Fr Xavier Writes 18th February 2024

Lent strikes a chord and touches something deep down in all our hearts, as it presents us with the challenge to reject sin and to be faithful to the God of love. Fasting, prayer and alms-giving have traditionally been the central elements of Lent for us all. They are the tools in order to edge closer to God, as we continue our journey through life. During this time, most of us do some sort of penance, maybe giving up alcohol and going off cigarettes, some may help out some charities and go to church daily. But these things should guide us to be pleasant to the person with whom we always seem to clash and whom we just cannot stand.

At the start of his public ministry, Jesus went into the desert for forty days and so Lent is also, for us, a time to keep holy, by reliving His experience in an attempt to establish a deeper bond and a close friendship between God and ourselves. The journey we make is an inward one, into the wilderness of our innermost self, to stand before God in all sincerity and truth. This makes us see ourselves as we are and become more aware of our sinfulness. It becomes obvious that we need to change and renew our struggle against evil by prayer, fasting and penance.

It should be, perhaps, a time to take a hard look at our gossiping, backbiting and scandalmongering. A simple vow to hold our tongue might prove a useful medicine. Daily prayer is of importance to us all and, especially, in family prayers, as it is the vital lifeline in our closeness with God. We must give top priority to this exercise, which strengthens our faith and trust and brings us closer to Him. It’s also a time of call for a change in behaviour, because our persistent sinfulness spoils our growth in the love of God. The challenge of saying ‘No’ to ourselves and ‘Yes’ to God is what constitutes the struggle.

Have a fruitful Lent.