Preparing Ourselves for Unconditional Love
There is a story of a farmer who lost his watch in his barn. As it had sentimental value, he searched high-and-low among the bales of hay. Eventually, however, he gave up and decided to enlist the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the one who found it would be rewarded.
Upon hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through-and-around the stacks of hay but still could not find the watch. However, just when the farmer was about to give up, a little boy approached him and asked to be given another chance.
The farmer thought, “Why not, this kid looks sincere enough.” So the farmer sent the boy back into the barn. After a while, the boy came out with the watch in his hand! Both happy and surprised, the farmer asked the boy how he succeeded whereas the others had failed. The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. And in the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.” (Author unknown)
On Ash Wednesday, I place before you this story which contains many biblical allusions. In our minds, perhaps the barn reminds us of the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21) where we hear the story of a rich man in possession of a bountiful harvest who begins to make plans for larger barns in which to store his treasures without an inkling that his earthly life was about to end. And perhaps the watch transports us to Mark’s Gospel (13:32-37) where we are reminded of the need to be watchful, for we “…do not know when the lord of the house is coming.” And regarding the little boy who received permission from the farmer to enter the barn for one final look over for the watch, perhaps he reminds us of the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Mt 18:12-14) where a man with 100 sheep left 99 of his flock to search for that one lost sheep. In thinking of that parable, we also cannot help but be drawn to the Parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21). For in that parable, Jesus promises that He is “…the good shepherd.” And that “a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Given all of this, we have much to think about. If we allow it, this day can serve as a pivot point for our lives. With the liturgical color fading from the green of Ordinary Time to the penitential purple of Lent, the prophet Joel (2:12-18) provides us with an instruction manual:
Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast. Call an assembly. Gather the people. Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.
My friends, with the 40-days of Lent before us, we begin our walk toward Calvary. On this journey, each of us carry our own burdens, worries, failures, and sins. May we give them to the Lord! And for those of us who have been given the gift of years and multiple Lenten journeys, there are sins we continue to hold onto. This, too, is the time to let them go!
Deacon Steve Greco, a permanent deacon from California, has recounted how he had a successful business career and a “not-so-great” relationship with his father. For years, while climbing the proverbial corporate ladder, he felt that love was based on performance or what one could do to please another person. In addition, his relationship with God the Father was, as he put it, “close to zero.” Having equated the Father with his earthly father, it was too painful to deal with Him let alone enter into a relationship. He confided: “I never prayed to Him because I felt I wasn’t good enough for Him to listen to my requests or needs.” But, after reading a verse from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, everything changed:
Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Letter to the Romans (8:1)
He marveled at the meaning of this for his own life; namely, that God had not condemned him, but rather, loved him unconditionally.
Brothers and sisters, do we not realize that during the Lenten season, we are preparing ourselves for unconditional love that unveils itself on the Holy Cross?
Today, as ashes are used to trace the sign of Jesus’ Holy Cross upon our foreheads, may we remind ourselves that we are the Lord’s and that He has created us for this time and place—for a purpose! And further, to recall our story of the farmer and his watch, that we sinners are whom God seeks. On Ash Wednesday and the days of Lent, may we remind ourselves that Jesus is Lord of our lives and loves us more than we can imagine. May we turn to Him, receive His forgiveness and mercy, and remember that we have been purchased at the greatest of prices.
After all, God did make a promise:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
John 3:16
