Ah ha! And now our (real) Lent begins. 40 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Charity. These three disciplines function best when they are done together. They balance each other. The word “discipline” itself reminds us that we are “disciples” of Jesus. Another word for prayer, fasting and charity is “exercise.” Exercise does little good unless it’s done according to a schedule that we stick to. If we make excuses not to exercise, if we cheat on the program, then we won’t get results. The season of Lent is a time that we, as disciples, are invited to draw more closely to God. The purpose of these practices of Lent are many--among them is a spiritual growth and conversion of heart.
The days of Lent are often compared to a journey where we can hopefully find ourselves somewhere different than where we started. Each and every Lent takes us back to our Baptism and the challenge to reject sin and live in Jesus. Each Lent reminds us that no matter how far we have strayed, our loving God stands at the ready to respond to our repentance with love and forgiveness. Happy Lent!