Lenten Reflection

As we have just begun Lent, and I being in the Eternal City, I have certainly been thinking about this special time in the Liturgical Year.

I have just begun reading Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth for the second time. The rumor is that Part II will be out very soon--this spring--so I wanted to refresh my memory of the first part. It is probably my favorite book. His understanding of Jesus is incredible.

Anyway, part of my adventure in Rome is the fact that I am here for Lent, and especially, for the Easter celebration. As such, I want to share a brief reflection about the faith.

Throughout Scripture, especially the New Testament, there is a strong emphasis of believing in Jesus Christ, the One sent by God. The Latin word for "to believe" is credere. It also means "to trust". In fact, when the Bible was translated into Latin for the first time by St. Jerome (d. 420), credere is used, not surprisingly, for both words--believe and trust. Thus, it is clear that these words share an intimate connection: to have faith, that is, to believe, is to trust. 

But what does this mean? The simplest answer I can offer is that faith is a fundamental orientation of the heart. If you trust someone, truly trust them, then your life is changed. When you trust someone, for-instance in Marriage, you give your entire life to them in the physical and emotional act of love. Likewise, in other friendships, when you really trust someone, you give them part of your own existence, trusting them with your own well-being. Moreover, to trust is also parallel to loving someone. And in Jesus Christ's great love for us, He has opened up communication to God, "face-to-face", in His divine Sonship that is accessible through faith by grace. This is a cause for a great hope because the path toward man's fulfillment, that is, communion with God, is communicable in Christ; it is cause for a hope that saves as St. Paul writes (Rom 8:24). This is because, in God, we place more than just a fragment of our existence: we place it entirely into his hands, for He is our Creator and the source of existence: "Into your hands Lord, I commend my spirit" writes the Psalmist (Ps 31:5). The hope, then, is an eschatological hope that transforms. It is a hope in the eschaton, in our place in the communion of the Heavenly kingdom with God: it is a hope in eternal life. But, in Christ, this "hope" receives a strong component of the present. It is a hope that transforms, a hope that redeems the present moment and sets us on the path toward happiness and fulfillment: God. 

Pope Benedict XVI writes a good point: What did Jesus Christ bring? People still suffer, a lot. The world is still a very dangerous place to live. So many people have no idea what happiness is. What did he bring? The answer is simple: God. St. Bonaventure (a medieval theologian) and St. Catherine of Siena (medieval mystic), as well as many others through salvation history, have called Jesus Christ a "bridge"--specifically, a bridge into God. He clears the gap of sin. This is what redemption means, writes the Pope: "The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God" (p. 8). 

In all, this ought to encourage us to participate in the Liturgy. As a fundamental orientation of being, faith--and it is faith that saves--must be strengthened and deepened in that place where we encounter the Son who is the Living God, that place where we are reminded of how to live--as existing-for-others--that place where we come to the feast, touch God, consume Him, and so enter into Communion with Him. Without the Liturgy and the Eucharist--the focal emphasis of the faith since the Apostles--Christian faith is somewhat void of food--literally. It is incomplete because it is without nourishment: man needs bread, and more, man needs God. He, as our highest source, perfects us through the earth, through the nourishment that He offers us in the earth: "For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world" (Jn 6:33).

This is far from a developed essay, but I wanted to write a brief post about the faith as it is Lent. Forgive me for parts that may not flow together all that well. This was written quickly, but I have been wanting to write something faith-oriented. Pax et bonum and a blessed Lent to all!

Check out the Pope's Lenten message (it's much, much better than mine!): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091030_lent-2010_en.html