By Tim Rohr
Like his predecessor, Pope Leo is urging a "practical" form of abstinence for Lent.
“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”
I know that this makes people feel all warm inside, and who am I to contest the pope, but as I wrote two years ago in STUFF WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING IN THE FIRST PLACE, the pope is urging us to abstain - for Lent - stuff we shouldn't be doing in the first place.
In other words, the pope (and all who promote this idea) are functionally implying that it is quite okay to go back to "words that offend and hurt our neighbor" once Lent is over.
The pope can correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding of the merit in "giving something up," aka "sacrificing," is that the thing sacrificed (food, sleep, time, money) is a good thing to begin with and that the sacrifice hurts - at least a little.
I'm reminded of the famous incident of Cain and Abel. Abel's sacrifice was pleasing to the Lord and Cain's was not. The Bible doesn't tell us why God rejected Cain's sacrifice, but it's pretty clear that Abel sacrificed his best and Cain did not.
Food and sleep are sustenance. So is time and money. They are also good things (or are at least meant to be good things). When we fast or abstain from food, get up extra early (to pray), give of our time and money to a charitable cause, we are giving up/sacrificing good things. When we abstain from "words that offend and hurt our neighbor" - to quote the pope - we are giving up BAD things.
Which sacrifice do you think God will be pleased with?
Meanwhile, of course, we should use Lent, and the graces granted through our sacrifice of good things, to permanently stop doing - not just give up for Lent - stuff we shouldn't be doing anyway.
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