Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church

12704 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739

 Main Phone # (909) 899-1049  Fax # (909) 899-3229

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CELEBRATING THE LOVE OF JESUS THROUGH LENT

Lent is once again here with us – a period we have been looking forward to since after Christmas.   Last week I engaged some young Christians in a discussion about the approaching Lent.  In our discussion I posed some questions to them: How are you preparing for the forthcoming Lent?  What does Lent mean to you - a celebration or an observance?  Does the annual Lenten season make any difference in your life?  Each one of them gave some answers that bother on the size of his or her faith.  I noted among others these answers: “I like Lent because Mass does not stay long this period, and there is little or no singing”  “I hardly know when Lent begins until the last weeks”.  “I am bored with the often negative instructions Dad and Mum give us this period about no loud music, no much eating, meatless meals on Friday, give up candy and soda, compulsory daily Rosary every night.   These make me sick”

It is unfortunate that Lent has gradually lost its meaning for some of us.   This is partly because of the wrong teachings some ignorant Catechism instructors teach us in our Catechism Classes and partly because of our noisy and materialistic society that has no nerve for abstinence, prayer and meditation.  Concerned about the mistaken responses I received, I decided to spend some quiet time to reflect on Lent.  In my reflection two questions kept ringing in my mind: Is Lent celebrated to benefit God or benefit us?  Do we make life difficult during Lent as a way to pay Jesus for what he went through for our salvation or to reap the fruit of his suffering and death?

The result of my reflection has brought some amazing changes in my outlook on Lent this year.  For me Lent has taken on a whole new meaning – one that is just beginning to unfold in my consciousness.  The consciousness is no other but to enjoy Lent as a celebration instead of an observance.  When Lent is approached as an observance, (Lenten Observance as popularly called) it becomes dry and lifeless – a burden to the Christian as pointed out by my discussants above.  But when we approach it as a celebration, it is refreshing and full of life, and each passing year has something new to give us about the Man of Calvary.  Is it any wonder why the author of the book of Lamentation says: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is his faithfulness” (Lam 4:22-23).

As a matter of fact Lent is not celebrated to benefit God but us.  There is nothing we can do to pay for what Jesus went through for our salvation.  God does not expect us to carry the cross during Lent or mourn or torture ourselves.  There is too much suffering in the world today that we do not need to add to them but pray that they be reduced by the power of his suffering and death.  Already, the passion which forms and informs the content of Lent is the work of salvation done by God in Jesus Christ.  He is not going to do it again.  We are the ones to employ our faith and appropriate to ourselves our share of the finished work of Calvary – not only that but the entire life of Jesus Christ.  For in his 33 years of earthly life, he left us an example of how we can live for God on earth as humans.  Jesus’ earthly life reveals that he identified with our human nature by taking flesh in the virgin Mary as a God-man; suffered from the harsh experiences which our being in this world imposes on us, tempted to lose his mission, denied himself some of the joys of the society and was rewarded by God.

            In consideration of what Jesus went through for our sake through his passion, I intend to reflect with you this period that Lent is a cherished period of gratitude that calls for a celebration; a period we can familiarize ourselves with our personal mission and learn how we can through his example fight our way through the many vicissitudes of life with the victory he has already gained for us; a period the abstinence of Jesus can help us abstain from so many life’s challenges that lead us to sin; a period we can reflect on the mystery of death and suffering in the world and learn from him how to prepare ourselves in the face of them without fear.

            It is my hope that this approach will help us celebrate these forty days with some relish as a grace filled period and opportunity God has made possible through his son’s passion to benefit us.  So, if you feel excited as I do to celebrate the 2006 Lenten season, visit your e-mail every week before Fridays for some reflections.  It is my hope also that if we prayerfully devote time to reflect on the divine impact of his passion on us these 40 days of Lent, we would take delight to sing with George Bennard thus:

 So I’ll cherish the Old Rugged Cross,

Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the Old Rugged Cross,

And exchange it some day for a crown.

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