Lent is a Four-Letter Word
“In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself, in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost.” This very first line of Dante’s magnificent poem, The Divine Comedy, came to me as I reflected on the meaning of Lent. As I remembered the Lents of my life as a child, adolescent, young adult and professed Sister, I could not come up with anything that I liked about Lent. It was always a downer for me. Lent meant giving up an endless list of things so I wouldn’t get turned back to dust and go to hell, and so that God would love me better.
But Dante’s line would not leave my mind. And then I got it: There is hope in the statement because “he came to himself,” an important personal awareness that requires both maturity and inspiration of the Spirit. Coming to oneself is the whole reason we were made—to become who we are. We ask ourselves, “Am I truly the person God made me to be?” What is it that makes me my unique self? In the middle of the journey of our life…not middle age, but wherever we are in the middle of our life’s journey, the direct way may be lost. We have to take the time to think, reflect and ponder where we are in this middle part of our journey, whether we are 20 or 120.
So, I offer you a challenge: Make this a very personal Lent using 40 Lent-related 4-letter words for reflection (see below). Take one word a day. Repeat the word with eyes closed, putting the word into your mind, heart and body. Repeat the word adding the word Lent with it. What does the word say to you about yourself? About God? About Lent? Most importantly: What did this word teach you? Then choose the second word and so forth, marking the words that really help you. Let them be lights to shine on your path through the journey of your life. Happy Lenting!
4-Letter Words for 40 Days of Lent
1-Arid 2-Body 3-Dead 4-Deus 5-Dust 6-Fast 7-Fire 8-Gift 9-Give 10-Glad
11-Good 12-Heal 13-Hear 14-Help 15-Holy 16-Hope 17-Jesu 18-Life 19-Long 20-Look
21-Lord 22-Lost 23-Love 24-Mary 25-Move 26-Name 27-Open 28-Pray 29-Read 30-Rest
31-Road 32-Self 33-Sick 34-Soul 35-Stop 36-Time 37-True 38-Turn 39-Walk 40-Well