Two years ago, I wrote an article called “How to Stick with Lent During Coronavirus.” It was the first COVID-related article at CS, published on March 14, 2020. When it came out I believed, as probably did the rest of the world, that all the shocking government-mandated restrictions and changes to daily life would be temporary.
Now, we are days away from the start of another Lenten season. While restrictions on practicing the faith here in the US are, mercifully, mostly removed, we can recognize that things are still “different,” and probably will be for a long time.
Some Catholics are wondering what the point is of going through the work of observing and living a penitential holy season – or even of returning to Mass – when the world is already as difficult as it is. This year’s Lent can be a time to realize what has changed in your life, move forward with God’s help, and recognize the truth that He still finds us – no matter what season of life we are living.
Lent Offers Hope
Lent is a penitential season; a time for fasting and giving up pleasures. These practices are the pathway to a less cluttered interior life, making straight the path for the Lord to enter our hearts.
For that reason, Lent can also be seen as a mini-retreat. It is a time that calls us to live in the world, but to be not of the world (1 John 2:15). It is the perfect time for reflection, to grieve what has been, and experience healing. We do this in particular as we experience and grieve the agony Our Lord endured in His passion and death.
So, through the difficulty of quiet prayer and penitence during Lent, we emerge more whole – closer to God. This is a hopeful thing, rather than something to be dreaded.
God’s unchanging desire to be with us
You may feel unequal to the task of fully living a penitential season, and returning to the commitment of a faith life, when all of the past two years felt like a penance. You may have experienced real physical and emotional losses.
Remember, the way you feel about God does not change how He feels about you. Your salvation, and His love, are not dependent on anything you do (thank goodness!). Similarly, the grace received in the sacraments is real, whether you feel it works or not.
So, we can begin this Lent with real humility, and the question: what do you desire for me, Lord? It will take some time in prayer to go deeper into this question with God, but a good place to start is to decide to simply be with Him. That will always be something he desires of us.
How will I spend Lent?
Reflecting on the past couple of years, you may find yourself in a completely different state of life than the last Lent, or one prior. Perhaps you were married when the pandemic began, or are now. Maybe you’ve had children, changed jobs, moved, lost a parent, or experienced a major financial change. Your spiritual practices will likely reflect these changes. And that is all right! What worked for you in a past Lenten season may be different now.
This could be a good year to consider spending Lent in a new way. You may decide to move beyond “giving up” some pleasure in life. As I have written before, there are many ways to observe Lent aside from just giving up chocolate, alcohol, or that second cup of coffee. Consider “adding” something – a prayer practice, work of mercy, or outreach to loved ones, for example. Let the way you observe Lent reflect the current season of your life.
Take courage
Choosing to commit to God and live the faith takes courage because being Catholic means living in opposition to the world. In the act of prayer, we often encounter parts of ourselves we do not like. We may find that over the past few years we have become distracted from the spiritual life and allowed our vices to flourish – too much time on social media, too much time seeking solace in food and drink, allowing oneself to indulge in a sense of hopelessness about the future.
Now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to persist and to approach the faith with an extra dose of hard-earned humility. As always, the world needs Catholics fully committed to the faith, spiritually battle-hardened to be a light in the world. Lent is the perfect season to return to your faith, and find out how it has grown, as God works in every season of our lives.
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