We have just begun our forty day journey towards Easter when we will celebrate the greatest mysteries of our faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lent is a time of preparation and anticipation for this great celebration of Easter.
Lent is also a time of sacrificial love. Giving up something for Lent sometimes becomes trivial or looses its significance, like replacing no meat Fridays with a seafood feast or giving up chocolate simply to lose weight. Lent is a time to remember that Our Lord Jesus Christ gave up everything he had for you and me. As Saint Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness, and found in human in appearance, he humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”
Jesus gave all he had for us; he gave his own life… Lent is a time to respond concretely to his sacrificial love. No meat on Fridays is the least we can do to unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Jesus and to thank him for his love. Whatever one gives up for Lent, it is the attitude that counts – it should be an attitude full of gratitude for Jesus giving it all so that we may have eternal life.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In