Primetime

This week we will welcome Lent, the holiest time of year. Are you ready? You don't really have to be...yet. Starting on Ash Wednesday, your next forty days and forty nights should be different than your last forty days and forty nights. Hopefully, over this time period, we will all change for the better and for good.

That's the thing about Lent. Often, people do what they can for forty days...and then go right back to their normal everyday lives. We can't just forget Lent on Easter morning. That's what makes Easter one of the highlights of the Church year. It's a good feeling on that day to know Jesus rose from the dead, isn't it? But we need every day of Lent to build up to Easter, and then remember that for the rest of the year.

So, thinking about how to properly do that...I remembered a piece of a homily that was given maybe a ten to fifteen years ago in my old church, St. Matthews in East Syracuse, NY. Monsignor Lavin, God rest his soul, was known for his repetition of words, and after all these years I remember one of his homilies distinctly. After all these years it's pretty impressive on both of our parts I must say. But anyways on that day he spoke about the little things in life, and I remember these words well...

"It's like a snowball...a snowball. Rolling down the mountain..."

You may not know, but all 50 states had some kind of snow sitting on the grass somewhere in the state a few days ago. I'm not trying to make any political global warming/climate change statements, but this reference should be pretty universal at this point in time. Anyways, a snowball gets bigger and bigger and moves faster and faster as it travels down the mountain....

...which translates to something that could be either really good, or something not so good. It is all based on the decisions you make in your life. Bad decisions can grow inside of people, and once they make one, it becomes a lot easier to justify and make another. This is how people's lives spiral out of control, and the only way of stopping that is either doing it themselves or getting hurt and hitting a brick wall. Kind of like the whole idea of what goes around comes around, but that's for another blog at another time. If you are trapped like that, what better time than Lent to make that one good decision that will turn your life around?

Many people are in that situation, where they simply can't get out of the rut they are in. They look for anything to justify what they are doing. But, other signs from God should tell them that they need to get out of that rut. I'm here to take a shot at translating those signs.

One slogan that puts decision making in a nut shell is: Sometimes you have to do something you don't want to do. I don't really know if I saw it on a bumper sticker, or if it just came to me through divine intervention, but it's stuck close to me in my life these past few years. Keep that in mind...

Rocky Balboa says, "Life ain't all sunshine and rainbows," which it's not. To come as close to being happy as possible, you have to make those little decisions that you really don't want to make. If your snowball isn't looking too good at this point, it might be time to make a decision that you don't really want to. You might not want to sign up for a certain tough course, or tell your family a difficult confession, or even eat a salad instead of a jelly donut. I'm sure everyone has or will have a situation like this facing them, and often the toughest decision to make is the right one. We rely on God to tell us whether or not it is right. If it is, life will turn around, if it's not, He will send us signs telling us to go in a different direction. Rest easy...we have more than one chance, as Jesus says to "...forgive seven times seventy..." That's a reassuring and relaxing thought.

That hope of having your life go in the best direction is right in front of you. God ensures you that it is never gone. Sometimes, one small, good decision can make a huge impact on the rest of your week, month, year, and even your life. It might be going to church more than once during the week, or choosing to call an old friend. I'm sure its happened before, but we tend not to think about as it is happening. Goodness is contagious, and by making one good decision, it's a lot easier to make another one, and then another one. It doesn't hurt that it puts you in the good Graces of God either. That's the snowball you are looking for.

To reference another movie, "Evan Almighty" actually has a pretty solid message throughout the film. It's a modern day story of Noah's Ark, and God, played by Morgan Freeman, reassures Noah(Steve Carell) that one simple act of random kindness at a time can change the world. Why not start that on Ash Wednesday? See someone walking and walk with them, or if you are driving give them a lift to their destination. Have an eye for human suffering and address it by talking to those who are hurting. Hold the door open, even if it means you are awkwardly standing there for more than two seconds. Compliments aren't bad either. I love it when people say, "Nice sweater." Well, in that instance, they may be making fun of me, but I'll take it as a compliment. Regardless, all of that means something. After forty days, those acts will be plentiful, and the surplus will spill over to everyone in the community around you. It will also spill over beyond Easter. The entire planet may not be changing, but by doing that in your own world you are starting somewhere.

So, set a precedent for yourself this Lent. Don't give just an hour a week to God, give two or three. Get involved in your Catholic Community. Everyone is busy, but you can't be too busy for God. He is never too busy for you. Kind of makes you think doesn't it? Maybe I'll touch on this again after Easter, but like I say above, one of the most important parts of Lent is to carry what you've built beyond that forty days, and to the rest of the days of your life as well.

And by thinking every day of how to make good decisions through small random acts of kindness, your good snowball may just turn into an avalanche.