HOS 6: 1-6
PS 51: 3-4, 18-19, 20-21AB
LK 18: 9-14
I believe one of the greatest and most
challenging themes of Lent is the practice of humility. In a setting such as a
university where achievement is paramount, humility becomes a seemingly useless
trait. As college students, we are constantly taught how to sell ourselves to
countless potential network connections, employers, and graduate schools. Those
who experience the most “success” are those who are the most marketable,
forward, and ambitious. While drive and motivation are important qualities to
have as budding professionals, I believe they have little place in our faith
lives, especially during Lent. As believers, it is important to always drive to
become closer to God, and motivate ourselves to live more deeply with him. Even
the first reading says, “Let us strive to know the Lord”. However, Hosea
chapter 6 speaks to God’s desire for our hearts to be contrite, and humble. The
goal-oriented drive we use in our scholastic lives has little use towards the
goal of humility. The way I understand God’s grace and love is that we do not
need to earn or deserve it, because it is already unconditionally available to
us. The purpose of Lent is to make our hearts as ready as possible to accept
the love poured out for us in the salvation of the cross. Humility is one of
the best tools to prepare our hearts for Lent.
The promises we make during Lent are
meant to remove obstacles that separate us from living closely with God, such
as bad habits or distractions. The way I relate these obstacles to the practice
of humility is visualizing how each obstacle we remove allows us to come closer
and closer to sitting at the feet of Jesus on the cross, which is the most
humbling position I can think of. At the
foot of the cross, believers are completely reliant on the mercy of Christ.
There is no room for reliance on our own abilities and strengths, only
humility.
I love the parable of the tax
collector because it is the classic underdog/David-and-Goliath victory for the
little man. Those who have failed, those who are weak, can find comfort that
all they need is to kneel down, accept their failures, and ask for mercy to
receive love. I count myself among the weak and the failed, so I celebrate this
gospel as an invitation and promise that mercy will be there when I am humble
enough to ask sincerely! I am terrible at fasting, and stingy with what little
money I have, but I know how to ask for forgiveness. So despite the enormous
challenge of trading our college brains for humble hearts, believers like us
can find refuge in the gospel of the tax collector. Especially during Lent, we
can walk closer and closer to the foot of the Cross and shape our hearts into
hearts God can enter into: humble ones.
Lizzie
Corcoran is a sophomore studying Public Health.
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