Thursday, March 6
+JMJ+
“With you, Jesus, how joyful is pain and how bright is darkness!” - St. Josemaría Escrivá
In his book How to Read (and Write) Like a Catholic, Joshua Hren says that “literature is intrinsically theological and, by extension, is undergirded by philosophical premises.” In The Lord of the Rings, for instance, we see the truths of the author's Catholic faith glimmering through the story. Many of these same truths are retained in Peter Jackson's adaptation to the silver screen. In the first film of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, we see Bilbo Baggins struggle to let go of the One Ring, an evil talisman which many creatures find alluring. A dramatic scene depicts Bilbo slowly tilting his hand and letting the Ring fall flatly on the floor. The next moment, in the open air, he is a freer hobbit, a little person with a great weight shaken off of his soul.
In a way, this is what our sins and addictions are like. If we learn to let go, we become happier – content with ourselves, at peace with God, comfortable to rest in stillness and quiet. A mature attitude toward life involves knowing that not every desire and whim I have will be met. Renouncing our comforts and showing Jesus that we love Him above all else is at the heart of penance, one of the key Lenten practices. Renouncing comforts means renouncing our desires. It means putting God and His good ahead of our own wants.
In today's Gospel, Jesus says:
"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?"
As we embark upon Lent, we are reminded of our duty to deny ourselves. I might give up coffee, TV, social media, any number of things. It is a sacrifice that is meant to be felt. This penitential act could be summed up in a simple idea: Hold all things lightly, meaning Don't allow your happiness to depend on passing creatures and temporary situations. God is the source of every joy.
Perhaps the most difficult thing to give up is our sense of control. Whether consciously or not, humans wish to be in control of the situations we find ourselves in. As a creative, when I sit down to write something, I have extraordinary control over what I put on the page. Such freedom and ability come from God. I get to share in His creativity. But I am not God Himself.
I don't have full control over every situation, and I don't deserve to. If we think we are the ones in control of our lives, we're fooling ourselves. A great scene in Jurassic Park features Laura Dern's Dr. Sattler yelling at Richard Attenborough's John Hammond: “You never had control! That's the illusion!” When we pull ourselves out of this illusion, we begin to see the value of things in their relation to God more clearly.
We are called to hold all things lightly: our willfulness, our loves, our likes and dislikes. Our Lord Jesus Christ says we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. Jesus Himself models this self-denial. The omnipotent God became a human being, taking on the fullness of our frailty. He clung to His Cross, hanging on to all other things loosely. On His Cross, His flesh twitched and throbbed uncontrollably. This was the state to which God reduced Himself. If my God can suffer and die for me, I can forego some bodily pleasures for a few weeks, joining my little sacrifice to His big one.
Lord Jesus, help me to suffer well!
John Tuttle is a communications coordinator, writer, and photographer living with his wife Ellen in Illinois.
You can find out more about him here.