They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
Matthew 23:4
Day 14: Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent – Matthew 23:4
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
Today’s Lenten Reflection
The desert of Lent feels very familiar to us. Many of us have been traveling through the desert a long time, much longer than this Lenten season. But no one can argue against the great works of human achievement that comes forth from times of testing. Think about the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, and the Sistine Chapel. Whether we sculpt, build, write, craft, or paint, our works reveal to us that we were made for so much more. But how much of our time and energy is spent on things that do not last? How often do we reduce the importance of our God-given gifts and abilities for fleeting, temporal platitudes, flashes of passion and ego that bear nothing in the arms of time, eternity and the greater good?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus points to the works of the scribes and the Pharisees, calling out their superficiality with alarming clarity: “they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry … All their works are performed to be seen … They love places of honor.” We are always in front of God, and in front of Him we are called to “practice what we preach.”
Thankfully, Jesus does far more than lift a finger to help us with this task. He acts on every word He preaches, and re-harnesses each of us to the eternal and creative force of God. Restrung with the Cross, Christ accomplishes the Father’s great work in us, a work that will ultimately pull us even beyond the grave.
Day 14 Lenten Meditation
Has your faith been sluggish lately? Do you find yourself in a spiritual desert of some sort? Try to put aside the news headlines that may be causing you to struggle and feel anxious, distracting you from greater works. Instead, go back to the basics. Take a walk. Read a book. Revisit an old passion that you love such as drawing, painting or sculpting. What can you do in your life today that is not only representative of “practicing what you preach,” but will also leave a lasting impact on the world?
Lenten Prayer
Heavenly Father, may Your great works be accomplished in and through us. May we act and move in rhythm with your ever-creating hand, throughout time and eternity. Help us to remain steadfast in faith, practicing what we preach, and to stay focused on the greater work You have set out for us to accomplish. Amen.
Today’s suggested Penance
*Do something for the greater good. Something that will leave a lasting impact for someone else.
“Eat my flesh,” Jesus says, “and drink my blood.” The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His flesh and pours out His blood, and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children” –St. Clement of Alexandria.
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