First Week of Lent
When I was 16, I thought my mother was stupid. I would never seek her advice, and I would never listen to any advice or guidance she offered. I only sought advice from my peers; obviously, they had spent more time on this Earth and had years of life experience behind them; what did my mother know? All this to my detriment!
At 19, I realized that my mother was quite intelligent. It was the turbulence of life that taught me this. Living on my own, working, going to college, trying to pay bills, managing a relationship, and all the other sundry items life throws at us showed me just how challenging it is to survive on one's own. Now, throw in raising a large family as a single parent and being a strong woman of faith throughout it all, I could see all that my mother had to go through for the first time in my life. All she ever wanted to do was raise a family of faith and see her children be happy and prosperous and know they were loved.
I was available to help her in any way that she needed. It might have been taking care of the home, taking her to the doctor, taking her to a fancy restaurant on Valentine's Day or Mother's day. Every time I began to feel like she was intruding upon my time, I remembered what she had sacrificed for me in so many different ways. So, I spent the rest of her life on Earth making amends for all the ingratitude, selfishness, arrogance, ignorance, and my own stupidity.
Remembering is what Moses asked the Israelites to do in the first reading. They were to recall all that God had done for them, how he had brought them through so many events from the time of Abraham to the present. By remembering, they were able to show Gratitude by offering their first fruits, not their last, not leftovers, but the Firstfruits.
What are we going through today? How do we need to remember what God has done for us in our lives? And rather than simply say THANKS! Let us show him by giving our fruits, whether that is our time, talents, or treasure.
Thanks be to God!
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