Some years ago we sang "The Age of Aquarius." Today, when every penny, every spoken word is carefully examined, the music world could easily hit the top ten with "The Age of Transparency." Related to this new mantra there is authenticity. You might say, however, that achieving transparency is much easier than achieving authenticity although both present challenges to us today.
Mr. Webster and his protoges ofdfer these two descriptions of authentic: (1) painstaking or faithful imitation of an original and (2) true to one's personality, spirit or character.
Today our Church call us to honor an authentic woman, St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict. It is obvious from recollections of abbots who worked with Benedict that he and his sister had occasions to spend long hours in spiritual conversations and moments of prayer.
Today's gospel, Mark 7:14-23, is a reflection on authenticity. In particular Mark recalls Jesus' meeting with a crowd and speaking about the impact of our personality, spirit and character. It is about how we live our lives. Jesus is trying to teach to the people and his disciples that it is vitally important for us to tend to the matters of the heart. There we encounter who we are. There, in prayer and quiet reflection, I come to know better who I am. There is where I learn what is required of me to be the authentic person God wants me to be. It is in my heart that I discover the power that God gave me when he brought me and my purpose to our earth. For me and you, each day is a all to authenticity. Each day in so many way we are challenged to be more than transparent. The vocation of a Christian is to be an authentic -that is, a painstaking or faithful imitation of an original -- to be a true son or daughter of God our Father. How authentic am I is a question we might ask ourselves now as we prepare for Lent.
