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Taken
from the March 2006 parish
magazine.
This year the beginning of March matches exactly with the beginning of
Lent. The first of March was Ash Wednesday, so this can be a full month
of preparation.
Lent has the potential to be a time for growth. This is why
it is
helpful to take time for self examination and prayer. Fasting
or
giving up things for Lent is a way of showing that this is an important
time. Giving up a particular television programme can free up
time to read or pray. It also helps us identify in a small
way
with some of the suffering Christ went through, beginning with his time
of temptation in the desert and ending with his cruel crucifixion.
I
have been personally challenged recently about the importance of
listening to people who disagree with me. The challenge came
from
watching part of the programme
‘Monastery’. A group
of men spent time in a monastery with the cameras there to show what
happened. I saw a small extract where one of the men was
talking
to a monk about how he got on well with some of the group, but could
not stand others. The monk paused then asked the question,
“ Who will you learn most from?” After
thinking for a
while and with a wry smile, he admitted it was the ones he found
difficult.
I was struck that if I was serious about personal growth, I would need
to discover the areas in my life that needed changing: areas where my
attitude, understanding or ways of behaving were unhelpful or
distorted. The best way of discovering this is not by talking
with people who see things my way or agree with me, but by listening to
those with a different point of view, then prayerfully considering
whether they have a point or not.
So my personal challenge for Lent and beyond, is to try and be more
comfortable with disagreement, but I think we could all benefit from
listening more carefully to others before throwing our attention and
efforts into justifying who we are and what we do.
I pray that this Lent may be an enriching time for us all.
Rev W Henderson
