February 25, 2007
First Sunday of Lent

The Harmonica

I found this very illustrative story in the internet that I believe puts in perspective the "why" of any Lenten discipline we might take on.

A young man was sent to Spain by his company to work in a new plant. He accepted because it would enable him to earn enough money to marry his long-time girlfriend. Their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned. As the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her, after all Spain is populated by beautiful women. The young man declared that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. "I admit," he wrote, "that sometimes I'm tempted. But I fight it. I'm keeping myself for you." In the next mail, the young man received a package. It contained a note and a harmonica. "I'm sending this to you," his girlfriend wrote, "so you can have something to take your mind off those girls." The young man wrote back that he was practicing on the harmonica every night and thinking only of her. When the young man returned home his girl was waiting at the airport; as he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, "Hold on there. First I want to hear you play that harmonica!"

Silito

Take a look at some of the previous messages from the Rector