Forty days

There is a common trait in my family that I suspect runs in many families.

We tend to get impatient with the people that mean the most to us and end up speaking in curt tones to one another, saying things that hurt the other.

Why do we do it when we claim to love members of our family dearly? There is no reason on this planet to treat another human being without respect or basic courtesy, much less one who is loved.

The haunting lyrics of Alicia Keys's song Like you'll never see me again are an apt reminder:

"I don’t wanna forget the present is a gift
And I don’t wanna take for granted the time you may have here with me
‘Cause Lord only knows another day is not really guaranteed"

As she cautions in the song, don't wait until you lose it to know what love really is.

While it can be pleasant to reminisce about the past and to dream about the future, we live in the present and should therefore recognize its import and the impact our actions have living each moment of the present.

"The challenge of Lent is to recognize the place good things have in our lives and not be addicted to them," said Fr. Romeo during his homily yesterday.

Just as a disproportionate amount of attention on the "good things" is bad, so is a total lack of appreciation for them.

He went on to say that our biggest temptations came not from our weaknesses but from our strengths.

We can be tempted to be arrogant in our intelligence. Likewise, we can be tempted to discount and even abuse the bonds of love we have been blessed with in our relationships.

The central message of Lent is to renew our hearts and renew the way we live our lives. Refresh our relationships, not just with Jesus in our personal prayer time, but also with others, in order to enrich the relationship we each have with Him. For we cannot profess to love Christ if we do not love one another.

Just as we spring-clean our houses during the Lunar New Year, so must we spring-clean our hearts and minds.

It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. During Lent, we are given 40 days to change the way we normally lead our lives and enter Easter transformed by this season of grace.

So don't let the time go by unmarked. Make a change in the way you normally live your life today.