I read a Church marquee recently that said Lent is "Spring Training" for Christians. I like that. Another way of looking at it is that is a time when we carve away some of the excess baggage of the old creation, the old man; and take on the characteristics of the new creation, the new man made in the image and likeness of God. This article contrasts this old creation with what it means to be a new creation, especially as it pertains to holding on to anger, hurts, and resentments.
Old Creation
Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment . . . and whoever says "You fool" will be liable to fiery Gehenna. (Matthew 5:22)
These are tough words. But their severity only goes to highlight how deeply God wants to see all of his children live together in love and respect and honor. For Jesus, unity is one of the highest of virtues-one of the most important principles of life.
Have you ever been angry? Do you remember when your mother or father was angry? What happened to the rest of the household? It probably brought the whole family down as everyone else became angry and impatient or felt nervous or guilty. If this were the pervasive climate in the home, it is only natural to expect alienation and isolation to flourish.
New Creation
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Being a disciple of Jesus is about being like Jesus, who always made it a point to look past other people's shortcomings. Jesus looked into their hearts and met them there. And because he saw their hearts-their desires, needs, hurts, dreams, and hopes-he was able to connect with them and bring them to God. His opponents, on the other hand, tended to look only at people's faults, which did nothing more than create barriers between them and God.
It is vital that we seek unity. We need to forgive. We need to let go of anger and resentments. We don't have to pretend that we weren't hurt or that the other person wasn't wrong. We just have to decide to take our hurt to God and to try our best to forgive. God will change our hearts, even if we can't. St. John of the Cross once said that at the evening of our lives, we will be judged on love. Think how incredible that is. We will not be judged on how much money we gave, how many prayer meetings we attended, how much work we did on the church gardens-but by how much we loved. And that's something we can all do with God's grace and help!
"Heavenly Father, pour your grace and mercy on me today. Help me to have a positive influence on my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and others. May they all see the life of your Son in me. Lord, I want to give you all of my angers, hurts, and resentments. I want to feel your healing and to show others the deep love that you have shown me."
[Many thanks to The Word Among Us (www.wau.org) for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.]
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. How good are you at recognizing when you are getting angry, or holding on to hurts and resentments?
2. Can you share a time when you were able to forgive and let go of anger, hurts, and resentments? What was the fruit of your doing this?
3. How good are you at recognizing when you are being negative and judgmental in your thoughts or words? What are some steps you can take to improve in these areas?
4. Do you tend to assume the best or the worst when judging people or situations? Why?
5. Do you tend to react to people or situations or respond to them? What is the difference?
6. In the article, we read these words: "We will not be judged on how much money we gave, how many prayer meetings we attended, how much work we did on the church gardens-but by how much we loved." What do these words mean to you?
7. If you are in a men's group, take some time at the end of your meeting to pray for one another that each of you would be able to forgive and let go of anger and resentments. Use the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point.
