One day a thousand years ago my mom was driving us to school in what was one of those slushy, snowy winter days. I remember one of my brothers suggesting she was going too slow. My mom's response was to step on the gas hard so the rear end of the Chevelle began fishtailing whereupon my mom responded something like, ' are you happy now'. What a task raising 4 testosterone fueled boys into men. She had her hands full as they say. But her response in the snow was much like any of us. Quite often we react to a stimuli in a completely opposite way or in an exaggerated way, a way that suits our own agenda.
If Weight watchers and Jenny Craig have taught me anything it isn't so much about denial as it is about moderation. Weight watchers calls it 'portion control'. It's moderation.
Moderation is key in everything, even scriptural interpretation. This is especially true in scripture as the words, intent , audience and cultural background play key roles in determining what a passage means two thousand years on. The intent of a passage written for Greeks of a passage in Aramaic already translated once and of events that the author may or may not have witnessed first hand gives you an idea of how difficult it can be to say definitively what a passage means or was intended to mean. One must be scholarly and faithful. Too often words are translated loosely and with malintent, with an agenda that is not heavenly but quite worldly. This is one reason the Roman church is a euro-centric male dominated church. It is not reflective of history or of God's will of inclusiveness.
If our intent is to read scripture passages during Lent or at any time in our lives, and I highly recommend doing so, we need to be sure that what we are reading is free of bias of any kind. This means any efforts on our part need to be serious and not be passive. We need to approach our readings with respect and thoroughness that is equal to the message - it is the word of God.
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