We have now entered the season of Lent. For those of us old enough to remember, Lent in the past was not, in some respects, a time we looked forward to. Easter was the goal and we looked forward to it with real anticipation. Our attitudes about Lent tended to be on the gloomy and negative side. Perhaps nowadays we have gone to the other extreme—Lent being only a passing moment!
Yet, Lent has always been one of the key times in the Church year and it would be a great pity if we were to forget its real meaning. We used to pray at the beginning of Mass for the First Sunday in Lent, “Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the meaning of your Son’s death and resurrection and teach us to reflect it in our lives.” Help us to understand the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus and to live that out in our lives!!
This period of six weeks helps us to do just that. One way to look at this time would be as our annual retreat, a time of deepening our understanding of our Christian faith, a time for reflection and renewal, a time to make a fresh start. It almost sounds like we are starting a new year, a new start, doesn’t it?? And, in many ways we are!
In the first reading, Moses speaks to the Israelites at the end of their forty years wandering in the desert and he prepares them for their new life in the Promised Land. That is what the Lenten Season is meant to be for us also. The Gospel reading for this first Sunday of Lent speak of the temptations of Jesus in the desert. Jesus has just completed his forty days of preparation (his retreat) and he now faces one more test before he begins his mission.
When we think of temptations, we tend to think of sexual sins, telling lies, losing our temper, gossiping about people’s perceived faults, getting angry, feeling resentment and the like. These are serious temptations, BUT there are others far more dangerous. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has shed light on far more important temptations we must address ourselves to this Lent.
The really dangerous temptations are to want material wealth for its own sake (the ability to turn anything into money), to want status, and power (to manipulate people and things for our own ends). These are dangerous because they reduce other people and even the material world to things that can be used purely for personal gain. They are dangerous because they create a world and society in which everyone has to compete to get as much for themselves as they can. And, these are dangerous temptations because they are fundamentally contrary to everything we are called to be, especially this Jubilee Year of Mercy.
The kingdom that Jesus has come to build has a different set of values altogether. And, it is those values we want to be considering during Lent. Many church-going Christians are chasing the idols of wealth, status and power just as fanatically as our sisters and brothers who have given up on their faith. This is not the way of Jesus; not the way of the Kingdom, not the way to a fully human, fully satisfying life for anyone. It is not the way to be merciful like the Father!
Lent is a time of reflection and a time of re-evaluating the quality and direction of our lives. Lent is not just a time of “giving up something.” Lent is a time for reconsidering our priorities; a time to re-affirm our conviction of the equal dignity of every single human person.
Just as it was for Jesus, we have a choice to make. We are at a crossroad in a very real sense and we stand at that fork in the road during Lent. One road leads us down the path we have been on before—selfishness, consumerism, resentment toward others. Or, we can take “the road less traveled”—I do truly desire the good of the other person! I can be more Christ-like in my concern for the common good for all of God’s creation!
As the second reading reminds us, those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no difference between Jew and Greek. All belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask for his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. It is a scandal then for some of us take the other road, when some prevent our sisters and brothers from having access to the material, social and spiritual goods of God’s creation.
We don’t want to overlook the final sentence in today’s Gospel: “when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him FOR A TIME. The battle with evil was not over for Jesus. It will occur again and again in various ways throughout his public ministry, especially at those last hours in the garden and on the cross.
For us, too, the battle against evil never stops. As we stand at the crossroad, we are drawn to selfishness, greed, anger, jealousy and resentment, and above all the desire to have rather than share; to control rather than to serve.
These forces of evil are powerful. Our only success in life can be what we achieve in building a society that is more loving and just, based on the message of Jesus, a message of truth and integrity, of love, mercy and compassion and of peace.
This is why we need Lent. Lent is not something we do for God. It is a way of opening our hearts to believe what God wants to give us. As we stand at that crossroad each and every day let us embrace the notion of Lent as our retreat.
What I am suggesting is we undertake some of the practices of a retreat during the Lenten season. For instance, what about setting aside a little time each day to let your mind and heart settle down, to create space within yourself for welcoming God? Maybe set up a special place in your house or elsewhere just to pray. And how about a picture or crucifix or maybe just a candle? Or, just 10 minutes of silence?
Yes, we can “give up something” during Lent, isn’t that what we have always done? What if this year, during the Year of Mercy, we DO something radical–
Why not take some time to read in advance the readings from the upcoming Sunday Mass? There is an excellent insert in the Bulletin each week, “Exploring the Sunday Readings.” Sit down, take some time and imagine yourself in each reading.
Devote some time to spend with the Lord in prayer including the sacrament of reconciliation.
Participating in the Stations of the Cross each week is another good way to journey with Christ.
Attend one or more of the Lenten Soup Suppers and prayer experiences.
Make Operation Rice Bowl a priority during Lent—it makes a wonderful connection between fasting and almsgiving.
Be mindful of the presence of the Lord in each and every person you meet.
All of these things are doable. It requires only a commitment—a commitment just like we make to loved ones and the commitment we make in marriage, both celebrated this weekend—on Valentines Day and World Marriage Day. It is after-all ALL about love.
So, as we stand at that proverbial crossroad and we pray, “Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the meaning of your Son’s death and resurrection and teach us to reflect it in our lives.”