As we look to welcome the coming of spring we also welcome Lent. In fact, Lent is a word derived from Middle English which means “spring”. Both spring and Lent follow the vernal equinox (a date that changes yearly), a time of year when the earth tilts closer to the sun.
During spring, the dark cold days of winter fade, giving way to sunshine, warmth and new life springing up in all of nature. As the earth moves closer to the sun in spring, during Lent, the church encourages us to move closer to THE SON by uniting ourselves with Jesus’ forty days wandering in the desert, a place of dryness, desolation and solitude. We do this by practising the disciplines of fasting, prayer, penance and charity.
“Led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” as a test of his love, Jesus certainly must have felt weak at times and may have even thought of giving in. But Jesus persevered in his mission of love. He did not give in to the devil’s temptations of hunger, or to test the Father’s love for him, or worship something other than God. Jesus persevered and never forgot that “man does not live on
bread (or money, power or fame) alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”. He commanded Satan to “Get away” and the devil left Him.
Throughout the next six weeks of Lent we may begin to grow weak and falter in our practice. We may even be tempted to give up, wondering what value fasting or works of charity may provide. But be reminded that the constant Gospel message of Jesus this entire Lent is: “I know you love me”. We should find these words encouraging and providing strength to persevere! Just like Jesus, if we command our temptations to flee, we will endure and make it to Easter!
I invite you to check our special section for the Season of Lent and some of the opportunities we are offering at our parish to connect. I also encourage you to check our special section for our Lenten Message Series - More of Him, Less of Me.