A Lenton Thought

     This is Lent, the time for Christians to feel the depth of the sin that makes it necessary for Christ's sacrifice and resurrection.
     Sin is as simple as a wrong action - the theft of a candy bar from a convenience store - and as complex as a socioeconomic system that pampers some while starving others, that creates miraculous medical cures for some, while watching others die of simple colds and malnutrition.
      Wars and threats of wars stare at us each day in this shrinking world. Disasters, both natural and caused, strike at the heart of our national psyche. We try to maintain the belief that we are good, God-fearing people, while many in this country, and in others, shout that we are unfeeling capitalists and greedy war mongers, willing to kill others to support our way of life.
     The world is becoming smaller. What happens elsewhere is reported almost immediately. Every place seems just a short distance away. New Orleans, for instance, might be right in our neighborhood. A short time ago, we saw its poor sitting on roofs of flooded homes and packed into huge, human warehouses. We heard its stories of dead family members and lost pets. We are discovering that, while the hurricane was a natural disaster it was made worse because of human error and greed.
      Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be right down the block. We are becoming familiar with the names of their cities, with the differences between religious sects, pictures of blown up buildings and highways littered with the shells of our Humvees. We see our warriors going there with high spirits, hoping to free the people from the tyranny of despotism and war. We see many of them returning with broken bodies and disillusioned spirits. We see others returning with stories of successful interventions and a grim determination to continue sharing in the fight for what they see as a better Iraq or Afghanistan.
      The latest bird flu started in China, which used to seem like a long ways from here. Now it's just on the other side of Iraq and Afghanistan, right down the block.   Europe, to which the flu may have spread, is even closer than China.   Rumors are that it's only a matter of time before the pandemic reaches here. After all, Europe is almost in our back yard. Will our response to this epidemic, if it comes, reflect the God-fearing people we wish to be, or the sinful people that is our nature?
This is the season of Lent. Our sins, our shortcomings, stare at us. We know that the cross has meaning. We know it shows the depth of love God has for us. We know that the resurrection is the final outcome of the season. But this is Lent. This is the time for us to look squarely at our sin. This is the time for repentance.

Forgive us our trespasses...