Beginning of Lent

(Pot to burn the dried Palm Leaves - found here)

“The one thing all our calculations with God have in common is that they never come out even. In fact, that is precisely what characterizes them.

Only what does not belong to the Lord is futile. The purpose and point of what does belong to Him are unlocked in Him, so how could they be thus futile? That said, every reflection on the usability of what belongs to Him would be futile, because it would not be contained in, or come from, Him.

It is the inevitable that we give to the Lord. We have a sore throat, or our clothing is shabby; since we cannot change either of these things, we say ‘We want to bear this for the Lord.’ But we know: the reason we give it is that we cannot do anything about it. Otherwise, we would take steps to change it, and then we would stand there, as we often have in the past, with empty hands. We would have nothing, really nothing, for the Lord.

Our neighbor is cold or hungry, or he suffers some injustice. In that case, we are prompt to do some good, this or that. We fetch something warm and nourishing from our provisions; perhaps, too, a good word is enough; we will find it. We want to guarantee that we will be thanked, because we think we have averted some person’s suffering. And, after all, we are doing well; the help we have offered has not diminished our abundance.

But how would it be if the recollection of our good deed were to perish? If our help were to expect no thanks? If it were not a human being, but the Lord, this anonymous one, who needed us, along with all our abundance?

He can need us, all of us, without our noticing that He is demanding it. It can become a sacrifice. Take all that we have, all that we are, Lord, and squander it, without thanks, even on those who do not want it, perhaps precisely on them. And do not let us talk about sacrifice.”

~Adrienne von Speyr (from Lumina – New Lumina)