Letter from the Pastor
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February 26, 2023
The word Lent means springtime. It is a 40-day opportunity for our spiritual life to blossom and experience new life at Easter. There is a temptation to think we have to find something new and creative each Lent, so as to a have a more meaningful experience. However, the Church has been celebrating Lent for 2,000 years, it is not necessary to reinvent the way we experience Lent.
The tradition of the Church teaches us that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the three basic and timeless Lenten practices. Catholics should actually practice these three things throughout the whole year; however, during Lent the Church invites us to intensify these practices.
Prayer allows us to strengthen our relationship with God by taking time to get to know Him more. If we give God more time, He will give it back. There are different types of prayer: vocal, liturgical, contemplative. Prayer is a communication; back and forth dialogue with God. It is the union of our heart with our God of love. Experience the different types of prayer. Make time to pray in solitude, quiet moments of reflection leading to praise and worship of God. Take a quiet ride in the car, get up early before the rest of the family, enjoy nature and make a visit to a Church in the afternoon, before the kids come home from school. Pray along with the prayers of the Mass, attend Mass during the week, pray the rosary etc. Pray, pray and pray some more!
Almsgiving helps us practice detachment and teaches us to trust in God’s providence. Almsgiving is sharing our time, talents and treasure with the less fortunate. Almsgiving should lead us to a more loving and generous way of life. Almsgiving reminds us of all that we have and God has given us, and allows us to share with our brothers and sisters. Lent is ultimately an invitation to be generous with God and to offer him a sacrificial gift.
Finally, fasting during Lent dates back to the early Church. Around 100 AD St. Irenaeus was the first to write about a period of fasting to prepare for Easter. Around 300 AD, the Early Church Fathers began writing about specifically fasting for 40 days in imitation of Christ.
The concept of 40 days fast has a special biblical significance. In the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah spiritually prepared for 40 days before encountering God on Mount Sinai. Fasting for 40 days allows us to make space in our hearts to encounter God closely.
The concept of 40 days is also related to the theme of penance and sorrow for our sins. In the days of Noah, the flood that lasted 40 days was a way of God reprimanding and purifying humanity for its wicked sinfulness. The Israelites also wandered in the desert for 40 years because of their sinfulness and rebellion against God.
Lent offers us a unique opportunity to express sorrow for our sins and to remember that our sin hurts and can even be deadly. During this season, we must allow our Lord to soften our hearts to the reality of sin and its harmful effects. We need to be mindful of the ways our sins wound others and us. There is no such thing as a private sin. Lent also allows us to enter into the suffering of our Lord because it’s always tempting to take Jesus’ sacrifice for granted.
The 40 days of Lent offer us an opportunity to imitate what Jesus did in the desert for 40 days: He prayed and fasted in preparation for His public ministry. The Church asks us to perform works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving during the Lenten Season in imitation of Christ.
The desert also has its demons. Fasting generates hunger. Almsgiving limits our personal desires. Prayer time takes from “me-time.” Lent’s threefold discipline strikes at the core of our self-centered instincts. Doesn’t it seem that you never have a stronger desire for meat than during Fridays in Lent, or never hungrier than between meals on days of fast? Christ overcame His temptations in the desert, choosing the Way of the Cross over the temptations of wealth, power, and pleasure, and so must we.
This “spiritual spring training” makes us stronger if we embrace these practices with generosity and love.
Pray for the strength to persevere in your Lenten practices.
