James Herriot, a vet and author, recounts the story of his first caesarean section on a cow. He had not been trained in the procedure in his education. He hired a younger vet, fresh out of college, and they visited a farmer whose cow needed the operation. Usually the cow would die in times past but the younger vet convinced James to try the operation. So, James decided to try and he said to the young vet, “You guide me and speak quietly because the old farmer doesn’t hear too well.” They got started cutting and soon James realized that the young vet had no idea what he was doing. In frustration, he asked him, “What were you standing in the back of the class?” The young vet admitted that he had been. Only James’ long-time skill as a vet managed to save the cow and calf. It was truly the blind leading the blind.
Today’s readings have many words of correction. If a blind man leads a blind man they will both fall into a pit. This question made me wonder: how many of us could lead someone to Heaven? The young St John Vianney, lost on his way to his new parish, said to a young man, “If you show me the way to Ars (his new parish), I will show you the way to Heaven.” The young man responded, “How can you show me the way to Heaven? You don’t even know the way to Ars”.
But seriously, think of this: could you show someone the way to Heaven? If you could not, how do you know you are on the right path? We may be so busy looking at others’ faults that we are not correcting our own.
One line in the Gospel really called me to correction this week: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. I like this because it gave me something that I want to work on for Lent. Sure, we all have filters and we don’t say certain things in front of Grandma or children or in front of the nuns, but what comes out of our mouth around friends, around alcohol? That is really what is in our heart. Our gossip, our slander, our judgement, our crude jokes. Our tongues are revealing our hearts. In the First Reading it talks about how in fire a potter’s work is revealed because a pot in the kiln that has a flaw will explode. Or, once the wheat is sifted, you see what you have. In the bad times of life, when we are tried, we see who we really are. We see what faith we really have. We see what our heart is really made of and full of.
What does all this mean and how does this help us and not depress us? Well, we are coming up to Lent. It is just a few days away now. In Lent we are called to death and in Easter to resurrection. What are you doing? If you are merely giving up something, why are you giving up something? I met a woman who told me, “During Lent I used to give up chocolate, then I gave up being Catholic.” It is important that we give up something that will correct our hearts. We usually work with the three areas – prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Look at what your heart does when it is weak. What does it say or do or think and use this Lent to correct it. We can fast from many things, food is one of them, media, talking, warm water, from judgement and gossip. When you make those fasts see what your heart does away from comfort. Does it get angry and irritable? Ask the Lord to correct those things in your heart. What about when you pray – are you bored or distracted and trying to just get it done? Take that to God, ask Him to help you pray so that it may be effective and life giving. Do you feel your prayer is life giving? Yes, there are times when it is hard but is it still life giving. Or can you not wait until it is done so you can do other things that you enjoy? This is serious. Because the things you like doing were created by the same person that you talk to in prayer. Take the time to find out. Almsgiving – donations of money, time, talent. If everyone gave the way you did, would the parish and the world be poorer or richer? Are you afraid to trust in God with your life? What is in our hearts? Lent is a time to die to sin and rise to God. In the Second Reading it says that the sting of death is sin. In Lent make a good confession. Let us clean up our hearts and make it a time to know God, not be blind to our own faults. Let us die this Lent.
Remember this: we might think that the people who killed Jesus were really evil, despicable people, but in truth they were the regular people of Jerusalem. You and I and what caused them to kill Him was that they did not want to be changed by Him. I know I have had that feeling where I wanted God to work in my life and do miracles but I did not want to change. Until I imagined how God has been restricted by my terrible attitude, how souls are losing salvation because I am okay with being blind with my faults, how I am okay with judging others and complaining about others and not taking my own log out or asking God to take my own log out. I now want to die to sin, well, that is not true. I have now had the desire to die to sin and have prayed for the grace to die and have asked for the grace to die to sin and live my life new in Christ. Please, we need this. Let us look into our hearts and see what is really there. Ask the Lord to show us what He wants to do. Do not be afraid. If it is too hard ask the Lord for strength. He is the one who perfects and corrects and we need to give Him permission and trust He knows what He is doing. He will not fail us and we will witness many great miracles by taking this opportunity seriously.