Father Tim Lemlin
We do this with God in other areas of our lives too. We presume that a particular lifestyle, based upon what others tell us, is God's desire for us. It is understood by some that God is blessing us when we are doing well economically, in our relationships with others, or when we are healthy, and we might be correct. God is also, however, blessing us with poverty, poor relationships, and poor health. God's grace is not dependent upon individual or collective events in our lives. God's grace - blessing - is freely given to each of us each moment of our lives. We simply need to listen to hear the voice of God to know that this is true. God is not found in presumptions. God is found only in the reality of each moment.
Some people come to Jesus in this week's gospel story and complain that his disciples are not fasting like the disciples of John and of the Pharisees. Jesus' response is of one who is listening, who is present to God. He doesn't devalue fasting. He simply tells them that for his disciples to be fasting at this moment would be living presumptuously rather than living in reality. Then he goes on to use an example. He points out that everyone knows that new wine needs to be placed in a new skin, so that when it expands, the new skin, which is still pliable, can also expand to accommodate the wine. When we presume, it is like our placing new wine into old skins that are no longer pliable, and when the wine expands it causes the skin to burst and we lose the joy of the wine.
The prophet Hosea allegorically speaks of God leading us out into the desert where God can "speak to [our] heart[s]." We are all too often not present to ourselves, to our spouses, to our children, to people, to God. We presume and so we become pre-occupied, distracted and fail to listen - be present - to the moment in which we are living. We live in a state of presumption rather than reality. It is presumptions - unreality - that lead married couples to separate, nations to war against other nations, and frustration, anger and greed to guide our lives rather than peace.
No one of us can be present to the moment all of the time or even most of the time. We can, however, with God's help make the effort to be present to ourselves, to our spouses, to our friends and family, and to God at least some of the time. Our Lenten Season begins on Wednesday - the day of ashes. It is the day in which we are reminded of who we are on a symbolic level that goes beyond our intellect. Maybe that's why receiving the ashes is so important to people. We are real on this day, or at least when we receive the ashes upon our forehead. At that moment, I know that I am nothing and I am something because God loves me.
I suggest to you that you practice being present and not presuming during this Lent. This will be a great sacrifice for most of us, if not all of us. It will require us to listen to ourselves, noting when we are tired, depressed, happy and full of life, and instead of going into a presumption mode, asking ourselves why I am tired, depressed, happy or full of life. It will require us to listen to our spouse, son or daughter, friend - be present to them - instead of putting ourselves on automatic-pilot and presuming that we already know who they are. It will require that we seek God in each event that happens during the day rather than presuming that God is present in this event but is not present in this other event.
I repeat, no one of us can be present to the moment all of the time or even most of the time. We can, with God's help, practice. Reality is often cruel and it is the only place where we can discover the God who loves us.
