Lent is a forty-day spiritual journey. A time of inward focus and reflection on our faith, our beliefs, and our relationship with God. Do we wish to be the same person on Easter Sunday as we were on Ash Wednesday? How can we grow spiritually speaking over the next few weeks?
Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving are the pillars of Lent. Our heavenly father is waiting patiently, with open arms for you to invite him into your life. Your prayer life. A popular communion hymn “Come Back to Me,” beautifully reads “Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.” God is waiting for you, to come back to him.
In our busy day-to-day activities, let’s try to put God first. Let’s give thanks at every meal, invite him into our day, and thank him every evening. Invoke the Blessed Mother by saying the rosary, she is the bridge to God as Pope Francis has said. “Mary is blessed through grace, and “in this way, brings us God’s blessing. Wherever she is, Jesus comes to us.”
Don’t eat meat on Friday! Is that all we have learned about fasting? Fasting isn’t the same as dieting or substituting lobster for hamburgers on Friday. Fasting should be a way for us to remove an earthly item from our lives so that we have more room for God’s presence. Try giving up a comfort item or habit. Perhaps spend less time on social media and instead read a passage from the Bible, or listen to a podcast such as “The Bible in a Year.” Invite God into your everyday life.
And finally, there is almsgiving. One of the lessons of the cross is compassion. Almsgiving is a way of making sure other people’s needs are their own. For example, donate food or grocery gift cards to your local food pantry, volunteer at a local charity, increase your weekly donation at mass, or make a donation to the Catholic Ministries Appeal. Giving reminds us that we are not alone in our Lenten journey. We must open our hearts to those less fortunate.
The LORD is the God of hosts, the LORD is his name! You must return to your God. Maintain loyalty and justice and always hope in your God. Hosea 12:6-7
