For many people, Lent is a time of letting go. We let go of habits and objects that get in the way of our relationship with God. Sometimes we let go forever, but often, it's just for 40 days (if we even make it that far). While everything that is not God becomes a potential distraction from God, and some things can become false gods in our lives, many things draw us closer to God. So many things clutter our lives, but a deeper exploration of those things we hold dear – including the people in our lives – helps us discover new ways to holiness.
As humans, our time on earth certainly is finite. Jesus knew this as well as anyone. But in the gospel for the fifth Sunday of Lent, Jesus sees the illness and death of his dear friend Lazarus as an opportunity through which God could be glorified. Jesus' love for Lazarus was clear. He even wept along with his sisters and other friends. Perhaps Jesus, like them, experienced God's love in a special way through Lazarus. While we lack the divine power to bring others back from the dead, we can hang on to – and grow from – the holy connections that people, objects and experiences create in our lives.
Begin by saying "People are more aware than ever about how long certain items take to decompose. It can be surprising to discover what scientists have learned about how long that stuff we use every day takes to break down. For example (display this data for students):
- Banana peel: 2-5 weeks
- Newspaper: 6 weeks
- Cigarette butt: 5 years
- Foam coffee cup: 50 years
- Aluminum can: 200 years
- Plastic bottle: 450 years
- Mylar balloon: Indefinitely
Continue by saying: "We're not only consumers, but we're people with needs and feelings. We can and should consider many factors about things we buy, use, get rid of or keep, including (display these, too):
- Do I need this to survive?
- Can I recycle or compost this?
- How might it continue to mean something to me over time?
- Are there options to buying/getting this item in the first place?
- Are there ways to save the memory without keeping the item?
- Does it bring me closer to another person?
- Does it bring me closer to God?
As a group, discuss the items on the first list, or others that you or the students might suggest, using the questions in the second list. Possible additions could include an item autographed by a favorite entertainer or athlete, a newspaper obituary of a grandparent or a plastic keepsake statue commemorating a First Communion.
Conclude by saying: "It's important to be aware of how things can overwhelm our lives. We see evidence of this in the oceans of our world, but objects can take over important parts of our personal being. Some items and experiences connect us more closely to loved ones and, more importantly, to God. Even in the gospel we'll explore in this lesson, Jesus' deep love of his friend Lazarus glorified God. During Lent, we can discover new paths to holiness through our connections to people, objects and experiences."
Lord, give us the grace
to let go of the stuff that holds us back,
and the vision to embrace more deeply
the people, the things, the memories and the hope
that lead us nearer to you.
Amen.
Approximate reading time for this article: 6 minutes
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