Lenten Traditions

Making sacrifices, doing penances, and giving up what we like, etc. are all part of our Lenten traditions. Such actions help us to stay focused, or to BE focused, on our holiness, and to move beyond our sinfulness and weakness.

Doing extra charity work, or making commitments to become better at the good things we already do, and focusing on our talents for the good of other, etc. are less often chosen as Lenten activities. Doing positive, good, and holy activities are equal to the sacrificial things mentioned above.

Lent is a period of time in which we can intensify activities in which we are already involved. In fact, I like to approach Lent as a time of intensification for the sake of greater conversion to holiness. Intensifying the sacrifices we make, like not eating meat on certain days, or eating with our good health in mind, are important and useful as Lenten commitments. Intensifying our volunteer efforts or increasing our monetary donations to charitable organizations and the church are also excellent ways to change our awareness about how important is our faith in God.

All of Lent is an intensification and focusing upon the central belief of our Christian faith: Jesus Christ has died for our sins and risen from the dead so that we might be free from everlasting death. This is the “Pascal Mystery” to which our prayers in the Eucharist often refer.

We are Resurrection people as Christians. Our cry is “Alleluia!” even though we do not say that word during the season of Lent. We know that when Easter arrives that we will sing and shout the “A-word” with even greater joy and INTENSITY because we have abstained from that word for 40 days.

May our INTENSIFICATION, our CONVERSION, and our preparation for Easter REJOICING be successful this Lent. Let us choose to do personal activities of sacrifice or charity. But, let us also consider family Lenten sacrifices and charities. Let us live Lent together and work to build up the holiness of the whole community and not just our personal holiness. Communal conversion and growth will be signs of a truly successful Lent and lead to a truly joyful Easter. AMEN!

Peace, Fr. Andy