Acknowledge those who have helped you
One of the central points of the season of Lent is to be able to put the self under control, while we see grow in the appreciation of the good around us. This does not mean we should look down on ourselves. But going a step further to realize that whatever we are today, whatever good we have or we have become, is not totally all by ourselves. Others must have helped us and contributed to what we have become. It could be considered small, but being able to acknowledge that others have helped us on our way up in life, is surely helpful on this journey of self-denial. We stop to see that we are not all in all, but beneficiaries of the grace of God and the kindness of others.
Such a deep thought and reflective action should prompt us to be slower in condemning others, and to be a little kinder. If we are able to wear this bracelet, it could help us to close our eyes a little more to the faults of those around us, and to praise a little more. You could make a list of some people. It does not matter how few they are. They could as well be plenty. But it is important to reach out to them with a word of thanks. You might be surprised that you may feature in someone’s list too. As it is said, what goes around comes around. What we hold for ourselves remain with us. What we give to others, goes out and it comes back to us in many folds. Today, acknowledged those who have helped you. The happiness will come back to you.
Attend and pray the stations of the cross
The Stations of the Cross is a prayer with a set of fourteen stations, which traces the final journey of Jesus from the court of Pilate where he was condemned to death to the point where he died and he was buried. This used to be walked by pilgrims who went to the place where it actually happened. But over time, the devotion was taken up in the local Christian communities, such that even if one is not able to go to Jerusalem as a pilgrim, he can carry out the devotion from wherever he is, in union with the suffering and death of Jesus. Faith teaches that the merits of this devotion abound. Each station in the devotion is clearly stated, with reflections on the particular action on the journey of Jesus to Calvary, his death and burial.
Specific prayers are said at each station, recalling that we adore Christ and we praise him, because by his holy cross he has redeemed the world. While this devotion can be done privately, even outside the Lenten season, it is recommended that it be done with the community, especially during Lent. The reason it is quite fitting for the season of Lent is obvious. It is the season that prepares us for the celebration of the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord. Hence, our journey with him more closely in these forty days is supposed to help us achieve this aim. Many parish communities do the devotion on Fridays, while some add Wednesdays. But as earlier mentioned, it can also be done privately.
Go home and love your family
This statement is attributed to Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The full statement goes thus, “if you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This statement makes a whole world of sense, especially in a world torn apart by so many variables. We know that culture evolves, but so many fluctuations have turned our environment into such a volatile entity, such that what one sees today is not likely to be so tomorrow. It is funny how some of us also, allow ourselves at times to move with these inconsistencies. We are quick to say that nothing is permanent. That may be true, but do we check if the changes are necessary and would ever stand the test of time? With such volatility, it is easier to pay more attention to how we look, more than who we really are. We become more concerned with the exterior and appearances, while we try to jettison the interior and our inner self. If we pay more attention to the family and family life, we would have solved a huge part of the challenges facing the human society today. The family is the foundation of the society.
Love and unity in the family will breed the same in the larger society. No matter the kind of fashion we portray, no matter the kind of trend we follow, if the family does not stand, if there is no love within the family, we would keep rolling around the same troubles and more. This particular bracelet is coming on a weekend, when we can decide to stay more around our family. If you cannot reach your family physically, place a call to them. Pray together. Relate with one another. If you do that, you would have contributed to the bond which humanity desires, yet is so elusive today.
Reflect on the ten commandments
The ten commandments are God’s direction to his people to guide their relations with him and with one another. These guidelines are a useful help for worship and morality. Biblically, God himself gave these commandments to Moses, and he, in turn, gave it to the people. Of the ten, the first four deal directly with God, for the good of his creatures, while the remaining six have to do with human beings to one another. Put together, they help to focus on how to please God and to help one another to grow towards the aim for which we are created, which is that above all, our souls may find peace in this life and in the life hereafter. It is helpful to reflect on these ten commandments again for many reasons.
One of those reasons is to check if we still know the commandments. No one can keep or obey what he does not know. If we know or remember the commandments, then we can begin to talk about keeping them. Yet, they are the best measure of self-examination. No matter what the world and its pleasures put before us to dull our memories or to make forget outrightly, these guides for worship and morality, the ten commandments remain quite more important in helping our self-examination So why would you not take it up as a bracelet for Lent. To reflect on these commandments could actually help the metanoia, the turn-around you really desire through the discipline of this season.
Pray a Psalm of Thanksgiving
The times are hard. The situation of the economy is tough. This definitely affects every aspect of life. Even the most courageous people are asking questions. People of faith are complaining. Why not? In fact, we should be asking the questions why those who promised to secure our lives and make sure the economy is good enough to sustain us appear confused. At least, this is what it seems to the common man. That is why it seems that despite having and professing faith, we still have to complain. Almost everybody complains today. The reasons are obvious and are justified. It looks like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, this affects our entire world. It is just that some are more badly affected than some others. But as much as we complain, these challenges have not lessened.
Those entrusted with the power to keep life livable for the common man say every day that they are working hard day and night to see that it gets better. Yet the cost of goods and services rise almost every minute. Shall we keep running this fast on the lane to what appears to be a bleak future? Well, it is already bad enough. We should not stop asking questions from those who asked us to put them in positions of authority. But we ought not make ourselves slaves of the difficulty we are passing through. Rather than just complain, we should find a way to still thank God. This would take bitterness out of our hearts. Pray a psalm of thanksgiving today as your bracelet. Encourage someone to do the same.
Smile anyway
Marcus Aurelius the great Roman Emperor once wrote, “when you fret at any circumstance, you have forgotten a number of things. You have forgotten that all comes about in the nature of the Whole, that any wrong done lies with the other, further, that everything which happens was always so in the past, will be the same again in the future, and is happening now across the world, that a human being has close kinship with the whole human race, not a bond of blood, but a community of mind … that nothing is our property, but even our child, our body, our very soul have come from that source … that each of us lives only the present moment, and the present moment is all we lose.” You may ask how this makes sense for a bracelet for Lent. Yes. It does. It is to remember always that each moment we live is an opportunity to prepare for the next moment.
Hence, if we live one moment with joy, we lay the foundation for the next moment, and then the next, and the next. Being conscious that nothing we hold on to is fit to create happiness for us if it does not come from within, we ought to build ourselves in the discipline of never looking down on ourselves and the joy within us. This will play a great part in realizing our potential, and we shall not look back in sharing it with others. One big way to start-off is to smile. You will find out how powerful it is, and its magical ability to make the best of the present, while also helping others to be happy.
• Rev. Fr. Martin Badejo is a Priest of Catholic Diocese of Oyo.