Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Black Swan is a 2010 film about a ballet dancer who wins the lead in Swan Lake and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan – Princess Odette. However, she slowly loses her mind in the role of Odile, the Black Swan, the daughter of an evil magician. The director of the Swan Lake told the ballet dancer that it will be a hard job to dance both. She insists that she can dance the black swan too. Furthermore she tells the director, “I want to be perfect.” The director replied, “perfection is not just about control, it’s also about letting go.”
In the Gospel reading, Levi left everything behind and followed Jesus. We don’t need to leave everything behind like Levi did, but maybe we need to let go of something. These days of Lent are meant to let go of some disordered attachment that prevents us from walking closer to Jesus. Perhaps it is a feeling that nobody loves me or I never receive proper appreciation. Are there the ‘other gods’ in my life that I might be tempted to bow down and serve? Are the gods who lead me away from Jesus Christ my savior? Whatever your thoughts and feelings are, bring them before the Lord now, speaking to him, and listening to him, in complete honesty and openness.