A (0:00)

What are you going to do for Lent? I wonder if what you choose to do this Lent is training for martyrdom. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascension Presents. We're called to move forward in three areas. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Right? So those three areas that Jesus talks about in the Sermon on the Mount, okay, how am I going to pray in a new way this Lent, or in a way that's consistent this Lent, that's going to help me in my relationship with the Lord? Secondly, fasting. So what am I going to give up? And then alms giving, what am I going to do? Like, how am I going to help the people around me? Those three buckets of prayer, fasting, almsgiving are buckets that are really, really important for us to, to enter into. Now when it comes to that middle bucket, the middle bucket of what am I going to give up? What is the purpose when we give something up? When we fast, we have any kind of asceticism. We do it because Jesus told us, when you fast, do it like this. So we have a command as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, as his disciples, that we're going to fast. So that's the first reason we do it, is because Jesus asked us to. The second reason is because, I mean, I love this. You know, the word asceticism, it's a S E, a S C E T, I C I, S M. Right, Asceticism. Anyways, asceticism comes from the Greek word asisis. So asceticism is any kind of like, you know, discipline. It's any kind of fasting as thesis means training. And so I think sometimes when you say, like, what am I going to do? What am I going to give up for Lent? It's not just about the hard thing I'm going to do. It's like, what kind of training am I going to engage in? I have the comic, the Marvel comic book, Maximilian Colby. It's pretty awes. But I remember reading that comic book and knowing his life, knowing his story, and knowing that he's the Franciscan priest who. In the concentration camp, two men escaped. And so the guards selected 10 random men for execution. And the 10th man broke down weeping and he cried and said, I have a wife, I have a family, I have kids. Please spare my life. And that's when Maximilian Kolbe, the Catholic priest, stepped forward and said, let me kill me instead. Let this man live and, and let me die for him. And they asked, why would you do that? And he says, because I'm a Catholic priest, I remember, like, just hearing that story and thinking, that's amazing. That's all I knew about Maximilian Colby. I did not realize some other factors about his life. Maximilian Colby was a missionary to Japan. Maximilian Colby started a publication that had, I think, at one point had over a million subscribers to this magazine that would bring the gospel all over the world. Maximilian Colby was leading this. This group, I think, called Militia Immaculata. Basically this, this. This movement in the church that was dedicated to serving Jesus Christ through a devotion to Mary. Maximilian Colby, when he said, I'll take that man's place, was only 46 years old. Meaning that if he could just hold on, if he could just survive, if he could just keep living for another couple months, maybe a year, he could go, then the concentration camp would be liberated and he could go back to serving. He could go back to offering the world, offering the church his incredible talents. This was not a talentless person. This was not a giftless person. This is not a person who is. Who is lacking in very much of anything. This was a man who, yes, he's in the concentration camp, but he has so much potential. And at this one moment, he decides to spend all of his attention, all of his potential to save the life of this one man. Who knows, the guards could say, hey, you're dying, too. 11 guys, we don't care. Maximilian Colby could have taken his place, but then the week later, he could have been killed. But he took all the potential that he had and said, I'm going to pour it out right here. I'm just going to give it up right here. And I've thought about this man's end of his life so much. I've prayed about this so much. I've asked the question, like, what would have to change in my life that I would be able to say, you can take me instead? Because truth of the matter is, I don't know if it's true for you right now, but it's true for me. I am not at that place where I could. Where I could do that, which is why I need Lent. Because Lent is the time where I say, okay, God, I want this, and I'm going to choose to freely let go of it. God, I want to have this. I'm going to choose to not have it. God, I want to grasp onto this thing because I might need it in the future, or because I want to use it for this or that, and to freely choose, say, nope, God, it's yours. What you Give up during this Lent, Let it be that. Let it be as thesis, right? Let it be training for martyrdom, Let it be training for death. Because we know this. Whether we die as martyrs or just simply die, every one of us has to let go of everything we have in our lives in order to go to Christ's kingdom, go to the next life. We have to let go of everything in this life. And so Lent is training. It's that asceticism. It is that thing that gives us a martyr's heart that I can say, okay, all these things that I think I need, all this potential that I want to cling to and grasp onto, just simply pour it out. So in your life of these next 40 plus days, what is something that if you just freely chose to let go of it each day, I know I'm not going to hold onto this. I'm not going to cling to this. I don't need this in my life. I'm going to give this to the Lord. Would help change your heart and make you more like a saint. In fact, help change your heart and make you more like Jesus. Here's a little last thing. I've been praying about this a ton in the days leading up, the weeks leading up to Lent. In the past, I've often recommended this. In the past, I've recommended that. Choose something organic. Like choose something. What I mean by that is not arbitrary. Like, choose something that is going to make an impact on your life. Like, I know that if I give up coffee, then I won't be so irritable. That's the opposite, isn't it? If I give up some such and such a thing, it's actually going to help me be more present to other people. Like if I give up social media, then I'll be more engaged with the people around me. Like that kind of thing. Sometimes it's organic, right? It's connected, that's important. But it doesn't have to be the case. Maybe, maybe actually this Lent, you choose to give up or fast from, or train yourself in something that there's no benefit for you whatsoever. It's not like, hey, if I'm going to give up sweets and then maybe I'll. It'll be good for me and also I'll lose a few pounds or I'm going to for this Lent, I'm going to exercise and then I'll be good for me because I need to start exercising and maybe I'll get more in shape or whatever. The thing is, what if you chose something this Lent that there was no benefit. What if you chose something this Lent that all it was was a gift to the Father. Again, there are no side benefits, no positive side effects. Just, I'm not going to do this. And every time I don't do this, God, this is for you. Imagine. Imagine what that could do to our heart. You know, a lot of us, we wrestle with faith. Do I have faith in God? Do I trust in God? You know, every time you gave up that thing, whatever the thing is, and say, God, there's no benefits. This is just because I love you. This is just because I want to offer this as a gift to you. That is an act of faith. That is an act of trust. I'm getting nothing back. But that's the point. I'm not doing this to get something back. I'm doing this because I just want to give God. I want to give this, whatever it is to you. And I trust that if I give it to you, you receive. I have faith that if I offer this to you, you'll receive it. There's something in there that's just so powerful for us. Yes, Lent, training for martyrdom. I want to get. I want to not grasp and I want to hold on to this. I want to cling to these things. I want to be the kind of person who can let go, but also not just let go. I want to let go and give these things in my life, good things. I want to give them to God. So let that be the resolution this season of Lent. What am I going to give this Lent? It can be something different every week. It doesn't have to be one thing for 40 days. What's one thing Each week they say God, this week, here's what I'm going to not here's what I'm going to give up. No benefit to me, no benefit to anyone around me. Just as a gift to you next week. Okay, God, here's the next thing that I'm going to give just because it's a gift to you, not because I'm getting anything out of it, but simply because this is an act of love and I love you, God. So here. Anyways, that's all I've got for today. From office here to Ascension presents. My name is Father Mike. God bless and happy Lent. Blessed Lent. Have a good Lent.