Ash Wednesday Dust Return

“Oh God, it’s wonderful to get out of bed and drink too much coffee and smoke too many cigarettes and love you so much.” That's the down-to-earth take of Frank O'Hara, part of the '50s and '60s art scene in New York City. Lent is a time to become men and women capable of genuine prayer amid the coffee cups and cigarettes of our lives. Lent is a time to step back, take stock, and keep it real.

I was on a bus in Harlem the other day. In front of me was an empty seat between two people. It was a space I didn't think I could happily squeeze into. A few minutes later, a girl at the end of the row gave up her seat for me. I thanked her and said, "This works better for a fat man. Maybe this Lent, I won't gain weight." She said, "I struggle too. There is so much good food out there. It is so good." Departing at the next stop, she left with a "Have a blest day."

Of course, Lent isn't about dieting, but conversion. And conversion is built on struggle. It is about becoming, in our own way, Jesus, in His forty days of fasting in the desert. Conversion is a grace, not something we earn. All we are doing in Lent — and even this requires an actual grace — is opening ourselves up, creating space for God's work.

The goal is to make our lives a continual gift. That includes on the job, at home, in our recreation, and in our friendships. Good as that one hour on Sunday is, it is just a start. There are many hours to offer up to God between Sundays.

Joseph Ratzinger, in his book Introduction to Christianity, put it well when he said it is not the purpose of the Christian life to just keep our white shirt clean. Christianity is not a set of rules or a collection of good conduct reports. It is a person. And it is not a person we are looking for. It is a divine person actively looking for us in all the byways of our lives.

Ancient religions involved making sacrifices to God. Christianity is a religion in which God makes the sacrifice for us.

And while Christians may have doubts at times about the person of Christ, so do atheists, agnostics, and non-Christians. Christ is at the center of human history, eternal life, and every human life. Even if we ignore Him, it is He who sustains our existence. For the world was called into existence out of nothing. It is only the second-by-second will of God that continues to hold that nothingness in existence.

God respects our freedom and does not force our hand. Even Judas, who lived with Jesus and had seen many miracles, was left free to refuse the messiah’s offer of eternal life.

An agnostic NYU professor I dealt with was always spinning in his mind about this argument and that about Christ, until someone said to him he was being a bit silly. Why? If you wanted to see the stars, you would use a telescope. If you want to know God, wouldn't it make sense to at least pray? How else can you get light?

Setting aside time in Lent for daily prayer, whether it's five, ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes, could be a start. Make it a daily appointment with an important person, preferably making the sacrifice to pray at the same time and place, regardless of feelings. Meditating on a few words of the Gospel can be helpful. But the key thing is to be there for the time. I knew a business executive who blocked out a few minutes every day in his office to hold all calls and schedule no meetings, making time for this meeting.

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Whatever you decide to do this Lent, keep it simple. Will this Lenten sacrifice bring me closer to Jesus? Will it help me serve others better? Will any progress made in my spiritual life carry on into Easter and beyond?

"Remember man thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return" is the ancient formula harkening back to the Garden of Eden. There, man was created from the dust of the earth. We need to keep the struggle real if we are to restore some part of Eden to our hearts. And no matter how many times we have to begin again and again, the struggle is worthwhile.

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