by Sister Karen Lueck
I hope you were able to bask in God’s love for you during these first days of Lent. Could you find goodness in yourself, and the resulting joy? As I said in my book “Cheering for the Good: Leading When It Matters:”
“If we focus on the goodness in every situation, we will tap into the energy of the Spirit, and that energy is powerful. Through grace and hard work, I have been able to say ‘no’ to a belief that I am not good enough, that others are somehow a threat to me, and that God is a harsh judge. I have said ‘yes’ to my own goodness, to a natural curiosity and attraction to others, and to a trust in God as a Loving Presence always with me.”
May this time of Lent be a healing time for you, too.
I thought it might be helpful to see where the emphasis in Christianity, and in Lent in particular, often became overly focused on sin and shame. This was not the original stance for Christians. The early Christian movement focused on the resurrection, paradise, and the goodness, dignity and equality of everyone. Early depictions of the Resurrection of Christ showed not the bloody crucifix, but Jesus resurrected and alive on the cross, surrounded by images of paradise—the sun and moon, trees, streams, animals and birds. The emphasis was on life rather than death. Women and other marginalized people were accepted as equal members of the community, with the power to proclaim the Good News.
As we consider an emphasis on life rather than death, gaze upon this image of goodness.
Image: Jasper National Park by Sister Rose Elsbernd
In my book “The Green Thread: Reclaiming Our Spiritual Authority,” I wrote:
“[The early Christian community] believed [Jesus] was alive among all of them now through the Spirit … The focus then was not on sin and the need for redemption in the afterlife as it has been now for centuries. The focus was on paradise, both here on Earth and in the afterlife. It was both now and not yet. Christians were taught to relish paradise in the now and strive to embody it in their daily lives, in order to rejoice in paradise in the afterlife … This early Christian emphasis on paradise led both men and women to see themselves as good, to experience God’s voice within themselves, and to be emboldened to speak it. Each member of the community was valued, and their contributions were welcomed. They were urged to live as a spark of the Divine in the world.”
Unfortunately, this began to change when the church formed unholy alliances with imperial powers of Europe in order to hold onto mutual power and control. Believing that all conquered “pagans” (our ancient ancestors) needed to be converted to Christianity to be saved, the conquering armies rode into battle under the banner of the cross. The Pope in 800 made it official by crowning Charlemagne the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. To follow up, rulers (both church and state) forced the people into submission. The church began to emphasize the sinfulness of the people. And when some people claimed their own power, they were persecuted – heretics, witches, Indigenous peoples, women in general. Many of us learned to be submissive; it was safer that way.
The church has dark periods of history, but it also believes in the power of the Holy Spirit to heal shame and energize for the good. During Lent, it will be good for us to explore all the ways that Jesus healed us and made us his disciples. He invited us to carry on his mission in the world. And to do this, we need to see ourselves as strong and courageous. And we are not alone. As Margaret Wheatley says in her poem, “Turning to the Other,” “Rely on human goodness. Stay together.” And Sister Joyce Rupp remarks in her poem “A Thanksgiving Blessing,” “May you never forget the Generous One who loves you lavishly and unconditionally.”
About Sister Karen
Karen Lueck is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration. She has spent much of her life recognizing the goodness in herself and others. As an educator, mental health counselor, spiritual director and leader in her congregation of Catholic Sisters, she acted as a cheerleader for the people with whom she ministered. In her first book, "Cheering for the Good: Leading When It Matters," Sister Karen's urges all of us to step up and be the change.
Her new book, "The Green Thread: Reclaiming Our Spiritual Authority," is part memoir, part research narrative about what happens when church and earthly powers form an unholy alliance to keep people, especially women, subservient. "The Green Thread" debuted in September 2025. Follow this Lenten series by visiting Sister Karen's author page here.