Thursday of the First Week in Lent
EST C: 12, 14-16, 23-25
PS 138: 1-2 AB, 2 CDE-3, 7C-8
MT 7: 7-12
Having gotten
through the very beginning of the Lenten season now, it’s time to really start
buckling down in preparation for Easter. Lent is a beautiful time to reflect on
our everyday lives and think about how we can better them. The beginning of
this gospel passage can be essentially summed up in the statement “Ask and you
shall receive.” While currently in Spain
I have been realizing more and more about how much I have been given in my
life. While most of the time the things God gives me are things that I don’t
even ask for, but almost always if I ask God for something, it is given to me. Lent
is a beautiful opportunity to give back to God. Thinking about this statement,
it almost seems impossible. How can we give back to the God that has given us
everything we could imagine and more, and to the God that already has
everything? I think this passage ends with the answer to that question. “Do to
others whatever you would have them do to you.” It seems pretty simple, which
is why I think this is a great answer and a great way to give back and love God
as he has loved us. While this seems fairly trivial, considering I don’t think
anyone reading this reflection is going around doing terrible things to anyone;
I believe there is a deeper challenge behind this. Maybe a good way to rephrase
this saying is “Go the extra mile.” By going the extra mile were giving to others
without the expectation of them giving anything back to us. Going the extra
mile doesn’t have to be something big and extravagant. It can be anything from
thanking your parents for everything they’ve given you, to a smile and hello to
the homeless man standing at the crosswalk on Grand. Going the extra mile is a great way to
prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ because we are consciously thinking
about the things that we wouldn’t do normally do and going out of our way to do
them. A great way to finish the small acts of kindness is a short prayer to God
whether it be a prayer of thanksgiving or an intentional prayer for that
person. Doing little things for other people can be a great way to show God
your appreciation this Lenten season. One of my favorite saying comes from
Mother Teresa and it says “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do
small things with great love.” God has given us everything and a great way to
show him our love is to love others even through the smallest acts. This Lenten
season go the extra mile and try to give a little more to others than you did
the day before. “If anyone forces you
to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Tommy Schulte is a sophomore studying Computer Engineering, currently studying abroad in Madrid.
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