IT’S THE BIG ONE, ELIZABETH…!!

 
          I hope everyone can recognize this title from “Sanford & Son”—and for us Catholics “the Big One” is also coming very soon.
 
          Folks in Mobile, of course, think that “the Big One” is Mardi Gras Day, with all the revelry (I wanted to say “rioting”!) of the 2+ weeks leading up to it, with parades and balls and general excess.  But really, “the Big One” is Ash Wednesday, especially for our OCIA participants (candidates for Confirmation, candidates for full communion, and catechumens for all the sacraments of initiation)—it’s the first day of the final steps in the process that will lead to a glorious Easter Vigil celebration.
 
          Sometimes, people here regard Ash Wednesday as the price one pays for all of the Mardi Gras partying.  Perhaps that’s because another word for this day is “Carnevale,” which translates to “good-bye to the meat,” meaning that during Lent some serious “doing without” is expected, so get it now while you can!
 
          Yes, I think this attitude is both hedonistic and heathenistic, but that’s another story.  To see a visual example of this, go to YouTube to find “Fiddler on the Roof,” watch the tavern scene with the song “L’Chaim,” and then see Tevye’s condition the morning after!
 
          What should Lent be like for us (OCIA folks and otherwise)?  It should be a time of personal restraint linked with extra commitment to lived Christianity—taking seriously the three great aspects of spiritual discipline—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and always yoking them together (no single one of them without the other two):  quit chocolate or beer and use the money for the Rice Bowl or any of our other 2^nd collections; give up Facebook and see how much time you now have to pray; spend a little more time in prayer and discover the ways you might be inspired to increase your almsgiving, not just in treasure but also in time and talent (there are so many ways and opportunities…).
 
          One example:  after my Dad died my Mom lived alone for 20 years.  One year “goodies” were found on her porch every day during Advent, left there by the Catholic equivalent of “Secret Santa.”  She never knew who did it, but she was touched and so happy!  Actually, it was a young family from around the corner; they had young girls and had seen my Mom walking her dog, and they chose her.  I found out about who they were only after my Mom died, at her wake.   It takes so little to make a person smile, to make a person happy, to make a person realize she is loved.
 
          Let this Lent be a time when we can, in whatever way, make one other person know they are loved.  This is the Good News; this is why we long for Easter, when we’re reminded of Jesus as the “secret Santa” for us all, who loves us beyond our understanding.  My message is a bit early, perhaps, but after you recover from your own festivities, you can re-read this and recommit to daily discipleship.