Prepare to Prepare!

“For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” Titus 2:11-14, RSVCE

Just a few weeks ago, we concluded the season of Advent as we celebrated the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas!). We spent four weeks preparing ourselves: for the coming of Christ at Christmas, the coming of Christ in our hearts, and the Second Coming of Christ—our blessed hope.

Soon, we will begin yet another time of preparation. Ash Wednesday will begin the Lenten season, and we will begin preparing our hearts for the remembrance of our Lord’s Passion. It will come to its conclusion with the celebration of Easter—the Resurrection of Christ from the dead.

What are we doing to prepare for Lent?

It has become the practice of many Christian traditions to “give up” something for Lent. Many people I know give up chocolate, Facebook, or caffeine. They abstain from foods they enjoy, pasttimes that give them great pleasure, and habits which they hope to break. These are all very laudable aspirations. We should all be working toward a goal of being a better person. However, simply “giving up” something can be comparable to a New Year’s resolution, with the exception that it only “has” to last for 40 days. Once Easter arrives, we can return to life as usual. Whew.

Ah, but Lent is more than that, isn’t it? Lent is a time for additional prayer, fasting, alms giving and growing closer to Christ. It is a season of realizing, once again, the sacrifice made for us, and allowing Christ’s death and resurrection to become more of a reality in our lives. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “Lent…[is] a testing time for genuine conversion, a joyous journey towards Easter.” The things we give up are to be replaced with something better: time spent having that extra cup of coffee should be exchanged for extra minutes spent in conversation with God (prayer); money spent for that extra candy bar can be saved and sent to help those who struggle to have even one meal per day (alms); eating one less meal on Ash Wednesday, Lenten Fridays, and Good Friday can be time to remember all Christ gave up for us (fasting).

This makes the matter of what we “give up” a bit more thought-provoking, doesn’t it? It should cause us to consider more seriously what we will set aside, in order to grow deeper in our relationship with God and others. So, let’s prepare to prepare!

Over the next few days, we have time to pray and contemplate this upcoming season of Lent. What is something we can pinpoint that is a hindrance to our relationship with God? Is there a time in our busy schedule that could actually be better spent in prayer, helping the poor, or spiritual reading? Are there activities that should be a lower priority, so that God can be the highest priority? Is there a regular expenditure that could be eliminated, to make room in our budget for additional giving to charity? Are there new ways we could show others the love of Christ?

As we all prepare ourselves to observe a holy and joyful Lent (yes, penance can be exercised in joy!), let us prayerfully ponder what ways God has for us to grow this season.

“[Lent] in the common opinion is likely to be characterized by sadness, the greyness of life. Instead it is a precious gift of God, it is a time of strength and full of significance in the journey of the Church, it is the road to the Lord's Passover.” ~Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI