This morning my 4 year old son and I were getting ready for the day and I told him it was Thursday. He reminded me it wasn’t just a Thursday, it was a day to get ready for Easter and that made it special. I smiled and and told him he was right. Today was a special day, and that ever day was going to be special for the next 40 days (give or take a few Sundays).
He asked me how long it took to count to 40. I then counted to 40 for him.
That’s a lot of days he said.
Each one is special I reminded him. This reminded me too.
We often think of Lent as a time of trial, challenge, and repentance. Lent is a long, and difficult season of the Church year. It is however a very special season of the Church year. Each day offers us a special opportunity to turn away from ourselves and turn towards God. We fast from satisfying ourselves so that we may feast upon love. Issac of Syria reminds us “The man who has found love eats and drinks Christ every day and hour and hereby is made immortal.”
I love this. Lent is a glimpse into our salvation, where we will learn to love like God. We will learn to love outwardly not inwardly. We will lean to love without conditions, or qualifications. Lent is a time that opens the window to heaven and invites us to walk the difficult road of love.
It is a special time indeed!
Here are a few links you can check out that relate to this amazing Lenten journey!
- The Origins of Lent (a study I wrote last year)
- Lent is not a “self-help” program (an article I wrote for Millenial last year)
- Five creative Fasting Ideas
- Millennial’s Lenten Reflection series (Young Catholics reflecting on how the Lenten scripture readings are inspiring them)
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