Lent 2010

“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” With those words sounding around us, we are urged to enter into the Season of Lent.  The words are an echo of the cry of Jesus as he began his public ministry:  (Mk 12-13). The sights and sounds of Ash Wednesday prepare us for participation in the penitential season of Lent.  The remains of last year’s parade of palms now appear as the blackened ashes of these burned palms.  Last year’s Holy Week began with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  Now the blackened smudge on the faces of those who would take this season seriously, speak to the people of this electronic age in which we live.  We must come to terms with the force of evil in our lives.

The threefold challenge of the Church as we begin the Season of Lent is these three:  Prayer, Fasting, and Works of Mercy.  Let these three mark the way to triumph over sin and death.

The message of the Lord touches each of us.  Let that message be our compass.  At the top of the prayer list is the Church’s most important prayer:  the celebration of the Eucharist.  Come and participate in the Eucharist and receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  If you cannot come to Mass, then reverently pray its prayers in a quiet place.  Let there be some special prayer that punctuates your life in turning to God in praise, thanksgiving, repentance and worship.  Let there be prayer in your Lenten life.

The Church also calls us to Fasting in this Season of Lent.  With Catholics throughout the world we abstain from eating meat on Fridays.    When we abstain from this nourishing food we are reminded that there is a more important spiritual food that is given to us in the Eucharist. We are privileged to eat the sacrament of the Body of Christ. The practice of fasting reminds us that this season of Lent is also an invitation for us to choose to abstain from something else in our lives.  Such a chosen practice is not for display, but to turn our lives to Christ even in small and humble things.

The third practice of Lent is to care for someone or some group as they try to deal with hardship in their lives.

Prayer, Fasting and Works of Mercy are the Church’s public call in this season of Lent.  I pray that we may all be open to how the Holy Spirit wants to lead and guide us in this sacred time.May the Spirit of God strengthen us in our serious effort to “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”