Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

✠ | CLICK TO VIEW TODAY'S READINGS

Today is a “wake-up call” to look at how we are living. It is so easy to live the appearance of being open and generous, but I imagine much of the time most of us are operating out of a “scarcity” mentality: I can only give so much; I don’t have time; how can I possibly do one more thing; Or, we live out of the world of comparison: I am … and she is not; I am generous, and he’s lazy; if they have more, than I have less.

In an honest attempt to mentor a colleague on an area of seemingly “unawareness”, I woke the next day, which happened to be Ash Wednesday, to my own “wake-up call.” I became aware that I was living in “scarcity” verses “abundance.” I had been stuck in comparisons, judgments, and a bit of self-absorption. It was a humbling acknowledgement.

The Lenten call is to embrace the Good News of God’s abundant love. A love that is so pervasive that all comparisons, small thinking, and scarcity disappears. In this world there is no one left behind. We are one family, and we take care of each other because we have one Father, one Teacher, one Master – God who loves us beyond measure.

In today’s readings, Jesus exposes the inner motives of the scribes and pharisees. Theirs was a world of power, privilege, and prestige. Instead of leveraging their position to tend to those most vulnerable they were caught up in themselves. They were living in a world of “scarcity” where they were the center of attention. A “scarcity” mentality often focuses on rules and regulations. They lost perspective of what really mattered – the human family and God’s sustaining presence.

It is easy to sling mud at those we expect to care about those who are the most vulnerable in society. But none of us are exempt from the honest and humble evaluation of our own way of acting. Today is a good day to reflect on our own attitudes - do I live in abundance or am I stuck in scarcity?

If we live out of an attitude of abundance, we will care for our brothers and sisters and God’s mercy will flow.

Sr. Ann Bremmer, OSF