As we enter into Lent, CCR Web Editor Andy Drozdziak urges us to not operate in our own power, but to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus did when he entered the desert.
We are given ashes on Ash Wednesday, as we are invited to enter into Lent, a season of prayer, penance, and almsgiving. Whilst ashes remind us of death and decay, we are also reminded in the Bible that God will give us “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).
In our family, we recently suffered a shock bereavement as my brother-in-law, who was just 38, died suddenly in January. In our grief, we have certainly been experiencing our fair share of ashes, mourning and despair. All sorts of questions have emerged, such as: Why did he die so young? What will life be like now? How will the family cope with the loss? Yet we are also seeing hope in our pain, not least through the supportive kindness of friends and family who have embodied the compassion and care of Jesus.
Lent is a gift which enables us to ask key questions about our lives. How loving am I? How much time do I spend on the concerns of others, without regard to myself? Do I really go the extra mile and show sacrificial love to others, in imitation of Jesus, who gave His life out of life to the end?
Relying on the wonderful gift of the Spirit
Those are very challenging questions for me, and I know I have lots of work to do in those areas. Old habits die hard, and we often want to make profound changes. One of the greatest temptations with which I often struggle is the temptation to enter Lent in my own power. In my mind, I will achieve my own salvation, overcome obstacles in my own power and use my own strength to make valuable spiritual progress. At Easter, I will look in the mirror and say: “Well done-you did it!”
Of course, this approach is fraught with errors and I would certainly not recommend it. It ignores the wonderful gift of the Spirit we have been given. The good news is that we don’t need to enter Lent in our own power-Jesus promises to go with us and give us His strength, His Spirit. As we read Mark’s account of Jesus entering into the desert, we note it is “the Spirit” who “sent him out into the wilderness” after his baptism in the Jordan (Mk.1:12). Jesus was not alone. Even better, he entered the desert with these words, spoken at his baptism, ringing in his ears: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk.1:11). Surely these affirmative words empowered Jesus to face the temptations and wild animals (Mk.1:13).
What an excellent model for us to be inspired by in Lent. Can we hear the delight of the Father, as He rejoices over each of us with those words: “You are my son/daughter, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” I would encourage you to hear them spoken, over and over, until they really penetrate your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to let them sink into your heart. Write them out, set them as your phone screensaver and stick them up at work or at school. It’s important that we do hear these words again and again, because society will tell us the opposite.
A crown of beauty instead of ashes
It’s imperative that we know we’re loved as we enter into the wilderness of Lent. From that starting point, we can enter into the practices of Lent to enable the Holy Spirit to cultivate something beautiful within ourselves-a “garden of grace”, in which we know we are loved by our Father and yearn to share His love. In this way, we can be joyful servants, sharing the love of Christ to others, and letting them know that God will indeed “bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).
So we need the power of the Spirit to help us during Lent. We also need to experience the power of God’s forgiveness in confession when we fall. As we hear words of absolution, we can once again experience the joy of God’s mercy, as expressed in the parable of the Prodigal son: “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15: 23-24).
As Fr. Luke Mary CFR from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal comments:
The practices of Lent are aimed at producing a new springtime for your soul. The spirituality of the season helps us to reconnect with the biblical idea that our lives are not our own, they are lent to us by God. When we die, we return to God, and our own resurrection will show forth what we did with the gift of life.
Let’s begin well in Lent, experiencing the power of change and the power of the Gospel.
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