Lent Forever New

I've lived through quite a few seasons of Lent. I've given up chocolate, sweets, alcohol and other tasty treats. I said daily rosaries, attended Stations of the Cross, and attended daily Mass. All of these things added to my spiritual growth on different levels. I'm sure all who read this piece could say the same when looking back over their own Lenten practices.

Still, even if we completely succeed at our Lenten sacrifices, they are meaningless if we forget Who it is we aim to please.

It is the call of the Holy Spirit that leads us to the self-sacrifice of Lent. So too it must be the Holy Spirit that gives us our growth. We cannot do anything on our own. We may be disciplined in our Lenten sacrifice, but without our love for God and His Way, we can't find peace, joy, and happiness.

Whatever we do to draw closer to Jesus, we must rely on God's Power and not our own. We are weak, small, and sinful, but God is not. God in all His Power wants to inhabit our souls. We need to only focus on God. Meditating on Jesus' life, death and resurrection is key to abandoning ourselves to our Lord.

This Lent is an opportunity to put our own selfishness on hold and to let God build a fire of love in us. God's Power is not subject to us or our understanding of what is good for us. God knows what makes us holy--whether it is sickness or health; success or failure; riches or poverty; or even a time of spiritual feast or fast. Whatever we receive from God in this life we must have confidence that it leads to our perfection, to our holiness, to our everlasting life.

Today is all we have. This Lent may be our last. It is a time acceptable to the Lord, and we must be glad in it.