The heart of Lenten renewal lies in the purification of our intentions
and actions (Joel 2:12-18). Traditionally this is achieved
through the disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving (Mt
6:1-6;16-18). To be disciplined in our approach to Lent is
a life giving experience, positive and beneficial to ourselves
and to others. When we restrain our impulse to want more, we
leave the possibility open for others to have enough. This
is the very spirit of fasting and almsgiving.
In this restraint,
we also open the way to freedom from the endless preoccupation
most of us have with the material world, which in turn gives
us an opportunity to become quieter within ourselves, leaving
a calm space for prayer to spontaneously emerge.
In this quietness,
we also have an opportunity to face the seductions that deceive
us, much as Christ faced temptations
during his
forty days in the desert (Lk 4:1-13). In a world that is crying
out with suffering and exploitation, it is important that we
make the link between our own behaviour and others' deprivation.
As
God’s children, we should have confidence that he has
given us the inner strength to overcome desires that exploit,
so that we might all have a chance to live for the greater
good (Mt 6:7-15).
- What spring cleaning does my life need?
- What do I need to restrain in myself?
- What am I prepared to offer this Lent?
- What commitments do I find hardest to keep?
- What inside me is crying out to be heard?
- What tests me most?
- Do my prayers reflect the life I am living?
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