Thursday after Ash Wednesday
(Deuteronomy
30:15-20; Luke 9:22-25)
At first
glance it seems only ironic that one must die in order to live. If one wants to have life, she should keep
away from things that produce death. But
when we think about it, simulating dying can lead to more life. Surgeons can cure remove life-threatening
cancers after the patient becomes dead-like with anesthesia.
On a higher
level, people will experience spiritual renewal when they put an end to wild
living. Dorothy Day lived as a saint
when she left behind the bohemian lifestyle of her young adult years. In today’s
first reading Moses urges the Israelites to choose life by adopting God’s
law. They will not be following their
whims any longer. Rather, they will discipline
themselves with divine precepts which assure bodily and spiritual benefit. In the gospel Jesus is even more
challenging. To live, he says, one must
take up the terror of the cross. It is a
death-dealing instrument that accepted in self-sacrifice brings one to eternal life.
In its beginning Lent seems like such a long haul that we are reluctant to make any
sacrifices. Of course, as all time, Lent proceeds at a rapid pace. With good effort each day
we can see ourselves become stronger, kinder, holier. At Easter, the journey’s end, we should have a
glimpse of the glory of eternal life.
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