Lent is a time to focus on God

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” (Joel 2:12).

The annual Lenten season reminds us of the essence of faith. God created us for himself. He wants us to experience a personal relationship with Him. But God, created us free; He does not force Himself or His grace on us. We must reciprocate freely. It is in our positive response to his love that we find our true freedom.

As we experience the everyday affairs of life, however, our relationship with God tends to get derailed through being more attentive to fellow creatures than to the Creator.  Lent enables us break off all those limitations that hold us back, in order to experience a fresh encounter that creates in us a new appetite for God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

During Lent we do not simply go through the exercises and motions, nor do we do not turn away from worldly things, just for a while, and then business as usual; we sincerely turn to our loving God. Rather than going by our own ready-made resolutions, we profit by digesting on the daily Word of God, especially during the daily Mass.

Self denial

God calls us to deny ourselves at the deepest core of our being by indicating our readiness to transform it by totally submitting to His will through self-denial. In his Lenten message, Echoing Matthew 17:1-8, when God said: “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him”, Pope Francis calls upon us to adhere Jesus’ Lenten teaching.

During Lent we are called upon to exercise self-denial, and discipline our bodies to align with our souls in the worship of God (Romans 12:1). Since we all enjoy food, fasting becomes an effective means of shedding off vice and aspire for virtue. By abstaining from food God wants us to establish just social structures, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and care for the family.

Powerful means of communication

Lent brings prayer into focus as a very powerful means of communication with God. During prayer we focus on God and not on ourselves, on God’s will and not on our need and wants, on God’s rights over and above our human rights. When we concentrate on asking for our needs, we are not actually praying, but in a self-centered monologue. We move away from talking to God into talking to ourselves. Yet, when we ask for God’s will, we, indirectly, imply our needs too. We ask for His name to be kept holy, His kingdom to come and His will to be done (Matthew 6:9-10). Cultivating the right attitude to prayer is necessary to change the materialistic mentality of “what is there in it for me?” This has become a manipulative strategy of Satan, ensnaring us into unbelief.

Shun sin

Lent is a time to shun sin and embrace the mercy of God. When we sin, we become alienated from God and others. We become spiritually blinded, confused, enslaved, and insensitive. The effect of Adam and Eve’s sin was genetically inherited by humanity. It could only be dealt with by our being regenerated by God. Jesus made this possible by His death and resurrection. We accept this new birth by being baptised and we live the resulting new life by faith (John 3:3-6).

Seeking forgiveness

Humbly asking God for forgiveness of our personal sins through the sacramental means available in the Church, opens our hearts to spiritual healing and reconciliation.

It also opens our eyes to those around us who are hurting and in need. Being direct beneficiaries of God’s mercy, believers are called upon to be ambassadors of the same mercy towards fellow sinners. Yet, by being judgmental and being unforgiving, believers misrepresent God’s saving activity.

It is imperative that we make Lent our life-style by focusing on the facilitation of God, the very author of Lent, as Jesus did. If we let God have His way, Lent will lead us into meaningful celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection of our faith.

Did you know?

Lent enables us break off all those limitations that hold us back, in order to experience a fresh encounter that creates in us a new appetite for God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).