If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing…And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:3, 13
“Our lives are about the choices we make. Once we make a choice, the details of that choice begin to create our lives. Small choices, big choices, and how we handle the details of each choice begin to complete the pages of our life story…
Life is not about what we do or what we accomplish–it is about Jesus. Every day we are blessed with the choice to live by faith, to give hope, and to cherish and receive love. And the greatest of these is love–His love for us, our love for others, and how this combination gives people the choice of eternity.
How would your life story read back if you rewrote it based on love? Who would you want to give back to as a way of honoring all that God has given you? How could you be as generous to others as God has been to you?”
Carlette Patterson in “Give Hope: A Legacy of Giving Back in the US” in Christ-Centered Generosity: Global Perspectives on the Biblical Call to a Generous Life (Colbert: GGN & KLP) 59-61.
As we begin our journey through Lent, we are (in the words of Patterson) rewriting our life story. There’s a key ingredient that must be central to our focus on prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor during Lent: love. Without love, in the words of the Apostle Paul, we “gain nothing”.
Patterson’s final question causes us to reflect on how generous God has been to us. The Passion of Christ is the climax of Lent and the greatest act of love humankind as ever known. In that sense Lent is a journey toward understanding, receiving, and generously sharing love.