Lent is a special time
More than a week has passed since a
good number of us received ashes on our
foreheads with the challenge to ‘strive to
be more like Jesus’ or something similar.
Sometimes Lent conjures up a giving up,
going without chocolates or sweets or
alcohol. Sometimes we miss the point. In
former times as in the case of food, what
was given up was meant to be given to the poor. The food we
denied ourselves was given to those in need.
Lent is not an ascetical test we give ourselves but an openness
to the Word of God, to examine our lives to change thoughts
attitudes and behaviours so they more closely reflect the
gospel. It is not too late to start.
Since Lent began a week ago I have used the following prayer
at a few meetings. It gets to the heart of Lent and gives us
something to ponder.
It is a contrast between fasting and feasting.
Lent is a time:
To fast from judging others and feast on the Christ within
them
To fast from anger and feast on patience and kindness
To fast from complaining and feast on being appreciative
To fast from negatives and feast on positives
To fast from sadness and feast on being joyful (smiling)
To fast from bitterness and feast on forgiveness
To fast from self-concern and feast on looking out for others
To fast from laziness and feast on enthusiasm
To fast from idle gossip and feast on purposeful silence.
St Leo the Great way back in the fifth century once said ‘fasting
means more than a reduction in food, it means the eradication of
our faults.’ Get the drift.
Lent is a special time given us by the Church to work on
ourselves. Hopefully we will use the time well and celebrate
the great Easter event with hearts renewed and lives tweaked.
Fr Peter Rankin, SDB - Rector
A Catholic School in the Salesian Tradition
