Lent

Lent comes to us each year as a gift - quiet, searching, and deeply hopeful. It is not meant to be a gloomy season of self-criticism, but a grace-filled opportunity to look honestly at our lives in the light of faith. The Church, in her wisdom, gives us these forty days so that we can pause, step back from the noise, and ask ourselves a simple but profound question: Am I becoming the person God created me to be?

We all carry habits, patterns, and attitudes that slowly shape who we are. Some of them build us up; others quietly diminish us. Lent invites us to examine these patterns with courage. That examination is not about shame. It is about freedom. When we notice a habit that does not do us any good - resentment we cling to, impatience we excuse, distractions that consume us - because let's face it we all have distractions, but Lent gives us a focus, a chance to let it go. To discard what weighs us down is not a loss; it is a liberation. It makes room for something better.

This is why prayer, fasting, and giving more to charity remain at the heart of Lent. Prayer helps us see clearly. Fasting teaches us discipline and detachment. Charitable outreach stretches our hearts outward. Together, they create space for grace. They remind us that we are not slaves to our impulses, our comforts, or even our weaknesses. With God's help, we can choose differently.

Lent is also a time to practice doing something good and different for a change. Sometimes we become stuck in routine. Trying something new - a daily act of gratitude, a deliberate word of encouragement, time set aside for someone who is lonely - awakens us. It keeps our hearts supple. When we step outside our usual patterns and consciously choose goodness, we grow.

There is a beautiful simplicity to this: if we remove what harms us and replace it with what nourishes us, we will grow. Growth in love does not happen by accident. It happens by intention. Each small sacrifice made with love, each act of patience, each moment of honest self-reflection shapes us more deeply into the likeness of Christ.

And that is the goal. Lent is not just about spiritual achievement. It is about relationship. It prepares us for Easter by drawing us closer to the Lord who gave everything for us. As we examine our lives, discard what does not lead to life, and practice new habits of goodness, which helps us grow in virtue, we find ourselves loving more generously and forgiving more readily.

By the end of Lent, if we have taken it seriously, we should be a little different - not perfect, but freer; not flawless, but softer of heart. Closer to God. More attentive to one another. Lent reminds us that change is always possible, grace is always available, and growth in love is always worth the effort.

Fr. Bill O'Shaughnessy