Saturday, February 9, 2008

Thoughts on Lent - To die to self

Lent, the time wisely provided by the Church for our interior mortification, for the renouncing of our own selfish desires, for our intimate embracing of Our Lord's sufferings during His Passion and ultimate death upon the Cross, so that we may fully and joyously accept Christ risen from the dead on Easter.

Year by year goes by and we make lofty resolutions to get closer to the Cross but year by year goes by and we find ourselves back to square one. Why do we fail to keep our resolutions? Quite simply, it is because we do not love enough. Our wills are weak because we still have not learned to practice virtue the days before Lent. While Lent is a special period dedicated to the intense building up of the interior life every day should be a "little Lent". Surely we are to feast and to be specially aware of the joyous nature of Sundays, holy days of obligation, and those magnificent days so dear to the Church in her liturgy but if we are not already striving to achieve Christian perfection all year round Lent will become a superficial endeavor seen in a begrudging manner with us murmuring till the last day.

During Lent we must die to self which means more than "giving up" eating sweets or even dare I say the internet. We may give up all these things but lack a true spirit of mortification. Why are we doing all these things? It is not to say at the end of the day "Look at all the good I have accomplished. I am holy!". Of course we would never say that in public but all throughout a secret, hidden pride takes root in our souls. The goal is to get closer to Our Lord. Indeed, this may seem obvious but do we truly believe it?

Before Our Lord started His public ministry, He went into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights in preparation for his 3 years of public life. These 3 glorious years of planting the seeds of His Church, choosing the poor fishermen to become the pillars for this Church with one rather stubborn man having a special role in leading it, teaching a New Law which did not destroy the Old but perfected and elevated it and which astounded the Jewish leaders who could not rise above their corrupted legal prescriptions, in a manner were the fruit of His deeply intense seclusion from the world. So Lent should be a time where we "seclude" ourselves from the world as much as our state in life permits. Common sense, reason, and prudence should make it clear what we should do.

This Lent should be a time where we think of the things of God with great love and yes joy. It is a time where even if we have not been particularly cognizant of living a mortified life we are then given a chance to redouble our efforts at true mortification. No saint ever became one without living a life of mortification.

If we have not prayed as we ought, let us do so now. If we have been too attached to creature comforts, let us detach ourselves from these things to free ourselves for God. If we have never thought of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, let us do so now so we can internalize it where it will become a constant source of meditation throughout our lives. Lent is not about being sad, gloomy, or aloof but it is to help us lovingly accept the Cross. We have read it hundreds of times perhaps: "If you wish to be my disciple, take up your cross and follow me". If we have constantly sought to avoid the cross, then let us see in the Cross during this glorious season of Lent the wisdom of Our Lord's Passion and His sufferings which He was not bound to undergo for us.


40 days of denying self, of emptying self, of acquiring humility to rejoice so wonderfully on Easter. Lent will be fruitful if we love Our Lord enough.