"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
With that many of our Lenten journeys began.
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Recall in the Genesis account that Adam was literally formed from the dust of the ground and God breathed life into his nostrils (Gen 2:7). Without God, man would literally be dust; we would literally be dust. By remembering we are dust we remember our NEED for God.
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Today, I began my annual rewatch of The Lord of the Rings. For any of my friends who have not seen it yet, I highly recommend it as it has a high level of Catholicity interwoven into the world and story. It's worth a few good watches! That being said, every time I watch these movies (I kid you not), I find something new that breathes life into my spiritual life; something that stirs within me the Holy Spirit (kind of like what a really good anime does for me too). Often it is the words of Gandalf that get me. He is the best depiction of God the Father as a fictional character; the sternness and firmness combined with love and gentleness and mercy. Gandalf's love for others truly expresses the love that God the Father has for us.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
~Gandalf
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.”
~Gandalf
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But as I started watching The Fellowship of the Ring and tried listening intently to what Gandalf was saying, I kept noticing some of the other characters, particularly Bilbo Baggins. There is a moment right in the beginning of the movie where Gandalf literally calls Bilbo out of his sin. This is a huge moment. Bilbo had held onto this ring, his sin, for years. Love for his sin had grown immensely and he had become attached to the pleasures that came with it. Bilbo has moments of despair and doubt when being called out of sin, and he even turns on Gandalf. To which Gandalf gives a very stern and firm, yet merciful and loving response:
"I am not trying to rob you. I am trying to help you."
When God calls us out of our own sins we should hear Him saying to us,
"I am not trying to deprive you of anything. I am trying to save you from your sins."
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| He finally drops it and gives up his sin. |
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Even earlier than this event though we see a very good tidbit of Catholic Theology. "But where our hearts really lie is in peace and quiet and a good, tilled earth." Bilbo describes his kin's perfect paradise: the Shire. Hobbits flourished in the peace and quiet of the Shire. They excelled at tilling the ground and being its stewards. They were given a place to live in happiness and harmony; a place that was intended for them.
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| Beautiful depiction of Gandalf and the Shire: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/KXqXX |
But what about us? If you recall the Genesis account (again), we lived in what was man's perfect paradise: the Garden of Eden. Here our hearts enjoyed peace and quiet because we dwelt face to face with God. The command given to us was, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth" (Gen 1:28). We were given stewardship over our Paradise. We were created to live for and with God in this paradise for eternity (obviously, things did not go as intended).
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Reflect and think about this, this Lent. Listen to the words of St. Augustine, "Thou hast formed us for Thyself and our hearts are restless till they find rest in thee." It is in hearing these words that we remember that we are made by God and for God; we exist purely for God. We know that this is our purpose (to live for God) because nothing else can satisfy the longing in our hearts other than the peace and quiet of God. We experienced the joy of this purpose while we lived in the Garden of Eden. It should be the goal of our life to fulfill this purpose by striving after Heaven, Paradise, once again; by seeking and desiring the Kingdom of God; by recognizing and satisfying our longing for God in our hearts.
Lent quite literally is the condensed version of our life's story. With our whole life we toil through difficulty and temptation seeking to become virtuous and holy. In doing this, we become hopeful to attain to glories of heaven and full communion with God. In Lent, we struggle for 40 days in preparation for the joys of Easter, the greatest celebration in the Holy Catholic Church. Lent is a microcosm for what life is supposed to be: a spiritual journey to God. Take Lent seriously and prepare yourself properly to participate in Easter joyfully and unreservedly. Then take your life more seriously and pursue God with all that you have and are.
Finally, my dear Christian brothers and sisters, have a good and holy Lent: "Repent and believe in the Gospel!"
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us
Immaculate heart of Mary, pray for us
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us
St. Augustine, pray for us
...And with that may God be praised!
