Coincidence

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."
- Albert Einstein, "The World As I See It"

Ash Wednesday

"The only antidote for the temptations of life is a constant turning to God, as Jesus did in the wilderness, grounded in a constant recognition that apart from God, even the greatest gifts can become demonic." From Lenten Meditation Guide, Higher Education Ministries

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40 days before Good Friday, when Christians begin making spiritual preparations for Easter. During the season of Lent (from the Old English: Lenten, meaning 'spring'), the traditional spiritual practice is to give up a vice that stands as a roadblock in your faith, and to replace it with something that brings you closer to God.

Candice R. led a thought provoking activity at youth group Sunday night, and got us to really think about what we would be replacing our vices with. She talked about a friend at Duke who gave up drinking anything but water. The purpose of this was, every time she took a drink of water, she reflected on water in the Christian faith - from the story of the Great Flood, to the sacrament of baptism.

I think there is something wonderful about this practice - every time you have a craving for a regular part of your life (e.g. coffee, for the coffee addict), you are turning your mind instead to God, your eyes to the heavens. Of course, on day 3, those eyes may be accusatory and your mind may well be dreaming of all the things you could do if only you were caffeinated.

I bring this up because, though I have never regularly given something up for Lent, I disappointed to be unable to think of something that I'm truly addicted to this year. I considered caffeine, but abandoned that in light of the fact that, most days, it's the only thing able to keep me awake long enough to pray.

I've decided that, this year, I'm giving up time. Not having enough of it on any given day drives me crazy, whether it's for homework, reading papers, teaching, grading, responding to e-mails, or even getting time to myself. So I'm going to take 15 minutes of each day for forty days to be in silent prayer and meditation. This is not an "obvious" temptation, like alcohol, drugs or sexuality, but socially-acceptable one. While there is nothing wrong with striving for understanding of the world around us, there is something wrong (and ironic to a scientist) with bypassing the miracles for the mundane, getting so involved in the minutia of our lives that we miss the "big picture".

Like the smoker trying to quit, it is going to take a lot of practice to be still in the middle of a busy life. Isn't that the point of Lent, though? To remind us that, sometimes, life is tough, for good reason. We were so unwilling and unable to give up our sinful ways that the Son of God had to die in order for us to truly live. Isn't it only right to give up a bad habit, and try out a good one, with the new life we have been given?

My question for those of you reading is this: What are the obvious temptations in your life? What are the socially acceptable ones? And what are you doing about them?

Ages and Angels

At the head of a tearful throng gathered at Lincon's deathbed, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton reportedly remarked, "now he belongs to the ages." Or did he say "angels"? Witnesses never agreed, and historians have turned handsprings searching evidence for one view or the other. Beyond mere antiquarian interest lies a philosophical problem: was Stanton offering an orthodox and sentimental prayer, or a knowing paean to Lincoln's own deist fatalism? - from Matthew Battles' review of "Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life", by Adam Gopnik

Which would you choose to be lamented during your eulogy - do you belong to the ages, or the angels? Do we each belong to one, or do we all belong to both?