Inertia

With Lent fast approaching in three days and with our snowless winter, Ash Wednesday might be the target of a subtle inertia that says, "No, not yet...I'm not ready for six weeks of spiritual effort, doomed anyway to be fraught with 'failure.'" As with our snowless Christmas which didn't "feel like Christmas" so too with Lent beginning in this long Autumn. Or with some of us who are up in years, is it just that overall feeling that we can't do what we used to do? Have you said to yourself, I used to be able to clean the house in a hour, or take care of errands or rake the yard in a couple of hours, and now it takes me all day, or I don't even feel like doing any of these? Welcome to the human condition. Inertia was set in motion in the Garden of Paradise and has not gained momentum since. If you recall, the Law of interia states that "a body at rest tends to remain at rest." So true...don't bother me with Lent; I don't want to move; I can't move!
How do we cope with this, or overcome it and get "this body, this soul at rest" to move? We can't do it ourselves. The poor paralytic who wanted to see Jesus for a cure got there only through the effort of his friends and the removal of part of a roof! (Mk 2: 1-12). Not it won't be easy; the effort of the community, the encouragement of family and friends, pastors, authors, speakers...our own humble request for assistance....these will "put us in the mood" and once we get going, will keep us rolling. Today is the Sabbath...a time for rest and nourishment bodily and spiritually. Tomorrow is a holiday for some...extended time for these necessary elements of renewal. May we find a few more moments than normal to listen, to receive, and to find motivation and help to overcome our inertia.
Bro. Rene