Lent and EAARTH

Lent and EAARTH (1)

There are a number of ways to live Lent. One is to suffer a bit, to take on an extra burden or to give something up to emulate Christ's taking up the cross and giving up his life. Another is to spend the time feeling guilty because you have not always been the fully alive human that God would have had you be. A third is to acknowledge all the great blessings God has provided, including this wondrous planet, and actually do something, however small, to mitigate the dreadful damage being done to it; damage that has already changed it from the earth past generations knew to a new one symbolized by a change in spelling to eaarth. Doing such things is not only a mitzvah (good deed) to the environment but to another great blessing we have, the children around us now and children yet to come.

Jesus did not take up the cross because he felt he needed to suffer, but because he was called to it for a higher purpose. Acknowledging shortcomings is important but it is only healing if it leads to effort to overcome them. Each of the first two ways to live Lent mentioned above is fuller life only if it has a greater purpose than voluntary suffering. The Eaarth Advocates group will be offering a number of suggestions of different ways we can all “do something” this Lent. Suggestions will be keyed to the environmental challenge area Mary will focus on in her sermons during Lent.

(1) http://www.billmckibben.com/eaarth/eaarthbook.html

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