Understanding our Faith

Lent: Lead-In to Easter

Having looked at Ash Wednesday last week, lets look now at the time of Lent which that day issues us into and which itself issues into the celebration of Easter.

Lent is not a time which explains itself; it is explained by the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection over the three days starting with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, moving on to the celebration of his death on Good Friday and culminating in the Easter Vigil of Holy Saturday night which is extended into the Masses of Easter Sunday. 

Lent’s origins are in the entry of new members into the Church in the process called the catechumenate.  The whole community of the Church renewed their baptismal call as they accompanied these new members in the last stage of their preparation for baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist.  All of this changed quite a lot over the centuries especially when most people were baptised as infants. 

However, Lent remained a time for the renewal of the whole community over the centuries.  And it remains so for us today.  It is a time we need to take seriously.

In principle, Lent is asking us to look into those things in our lives which act as impediments or obstacles to our relationship with God and with other people.  The traditional practices of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  These practices are about our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings. 

Prayer is obviously about our relationship with God and we may need to have a look and see if we do give real time to God, to open up spaces in our lives in which God can find a place.  Fasting may not be about food but about other things which have too much power in our lives and which we need to discipline.  Almsgiving or ‘charity; is about our care for our fellow human beings especially for those in need of help or even in need of the basics of life.  The most basic thing for Lent is to work out what we really need to do to enrich our relationship to God and other people.

Lent is about bringing about in us greater likeness to Christ and identifying those things which impede that growth.  We seek to increase his influence in our lives.

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin