There is no mention of Lent in Fr Jean-Claude Colin’s words. However, the Gospel readings for this period refer to themes that are dear to him. They encourage us to revisit them.
- Almsgiving, prayer, fasting, all the good we do is tainted when we seek to show off, ‘like the hypocrites’ (Mt 6:1-18, Ash Wednesday). It is in the secret of the heart that the Father sees what is good. Colin expresses it this way: refusal to show off, to be ‘ostentatious’, to live like Mary in humility (Const.7)…
- The temptations of Jesus evoke all forms of evil: appropriating resources, using God instead of serving him, wanting to dominate the universe. The Gospel account (Mt 4:1-11) is very broad, but Colin’s three ‘No’s’ read it more in terms of its personal implications: rejecting ‘the spirit of ambition, covetousness and appetite for power’ (Const. 92), Mary’s spirit being radically opposed to this spirit of the world.
- The Transfiguration according to Matthew (17:1-9) is like a summary of biblical revelation, centred on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It leads to ordinary life: the disciples ‘saw no one but Jesus alone’. The vision is in the moment; the flow of life returns to the mundane. The apostles experienced this, and so did the believers who followed them. Contemplation is necessary, but it must nourish humble daily action. Colin invites us to keep the founding scenes present, Mary in Nazareth, Mary at Pentecost (Const. 8). But they are there to stimulate ever greater commitment to the mission, ‘in the face of the most urgent needs of the people’.
May this brief reflection support us on our Lenten journey.
Fr. Jean-Bernard Jolly, Marist
