Lent is a period of forty days. During the Great Flood, heavy rain poured down on the earth for forty days. After Jesus was baptized by John, the Spirit led Him into the desert for forty days.
The forty days of the flood allowed Noah to prepare for the new world that would await him. The forty days of fasting and temptation by Satan in the desert allowed Jesus to prepare for the ministry that he was about to undertake. The forty days of Lent allow us to prepare for the great feast of Easter. We cannot properly approach Easter and joyfully share in the great mystery of Christ’s resurrection unless we prepare. We do this in two ways – we recognize our sinfulness and we take steps to overcome that sinfulness.
Before the flood, God looked over the earth and saw a lot of sinfulness. If we are honest with ourselves, we would also see a lot of sinfulness if we look carefully at how we live our lives. A good examination of conscience helps us to identify sinful behaviors.
When we identify sin, we can confront it and try to overcome it. We don’t overcome anything by running away from it. We have to recognize our demons and then face them. That is what Jesus did in the desert. He faced the devil. By facing our demons, like Jesus did in the desert, we can conquer them.
One way to conquer our demons is to introduce good behaviors into our lives. During Lent, we have the chance to become better people by praying more, doing more for those who are less fortunate, focusing on others instead of ourselves. Our Lenten Outreach program gives us the ability to financially support important charitable causes. Alternatively, entire families can come together to perform good works in support of those in need.
We also pray the “Way of the Cross” during Lent. This is also called “Stations of the Cross.” If you look on the back wall of the church, you will see fourteen images of end of Jesus. We focus on these images to prepare for Easter by reminding ourselves of His great sacrifice. Join us each Friday as we pray the Stations and then have a light dinner of soup.
I wish you all a blessed time of Lenten preparation.
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