Increments

Lent began with ashes and fasting on Wednesday. It's Friday, and I've decided to blog each day during this season as one of my disciplines. Four months after my last post, I won't dwell on my neglect of this space, but I promise to write something, even if it's brief, each day of Lent. This endeavor is for me, of course, but I hope it might be helpful for you too, reading wherever you are in life and in the world.

This morning I listened to a homily podcast from my favorite preaching priest, Fr. Mike Schmitz. He spoke about the need for incremental, small changes in Lent and in our lives. The British national cycling team showed the power of small changes when they tried to up their performance levels by one percent in a number of measurable areas in an effort to win the Tour de France. One percent. That's what it took for them to capture the team championship in just two years, something they had never accomplished before. A change in training of one percent.

Can we give one percent more today? This Lent? This year?

It might seem an odd transition to talk about new atheism here, but I see a connection between the incremental changes Fr. Mike proposes and the moral laziness of dismissing religion and spirituality as irrelevant and unworthy of our time. I'll just say it--new atheism is moral laziness. When someone knows Jesus, her or his life changes. Most days, the change is one percent or less. It is incremental. It is almost indiscernible at times, but the change must occur because Christ does not let us stand pat when we honestly engage Him. When someone knows and loves Jesus, knows the Church, and begins to see Christ in the sacraments, in people (those loved and those "unlovable"), in daily miracles, in simplicity, life will never be the same.

Mostly our world doesn't want us to change. We are encouraged to consume, to take what we want, to satisfy our cravings, to seek instant gratification, to grab what is ours, and to come back for more. This applies to products, relationships, possessions, and sex. The easy answer is to dismiss the longing of our souls for meaning that only comes when our lives and priorities change. Change is difficult and incremental. Not to change is to be dead inside and to be lazy.

New atheism doesn't want to change. It wants to embrace the world fully because that embrace is easy and comfortable. New atheism clouds the mind with clever arguments, but it does not satisfy the soul. New atheism overlooks many wonderful fruits of faithful living.

The school system, hospitals, soup kitchens, cathedrals, and the unfailing recognition of the dignity in each human person came about from faithful people living out the vision of God's love. This truth cannot be overlooked. New atheists will point to the wars, division, and evils cultivated by people in the name of religion, and I cannot deny much evil has been bred by people. But so much undeniable good has come from people and religion also. People are good but fallen, and so is everything we do, including our religion. I will not stop hoping because we have gotten off course so often and in so many ways.

Most often, change does not miraculously capture us. Rather, change occurs in increments. Change demands days of one percent better. One percent. I can do that. You can too. Do one percent for 40 days, and we're talking increments accumulating to transformation. What form will your one percent change take this Lent? Let's begin a journey together.