Lent is one of the most important seasons of the church`s year because it is a time of penitence, an introspective period during which we take stock of our lives and relationships to discover and change what we must to prepare for Easter and experience the spiritual renewal that comes when we engage in such exercises. So, during lent we follow the example of Jesus by submitting our own will to the will of God.
Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitments to a way of life, rooted in our baptism. In our busy world, lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our behaviour’s patterns, to pray more deeply, experience of sorrow for what we`ve done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. I write these few words to you dear friends to assist our entry into this wonderful season, and prepare us to celebrate the Holy week. Inspired by the forty days of lent, it offers a simple daily reflection.
To many of us Lent is associated with doing penance. However, to think of Lent only as a time of penance is an injustice. While the traditional practice of “doing something extra” for Lent is praiseworthy, there is much more to this wonderful season than just additional practices of piety or acts of penance and mortification. In Lent, the church calls us to Metanoia. The Greek word metanoia connotes a change of mind and hearty, altering one`s mind-set towards a whole new way of thinking and acting. This involves looking at where we are and trying to see where we ought to be. It involves testing our values and discerning how they measure up against the values that Jesus offers us.
Lent prepares us for Holy Week, for those most sacred days in the Churchs year, when we celebrate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Lords gift of himself in obedience to the mission he received from his heavenly father. Of course, the suffering and death of Jesus-and his resurrection-present questions and challenges to each of us in the context of our mission as followers of Christ and so in our process of metanoia. Fortunately, metanoia is not something we have to do all by ourselves. God`s word gives us a lot of help in the process, as does the example of our brothers and sisters in the Lord who are engaged, during these weeks, in the same exercise. This metanoia helps to grow in our relationship with God, with oneself, and with others.
Contemplating “him whom they have pierced” moves us in this way to open our hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the human person; it moves us in a particular to fight every form of contempt for life and human exploitation, and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so many people. Lent also brings us face-to-face with our sinful human condition. It makes us realize that sin is not just a personal fault that deprives us of grace but rather it alienates us from God and from the community of the redeemed. Lent brings us a deeper appreciation and love for the greatest treasure we have as Christians. Day by day Lent will lead us along the road of ever-growing appreciation of the historical life, death and the resurrection of Jesus.
Lent challenges us to use forty days as a time for our spiritual lives, to back away from often overwhelming material nature of our lives. It encourages us to focus on repentance and to practice forgiveness. Self-control is the essence of our focus during Lent. It is a time to feast on the things of God, to fast from the temptations that pull us away from God.
May this Lent be for your renewed experience of God`s love given to you and your family and friends in Christ, a love that each day, we in turn, must re-give to our neighbour, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way will you be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter.
