WE NEED LENT

WE NEED LENT

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Breathe in all that is of God and from God…all that is true, honest, pure, admirable, noble, decent, virtuous, worthy of praise, good, loving, kind – all that deserves respect..

Breathe out all that is not of God and from God……..

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in quietness, stillness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something.

Now I invite you to consecrate your time and all that come with this moment….in your own way, in humble, simple, may be even inadequate words………..

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….

We need Lent……

• to review and renew our life as disciples of Christ commissioned by our baptism, as Christ was commissioned by His, to be instruments of God’s love in our day and in our time and in our community.
  

• to be in greater communion with God. Just as friends need to spend time together, need to talk together and need to grow closer to one another, we need increased opportunities for prayer, for dialogue with God, which Lent offers.
  

• to become more focused, more disciplined, more attentive to what matters in life – what sustains and what is worth living for. So, Lent involves more focus, more discipline, more attention.
  

• to focus on the essentials – faith in our God of Compassion, mercy, forgiveness, healing and grace; hope in our God who is faithful in completing what He has begun and love that is generous, gracious and benevolent.
  

• to put our priorities in order. Lent offers opportunities for making sacrifices, doing penance, cleansing and emptying our cluttered lives.
  

   

• to let go off those things that hold you back and hold you down and make you unfree.

   

• to face your sinfulness, struggle if you have to and transform your lives.

   

• to become less self-seeking and more self-giving.
  

• to move our attention from our own needs to see more vividly the needs of others.
  

• to see beyond our own needs and to reach out to others in need.
  

• to open our eyes to see other’s struggles, to open our ears to hear other’s cries that call out for a response……to open our hearts to the cry of the poor and oppressed and the suffering and the marginalized.
  

• to pause, to meditate, to reflect, to contemplate the mystery of God’s love, to spend time with the Lord. The “busyness” of our life far too often robs us of time for prayer and reflection.
  

   

• to create silence and listen to your heart, listen to others, listen to God
  

   

• to live more fully Christ’s commission, “take up your cross and follow me”.
  

• to live more fully Christ’s commission, “the one who loses his life finds it and the one who holds on to his life loses it.”
  

• to live more fully Christ’s commission, “You are the light of the world…you are the salt of the earth”.
  

The Church invites us to make this season a time of intense prayer, doing penance and giving alms. The disciplines of Prayer, Penance and Almsgiving are pathways of Lenten Spirituality. They are wonderful and life-giving disciplines, which bring us closer to God and to God’s people. Prayer strengthens our connection to God. Penance builds our character and helps us get rid of unhealthy habits which weaken our ability to love God, others and ourselves. Almsgiving helps to care for others – to reach out to the less fortunate, the unfortunate , the disadvantaged, the poor, the marginalized and suffering people in our community.

May your Lenten days of prayer, penance and almsgiving help you to be reborn in spirit, empower you to love without limits, teach you to pray constantly, help you seek the wisdom of God, enable you to live in compassion and help you celebrate the joy of Easter. May God bless you and your family and keep you safe in His Love.

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs