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Written by Colleen Coughlin
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Friday, 27 March 2009 |
Colleen is a staff member at the Mission Office. She is the Website Editor and the Coordinator for the Holy Childhood Association.
 As we now move into the second half of Lent, I’ve noticed that one common theme seems to keep reappearing wherever I go. Homilies, discussions, and even Lenten blogs that I’ve come across all seem to have the same focus this year: to GIVE BACK, rather than to simply GIVE UP.
When I was younger, I was always asked what I was going to give up for Lent. Chocolate, candy, and soda were the usual answers. (Along with my favorite sacrifice of peas and onions, which I didn’t like anyway!) The focus always had to do with material things. To a child, I suppose giving up a food, a toy, or a game is a real sacrifice. For me, the lesson was always that I must give something up, even if it was something small, just as Jesus gave up his life for us. It was the very least I could do, after all. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there is much more to Lent than simply giving up something that I like. For me (especially this year), it has been a time for prayer, reflection, and giving back.
What have been some of the tangible ways that I have given back this Lent? Saying a kind word to someone in the hallway at work. Writing an email to an old friend that I haven’t talked with for awhile. Cooking a nice dinner for family and friends. Grocery shopping for a refugee family. Giving a donation to our Lent appeal for the missions. All of these things, no matter how big or how small, have taught me how to be a better person, and have really gotten me to reflect on how I can give back, rather than simply give up – and not only how to carry that attitude throughout the rest of Lent, but all year round.
As we move closer to Easter – a time for new life and new beginnings – I look forward to continuing my service to others, and in my own small way, bringing them new life and new beginnings, too. Here at the Mission Office, we recently discussed holding a drive for babies and their mothers in Russia. What better way to continue serving others than by helping these babies and mothers in need halfway across the world – and literally giving them a “new life” and a “new beginning”? I can’t think of a more wonderful way to celebrate Easter, to share the love and gifts that JESUS has given US, and to truly “give back.”
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