Be Kind for Lent

Cutting out the middle man of prayer, fasting and almsgiving

03/06/2019

Joel 2:12-18 Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.

Today is March 6 and do you know why today is an important day? There are two reasons: first, this year March 6 is Ash Wednesday, but second, March 6 this year is also Fr. Stephen’s birthday. Now, you may think, “Oh, man, what a bummer to have you birthday on Ash Wednesday, when you can’t really celebrate it because you have to fast and abstain from eating meat.” But don’t feel too bad for the baby priest because he got at least three birthday parties yesterday, which was Mardi gras, and a perfect day to par-tay.

But ironically enough, I believe a birthday falling on Ash Wednesday is extremely proper and even profound. Why? Well, this year Fr. Stephen turns twenty-eight years old. But do you know how old I will be this year? I will turn the big 5-0; I like to call is “Hawaii 5-0.” When you’re relatively young like Fr. Stephen you still look forward to your birthdays. But when you get old like me, you wish people would forget your birthday or you tell little white lies like, “It’s just my 39th birthday.” Why do we do that? Well, at some age – usually around forty – we realize we are not going to live forever and that at some point we are going to die and eventually turn into ashes. After forty, you’re closer to your grave than you are to your cradle (where you were born). In other words, every birthday after forty is, in a sense, like Ash Wednesday because it’s a sober reminder that we will die someday. That’s why a birthday on Ash Wednesday presents a profound paradox: it reminds us not only of the day we’re born, but also of the day we’ll die.

As you come forward to receive blessed ashes on your forehead, therefore, try to imagine the end of your life. In fact, the minister of ashes will help you do that by saying: “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” When you come to the end of your life, I hope you will be able to say that you have lived without any regrets. The best way not to have any regrets at the end of your life is to “be kind” as Dr. Hollenbeck is encouraging everyone here at Trinity this Lent. That’s my Lenten practice this year – to be kind in my thoughts and in my words and in my attitudes and in my actions. And I’m not giving up anything else. Indeed, all our sacrifices and prayers and almsgiving are for the purpose of being more kind and more loving to others. The best Lenten resolution is simply to “be kind” because it sort of cuts out the middle man of prayer, sacrifice and almsgiving: that’s what those things are for.

Boys and girls, today you are 13, 14 and 15 years old, but you won’t always stay that age. One day you will turn twenty-eight like Fr. Stephen, and another day you will even reach Hawaii 5-0 like me. But no matter how old or young you are, every year you will have Ash Wednesday and the not-so-gentle reminder: “remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” These blessed ashes are a blessed reminder to be kind to everyone and to be kind every day, so that one day, you will die without any regrets. The world’s philosophy of life says: “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” The Christian’s philosophy of life says: “Be kind, for tomorrow we die.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!