Lent

This week we have begun the season of lent once again on Ash Wednesday. Lent, of course, is the season where we embark on the journey of faith towards the ultimate feasts during the paschal triduum. Due to the pandemic, your start to lent was probably notably different.  The church world wide was directed to follow the Italian way of sprinkling ashes on top of the head, instead of the cross on the forehead, as we are use to here in North America.  I for one defiantly miss the ash selfies this year which decorate Catholic social media during this season.   Maybe in your city or state, churches are limited in numbers and so the emptiness of the church was particularly noticed. Maybe you weren't even allowed to gather and the services were exclusively online, and that is an immense difference for us Catholics who find great importance in gathering as a community of faith, to express our faith, and share in the divine life God offers us as a community. Lent has already been and probably will continue to be different on a large scale, but it doesn't have to be internally. 

 Ever since we were kids, we have been taught that lent is the season which is markedly different for us than the rest of liturgical year because it asks us to be more engaged that advent, as an example. We mark this season by giving something up, and for many of us this usually means food, or a drink, or something of that nature. We give up for forty days, we make our sacrifice, and at Easter we indulge once again. But I always have felt there was something more to this, that there could be something more than the mere temporary yearly sacrifice of chocolate or booze. It always seemed that giving up chocolate for the sake of giving up chocolate was pointless in itself, and the more I learn and get older the more I realize that's because it is useless in itself. 

During lent we hear over and over throughout sermons and the readings that this is a season to turn back to God; a reorientation of our lives towards the creator. We hear that lent is where we recommit ourselves to living a saintly life; we recognize that we have not lived to be the people who we are called to be and that we are in need of God, in every circumstance of every day. So lent becomes this time where we realign our souls, with God's own divine heart. 

If we are to be giving something up for lent, it should be for that purpose and that purpose alone; to become closer to God. It seems useless to give up chocolate over and over again, just to delve right back into it Easter Sunday morning and have not been converted in our hearts.If we aren't aiming to be closer to Christ, then we may be missing the point of this penitential season. If we are truly a people who believe in Christ, the Son of the living God, than all things must lead to him; we should orientate our lives towards him. 

Instead of fasting from the fine tasty pleasures of life, maybe we discern within our hearts  in what areas of our lives we need God more. One year, I found myself watching youtube videos far to often, wasting hours and hours away watching numerous different videos. After realizing how many hours this took from my life, I unsubscribed from everyone I subscribed too. In some ways it was hard, because there were some I had formed a daily habit of seeing their new videos, and seeing what new things they had to say. But I did. I fasted from youtube. I spent more time with family, reading spiritual and theological books, and spending time legitimately praying. This was one of the best lents of my life, which made a positive change (and made me more productive) and which had a lasting effect. 

So instead of chocolate we can give up a myriad of things, which can increase our relationship with God. If we decide to give up youtube, than maybe we decide to take that time to read, or reach our to friends, or to listen to someone going through a rough time, or pray all the more. If we fast from participating in gossiping, we can try to focus more on the better qualities of people and share the good things they have done. The goal should be a to improve our faith lives and to improve them long term.

When we turn ourselves to Christ, when we make time for Christ, our entire lives improve. When we make time for Christ, and make a sacrifice from the real things that keep us from him, then lent has a purpose, it isn't as empty as merely giving something up, the season allows us to become who we are called to be: saints. 

 Our entire life begins to fall into place when they are focused on Christ. When we make more time for Christ, our lives become fuller, brighter, and easier to carry. 

Today's gospel from Mark does not list the temptations of Jesus, but we all know them.  The devil tempts him to turn the stones to bread, to jump from the temple and he would be safe, and finally the to give in and claim the powers of the world. Each of these temptations was to turn Jesus away from the Father, away from the life he was called to live on earth. You see, the goal of any temptation is to turn one away from God and into a delusional conception of self sufficiency, selfishness, purpose and fulfillment. Temptation always tries to restrict  you and your life. Once succumbed, the thing that tempted us gives us a false sense of freedom and can only provide temporary goods and pleasures, as we see from the empty temptations of Jesus. 

 But by continually finding our source in the fountain of living water, in Christ, gives us true and authentic freedom and allows us to enjoy the lasting good and joy that only He offers. 

 In fasting this lent, we turn away from those things which tempt us to turn inwards, to fast from those things which take us away from Christ. When we make that time and effort to follow Christ throughout lent, why would we go back to our old ways on Easter morning? If we have truly found the source of our life, the source of all goodness, why would we desire to ever return to the things which distracted us from it? 

Lent, then is a time to truly recenter our lives on Christ- a conversion towards our authentic selves and true freedom, towards true joy and towards being who we are meant to be witnesses of Christ on earth.   As people of faith, who take this annual journey of lent, may we continually find Christ in our lives, riding our lives of temptation and finding the true source of joy, purpose, fulfillment and service. May our sacrifices be for the conversion of our lives, always leading us away from selfishness, and temporary pleasure, and leading us to the Word made flesh. 

     

Fasting ideas from Pope Francis for Lent - St. Patrick ... 

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