 Wishing
you a blessed Lent
By Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM
A season is usually a specific time of the year: winter, spring,
summer and autumn. We all like one more than the others. "I like
winter," says one, because of the chance to ski or snowboard or
skate. Another might say, "I like summer; it is so wonderful to have
more sunlight and more time for the beach and boating."
When we live the rhythm of our Church life, much the same can be
heard about Church "seasons." There is Advent, then Christmas; Lent,
then Easter for several weeks; then the Ordinary Time of our faith
life. Which of these do you prefer, and why?
I must confess that I do prefer the Lenten season followed by the
Easter season! Why?
Because it is, in my mind, the one that challenges me more, calls me
to bathe in Christ's life! To live with Christ, Who was rejected by
many and then by just about all; to live with Christ bearing a cross
on His back, bleeding from a whipping; to live with Christ dying on
a cross, made fun of by many as He dies! Then there are the three
days of uncertainty on the part of His followers, and finally, the
resurrection which is the answer to all this pain and agony for
those who believe.
It will soon be Lent, so how will you and I walk with Jesus for the
40 days? The liturgy of these first few days tells us how, and let
us try not to stop when the going gets rough.
We are challenged to address aspects of our personal lives that are
not really as Christ would live: being more generous with our money
where it's needed; praying more every day and attending daily Mass;
taking the Ten Commandments more seriously; and so on.
Trying to lose weight in Lent just to look better is not of Christ;
it is, unfortunately, selfish. Anything that is being done or that
is being abstained from for the wrong reasons will not help us to
become Christ-like!
Becoming Christ-like is the objective of a life that believes in
life after death, in resurrection. May we be given the strength by
Jesus Christ to fulfil the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.
A Blessed Lent to all; may it be a time of true growth and also of
realizing Christ's promise of peace and joy.
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