Monday of the First Week of Lent - March 7, 2022

 Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18           Matthew 25:31-46

“Blow, blow thou winter wind. Thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” - William Shakespeare

Sometimes inspiration comes from a most unusual place. In this case, a poem sung by the character Amiens in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. My high school choir sang an arrangement of this song and, every now and then, the haunting melody and profound lyrics come back to me. I even find myself remembering our class discussion about the meaning of the words. Amiens’ song speaks of how the harshness of nature is not as deliberately cruel and wicked as some humans dare to be. Shakespeare wrote these words around the year 1600 but a modernized version of these lyrics would likely hold true today: humanity is much meaner than the harshest winter storm.

Throughout scripture, we are told to “love your neighbor as yourself” or to “do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” These themes are prominent in today’s readings.

 I wonder: Why do people inflict pain and misery on their fellow man? As followers of Jesus, aren’t we supposed to love one another and be kind to others?

In As You Like It, Amiens actually warns the audience that the idea of friendship is fake and that people are foolish to love. And to make matters worse, many of the wrongs in this play are committed by family members to one another. Sounds like today’s news. It’s unnerving how similar this 400-year-old drama is to things happening in our world today.

As I journey through Lent this year, I plan to take some time to reflect on how I can be the person that Jesus would want me to be. I’m asking myself the questions below:

Q:  How can I show love to my neighbors? In what ways am I able to do for others in the same way I would want them to do for me? What are some other ways that I can be a better human and help those around me be better humans, too?