Lent, a time to focus and center

Lent is a time of reflection, honest assessment and seeing things, seeing myself, as they truly are. Jesus comes to us with His love and grace and strengthens us to move forward during all the seasons of our life, whether they be happy, sorrowful, or uncomfortable, like Lent. Just like St. Faustina, we can find peace and joy in Jesus during this Lenten season as we strive to focus and center our lives on Him.

By Fr. Alex Pumphrey, MIC

If Advent is my favorite time of year (which it is), then I’d have to say that Lent is probably my least. But not for the reasons you think!

I’m disciplined enough, for the most part, to stay true to my Lenten regimen and fast, but the reason I don’t particularly enjoy Lent is because it shows me the real me and not the me I want to be, the me I want everyone to think that I am. 

Lent this year begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18. It’s not a Holy Day of Obligation, but please make an effort to go to Mass and receive your ashes. It’s also a day of fasting for everyone in good health ages 18-59, and abstinence from eating meat for all Catholics age 14 and older.

And remember, starting on Feb. 20, Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence from meat for everyone ages 14 and older.

Season of reflection
Lent is a time of reflection, honest assessment and seeing things, seeing myself, as they truly are. In her Diary, St. Faustina was honest with herself as she reflected on her own life, her own littleness, and her own misery and sinfulness. Yet, the whole message of Divine Mercy is this: that Jesus loves us so much that despite our misery, littleness, and weakness, He comes to us with His love and grace and strengthens us to move forward during all the seasons of our life, whether they be happy, sorrowful, or uncomfortable, like Lent. 

Just like St. Faustina, we can find peace and joy in Jesus during this Lenten season as we strive to focus and center our lives on Him. 

Across the "Pond"
Here at my new assignment, the Divine Mercy Apostolate in London, England, Lent looks like Lent in the United States: Stations of the Cross, confessions, fasting, abstinence, and the tradition of giving something up. I’m already having to learn new words and phrases, not to mention driving on the other side of the road!

Having to learn how to do a different Lent would be a bit much, if I’m honest. 

Here at the Divine Mercy Apostolate in London, we pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday in Lent and, of course, we especially remember our Lord’s Passion during the 3 o’clock Hour with Adoration and praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. 

We’re already being inundated with requests to give parish missions and to help priests with Confessions and Holy Week Liturgies. Wherever you are, if your parish or a parish nearby is holding a parish mission or a day of retreat or reflection, I encourage you to go! They can be times of grace, community, and spiritual growth, and they’re a nice and easy way to support both your parish and the clergy or group that are putting them on. 

Even more so, if your parish is offering Confessions (either during the normal scheduled times or during a special penance service), please go! Our Lord is waiting for you in the confessional, waiting for you to tell Him your troubles, sins, worries and weaknesses … and He is waiting and longing to give you His mercy. 

There are not too many Marians at our house here (only two of us right now with a third to come, please God) and so Lent will be quiet. We’ll continue our normal schedule of prayers and our usual public Mass and devotions, but we’ll also have some community time, too, just a few of us praying together in the evening after the hustle and bustle of the day. 

Ordinary life, plus
Lent doesn’t have to be something that’s completely and totally different, spent fasting all day, not speaking to anyone, locked away in our rooms. We’re not Desert Fathers or hermits, after all! Instead, even just doing one or two things differently (daily Mass is a great place to start!) can be enough if those one or two things help us grow in faith, hope, and love. 

That’s because, at the end of the day, we don’t do Lent for Lent’s sake but because of what Lent is for: preparing ourselves, our hearts, minds, and souls for all the good and holy things that the Lord wishes to give us. Anything that we do that helps us grow in holiness, including prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, is what makes for a good Lent! 

Know of my prayers for you during this Lenten season, and please pray for me, too!

May God bless you now and always! 

Photo by Thays Orrico on Unsplash.
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