Readings: Sirach 27:4-7; Psalm 92, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45
“For every tree is known by its own fruit.” A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
Mark 6:44a, 45
This lent may be a good time to ask oneself, “What kind of fruit do I bear?” How can we spend lent in working on bearing better fruit? The easy answer to this question, if we want to bear good fruit is to pray, fast, and give alms.
But from this point on it gets a bit complex in the execution. Let’s break it down into something we can handle. I’m an engineer and I like things that are straightforward and by the numbers.
What is the fruit of payer? There are many forms of prayer, and one should find the prayer style that works best with one’s unique spirituality. First, there is a communal prayer that we share in common. This form includes the Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, and The Rosary, among other types. There are also many personal prayer practices. This prayer form includes Adoration, Meditation (Lectio Divina – is one); and Contemplation, which is prayer without words. Whatever prayer form you choose, it should begin with silence. The good fruit of prayer is not in changing God’s mind; rather the good fruit of prayer is to change our minds. Remember Jesus’ admonition in the Sermon on the Mount:
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Matthew 6:5-8
Another form of prayer is with your body. A couple of years ago I made a walking pilgrimage from Lisbon, Portugal to Santiago, Spain. This is called a Camino Portuguesa and it had a profound effect on me. Slowing my body down to 2-3 miles per hour for 21 days straight caused the whole world to open up for me and I saw everything with new eyes. I saw again as a child and realized that the world is a miraculous place, full of awe and wonder.
What is the fruit of fasting? The fruit of fasting is weight loss, right? Wroooong! For me, that would be more about my ego and how I look to others. It would be about changes in my body image so I could look good, and not about a change in my heart. This would be a bad spiritual fruit of fasting – good for the body but not helpful for my soul. The point of fasting is to experience hunger. If the hunger I feel in my stomach reminds me that much of the world go to bed hungry, then I may be spurred into action on behalf of the poor. That would be good fruit indeed. Also, I could set aside the food that I forgo and donate it to Paz de Cristo soup kitchen in Mesa or St. Mary’s Food Bank so the poor could be fed as a result of my fasting. Better yet to serve a night at St. Vincent DePaul in Phoenix while you fast. This way you would get to know the poor, first hand while serving their needs with what is equally precious – your time and presence. Then you will be following the wisdom of the 4th Century Desert Fathers and “Let your stomach teach you.”
If you are unable to serve the poor at a soup kitchen you could follow the recommendations of Pope Francis who asks us…
Do you want to fast this Lent?
Fast from hurting words and say kind words.Fast from hurting words and say kind words. Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude. Fast from anger and be filled with patience. Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. Fast from worries and trust in God. Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity. Fast from pressures and be prayerful. Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.
Here are Jesus’ words on fasting:
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Matthew 6: 16-18
What is the fruit of almsgiving? So if you are wondering why this strange deacon is here today and preaching at you… Here is the point. I am here on behalf of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to get out the word on the wonderful work that CRS has been doing for 75 years. From the beginning, CRS has been attending to the poor and disenfranchised people of the world. In 1943 at the height of WW II, and the year National Catholic Welfare Council of the U.S. Bishops (later renamed CRS) was organized, CRS resettled 1,432 Polish refugees from the Soviet Gulag in Siberia to Colonia Santa Rosa in Leon, Mexico. Descendants of these refugees live in Mexico and the United States to this day. Today CRS operates in over 100 countries helping people help themselves through projects envisioned and built by the local people. CRS is about a hand up, not a handout.
After Mass today you will be given a small paste-board rice bowl to fill with your pocket change during lent and to return to your church at Easter. Your money will be used as seed money to fund projects around the world that empower people in their home countries of the developing world. To help others, to help themselves. This kind of help is like teaching someone to fish for a new and richer life rather than giving them fish to feed them for a day. Your support of Operation Rice Bowl will allow CRS to continue to bear good fruit well into the future.
Here are Jesus’ words on fasting:
“[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Matthew 6: 1-4
A final word on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving… St. Teresa of Calcutta once wrote:
THE FRUIT OF SILENCE IS PRAYER. THE FRUIT OF PRAYER IS FAITH. THE FRUIT OF FAITH IS LOVE. THE FRUIT OF LOVE IS SERVICE. THE FRUIT OF SERVICE IS PEACE.
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