Ash Wednesday Reflection: The Gift of Lent
It might be tempting to see Lent as a burden. It is a difficult time of year when weather is unpredictable, often damp and cold, until we turn the corner to spring. Christians are asked to spend more time at Church and to reflect on difficult things – the suffering endured by Jesus and on our own sinfulness and shortcomings. But, if you turn these inconveniences upside down, and look at the flip side, Lent ceases to be a burden and becomes a blessing and a gift.
Taking extra time at Church and in prayer enables us to open our hearts more fully to accept the grace of God which comes to us through listening to His Word in Scripture, hearing His voice in our relationships with others, seeing His beauty in the earth coming to life again as winter gives way to spring.
Taking a good look at ourselves and at what we would like to do differently may be uncomfortable, but it helps us to grow, to make amends, and to become more healthy and whole.
Reflecting on the suffering that Jesus endured for our sake is a blessing that opens our hearts to be more compassionate and more grateful. It helps us to put our own suffering in perspective and to be strengthened knowing that Christ is with us in all our sorrows and trials, just as He is with us in our joys and triumphs.
St. Benedict says that during Lent we should “add to the usual measure of our service …so that each of us will have something above the assigned measure to offer God.” We are invited to give up something unhealthy or take up something beneficial to ourselves or others. We have 40 days (46 days when you add the Sundays back in) to try to make a temporary offering into a permanent change of habit.
May God bless you all with the grace during this blessed time to grow and bloom into Easter joy!
Sister Joan Marie Stelman, OSB, SVP, mission integration