As this holiest of weeks begins, I see so much construction going on in our nation’s capital. The Washington Monument is being fitted with scaffolding for repairs from the earthquake that rocked the city the month after we arrived two years ago. Streets are being resurfaced, neighbors are refurbishing a bathroom, and in so many places homeowners are renewing landscaping in their yards with thoughts of spring arriving – soon, we hope!
All of this busyness has caused me to review the past six weeks to see how my repairs have gone in my Lenten commitment to renew my relationship with Christ. How have our practices this Lent helped us to re-establish or deepen our love, our commitment, our compassion, our concern for our neighbors and for our planet? Have any of our repairs over the past six weeks helped to fashion us more and more into the likeness of Christ?
This time has certainly helped me to put some plaster in the cracks of my resolve. Have we tried to hold someone’s hand more often; to offer a comforting touch more readily; to forgive without demands? Have we struggled to be honest with ourselves and with others about the work that has been going on in our soul? Have the foundations of our faith been strengthened? Have the walls of justice and love, compassion and forgiveness been adequately supported? Have we put a fresh coat of paint on our intentions?
And, we must remember, these six weeks of challenge and resolve are to make us more like Christ. These habits we have begun during this Lent are to be continued and carried through the years, day by day, hour by hour. We no longer have the choice to return to what life and our relationship was like before we began our building project of Lent. This is now the New Us – the new face of the compassion of Christ in our day, willing to walk the difficult road of love and suffering all the way to the resurrection. Grace will be our scaffolding. And, our work continues . . .