By Fr. Joseph Royan, C.Ss.R –
The Season of Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation for the joyful celebration of Easter. On Ash Wednesday, we begin our own forty days like Jesus in the desert. This penitential season of Lent is for us an intense time of spiritual renewal. A moment of grace where the Church, especially invites us to pray, fast and give alms as a means of expressing our utter dependence on God who through the waters of Baptism shares His very life with us.
The faithful during this season are encouraged “to give up something” for Lent as a sacrifice. Moreover, an emphasis must be placed on performing spiritual works, like attending the Stations of the Cross, attending daily Mass, making a weekly holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament, taking time for personal prayer and spiritual reading, and most especially making a good confession and receiving sacramental absolution. Although the practices may have evolved over the centuries, the focus remains the same: to repent of sin, to renew our faith and to prepare to celebrate joyfully the mysteries of our salvation during Holy Week.
What would you fast and abstain from during this season? How would you make this lent meaningful? The whole purpose of fasting and mortification during this season is to help us overcome self and selfish desires. To allow the Lord to heal the things in us that leads to self-obsession and be centered in the love of God in us. We can do this not just by fasting from meat, alcohol or chocolates, but it is much more…
We need to fast from pride and pray for the grace to be more humble. Like John the Baptist who prayed, “He must increase, and I must decrease”. In many ways, John lived a Lenten lifestyle 365 days a year. His diet was narrow, his possessions were minimal, and his focus was eternal. But decrease for John was less about assets and more about attention. His longing was to draw his generation’s attention and allegiance to the Messiah. From John’s perspective, the true value of people seeing him was that people would then be positioned to see through him and gaze at Jesus. By willingly decreasing, John increased others’ view of the Savior.
Attention is not innately evil. It becomes evil when used as a self-serving end instead of a God-serving means. Those who steward attention as a means and not end stand tall and serve strong, knowing that all gifts come from God and can therefore draw attention to God. John decreased so others could see the Lamb. John decreased so others could follow the One who preceded and surpassed him (John 1:30). John decreased so that the Messiah would be revealed in John’s lifetime. May our decrease likewise increase our generation’s view of Jesus.
Fast from spending more time on the Social media and online gaming. Spend more quality time with your family and your loved ones. Let Lent be a time of grace for you as a family where you get to spend more time as a family to pray and to grow in love for one another.
Fast from anger, hatred and revenge and pray for the grace to love and forgive. The season of lent is a time to experience God’s healing grace in our lives, to be healed of our past hurts and wounds and to experience the grace to love and forgive. It is also a time to undergo personal conversion by repenting of our sins and turning back to God who waits for us with arms open wide to embrace and forgive us in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Fast from extravagance and lavish lifestyle. Lent is entering into the desert with Jesus for forty days which calls for simplicity of lifestyle, learning to live with little and being generous to help the less fortunate and the most abandoned around us.
Fast from grumbling and complaining, learn to be more joyful and grateful during this season. We always have a lot to complain and grumble about but let us shift our focus from complaining and learn to be more grateful for the many generous blessings of God in our lives and in our families.
May this season of Grace be an opportune time for all of us to experience God’s incredible love and mercy manifested through his Son Jesus Christ. May the glory of Christ’s passion and resurrection lead us into eternal life and redemption.
God bless you!
Fr. Joseph Royan, C.Ss.R., S.T.L is Professor of Moral Theology and Director & Editor of Redemptorist Publications India