I do not intend to write every day of this Lenten period. I will write if I have something important to share. So take note of this. I listened at the homily preached by our house deacon this morning at Mass and I felt he made a point a wider audience needs to hear.
Essentially he quoted our brother, St. Thomas Aquinas who made a distinction between two forms of penance: one that is subjective, initiated by the individual, and that which is imposed by another (God). The people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-10) avoided the latter one, God’s punishment, when they chose to do the former (self-imposed penance).
The deeper implication in this choice of the Ninevites goes deeper than what the deacon made of it in his homily. That deeper import is how we are more proactive in our relationship with God.
We often think that obeying God’s commandments is like ‘punishment’ or ‘missing all the fun’ of life. We are wrong. It’s actually the opposite: being proactive (or wise) so as to live life to the full! If you are healthy physically, you need to do things that helps keep you healthy. You also show gratitude to God for your good health if you believe it’s a blessing from him. You don’t have to wait till you get seriously sick to appreciate this “gift”. It’s not physical exercise that keeps you healthy. If you are rich, and you really believe it’s God that made you rich, you should understand your obligation to the poor. Right? You don’t have to wait for God to “make you poor again” (or give you a unique ‘cross’) to understand what it’s like to meet generous and kind people!
Furthermore, today people spend so much time in the gym exercising, and much more money spent on ‘healthy’ diet because they want to live a healthier life (physically) by warding off diseases. If the same person is asked to ‘fast’ for spiritual health, why does it not make more sense? The issue is ‘intention’ or ‘goal’ one has in mind for doing it. The truth is that God wants our wholeness, and ‘fasting’ or ‘doing penance’ is one way we can get ‘healthier’ both physically and spiritually if we reset our ‘intentions’ to these goals as a proactive measures in our overall human development. So this lent, let your fasting not only be for spiritual health, but for biological health as well. And for those who are already regular at the gym, you can turn your mind to “spiritualizing” these efforts so that it acquires deeper meaning and richness than merely biological health. Wholeness and holiness are intertwined. Be proactive and wise!
We often think that obeying God’s commandments is like ‘punishment’ or ‘missing all the fun’ of life. We are wrong. It’s actually the opposite: being proactive (or wise) so as to live life to the full! If you are healthy physically, you need to do things that helps keep you healthy. You also show gratitude to God for your good health if you believe it’s a blessing from him. You don’t have to wait till you get seriously sick to appreciate this “gift”. It’s not physical exercise that keeps you healthy. If you are rich, and you really believe it’s God that made you rich, you should understand your obligation to the poor. Right? You don’t have to wait for God to “make you poor again” (or give you a unique ‘cross’) to understand what it’s like to meet generous and kind people!
Furthermore, today people spend so much time in the gym exercising, and much more money spent on ‘healthy’ diet because they want to live a healthier life (physically) by warding off diseases. If the same person is asked to ‘fast’ for spiritual health, why does it not make more sense? The issue is ‘intention’ or ‘goal’ one has in mind for doing it. The truth is that God wants our wholeness, and ‘fasting’ or ‘doing penance’ is one way we can get ‘healthier’ both physically and spiritually if we reset our ‘intentions’ to these goals as a proactive measures in our overall human development. So this lent, let your fasting not only be for spiritual health, but for biological health as well. And for those who are already regular at the gym, you can turn your mind to “spiritualizing” these efforts so that it acquires deeper meaning and richness than merely biological health. Wholeness and holiness are intertwined. Be proactive and wise!
Have a beautiful Wednesday. And don’t forget the Stations of the Cross!
🙏🏽❤️@fr Ebido OP
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