Knottiness

Our gloriously-reigning pontiff, Benedict XVI, has published a lovely message for Lent, forwarding the ideas of man returning to right relationship with his Creator & centered on Jesus' great commandment - love of God & love of neighbor. Here is an excerpt:

The faithful practice of fasting contributes, moreover, to conferring unity to the whole person, body & soul, helping to avoid sin & grow in intimacy with the Lord. Saint Augustine, who knew all too well his own negative impulses, defining them as “twisted & tangled knottiness” (Confessions, II, 10.18), writes: “I will certainly impose privation, but it is so that he will forgive me, to be pleasing in his eyes, that I may enjoy his delightfulness”. Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ & be fed by His saving word. Through fasting & praying, we allow Him to come & satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger & thirst for God.

At the same time, fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers & sisters live... By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger.

This corresponds to the two sections of his landmark encyclical, Deus Caritas Est: the love God has for us, when received & returned, overflows to love & concern for our fellow man. Great Lenten reading, by the way. I never cease giving thanks that God has raised up such an amazing teacher & pastor to the See of Peter.

May all your knottiness (& naughtiness) be untangled this Lent!