OUR LENTEN JOURNEY

Every year Christians around the world enter this holy season of Lent in a prayerful atmosphere. We begin our Lenten journey by anointing our forehead with ashes on Ash Wednesday. Thus begins our season of Lent and in the forty days of our Lenten journey we reflect on the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. During these forty days before Easter we think of penance, conversion, and reconciliation as the themes of Lent. The Lenten season should help us to better understand ourselves and others, as it is a time for giving our life a new meaning and new orientation.

People of other religion and other faith also celebrate their feast with due preparation. For example our Muslim Brothers and sisters fast during the day in the Ramadan season, that fasting and praying is part of the preparation for the great feast of Ramadan. Similarly our Hindu brothers and sisters enter into a prayerful atmosphere as they celebrate various feast through out the year. some of the feasts celebrated with fasting and penance. 

Lent is about Conversion:  The custom of giving up things for Lent is often seen as a type of fasting and in a sense has merit. But more importantly “giving up” during Lent is giving up sins in our lives. We are called to journey with the catechumens and deepen our own conversion to Christ. We are to give up sin, not only during Lent but forever! The discipline of Lent is a time to work through the conversion necessary to let go of whatever evil still finds a home in us.

Lent is about experiencing God’s love:  Lent is a time to experience God’s unconditional love. He embraces us in his overflowing love as we hear the parable of the prodigal son in the gospel. He is the God, as St. Alphonsus would say, who is “mad with love.” His love for us is such that it is not based on our good deeds, prayers, and sacrifices. He loves each one of us even if we are the greatest sinner on this earth. Jesus came to reveal to the world God’s loving mission and we are all invited to be a part of God’s mission and experience His unique love. Let us make every effort during this Holy Season of Lent to experience God’s love and to share that love with one another. Let us meet our God in the life of our brothers and sisters whom we meet in our everyday life.

As we, the Christian communities come together let us approach this Holy Season of Lent in one spirit. Let us allow the Lord to transform us and help us to renew our life and be open to the Holy Spirit. Only then will we be ready to enter deeply into the experience of the Triduum and celebrate fully the great feast of Easter.

Fr. Tony Andrade.