Lent Day 5: The Marathon to the Finish

Fr. Robert Barron’s Lent Reflection today talks about what the finish line for Lent is: eventually celebrating Christ’s Resurrection. But that’s the finish line and we are only at the start of Lent and it seems like Easter will take forever.

It helps to view Lent not as a race to get to the “happy ending,” but a marathon. My friends Kateri and Rachel compared Lent to spiritual training. The end goal of Lent is that by the time we get to celebrating Christ’s Resurrection, we will have grown closer to God. The fasting, prayer, and almsgiving is part of our training.

Now if you’re like me and the thought of anything relating to athletics makes you feel exhausted, it’s okay. Just think of a 40-day long term project that requires complete and total commitment towards becoming a better person. 

There are times in this marathon that we might fall down, but that’s part of the process. That’s why churches offer Confessions after Stations of the Cross or have Penitential services. There are also retreats, Bible studies, fish fries, and other community-oriented events that take place during this time of year. So even though we are in this marathon, we’re not running alone. 

Keep your eyes on the goal this Lent. This picture of Christ in the form of the Eucharist represents Christ’s presence within our realm and what we are all running towards.