The holy season of Lent will be upon us again as we enter into it on Ash Wednesday, February 17. We enter into this Lent with many struggles playing out before us in our country, and in perhaps in our hearts. Our country still struggles to find union and unity amidst the many challenges that we face, and the divisions that weigh us down. We continue to address the important questions of immigration, racism, as well as other concerns and issues that demand that together we undertake the slow and hard work to address and resolve them. Like last year, we participate in this Lent burdened by the coronavirus pandemic that still affects us in so many ways, most notably and sadly the loss of life.
Lent is the perfect opportunity for us to continue to pray and reflect on these issues and what is to be found regarding them in our own hearts. We can respond to the call of Lent and seek a conversion of our own minds, hearts and actions to being the best disciple of Jesus Christ that we can be in regard to these ongoing concerns.
As I have stated before, there is no other season of the church’s liturgical year that has the staying power of the season of Lent. In contrast to Lent, many of us do not really remain true in our thoughts and actions during the entire duration of the other significant seasons of the church’s liturgical year, like Christmas or Easter. By this I mean that for the most part the joy of the Christmas season or the Easter season fades or ends immediately after Christmas Day or after Easter Sunday.
In contrast to these two seasons, the disciplines of the season of Lent really do captivate us and hold us throughout the entire season of Lent, which in its duration of 40 days is at least almost equal to the length of the season of Easter and far longer than the season of Christmas. You may not find much Christmas spirit (or many Christmas decorations) still present on Dec. 30, but weeks after Ash Wednesday you will still find Catholics denying themselves sweets, or praying an extra rosary each week. You may not find much joy and celebration in the Easter Alleluias during the Fifth Week of Easter, but even during the Sixth Week of Lent you will find Catholics dining on fish and fasting on Fridays of Lent, or continuing to sacrificially give to their Rice Bowl or other forms of Lenten self-denial.
Even if Catholics for one reason or another cease these traditional practices during the season of Lent, there is still at least always present in many ways during Lent a conscious awareness that one is not living up to the real call of the season of Lent.
As was the case last year during Lent, with the coronavirus restrictions that we face perhaps this is the perfect time again for the benefit of others and ourselves to enter even more deeply spiritually into the self-denial and restrictions that are placed on us because of the coronavirus. I saw an article recently that stated that people of deep faith have endured the restrictions caused by the coronavirus better than those who lack faith. That is easy for me to believe. As people of faith, we know the benefit of self-denial and penitential practices, and the hope and joy that they can lead us to experience. We know the benefit of undertaking self-denial and penitential actions for the benefit of others and ourselves. If as people of faith we go deeper into these penitential practices and seek to remain true to the coronavirus restrictions during Lent for the benefit of ourselves and others, then the joy and hope of Easter will take root in our hearts, even in spite of the challenges we may still face. As we did last year during Lent, I think this season of Lent is another opportunity along with our penitential practices to enter into the coronavirus restrictions from a spiritual perspective, and to allow the season of Lent to again speak to our hopes rooted in the risen Jesus Christ.
As we enter again into the staying power of the season of Lent, the ashes of Ash Wednesday will fall fresh upon our foreheads. We remember that we are dust, and that we are utterly and completely dependent upon God. We are worthless without God, and after our wanderings into sinfulness, we desire to return to the Lord. Our fidelity to the season of Lent and to our acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and this year to coronavirus restrictions, are an indication of our hope in the mercy and love of God, and our care and concern for one another. Blessings on your Lenten prayer and observances!!!!