Pause, see, and return

"Pause" "see" and "return" are the three powerful words that became the message of Pope Francis during Ash Wednesday which signals the Lenten season. And to prepare us, there is a need to pause. 

Pause as we leave behind the unrest and commotion that fill the soul with bitter feelings which never get us anywhere. We pause from this compulsion to a fast-paced life that scatters, divides, and ultimately destroys time with family, loved ones, and God. We shall refrain from the need to show off that makes us forget the value of intimacy and recollection. We refrain from haughty looks, from fleeting and derogatory comments that arise from forgetting tenderness, compassion, and reverence. We refrain from the urge to control everything, know everything and destroy everything because if we do, we overlook the gratitude for the gift of life.

It is the deafening noise that weakens and confuses our hearing that makes us forget the fruitful and creative power of silence. Refrain from the attitude which promotes sterile and unproductive thoughts that arise from isolation and self-pity, and that cause us to forget going out to encounter others to share their burdens and suffering.

We refrain from the emptiness of everything that is instantaneous, momentary and fleeting, that deprives us of our roots, our ties, of the value of continuity and the awareness of our ongoing journey.

We pause in order to see...

See the gestures that prevent the extinguishing of charity, that keep the flame of faith and hope alive. We look at the faces of our fellowmen with God's tenderness and goodness working in our midst. See the face of our families who continue striving, day by day, with great effort, in order to move forward in life despite many concerns and much hardship. See the faces of our children and young people filled with yearning for the future and hope, filled with "tomorrows" and opportunities that demand dedication and protection. Living shoots of love and life that always open up a path in the midst of our selfish and meager calculations.

See our elderly whose faces are marked by the passage of time, revealing the living memory of our people, reflecting God's wisdom at work.

We see in order to return...

Return to the house of our Father. We return without fear to those outstretched, eager arms of our merciful Father. We return without fear, to join in the celebration of those who are forgiven. We return without fear and experience the healing and reconciling tenderness of God.

It is in pausing that we see the realities –and return to our core. For the death of our Creator comes the salvation of the humanity –indeed a powerful message that our beloved Pope would want us to reflect on. [email protected]