Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

Lent in a Northern Zone

Sometimes you just can’t win! You live through January and a good bit of a generally harsh February, and then comes the news: Lent is here — time to get serious!

Seriousness may be appropriate for the people of the Mediterranean and Near East who set the liturgical calendars, but after two or three winter months at forty-two degrees North, some of us have had quite enough of serious.

I know there are people who are so in love with snow that they need a good dose of seriousness to dampen their winter ecstasies. Let them jump into Lent with all the gravity they can muster, recalling their sins and taking on some good old-fashioned penances.  Let them forgo their cups of hot chocolate after an afternoon of skating, their hot buttered rum after a day on the slopes. Let them, indeed, “weep and say: Spare, O Lord, your people!”

For those of us who find that the winter months are plenty of penance already, I have a simple suggestion: let us leave new penances alone! Aren’t we already doing penance enough simply trying to keep a good attitude during these cold, dark months? Let us make it our Lenten practice to lighten up a bit.

Let us look for the light and seek out signs that winter’s icy grip may be loosening. Let us look for dripping icicles and patches of snowmelt next to the house, and notice that the sun is not as close to the horizon as it was in December.

Let our Lent be a time for thawing out our hearts as we look for the signs of life around us, practice kindness, praise the good and be compassionate. Let us seek grace in unexpected places and rejoice that Christ is Lord even when there’s snow outside.  In short, let us who suffer through winter keep a Lent with more mirth and hot chocolate in it, not less.

(This article first appeared in a publication of the Wisconsin Province Jesuits.)

Three Simple Things before Lent

Fitness trainers almost always stress the importance of warming up before working out or exercising. That’s also true for Lent. It’s tough to start Lent cold, without getting limbered up first. So, here are three things that might get the prayer muscles working.

1.    Take some quiet each day. It’s tough to pray if you never experience silence.

2.     Ask what you hope God will give you this Lent, and ask God to help you to receive whatever God wants to give.

3.    Think what things you might do (or avoid)  to improve your faith, hope, and love.

It’s not rocket science, just some simple things to get ready for Lent.

Some Caribbean Color for February

Jesus Prayed

Why did Jesus pray?

A Place to Live

When I was a little boy, I knew I could get home even if I got lost because I knew where my house was: 4224 Walnut Street. That’s where we lived.

In this turbulent time when so many people fear losing or have lost their homes, it may be good to remember that we human beings have two homes, one that’s lasting and the other that’s temporary. The lasting one is heaven and the passing one is earth.

Even if we lose earthly houses (and when we die we will surely lose them for good), as long as we keep our hopes and hearts centered in God — that is, as long as we remember our spiritual address — we won’t ever be truly, radically homeless.