To me, this lent is unlike other lent of yesteryears because it is the first one in years I am not in charge of a congregation. With no congregation to lead in going through the rigors of Lenten disciplines, I'm now more self-conscious of what lent means personally for me. I begin my day by reading from SSJE's Signs of Life, specially written for Lent. It gives me something to meditate on the Word daily. Let me cite today's reading, "Life is lived right now, at this moment. That's an important reminder for all of us because we tend to think, "If just this would happen, then I would be happy." When we put a condition on our lives, we miss out on the present moment because we're waiting for something else to happen."
What does 'living in the present moment' mean? My nephew, Thommachen, just sent me on WhatsApp the picture of a beautiful sunrise taken from the back of his house in Kerala. It is so beautiful and made me think of the hymn, 'The morning has broken like the first morning.' Yes, like the first morning at creation, not like the one with the ominous clouds of worry over the Corona Virus, which has now spread across the world, causing thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths. If I were to say I would appreciate the beauty of sunrise only if our leaders, dealing with the Corona Virus, were more transparent, and were more concerned about the human toll rather than its impact on the politics or the economy, then I have a long way to go to be happy. If I were to say I would wait to be happy till the political situation in India changes from being sectarian to back to secular, or the society reverts from being communal to communitarian, then it may take some time. If I were to say I would wait to live in the present only if my ideal candidate would win the upcoming general election, then that day may not ever come.
Even while I await the ideal situation emerges, or the utopian vision realizes, or the Reign of God establishes, I must live fully in the present, manifesting that future I am hoping and praying for now. The season of Lent serves me as a metaphor for my wilderness journey from exile to the Reign of God.
What does 'living in the present moment' mean? My nephew, Thommachen, just sent me on WhatsApp the picture of a beautiful sunrise taken from the back of his house in Kerala. It is so beautiful and made me think of the hymn, 'The morning has broken like the first morning.' Yes, like the first morning at creation, not like the one with the ominous clouds of worry over the Corona Virus, which has now spread across the world, causing thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths. If I were to say I would appreciate the beauty of sunrise only if our leaders, dealing with the Corona Virus, were more transparent, and were more concerned about the human toll rather than its impact on the politics or the economy, then I have a long way to go to be happy. If I were to say I would wait to be happy till the political situation in India changes from being sectarian to back to secular, or the society reverts from being communal to communitarian, then it may take some time. If I were to say I would wait to live in the present only if my ideal candidate would win the upcoming general election, then that day may not ever come.
Even while I await the ideal situation emerges, or the utopian vision realizes, or the Reign of God establishes, I must live fully in the present, manifesting that future I am hoping and praying for now. The season of Lent serves me as a metaphor for my wilderness journey from exile to the Reign of God.
