"This Too Shall Pass"

Today we begin to read from the First Letter of Peter, but only for two days before the beginning of the Lenten Season – Ash Wednesday. This Letter of Peter is helpful in reminding us of the inspirational and motivational power of our belief in the Resurrection of Christ. The writer speaks of the “living hope through the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead” (1 Peter: 1:3). Further, he tells us, “in this you rejoice” (1:6) for this faith tells us there is more to reality than what our eyes can see.

Amid the comfort and relative prosperity of the “have-nations” there’s a reluctance to emphasize too much the influence of our hope in eternal life. Our society and our culture point us to expect “everything” from technology, science, and a high standard of living.

The question of the rich man in today’s Gospel, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17), is left in the dust by the questions that are implicit in our lives. Aren’t these the questions we are in effect asking: What must I do to have a longer, healthier life? What must I do to assure my comfort and security? What must I do to be sure of enough resources for a comfortable retirement? We can’t deny the importance of these concerns. Christian life is not lived solely in another world; it begins in and amid the cares and work of this world. Yet the full Christian life is lived with an unavoidable tension between this life and the world to come. Both the sorrows of human life and the perils implicit in wealth are good reasons to keep the Resurrection and Eternal Life forefront in our minds and hearts. In regard to the sorrows, this hope assures us that these and life’s other evils will ultimately pass; in regard to riches, this hope tells us not to put our security and trust in them. They too will pass.

As Ash Wednesday dawns, let us remember that Lent is a desert season, when we go out to the harsh places of the Spirit to find the Living Water we will celebrate at Easter. When we raise our eyes from our own discomfort, we see the flame of the distant paschal candle and know that we do not travel alone.