Lent is all about going out — going out into the desert, going out of our comfort zone, going out of bad habits into better new ones, going out from cages and traps of addictions, fears, or patterns and into better ways of living.
By Chris Sparks
Welcome to Lent, once again.
Lent is a time to prepare for Easter, yes, and to remember what it was like before Christ had accomplished the Paschal Mystery — and yet our preparation occurs in the time of mercy, in the days of grace that follow the Incarnation.
And so Lent is a joyful time, even as it is a penitential time, for you can be forgiven for your sins! You can go to Confession and receive Holy Communion worthily, in the state of grace! Your penances have value beyond anything you deserve because, if you unite them to Christ’s sufferings on the Cross, they can open the door to grace for yourself and those for whom you pray.
Divine Mercy
Lent is a time to refresh the memory. Did you know that the Divine Mercy became Incarnate? That the Divine Mercy pours out on the world in blood and water, in rays of light?
Did you know that Jesus is ready at any and every moment to save you? To bring your heart back to life, to let grace shine forth from that gaping wound in your side, in your heart, in your head, in your soul?
That we can be healed, or become healers through our woundedness?
That every cross can become a means of grace, that every suffering can either be healed or transformed into a channel of grace?
That there’s no such thing as meaningless suffering anymore, that there’s no such thing as a darkness untouched by the Light of Christ?
That Jesus took on every suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, endured every evil with you, whatever that evil is? That there is healing for us all in Heaven, and help for us all on earth? That enemies can become brethren, and friends? That evil can be overcome with good, and that the path of the saints is powerful — in fact, the path to true and ultimate power?
Stand still and see
Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890) once said:
Christianity has been too often in what seemed deadly peril, that we should fear for it any new trial now. So far is certain; on the other hand, what is uncertain, and in these great contests commonly is uncertain, and what is commonly a great surprise, when it is witnessed, is the particular mode by which, in the event, Providence rescues and saves His elect inheritance.
Sometimes our enemy is turned into a friend; sometimes he is despoiled of that special virulence of evil which was so threatening; sometimes he falls to pieces of himself; sometimes he does just so much as is beneficial, and then is removed.
Commonly the Church has nothing more to do than to go on in her own proper duties, in confidence and peace; to stand still and to see the salvation of God.
Saint Faustina is a witness to that. She endured all sorts of gossip, some more uncharitable than others, from her fellow sisters in the convent. Today, all know her name. Many of her sisters are remembered only because of her Diary.
Extraordinary promises and graces
The promises attached to the Divine Mercy message and devotion — extraordinary promises, and extraordinary graces — show us the power of patient prayer, of persistent works of mercy, of Christian simplicity.
Silence can speak volumes if our silence leaves room for the Holy Spirit. And if words are called for, speaking the truth in love according to the call of the Holy Spirit can silence all wagging tongues, set all the works of the enemy to ruin, and change the world.
If we are alive in the Spirit, then we are beyond the reach of the powers and principalities of this present darkness.
Saint Paul said it best:
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us (Rom 8:11-18).
Taste and see!
We are the inheritors of an incredible wealth of spiritual treasure. God is merciful, and we are beloved children. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord this Lent! Return to the Sacraments, or renew your use of them. Turn to Sacred Scripture, to the writings of popes, saints, Doctors, councils, and the Magisterium, and find the treasures contained therein.
Pick up the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Diary of St. Faustina. And share the wealth: Do the works of mercy. Pray for your neighbors, for your enemies, and for your friends and family.
See how easy it is to obtain incredible graces for them — have Masses said for them, or enroll them in a perpetual Mass association or spiritual benefit society like the Association of Marian Helpers.
Let God be God
Slow down. Unplug. Set some things aside.
Make room for the harder work, for the more difficult conversations, changes, or habits that you’ve needed, but been putting off.
Let’s go and get closer to God, and by getting closer to God, we’ll find ourselves closer to our neighbors, to ourselves, to our world, to something and someone other than our own egos, anxieties, or the small world this side of our noses.
Lent is all about going out — going out into the desert, going out of our comfort zone, going out of bad habits into better new ones, going out from cages and traps of addictions, fears, or patterns and into better ways of living.
It’s about letting God be God, and knowing that we are not. It’s about taking stock of our time, talent, and treasure, and reclaiming it where it’s being wasted, or reallocating what’s been hoarded.
It’s about justice, about settling debts, about paying up for past sins with the Blood of the Lamb, with reparation through prayer, works of mercy, and our daily lives united to the Mystical Body of Christ, restored to communion through Confession, good works done in the state of grace, alive with the Spirit, catching fire with the life and love of God.
All our good works are useless unless they are His works, unless they are done as living members of the Body of Christ. But then if we live our lives in the Spirit, truly incorporated into Jesus, into His Church, branches grafted onto the Vine, then we can touch the world with the grace of God and bring the dead to life.
People of God
This is Lent. This is what our work is as a People of God, chosen, called, and sent. We have been rescued, if we only return to Confession, continue with Communion, struggle again today to be what God calls us to be — sons and daughters of God — and so we need to rescue others in our turn.
We need to share the Gospel, to be proclaimers of the Gospel through word, deed, and prayer. We need to make sure we’re not just keeping this Good News to ourselves, the Good News of the Divine Mercy of God.
Blessed Lent! Pray for me, that I may practice what I preach. I’ll pray for you.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
