Lent: a season of Joy?
My temptation is to do all sorts of outward practices during Lent, especially on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. But with Mary to guide me, my Lents have been very different.
This morning, I remembered this verse: “Rend your hearts, not your garments. Make justice your sacrifice and trust in the Lord.” And “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Sacrifice for its own sake is not pleasing to God and can even be contrary to His will, which is love and mercy. He wants relationship with us above all things. That’s why He created us. That’s why He died for us. And Lent is our time to return to Him.
Lent is a time of opening our hearts to God. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hid themselves after they sinned. God called out, “Where are you, O man?” Lent is a time to ask ourselves that. Where are our hearts?
On Ash Wednesday, we receive ashes on our foreheads with the words: “Remember, O man, that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” These words aren’t meant to put us down, but to remind us of the truth about ourselves. The truth is, we are nothing but dust. We are not responsible for our own existence and have no power over our lives. Life came from God and if He were to cease to think of us, we would cease to exist. The word “humility” comes from the Latin word for “dirt.” Humility is simply realizing the truth about ourselves. That we came from dirt and we will return to dirt.
When I asked Mary what I should do for Lent, she said, “Rejoice!” It seems contradictory, because Lent seems like a season of sorrow. Sorrow for our sins, sorrow for the sufferings caused by them, sorrow that it required Christ’s death on the Cross. But dwelling on sorrow can close our hearts and lead to despair. I asked Mary to explain what she meant and she said, “Open your heart to the good things God wants to give you and receive them with joy.” In her humility, she was always ready to receive from God, because that’s all we can do.
Many people focus on how they can improve themselves during Lent, by exercising, cutting out sugar, reading more, etc. Remember, O man, that you are dust. How can dust improve itself? But God knows exactly what you need and has the power to make it happen. Let go of the reigns and let Him guide you and work in your heart. It will often be in ways that surprise you. Others take on lots of prayers and devotions and think about how they can serve God. Remember, O man, that you are dust. What can you do for God? It’s about what God wants to do for you! So we often find pride disguised as nobility.
In order to be joyful, we must receive. In order to receive, we must be open. In order to be open, we must be humble. In order to be humble, we must know the truth about ourselves. In order to know the truth, we must listen. In order to listen, we must be still. In order to be still, we must trust. And in order to trust, we must ask for faith.
So, we ask God for the faith to trust in Him, we listen to Him in stillness, we learn the truth about ourselves and become humble, then we are open to receiving God’s mercy and we are filled with joy. This is Lent. Rejoice!