A Reflection for Lent
By Fr. Dan White, SJ
Here’s a little Catholic secret: we love Lent. The 40-day period of penance, reconciliation and self-denial may appear from the outside to be a long, hard slog to Easter. But from the time we receive our Wednesday ashes until the start of the Triduum on Holy Thursday, we Catholics embrace and even celebrate Lent.
Why is this? I believe we all have a deep-down sense that we need this time. One does not need to be a spiritual master to recognize our great hunger for reconciliation and healing. Lent attracts because it touches upon our deepest human experiences: sin, forgiveness, suffering, mercy and redemption. This sacred time calls us to take a lengthy, hard look at ourselves. It is a call to honesty and reflection that requires an extended period. Nothing worthwhile is done in haste, and Lent is no exception.
These weeks also remind us that we make the journey as a faith community. Lent is not about sitting alone going over my faults for six weeks. The Church as the worldwide Body of Christ embraces Lent. It gives me great consolation to know Catholics from Australia to Zimbabwe to Peru to the United States share this time.
Together, as sisters and brothers, we make this pilgrimage of prayer, fasting and generosity to those in need.
Most importantly, it is Jesus who walks with his Church during Lent. This is not a time of fear but of trust in the One who came to save us. On Ash Wednesday, the reading from the prophet Joel reminded us, “Gracious and merciful is God, slow to anger and rich in kindness.” I suspect we need every single day of Lent to understand that truth. The Good Shepherd never leaves the flock untended. We are not crushed by our individual and communal sins, because the mercy of God is stronger than our failings.
This is why we can embrace this time with joy. Yes, joy. Because what is more joyful than knowing we are forgiven? What can make us more hopeful than the experience of Jesus’ compassion? What fills us with gratitude more than God’s mercy poured out on us? Lent is indeed long, but worth every second.
Download a printable version: Lenten Reflection
Fr. Dan White, SJ, is the provincial assistant for pastoral ministries in the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province.
