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Before I Forget…
§ You must learn to understand the "Ah!" of things!
-Anonymous Zen master
§ There are moments when, no matter what the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees. -Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
I remember reading A Tale of Two Citiesby Dickens when I was in high school. It was required reading, and I hope students are still reading this classic. In this novel, Dickens tells about two very different men--Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. Darnay was an innocent Frenchman, and yet he had ended up a victim of the excesses of the French Revolution. He has been sentenced to die by the guillotine. Sydney Carton, on the other hand, lived life without much thought to conscience. But, he and Darnay had become friends. Knowing of Darnay's fate, Carton decided upon a plan to save his friend. He decided to exchange places with Darnay, to sacrifice himself for the life of a man he knew to be innocent. The night before the execution, Carton enters the prison for a final visit with Darnay. He drugs him, changes clothes with him, and ushers him out of the prison. The inattentive guards notice nothing.
The next day, Carton faces the guillotine. A frightened young girl looks into his face, searching for bravery. She recognizes he's not Darnay. Astonished, she asks, "Are you dying for him?" Carton answers, "And for his wife and child." And Carton climbs the stairs to his death. He died thinking, "It is a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done."
In the history of the human race, people have laid down their lives for others. We only have to recall the events of September 11th and the World Trade Center destruction. Think of all the people who died trying to help save complete strangers. During this great season of Lent, we also remember the One who mounted the cross of Calvary for each one of us. The One who was Son of God and innocent, but gave his life for us. He gave his life for us! How do you feel when you think of Jesus' humiliation, torture, suffering and death for you? As he prayed in the garden shortly before his arrest, he prayed, "Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." Jesus wasn't thinking about himself, but the will of the Father. He didn't pray, "What's in it for me?" nor "What will I get out of it?" When he died on the cross he didn't say, "I didn't get anything out of it!
In our society, and even in the church, people ask, "What's in it for me?" or "I don't get anything out of it! (e.g. Mass) " Why are human beings so self-centered instead of being "God-centered"? We know that infants and toddlers are self-centered, but why are teens, young adults, and many adults still self-centered instead of being "God-centered"? This Lent, 2003, dwell on this question: Am I "self-centered" or "God-centered"? Are we overwhelmed with "Ah!" when we think of what Jesus did for us? How can I possibly thank Christ for his great sacrificial love? Or, is the question all about me?
Infants and toddlers expect to be the center of the universe. Hopefully, as we mature, we come to the realization that life is more than just about "me"
In conclusion, here is the "Toddler Rules of Ownership" (RCJokelist.com)
1. If I like it, it's mine
2. If it's in my hands, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to yours in any way.
6. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
8. If I think it's mine, it's mine.
Who loves you, kid?
Fr. Bill
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