THE BLESSINGS OF LENT

A couple of weeks ago, on Tuesday, Feb.19^th, to be exact, I attended a meeting of the Board of Directors of Voice of the Martyrs. We were discussing a rather difficult issue and the Chairman suggested that we should examine ourselves carefully. I reminded them that we are in Lent and we should all be doing that right now, anyway. I was greeted with blank faces and a prolonged silence in which you could have heard the first heartbeat of a baby in its mother’s womb.

I honestly did not know, until Bishop Carl enlightened me, that large sections of the Christian community do not recognize the season of Lent. I thank God that I am fortunate enough to be offered every year the blessings of this season. I do not know how else one could prepare for a genuine appreciation of Easter. Still less do I know how one could prepare for a genuine understanding of Good Friday.

If Lent is intended, at least in part, to foster such appreciation and understanding, where and how does the Gospel passage we read today fit into this? What could the feeding of the five thousand have to do with such things. forgive me the poverty of my effort, but let me see if I can shed a little light on these matters.

We are just twenty days away from Good Friday. The shadow of the Cross is looming larger and it is in that shadow that we shall seek our answers. Let me begin with Philip, to whom Jesus asks the question, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this He said to prove him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

In the first chapter of this same Gospel, St. John tells us of the calling of Philip. Jesus said to him just two words, Follow me. From that brief encounter Philip knew that this was his Lord. Immediately he went on a recruiting mission, Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph. Nathaniel dismisses this with the words, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth, but very soon after Nathaniel is saying to Jesus, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God.

And yet, in today’s Gospel we are shown by Jesus that despite his earlier discernment, Philip’s faith remains dim. Philip knows that they do not have 200 pence to buy bread to feed the multitude. He cannot yet trust Jesus to feed all these people through the working of His divine power.

The shadow of the Cross looms larger. Every day in Lent draws us nearer to the foot of the Cross. Every day in Lent Jesus is asking us to meet Him there, where His precious blood stains the ground. What will be the condition of our faith when we do arrive at the foot of the Cross? Will we have reason to believe that we have received the grace for which we have, or should have prayed daily since Ash Wednesday? Almighty and everlasting God……create and make in us new and contrite hearts.

If we think that the feeding of the five thousand is a wonderful miracle, it is. And it shows us that God, who the Ash Wednesday collect says, hatest nothing that thou hast made, is quick and generous with His blessings. The Cross shows us the fullness of God’s blessings in the shedding of the blood of His beloved Son, just for us. Who are we to deserve such grace?

Quite simply, we are God’s creatures, fallen and wretched, and that is what it took to show us the need for a far more significant miracle than the feeding of the five thousand. The miracle of creating in us new and contrite hearts, that we may worthily lament our sins and acknowledge our wretchedness.

The foot of the Cross is reserved for men and women who are ready, through God’s grace, to join their tears of bitter contrition with the precious blood of their Saviour. Lent is not the only time we can repent, of course, God can lead us to that miracle at any time. But the blessing of Lent is that God, through Holy Mother Church, directs and focuses our thought on that most important requirement. Repent. Repent. Repent.

Without repentance of the most genuine kind we will have no tears to mingle with the Precious Blood at the foot of the Cross. I want to stress here that the foot of the Cross is not a metaphor – it is a very real place, as real as our living Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a place where we must find ourselves at least once during this earthly life. If we have not yet found it, let us pray that God, in His mercy, will soon lead us there.

In the feeding of the five thousand, we see God’s compassion and love for His creatures. On the Cross we see the ultimate expression of that compassion and love. But God’s Love meets upon the Cross with something else, it meets with God’s wrath.

The Collect for Ash Wednesday speaks of nothing but the truth – Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made…God loves the sinner – He loves us, but the Bible leaves us in no doubt that God also hates sin and punishes iniquity. He is a just God and in Him we see the fundamental truth that Love without justice is no love and love with justice involves punishment for transgression.

The Old Testament teaches us repeatedly about God’s wrath. The history of the Jews is replete with examples of it. The Psalmist writes of it and of God’s mercy, love and justice. Gracious and righteous is the Lord, therefore will He teach sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8. And of His anger, in Psalm 78, for example, we read Thou even thou art to be feared; and who may stand in thy sight when thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgement to be heard from heaven. The earth trembled and was still, when God arose to judgement.

No less a person than John the Baptist spoke of God’s wrath, O generation of vipers, he cried to the multitude of Jews come to him for baptism, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.

None of us can escape that judgment, which is another reason to be thankful for the blessings of Lent, an opportunity every year to Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.

The Jews tried to turn away God’s wrath by offering the blood of an animal, sprinkled by the High Priest in the holiest part of the Temple on the day of Atonement. But Hebrews 10:4 teaches us, It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. For that God required blood, but it was of necessity the blood of His beloved Son that had to be shed.

The shadow of the Cross looms larger. Upon that Cross is the propitiation for our sins, the perfect sacrifice made once and forever, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Then said Jesus, Lo, I come to do thy will O God. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. On the Cross God’s wrath meets God’s Love. Let us never imagine that this means God will not punish those who reject the sacrifice of His Son as anything but the most supremely important event in the history of the world. But let us never forget that many more than five thousand have received and continue to receive, the miraculous feeding of the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

His sacrifice was once, for all, and forever. The blessings of Lent include the simple fact that Holy Mother Church encourages us each year to bring to God truly broken and contrite hearts. In this, we cannot hear too often the Collect for Ash Wednesday. Let us pray,

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peter Jardine+

Lent IV, 2008