LENT

 

Some Suggestions for Lent

The whole theme of Lent is summed up in the just a few words from the first reading of the mass for Ash Wednesday:

            ‘TURN TO THE LORD YOUR GOD AGAIN’            Joel 2:13

Living, as we do, in a society in which most people ignore or deny the existence of God, it’s very easy for Christians too, to live as though God doesn’t exist, simply by allowing ourselves to be carried along by the prevailing trends of our society. This is something that we must guard against. One way of doing this is by using Lent as an opportunity to re focus our lives and by making, and keeping, a Lenten rule or discipline so that we might be more failthful followers of Jesus Christ.

The climax of Lent, of course, is the Church’s Celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, at Easter.  Lent and Easter go hand in hand. We shall never understand one without the other, nor will we fully appreciate Easter unless we take our observance of Lent seriously. These notes are intended as guidelines or suggestions on how we can do that.

Prepare for Lent

Spend some time thinking about how you need to change yourself and your life, in order to be a better disciple of Christ. This can be a very personal exercise, but we must remember the corporate aspect of our lives as Christians. We are members of the Church, the Body of Christ, and are called to love our neighbour. So we must take our duty to others seriously too.

Strive for greater simplicity of life

Despite the many problems and uncertainties we face, we live in one of the richest countries on earth, and we are used to getting what we want whenever we want it. Jesus however, taught the way of simplicity and self- denial, and not only taught it but practiced it. It is the way of the Cross he followed, and the way we, his disciples, are called to follow too.

Since the 4th Century, Lent has been for Christians, a period of fasting, that is, of eating less than we usually do. We know that Jesus himself fasted, and taught his followers to do so as well.  Indeed, the 40 days of Lent are based on our Lord’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his public ministry.

When we fast, we deny ourselves something pleasurable in order to strengthen our devotion and obedience to God. The idea is, that when we are tempted to indulge in whatever it is we have given up, it reminds us of why we have given it up, and that focusses our minds on God. And because resisting temptation is part of how fasting deepens our relationship with God, we do need to give up something that we enjoy, something we will be tempted to do.   

So, children may give up sweets or crisps, for example, whereas adult Christians could try something more challenging, perhaps going without one meal a day or giving up alcohol and/or tobacco for Lent.  

Lent should make a real difference to the way we live

If we live more simply, however we choose to do it, we shall also save money, and perhaps time.  What shall we do with it?

Share what you have with others

Each Sunday in Lent, you will find a Christian Aid envelope for the following Sunday inside your Mass Sheet.  Every penny you put in it will go to Christian Aid, to help the poorest of the worlds poor.

We are looking for generosity of Spirit.  For the six weeks of Lent, why not try to put in the Christian Aid envelope the same amount you put into the Church collection? To you, that may be a few pounds that you are able to spare, but how much more valuable might it be to someone who has very little or nothing?  One way of telling how generous your gift is, is by how it hurts you to give it!

There are also things you can do to help the people nearer home.  Spend time with those less fortunate than you are, and make Lent a time of reconcilliation with those you may have fallen out with or find it hard to get on with.  Put yourself out; never forget that we are supposed to be Christians and, as our Lord told us,

‘Whatever you do to these my brothers and sisters you do to me’            “Matthew 25:31-46”

Come closer to God

Make a determined effort to use Lent as an opportunity to turn back to God and to live once again in the awareness of his presence.  We can take time to be more diciplined about our worship by coming regularly to Mass, not only on a Sunday but whenever a weekday mass is available. We can also follow Christ in his sufferings by attending The Stations of the Cross. 

We might also spend more time in quietness and contemplation, whether in Church or elsewhere, reflecting on God’s love and goodness towards us, and our own slackness and ingratitude in responding to Him.  We can use the Bible readings at Mass to help us if we listen and try to understand their meaning for us and our lives. Ask Fr Stephen for help with this if neccessary.

Going to Confession is something that Christians can do at any time, but it is  especially important in Lent as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, and our own new life which flows from them.

In Confession, we own up to the sins which spoil our relationships with God and with other people, and we recieve, from the priest, the assurance of God’s forgiveness of those sins we have confessed.  With the assurance of   past sins forgiven, Confession marks a new begining in our life as disciples of Christ, and so, it is of vital importance to the Christian life.

If you haven’t been to Confession before, Fr Stephen will be glad to speak to you about it.

So what should I do?

Read carefully through this leaflet once again, and then write down how you intend to keep Lent. Once you’ve made this Lent Rule, do your utmost to stick to it.  The key to a good Lent lies in real generosity of heart, and this comes from a realization of how generous God has been to us, and the desire to respond by making our lives a thanksgiving to him.

So here are some sugestions to help you in writing out your Lent Rule:

• Apart from Sundays, do without one meal each day, and put the money you save in your Christian Aid envelope each Sunday.
• If possible, encourage other family members to join in the obsevence of Lent in their own way, and to handover what they save for your Christian Aid envelope.
• Apart from Sundays, do without alcohol and/or tobacco, and put what you save in your Christian Aid envelope.
• Apart from Sundays, do without snacks, sweets and puddings, and put what you save in your Christian Aid envelope.
• Challenge yourself to put as much in your Christian Aid envelope each week as you put in your Church collection, or at least as much as you can.
• Come into Church 15 minutes earlier on Sunday to pray or read, or just to sit in silence with God.
• Set aside some time each day to read the Bible and to think and pray about what you read.
• Think deeply about what needs to change in your life in order to make you a more faithfull follower of Christ. Talk to Fr Stephen about it if you need help or guidance.
• Go to Confession before Easter to be reconciled with God and his people. Confessions can be heard by appointment with Fr Stephen.

These are just a few examples of the things we can give up or take on as part of a Lent Rule. There are many other things we could do but, whatever we do, we mustn’t forget that the purpose of a Lent Rule is not to make us miserable, but to deepen our relationship with God. So, when temptation to backslide and break our Lent Rule comes along, use it as a reminder of why we’re keeping the Rule in the first place, and as a spur to doing something spiritually profitable to take our mind off the temptation.

May God bless our observance of this holy season and help us to be more faithful followers of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen.