“Do a little channel surfing and you’ll encounter programs like Hoarders, Storage Wars and Auction Hunters. They all show the excess that has become so commonplace in our society. We tend to measure ourselves by how much stuff we accumulate. And the more we have the less generous we tend to be—not only with our stuff, but also in how much of ourselves we invest in relationship with one another.
However, we have a God who is lavish, indeed extravagant, in his love for us… God unsparingly pours out his forgiveness and mercy on us. If our hearts are stingy, we cannot receive this abundance because we are closed off to it. If our hearts are giving, then we are truly blest. Made in the divine image, we are called to imitate our Creator… May our Lenten observances help us to let go of what possesses us so that we can freely give of ourselves in loving service to the one who made us.”
Steven Nyl in Redemptorists of the Denver Province post on 17 March 2014.
OK, so my family chuckles when we watch Storage Wars to see how buyers gamble at getting a unit with valuables in it. Sometimes they win and sometimes, well, they lose their shirts. When we watch Hoarders, however, we come face to face with the destructive power of holding on to possessions. It’s unbelievable to see how the inability to let go of things destroys people.
Conversely, we have the gift of the Lenten season to focus on calling out to God, growing in our faith, learning to let go of things, and loving others more deeply. It’s hard to do this when we live in a culture that celebrates greed and acquisitiveness. So what do we do? Acknowledge these realities and choose to imitate our Lord regardless of what everyone else is doing. Amen?