Daily Advent Reflection
The College of New Rochelle
Campus Ministry
Saturday, February 16, 2013
by
Louis DeSalle
Reflection
And so we have entered Lent, the period of reflection. The period to step back and look at ourselves and the way we navigate the world. How should I act, what should I do and for whom should I do it; how do I involve myself in the ways of the world, what is God’s will for me, are some of the questions we entertain during this 40 day respite from normalcy. What perplexes me is that the readings for this day are so astonishingly clear and yet it is as if we haven’t a clue as to how to proceed. The first reading from Isaiah plainly states in “if-then” fashion, if you do this, then you can expect that. “If you remove from your midst oppression…if you bestow your bread on the hungry,… then light shall rise for you in the darkness, then the lord will guide you always” and so on and so on. We all act is if we are confused, as if what we are supposed to do is mired in layers of obfuscation. We act as if we need constant reminders as to what the LORD requires. Not so! But, then that is the reason for Lent, which brings me to the last reading. Jesus names Levi, a tax collector as a follower after which Levi gave a great banquet for Jesus in his house. And, as one might expect, the Pharisees and scribes complained, “why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” There WE go again…”remove whose oppression, surely not for THAT group”, etc., etc., etc.. Welcome to Lent!