The Season of Lent is now upon us, a time of reflection, repentance, and reordering of our lives. The problem is, of course, how can we repent if we do not recognize the sin in our lives, either individually or as a Nation? How can we reconcile ourselves with our brothers and sisters if we do not recognize them as such? Both are necessary to reorder our lives.
Most people don’t think of themselves as sinful, a word that carries negative meanings. We’re not murderers or thieves, at least not in the ordinary sense of the word. Most of us actually try to do our best as we understand it and are upset when we fail. The work of Lent is to reorder our lives, to radically change our priorities, and it’s not easy.
How can we accomplish this work? One way is by letting go the idea that we are the center of the universe, not just individually, but nationally as well. The shouts of “Number One” when referring to our Nation are offensive to God. We are all equal in the sight of God, and recognizing that is one step to reordering our lives.
Prayer for the Day
Often told that pride goes before a fall,
We shrug off the deeper meanings of the phrase;
Considering our interests before all others,
We act as if it is the natural order of things.
Forgive us our arrogance and hold us to account,
That we envy not those who are boastful and puffed up.
In the name of the One who is our guide,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Pride is a spiritual cancer. It eats up the possibility of love, of contentment, or even common sense.
C.S. Lewis, British religious writer (1898-1963)
There can be no grater error than to expect, or to calculate, upon real favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.
George Washington, President (1732-1799)
…pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
Psalm 73: 6-9