Readings: Psalm
103; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
February 25, 2004
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
In this secular, fallen world in which we live, it is hard to be a disciple of Christ. It is hard to choose the good even when we have good intentions. Part of the reason that we continue to have these ingrained habits that prevent us from doing the good, is because we haven’t been trained to be disciples. The spiritual life requires a lot of training in order to become the people that God wills for us to be. So, what do we do? Embracing the spiritual disciplines of the Church is one of the ways to break the ingrained habits that keep us in bondage to sin. During this season of Lent, we will be studying the various spiritual disciplines that can release us to be free so that we may experience the fruit of the Spirit.
On Ash Wednesday, we participate in several, traditional, spiritual disciplines such as fasting, worship, prayer, and penitence. Today, I would like to focus my comments on the spiritual discipline of penitence which is part of the sacrament of reconciliation. The sacrament of reconciliation begins with a reflection on those ingrained habits that have become part and parcel of our life; habits that hurt others and ourselves. These ingrained habits include but are not limited to: self-indulgent appetites, exploitation of other people and the environment, anger, intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, dishonesty in our daily life and work, negligence in prayer and worship, our failure to commend the faith that is in us, our uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty.
Once we recognize these ingrained habits that corrupt and destroy the creatures of God, the 2nd part of reconciliation includes the need to feel contrite. If we do not feel grieved by our sins, if we do not realize the pain we have caused, then there is no motivation to change. Finally, after we recognize our ingrained habits and are grieved by these habits, we need to make a commitment to re-orient our lives to God in Christ. Re-orientation is another word for repentance. By placing one’s mind, body, heart, and soul in the service of God, transformation can happen. Remember, transformation does not happen by ego strength alone. Rather, it is through the grace of God whose power working within us can do far more than we could ever hope or imagine. This assurance God’s grace and mercy, concludes the sacrament of reconciliation. It is a sacrament, a spiritual discipline, that needs to be practiced at least on a yearly basis.
Let me leave you with an image that represents the need for repentance. Imagine a pristine stream, freely flowing through a meadow. Imagine the clean water running over rocks, plants, -winding around the bends, and over the roots of the many trees. Notice the shady trees that line the banks of the stream; trees that depend on this water for their sustenance. Then imagine a population of people who overwhelm the beautiful stream by not being careful or conscious. Perhaps it begins with throwing trash into the stream, followed by glass and old tires. Then imagine runoff flowing into the stream after a heavy rain- runoff containing pesticides and animal wastes and fertilizers. Before long, the pristine stream becomes dirty and even harmful to human health. The tires block the flow of water, changing the pattern of the stream. Trees that used to drink from the stream, no longer have access to the water. These trees, the fish, and other plants begin to die from the pollution or lack of water. The once-pristine stream which gave life, was beautiful to look at and enjoy, now becomes a major environmental problem.
This is the process that can happen in our own lives over a long period of time if we are not conscious and disciplined in the spiritual life. The image of God in which we were made, becomes tarnished and we can even become harmful to the well being of society. Penitence, repentance, & the Sacrament of reconciliation, all begin with the desire to clean up the debris in our lives so that we are free to become an alleluia to the world. “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep us in eternal life.”
| Updated 2/26/04 |
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