Lenten Joy?

Letting Go During Lent

“What are you giving up for Lent?” That was a question asked years ago before we thought about Lent in terms of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Maybe this Lent could be an opportunity for a slightly different approach. How about if we focus on letting go as it relates to prayer, fasting and almsgiving?

Letting go of what we have gathered is not easy and, in fact, can be quite overwhelming. “Where do I start?” “How can I get through everything?” “I might as well give up!” The good news is that we can begin by asking the Lord’s assistance through prayer. We will succeed when we take things step by step, one drawer, one box, one cabinet at a time. We will be bound to discover things that can be given away. That stuff will enable us to engage in almsgiving. Letting go of the extra stuff or streamlining our possessions can be a form of fasting. The result will be a lightness of spirit, a glorious experience of freedom, and a tremendous sense of accomplishment this Lent. What a marvelous Easter we will enjoy!    

Lent: A Season of Hope

The strange thing about the season of Lent is that we often interpret it to be a season of doom and gloom. Yet for us, it is more authentically the season of preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are invited to think about how we to prepare for these events.

How can we empty ourselves to find space to love and bring hope to others? We may have to think about how to love others in a new way.

How can I empty myself of some of my anxiety to find hope? There have been stories of hope all over: the blue skies in Wuhan, the clear water in the Venice canals, the healthcare workers caring tirelessly even with great personal risk, and the creative ways people are avoiding isolation. Reminding myself of these moments helps fill some of my mental space with hope and encourages me to find ways to bring hope to others through new forms of digital ministry as we are learning from our many Zoom experiences.

This season invites us all into finding hope and working towards love in new and significant ways as we prepare for the coming Easter season. My prayer is that you have a hope-filled Lent.

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