The forty days of Lent in the Catholic tradition revolve around the three pillars of fasting, prayer, and alms giving. Because these all require a bit of sacrifice on our part, it is often difficult to get excited about the Lenten season. Many actually begin the season of Lent with a huge Mardi Gras celebration in “preparation” for the sacrifices ahead. What I am proposing today is a purposeful shift in your perspective on Lent that could actually change your outlook. Instead of emphasizing the sacrifices we are making, we should focus on the LOVE that inspires it!
During the Lenten season we retell the story of God’s love for us. We remember the passion and death of Jesus and the fact that He loves us so much He was willing to suffer and die for us. The main thing we are called to do in return is to love Him back. The three pillars of fasting, prayer and alms giving are specific “acts of love” that we can engage in to show God that we do indeed love Him back!
When we fast we are saying to God that we love Him more than anything in this world. We choose to give something up for a period of time and are willing to endure a brief period of sacrifice in order to say to God “I love you.”
When we pray or add to our prayer time we are showing our love for God by carving out time to spend with God. When you love someone, you find a way to spend time with them. It does not really matter what kind of prayers are said, what matters is our willingness to make time for prayer.
When we give alms during the Lenten season, we are showing God our love in our willingness to recognize Christ in others. When we give to those in need we should recall Jesus own words “whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.” By giving to those in need, we are again showing God we love Him.
As you can see, Lent is really a season of LOVE that is expressed through sacrifice. We recall God’s sacrificial love for us and our show our love for Him in return through our own small sacrifices. I pray that this Lent will be a time for you to grow in your understanding of God’s deep love for you, as well as a time for you to grow in your commitment to love God back!
In Christ May All Things Be Glorified,
Father Steve
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