Lenten Reflections

Lent is about coming to grips with the reality that we are creatures fashioned from a scoop of dirt into which God breathed life. Man and woman he created us in his very image and likeness. He blessed us with his grace and saw that we were good. We are humans by virtue of the fact that we came originally from dirt (in Latin humus). But we are divine by virtue of his breathing into us and placing a divine spark that marks us as his sons and daughters.
During this holy season we catch a glimpse of who we once were in God’s eyes and what we have become. Lent is about remembering that we came from dirt and we will return to dirt – but the breath and spark that God breathed into us continues into eternity either in Paradise or in a far different place or state of being.
This book is written for those of us who have weathered life’s storms, see and are troubled by the truth behind these assertions and, hence, sense a nagging emptiness in our spiritual well-being. This will not be our first Lent. We know that there is more to it than simply giving up chocolate. We go to church on Sundays and sometimes during the course of the week. We have religion and believe we are religious. Yet we are not convinced that having religion is enough. We suspect we have lost our focus; we harbor a deep uneasiness. We know we are sinners.
Something tells us that what we are doing is treading water. On Sunday we listen to the sermons and homilies of our priests and ministers and for a brief moment we are moved by them. Yet on Monday we act as if we heard nothing.
Notwithstanding, many of us continue to seek the Lord in prayer, song, worship, petition, and acts of kindness and mercy. We give alms. We try to be good people. But deep within us we know that all too often we miss the mark of Christian life. When it is all said and done, we have to admit that we are a mystery unto ourselves. We do not know who or what or why we are. If we are truly honest, many of us have ceased to have a true desire to have the Spirit of God and his goodness within us. This is a message to those of us of the body of Christ, those of us who know that this is the unvarnished truth.
This is a message for those of us who are hurting and weak and often confused. For some, it will prove hard to bear, and for others it will be a challenge, perhaps an affront, but it is a message for sinners – you and me.
Lent is an opportunity to go deep inside ourselves to find the aforementioned spark of God within, to find out who we are. It is a time for discovery of the “I am who I am.” This discovery is not easy – given the obstacles that hinder or block our way to our true self. But there are maps or guides that have been provided. It is my prayer that in some small way this book might serve in that capacity.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet we hear Polonius’ advice to Laertes: “To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not be false to any man.” This presumes that I know who I am; that at a minimum I know who I am becoming. How do I know this? To whom can I turn to help me? I offer two ways, which is really one way.
First, each one of us is unique. There is no one else in history or on the planet quite like you or me. Yes, there are similarities, but deep down we are all different. It is up to each of us to discover our own uniqueness and to build on it. By the same token we are told that each one of us was created “in the image and likeness of God.” Is this contradictory to the first assertion? I think not. We are not able to plume the length, breadth, or depth of our God. Yet it is possible that each of us in a unique way reflects some aspect of God. Hence, our second task is to get in touch with that aspect and to allow God to nurture our deepest reality. It is in the desert where he purges us of our evil and sinful inclinations, and cleanses or illuminates us so that we emerge as a new creation at the Resurrection of his Son from the filth of the world, the flesh and evil personified by Satan. In a word through the desert experience we become Christocentric. We experience a new and higher dimension of consciousness.
I do not pretend that this is the only way to this new consciousness. Nor do I suggest that this should be the only treatment of Lent that you should read. My intention is to encourage you to embark on, renew, and enrich your journey into your reality. I hope to suggest a path or to provoke in you a new dialogue with God. I want to help you get in touch with and allow the Holy Spirit to make this Lent not only meaningful, but also productive. It is my prayer that the same Spirit that drove Jesus into the desert will drive you there also. Just as the Holy Spirit manifested himself in all Jesus’ words and deeds during his earthly ministry – so it is that I pray that he fortify your words and deeds these forty days.