As Easter draws closer I become more hopeful. Lent is often a difficult journey for me as I confront my fears and inadequacies, with which all of us as human beings are burdened. The difficult stock taking begins on Ash Wednesday but I can feel the slow ascent of my spirit as we approach the joyous magic of the Resurrection on Easter.
I believe that all of us Christians feel the twist in our stomachs of the suffering of our fellow human beings. I know that I feel it especially acutely this time of year as I wonder whether I am doing my part to help alleviate it. Am I kind to my neighbor? Do I sacrifice enough? Do I avoid Jesus’s warning in the Gospel today to avoid self glorification? I know I don’t rate a perfect score. Some days I don’t even earn a C minus.
But perpetual despair about my failings is no good either. I can’t lock myself in my room and not engage my fellow human beings, even though I know that I will make mistakes. What good am I to God and my neighbor then? What if Abraham had said to God: “Please, pick someone else.”?
As I walk into my office here at Creighton I usually look up at the cross on the steeple at the top of St. John’s church. It gives me courage in the face of my fears and inadequacies. And I know that Easter is coming.
Member of Creighton University Community
Since its inception in 1997, Online Ministries has been blessed to have myriad members of the Creighton University community offer their personal reflections on the daily scripture readings.
