The Pact

What with all the scurrying about of the past few weeks, I'd forgotten how beautifully the choir sings at SFX sunset masses. Today, therefore, was a pleasant experience away from the usual buzz at St. Anne's (no offense to the St. Anne's peeps).

So I sat, listening to the homily, which was about the sanctity of the vows people take when getting married, and how people break the sanctity of these vows when they're unfaithful to their spouses. Then the priest said something that caught me rather off guard: Making a promise to God is like taking your marriage vow. So when we don't keep it...

Granted, I'm not married. But I'll be guessing the feeling that one gets when you discover that your spouse has been unfaithful isn't particularly delightful.

At this age, I don't think its uncommon for most of us to have experienced some form of heartbreak, unrequited feelings and what have you. Already these cause us so much pain, tears and sorrow. If already we feel so much pain from such unreciprocated FEELINGS, imagine how God, whose love is so infinitely greater, genuine and selfless, must feel when we aren't faithful to him, when his love is unrequited? And, conversely, imagine the joy he must feel when one of his children reciprocates his love!

So I thought about myself, of what I'd pledged to do this Lent. I thought about the times when I hadn't taken fasting or mass seriously, of how it became just an ACTION and not a form of worship and prayer. Granted, I might have observed the deeds, but I hadn't been true to God in my sincerity. See pride is a cunning person; he creates in us a sense of self-righteousness, much like the Pharisees of old -- perfect in the law, but leaving much to be desired in their love for God.

But having said that, not having been faithful isn't an excuse for us to say, "Since I've already broken the sanctity of our vow, we might as well get a divorce." Rather, it is a reason for us to buck up, to hold even more firmly to our vows and restore their sanctity. We've heard of born-again virgins -- people who once practiced promiscuity but came to see the sinfulness of their ways and repented -- and these are really powerful stories of how this sanctity of vows can be restored. Or, a more familiar scenario would be that of the parable of the prodigal son.

So perhaps, if we haven't already done so, now is the time to review how sincere we have been in approaching Lent and our spirituality. It's time for me to restore the sanctity of the pact I made with God.