Posts Tagged ‘offering first fruits’

A Blueprint for Conversion

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

First Sunday of Lent

Dt 26: 4-10; Rom 10: 8-13; Luke 4: 1-13

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Lent is all about conversion, and conversion is a continual process.  It never ends, because God is always calling us to a more intimate relationship with Him.  And that means we have got to change.  As I listen to these scriptures,  I see a blueprint in them for the process of conversion.

The first step in our conversion is a change in our attitude- a conversion of the heart.  In the prime of our lives, we are focused on the things of this world- our careers, our spouses and families, our talents and our pleasures.  These things take up most of our time.  And when problems occur, whether they be financial, medical, relationships, or whatever, they really fill up our time and attention, don’t they?  During Lent, we are called upon to try to put all that aside, and reflect on the real meaning of Life and what God’s path through all the difficulties is.

In Paul’s reading, the emphasis is on professing faith on our lips, and then really believing in our hearts- faith first of all, that there is a God, that He sent Jesus to redeem us, and that the death and resurrection of Jesus are our means to salvation and everlasting life.  And this faith leads to knowledge that there is a higher purpose in life than life in this world.  That purpose is union with God and everlasting life in the Kingdom of God.  The path to that salvation involves a more intimate relationship with God- one in which he leads us, we don’t lead ourselves.  That is something that we need to be so convinced of that we believe it deep down in our hearts.  Paul is reminding us that Jesus has promised everlasting life for those who do have faith and do believe in their hearts.

Then, there is the reminder in the Old Testament about how God saved his chosen people and how these people felt an abiding sense of thanksgiving for that.  And in thanksgiving, they offered their best to the Lord- the first fruits of their labor.  So, we need to do the same-  We need to be so thankful that God saved us through Jesus His son that we will offer the first fruits of our labor as well.

What would that be?  Certainly not our animals or our harvest, because those are not the first fruits of our labor.  Rather, the first fruits of our labor are our talents and our time and our treasure.  In other words, our lives cannot be totally focused on ourselves.

Notice that the Gospel starts off with the phrase that Jesus was:  “Filled with the Holy Spirit”.  The good news is that each of us was instilled with the Holy Spirit by virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation.  And so, we just need to awaken that Spirit within us.  Lent is a way we do that- by reflecting on what it is that the Spirit of God is prompting us to do.  And it doesn’t have to be a sweeping change in our lives either.  It is just a matter of letting the Spirit take over so that God can carry our burdens, whatever they are, by having the spirit move us in God’s direction, not our own.  So, if your burden is a loved one who is ill; or an older relative; or children or a career- whatever, now is a good time to reflect on what God has in mind for you.  That’s what Jesus did when he went into the desert- he went there to reflect on how the Father wanted him to proceed with his life.  Filled with the Spirit, he was ready to reflect on how to do that.

But what happened to him is precisely what will happen to you and me when we try to reflect on our lives.  Jesus was accosted by the temptations of the devil.  We hear about three of them.  First, there is the temptation to turn the stone into bread.  Ah, yes.  We would like God to give us exactly what we want when we want it.  We are constantly looking for the “bread” to fill our hunger, whatever it is.  But we don’t live by bread alone, and so whatever it is that we want explicitly may not be the answer to our prayer.  And perhaps, the solution you are hoping for is not the real solution to your problem.  So, we need first of all to trust that God will give us what we really need when we want it.

The second temptation is power and fame.  One thing that we constantly seek in our prayers, if you really think about it, is power; only the power we seek is control.  We want to be in control.  And the reality of life is that we are never really in control.  God is in control, and this is the message that Jesus sends back to the devil when he says:  “Worship the Lord your God alone”.

Lastly, we can sometimes just give up on a situation.  Like when we stuff a problem into the back of our consciousness, and don’t try to deal with it at all.  And yet life goes on; the problem doesn’t go away.  That’s like throwing ourselves down off a mountain top, just hoping that we will be somehow saved.  You see, no matter how much we “trust” in the Lord, we still have an obligation to be involved.  Otherwise, we are putting the Lord to a test.

Each year when Lent arrives, we usually give something up.  Rather than giving up ice cream or beer or candy or even TV this year, try giving up a little of your time.  Go into a desert- a quiet secluded place- and take the time, the time to embrace the Lenten Call to prayer and Conversion.