What we should do this Lent
(published:The Examiner, March 2003)
The Catholic Catechism teaches us that the season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery. Although Mother Church has always observed in a special way abstinence from meat and fasting, it wants to indicate in the traditional triad of prayer, fasting, and charity, the fundamental means of complying with the divine precept of penance.
However what is the Lenten period to the average Catholic today? The act of penance is still observed, but usually implies abstinence from meat/sweets/alcohol/smoking etc. Most sacrifice these things for the forty-day period and then return to them with a renewed vigor on Easter itself and for the rest of the year. If sacrifice is done with this in mind, then it will not be a sacrifice pleasing to God. The psalmist says in Ps 51:16 'For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.'
Does this mean we do not have to sacrifice? No, it means that our sacrifice has to be in the right spirit. The psalm continues verses 17-19 'The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings'. Our fasting should thus be in true repentance of our sins.
This however is not enough. Our Lenten period should also be a reflection of Jesus' time in the wilderness where He fasted forty days and nights. It is necessary for us to take a closer look at why Jesus fasted forty days and nights in order for our imitation of Him to bear fruit.
The Gospels clearly state that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the (Holy) Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Jesus, the perfect God becoming Jesus, the perfect man, ensured that He too would have to face the temptations of the devil that all men face. It was in the knowledge of this fact that Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days and nights. Jesus' fasting, though it made Him physically famished, obtained for Him special grace from God, which enabled Him to withstand every temptation and test of the evil one. It is only after this experience that Jesus started His ministry on earth, culminating with His crucifixion and resurrection - thus implementing His Father's will for Him in perfection.
With Jesus as our example, we should couple our sacrifice with fasting and pray to withstand the temptations and tests of the evil one who desperately wants to stop us from doing the will of God for us. When our Heavenly Father shows us what His will for us is, then we should fast and pray that we are able to carry out that will without succumbing to the temptations that Satan will surely put before us.
Just as a driver without a navigator is useless, so also we are lost as human being if we live without knowing or following God's will in our lives. But how can we ascertain what the will of God for us is? We are so often deafened by the noise of this world that we cannot hear God's voice even when we try and prayer to Him. This Lent, let us make a retreat into the wilderness, let us follow Jesus' words to His apostles in Mark 6:31 'And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while."' Let us go to the Lord in repentance and humility and ask Him for His Divine guidance. Let our retreat be a way of connecting to the Lord in order that He may reveal His will to us, rather than just a time we pray for physical healing or material blessings.
Thus, like Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, let us too be led by the Spirit to leave our regular schedules and retreat to spend time in prayer. Then only will we be made strong to stand against the evil one, just as Jesus did, ensuring that the evil one will leave us and that angels will come minister to us. It will also enable us to get back into the world with a renewed spirit to carry out God's will in our lives.
Pope John Paul II reiterates this in his Encyclical Letter 'EVANGELIUM VITAE' - "Jesus himself has shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4.1-11). As he taught his disciples, some demons cannot be driven out except in this way (cf. Mk 9.29). Let us therefore discover anew the humility and the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the evil of practices and laws which are hostile to life. May this same power turn their hearts to resolutions and goals inspired by the civilization of life and love."
The Lord God Almighty showed us the supreme act of love when He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins while we were still sinners. Let us not make light of Jesus' redemptive act of obedience. Let this Lent be a time for self-introspection in order to have true and deep repentance, let it be a time for strengthening against the evil one and let it be a time for renewed communication with God.
