Fr. Richard OMOLADE

Lent is around the corner and like everything in life and in the Church, it is time for us to prepare so that we can profit by the disciplines of Lent we take upon ourselves. Many people know Lent to be a period of fasting. But for Catholics, Lent is much more than fasting.  It is a period of interior transformation so that as we die with Jesus we can rise to new life with him at Easter. 

Lent is a period of turning away from sin and turning to God. It is a period of overcoming our sins and growing in the practice of virtues. Lent is understandably a period to mortify ourselves so that we can gain some mastery over our flesh and its desires so that we can live in the spirit. Lent is a period of encounter, an encounter with Jesus that should change us for good. Due to the intensity of the period, it is sometimes a period of fierce battle with the devil and its temptations.  What hitherto would not weigh us down, during lent, the passions rage more violently and may derail us. Hence, we are called to be vigilant, to be prepared so that we do not fall into temptation.

During Lent, we fast, just as Jesus fasted for forty days. Fasting is not just about keeping away from food. It is about self- denial and self-control. Food is delightful and nourishing to the human body, but we abstain from it so that we can learn to control our emotions, our feelings and our desires.  Through this discipline, our appetites are dulled, and we can yearn more for God and the things of God. Fasting well practiced is good for the body and the human soul. Then, there is the practice of prayer. The Christian life is always one of prayer, but during Lent, we are invited to intensify our prayer life. We must pray and turn our every moment to one of prayer, to one of total surrender to God and placing ourselves under the care and control of God. Communicating with God in prayer, we place ourselves under divine protection and the Devil no longer has control over us.  The beauty of this exercise is that we can vary our practice of prayer along the weeks of Lent or along the forty days of Lent.

In other words, we can focus on different forms of prayer daily and thereby enrich our prayer life. To be included in the practice of prayer is meditation and spiritual reading. These activities are primed to open our eyes to the things of God and by so doing uplift our spirit and keep us away from sin, temptations and anything prone to the lure of the Devil.

Let us also remember the practice of attending and participating in Stations of the Cross. This is prayer and special meditation on the suffering and death of Jesus.  We are invited to place ourselves in the various scenes and see what role we would have played if we were present. It is a way of bringing home to us the horror of sin especially when we get a firsthand experience of the pains Jesus went through. How can we go through the stations and still condemn Jesus to a shameful execution? The Stations of the Cross should lead us to see ourselves in new light and see Christ the way we have not seen Him before.

Another discipline of lent that we must keep in mind is almsgiving, that is, extending charity to the poor and the needy.  This is salutary practice. In the sight of God, we are poor, and God is rich, and having been blessed by God, we acknowledge His goodness in our life and extend the same charity to the poor, the marginalized, and the needy around us.  Charity is a virtue; it is what God is known for because God is love. Thus, those who are close to God or wants to be close to God, must enter into the mind of God and do as He would do. 

Lent gives us the opportunity to stand on this tripod, while we pray, which is addressed to God, we focus on ourselves and remove our weaknesses, but then we focus on the third leg and show concern for the poor and the needy. We cannot engage in these Lenten observances and not emerge purified and united with Christ.

It should also be noted that Lent is not just about what we don’t do. It is also about what we do. Lent is not about negativity; it is about developing a positive outlook to life. It is about gaining grace and living in joy the Christian life as shown by Christ and the saints. This, makes it a point of duty to be joyful. Let joy radiate in all you do especially in your dealings with people.  Whatever pain you feel, hold them in and unite them with Jesus. In fact, nail them to His Cross and let his blessings rain on you. Make Lent a celebration of grace and mercy and God’s light will shine on you always.

Happy Lent!