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| Items in My Suitcase |
Lent Begins with Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday begins a season of self-examination and penitence. Liturgical Christians call this season Lent. In school Chapel today, I had the opportunity to preach my “suitcase” sermon to our students, faculty, and visitors. It goes something like this:
I’ve packed for a trip out-of-town and ask the students to evaluate the items in the suitcase. In the case of each item, “is it something that would be useful and needed?” The first items I bring out are good to go… pants, shirt, socks, and belt. The students gave a resounding, “yes,” for the mouthwash too. Ok, that hurt a bit, but I did set myself up. There were some items that even these open-minded youngsters clearly said had no place in my suitcase for a brief trip. The frying pan, fishing trophy, and hammer were definitely not to be included. The pack of size C batteries was also deemed superfluous. All of the unnecessary stuff just served to make my suitcase uncomfortably heavy to carry, slowing me down on the trip and making my back hurt. On the literal level, we were reminded that travel is easier when we pack light.
But, the real teaching, of course, is metaphorical. Lent is a time for us to examine our lives to see what kind of unnecessary emotional/spiritual baggage we carry around. Anger, Envy, and Guilt are several things that we might carry in our hearts but that leave us uncomfortable and get in the way of our relationship with God, ourselves, and others. These are things for which we are called to ask our Lord’s help in letting go. The first step is in asking honest questions… are we mad at someone for hurting us and do we make a place in our hearts for being mad? Does a friend have something we don’t have, and do we dwell on it so much that we lose sight of the gifts we do possess? Have we made a mistake but keep rehearsing it over and over such that it’s always near to mind? If we want to let go of these things and not carry them around in our hearts, we have to repent. That means opening ourselves to God and asking God’s grace to forgive us and lift these burdens. May God help us all to travel more lightly on this journey we call life! …in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN.
