Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There!

Happy Lent.  Oxymoron?  No.  It’s Ash Wednesday.  The Gospel for Sunday is a dandy – Jesus runs for the desert, runs for cover from the “You’re IT, Baby” that he heard when he emerged from the cool silence of the Jordan.  He gets the drum roll from The Big G “Heeeeeeeeeeeeere’s JESUS” and what does he do?  Does he take the seat of honor, to the applause of the studio audience and in the focus of the camera?  Naah!  He heads for a dry, warm place, where there’s nobody, where he can just stop.

Just stop.  The first act of the Messiah was to just stop.

The Gospel for today, Ash Wednesday, is a harbinger of Sunday’s.  Joseph is anticipating his marriage to Mary, and she takes him aside and tells him she’s with child.   He’s figuring out what he’s gonna do (a quiet separation, perhaps an acceptable, compassionate excuse) when an angel (it takes something supernatural to do this) tells him to stop.  He does.  Plans go forward; the marriage happens.

Lent.  How will we STOP?  Some ideas tomorrow.

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