“Praying is stretching a hand toward the Infinite! It is a loving dialogue between our own impoverishment and the greatness of God. Our meager words, silence, and abandonment, and meditation rise and go to the heavens. God will never hold back his hand when we turn to him with a sincere heart, with our limitations, and with our journey of faith.” (Origen, Prayer 33,1) from “Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers (p5)

Origen, a priest of the early Church, shares with us this peace of Lenten wisdom and hope in a God who is always present and wishes to be with us. If we take the image of the outstretched hand, it is a sign of hopefulness to many. We can think of how many times throughout the day we stretch out our hand towards others: to give, to receive, to thank, to greet, to help, to be helped, to pray, to bless, to protect, to console…..
We understand the power of the out stretched moment because it is truly an exchange of life, sometimes simple and at other times profound but always a connection of grace found in the human experience.
Our Gospel this Sunday, (Mt 4:1-11) is the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. In the story Satan, in his three temptation, wants Jesus to stretch out his hand towards him, and thereby deny his relationship with God. In each response Jesus gives to Satan he points back to his Heavenly Father. Stretching out his hand towards truth, compassion, justice, mercy and love. This is the center of Origen’s thought above.
We can see how this can work in our own lives, especially during this season of fasting, praying and giving of alms.
Fasting is not simply an interior exercise where we feel hunger or abstain from eating certain foods. Fasting is choosing to be in communion with those who do not share the abundance we have in our own life. It is not simply abundance of goods or food but also the abundance of peace and freedom so many people do not have but long for with hopefulness. It is our hand outstretched in the quest for justice.
Praying, too, is not only a spiritual exercise removed from the day to day reality of life. Prayer, united with fasting, helps us to enter into the communion we share as sons and daughters of the living God. Prayer places us in the heart of a greater community united in purpose and direction of gratitude for the blessing of life. It is our hand outstretched in the desire for oneness.
Giving of alms is more than the sharing of our treasure, time or talent, it is, united with prayer and fasting, the donation of our very self. We first and foremost share the alms of who we are with God and then this blessings flows forth from our lives to those around us. It is our hand outstretched in sacrificial love.
Jesus speaks to each of us with these words, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (Jn 15:15) To stretch out our hand is to acknowledge the other as worthy of love and of friendship. This changes everything. Our Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting and alms giving become acts of friendship with Jesus and with each person we meet. It is truly an act of love.
Matthew Kelly reminds us of this truth in “Resisting Happiness” when he writes, “Your friendship with others is not to be taken lightly. You are changing the direction of your friends’ lives, for better or for worse. Sooner or later, we all rise or fall to the level of our friendships.”(p155)
Friendship changes each persons life.
Jesus wants to change your life this Lent with his friendship. Whose life are you changing this Lent with your friendship?
God Bless
Fr. Mark