The Observance of Lent

Today is the First Sunday of the Season of Lent, which marks the 40 day period prior to Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.  Consequently, it is a time to remember what the Season of Lent means in our belief and practice.

Lent has largely been relegated to a renewal of our New Year's resolutions, which typically involve some form of dieting and exercise, practices that studies indicate are typically abandoned by January 3 or so.  Sacrificing something is incidental.  What Lent is really about is centering and focusing upon what the Jesus Story means and what it means for us to imitate Christ.  Christ began his ministry through a forty day period in the desert, which reflects the forty day season of Lent.  Lent reminds us that we are called to imitate Christ; as Christ's ministry was about seeking the salvation of the world, we are called to renew our commitment to living according to his example by seeking to discern how God is calling us to do the same in our own little corners of the world.

Without living according to the example of Christ, we cannot experience resurrection and renewal.  Without Lent, we cannot truly grasp the significance and meaning of the empty tomb.