone that needs to hear a friendly voice, a chance meeting with someone needing a friendly ear to really listen to them. Love is willing of the good of the other. During Lent we commit to seeing others in a new light and to love them. For what we do to the least of these we also do to our Lord.
Our Father has given all things to us including his one and only begotten son, our brother. We should consider this truth deeply. By reflecting on God’s gifts to each of us, we hopefully respond in gratitude and with a growing freedom to give more of ourselves. Our practices of prayer, fasting, and alms giving, give praise to our God, help transform our hearts and our lives. They prepare us to celebrate the Easter season with joy. A joy that extends into every aspect of our lives, here and now, and goes on and into eternity.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church
Arlington, MA
March 5, 2025
