a few years ago I made a video called
don't give up anything for lent it was
actually the very first episode of
Catholicism in focus and the lack of
video production value certainly
reflects that what's interesting about
this video is clearly not the production
value but the amount of attention the
title received without watching the
video people read the title and assumed
that I was saying that lent doesn't
matter do whatever you want they called
me a herotic and I was breaking from
tradition and I was soft on sin when in
fact the video had a very different mess
message you see my point was that lent
is a time for conversion true conversion
we look to the Waters of baptism we look
to what it means to be a disciple of
Christ and we take 40 days to prepare
ourselves to live a better life in
Christ sort of a reset button for our
faith lent is a reflective time in which
we strip ourselves of all that is
unnecessary and focus on what is
essential to Christian Life in saying
that you shouldn't give up anything for
Lent what I meant was that you shouldn't
give up something with the intention of
going right back to at Easter chocolate
rather you should look deeply at your
life and identify those things that need
to be fully and completely eradicated to
be a better disciple in other words
don't give up something just for Lent
find something that is a stumbling block
to your life as a Christian and leave it
behind for good the way I think about it
is that it's like the story of the young
man in the synoptic gospels falling at
the feet of Jesus he claims that he has
kept the Commandments his entire life
and asked the Lord what must I do to
inherit eternal life Jesus tells him to
sell all his possessions and follow him
but of course the man goes away sad
because he had many possessions too
often we diminish the meaning of the
story to the topic of wealth we might
even walk away thinking that a rich
person can't enter the kingdom of heaven
when we do this I think we missed the
essential point of the story for me it's
not so much about possessions as it is
about a call to follow Jesus without
reservation to trust in him completely
to leave behind anything that gets in
the way of True Discipleship
Jesus asked this man to sell all his
possessions not because there's anything
inherently wrong with having possessions
but precisely because this man was
unwilling to do so they were what
prevented him from following Jesus and
so that was what he had to leave behind
Jesus does not ask for only part of
ourselves he does not ask for minor
sacrifices being a Christian is not a
job we do from 9 to 5 or only on certain
days of the week as Pope Francis says in
galate at exultate the Lord asks
everything of us Jesus doesn't want our
trivial fast that will soon be replaced
with the same gluttony as we had before
he wants our entire selves he wants
lifelong conversions it's no wonder then
that when the disciples began to follow
Jesus the same line is always repeated
in the gospels they left everything and
followed him they left everything and
followed him this Lent I want to pose a
question to you placing yourself in the
position of the young man at the feet of
Jesus what would Jesus say that you
needed to do to inherit eternal life
what is that thing that continues to
serve as a stumbling block to you
focusing your attention inward rather
than living as a free disciple of Jesus
for some of us it is our wealth it is
our possessions that grip us and prevent
us from following him but it's not the
case for everyone maybe for you it's the
doubts you carry each day the worries
and fears that plague your life always
questioning but never trusting maybe
it's your vanity the overwhelming
attention you give to how you look or
what people think about you maybe you
have a negative body image or an
overinflated one for some it's a need to
always be right and the pride that gets
in the way of admitting our faults
saying we're sorry or facing our
weaknesses maybe you refuse to let
people help you you refuse to let Jesus
heal your wounds and would rather wallow
in your self-pity and be defined by your
pain rather than letting it go am I
getting somewhere here you starting to
see what I'm trying to get at
lent is not about simply giving up some
small thing for 40 days about a minor
inconvenience that means nothing to our
relationship with God lent is the time
where we take the first step in removing
anything and everything that gets in the
way of our discipleship and it can be
anything holding on to a grudge
popularity living in the past a sense of
entitlement needing to be in control an
unhealthy relationship any of these
things can be holding us back can be
preventing us from following in Jesus
with our whole heart this Lent go to
Jesus in prayer fall at his feet just as
the young man did and ask him Lord what
must I do to inherit eternal life what
must I do to follow you with my whole
heart and be your disciple let him speak
to you directly let him show you the
path of Holiness meant for you and you
alone and then just like the disciples
have the courage to take the first step
in leaving it all behind May God give
you the grace to do what might be
difficult so that come Easter you may
rise a new creation with him and be his
true disciple on the journey
[Music]