"To change the world, we must change ourselves." St. Frances de Sales.
I read this quote the other night and it caught my attention. Little did I know that I would be waking up the next morning to news of the Pope's resignation. Everyone speculating why and what would come next. Is there scandal? Is he sick? Who will the next Pope be? Will this be the last Pope? Is the anti-Christ coming?
So many questions. So few answers.
But, is there a connection between the questions and the worry and the fretting, and the quote at the top? I believe there is. It is so easy to get caught up in all of the worry about where we are headed, when in reality all we are called to be is holy. If we focus on that, especially with Lent right upon us, maybe we can change the world, no matter who the next Pope is or what he does, or doesn't do?
God is calling us, right now, on the threshold of 40 days of prayer, penance and almsgiving to change ourselves so that we can begin to change the world. St. Frances also said, "To be dissatisfied and fret about the world, when we must of necessity be in it, is a great temptation." I figure I can spend the next 6 weeks fretting about the world and what is to become of it, or I can pull up my bootstraps and work on making myself into a holier person.
Maybe it is good that Pope Benedict announced this right before Lent. We can use this time, with its prayers and penances, to pray that the Holy Spirit will prevail and we will be blessed with another good and holy man that will lead us into the new springtime!
So what say you? Are you ready for Lent? Are you ready to transform yourself over the next 40 days into a person that can help transform the world? Hey, we can even give it a name and call it H40X - 40 days to Extreme Holiness! Come on, our challenge awaits!
God Bless!
