What has Changed?
By Deacon Rod Knight
I am sure everyone is familiar with the idiom “hindsight is twenty twenty.” Looking back on something that has already happened can give us a complete understanding of how our strategy either worked or failed. The daily examination of conscious would be a good example when done at the end of the day before retiring for the night. The purpose of looking back and evaluating our actions and plans is to improve, and to come closer to our goals.
The season of Lent has passed. How did our practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving go? Have we come closer to our goal? What is our goal?
I would hope that our goal would be sanctification and the Kingdom of Heaven. We must understand that sanctification requires us to intentionally do our part. Have we embraced the cross or at least moved closer to it? Please know we are not left to our own ability, because we cannot save ourselves.
God has given us His only begotten Son as a sacrificial victim to ransom us from ourselves and eternal damnation. He gave us the Mother of God and all the Angels and Saints to intercede for us. He has provided Purgatory a place of purification, the Sacraments to strengthen us, graces beyond measure, mercy for asking, forgiveness for our brokenness, love beyond our understanding, and the Holy Spirit with His gifts and charisms. Sounds like He wants us to succeed.
As we look back to Ash Wednesday, let us ask what has changed? Has our craving for chocolate increased? Have we become holier? Have we made a valiant effort or are we comfortably complacent? Is it the end? I do not know.
I do know that given the opportunity “Satan will sift us like wheat.” Our faith will be tested. Christ told His disciples “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.” The trials and tribulations that we have and will suffer can make us stronger in our faith or break us.
Remember that Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. We must exercise our faith and continue to become stronger and closer to God. We must continually access what has changed and strive for perfection. Being an imitation of Christ, at least for me requires a great amount of change.
A practice for positive change I have picked up from Father Mark Goring recently is whenever I have sinful or negative thought, I acknowledge them for what they are and immediately pray a Hail Mary. We should know ourselves, the good and the bad and manage and evaluate our change. We see change in our children and parents as they grow older, we see changes in our community, our country, and our world. It is time that we see change in ourselves and become the change we want to see in the world.