As each Lenten Sunday draws us nearer to Holy Week and Easter, the scriptures urge us to measure ourselves against the mysteries we celebrate so we can be better, grow in God more deeply and believe more fully – both as individuals and as a community.
A wonderful word that comes to mind is zeal. Zeal is that passionate driving force that can enflame a person’s heart and motivate one to give great effort. I am sure the disciples recalled the words of Psalm 69 when they saw Jesus cleansing the Temple, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” We are at the midpoint of Lent and maybe some of our initial enthusiasm and zeal for the traditional practice of prayer, fasting and almsgiving have worn off a bit. The zealousness of Jesus for setting things aright might serve to encourage us and help us renew our own zeal this week.
