Lent: Time to prepare for new life in Christ

Feb. 15, 2007

My dear friends in Christ,

Once again the season of Lent is upon us. The world and the Church move toward the renewal of spring and Easter. Are we prepared for new life - or for New Life?

Lent is a season of joy and of penitence, in preparation for the New Life in Christ to which our baptism calls us. To be Christ's disciple is not an easy thing. It is hard because Christ is a demanding master; He was without sin, and He wants us likewise to be "holy, as my Father in Heaven is holy." It is hard because we constantly face the temptation to sin from our own human weaknesses. It is hard because the world "does not know Christ," and demands that we submit to its wisdom, which is "the folly of God." It is hard because we can never take time off from being His follower.

Yet Christ said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Come to me, and I will give you rest." In truth, to be Christ's disciple is NOT a hard thing, when we approach it in the right way. Lent is an opportunity to change our ways, to discover again the easiness of Christ's name and Cross that we bear.

Our Lenten commitment to change begins with receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday. The ashes of the palms we used to celebrate Palm Sunday represent the false hope of the world to save us from our failings. These ashes become the Cross of Christ that we bear, literally on our own flesh, for this day. This powerful and meaningful symbol invites us to reflect on the sacrifices, and the joy, that following Christ entails. One of the things we must sacrifice is precisely the false hope that the world can save us. We must cling to God for our hope, and not to things that pass away. Ever since God's revelations to Abraham, clinging to God has always started with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

The most important thing we must do to find Christ's yoke easy to bear in our flesh is to pray every day. Our schedules are so full, and our lives are so hectic; often we promise ourselves that we will pray later, and later never comes. This Lent, renew your commitment to pray every day. It is not hard, and it does not take much time. Even five minutes of daily prayer will make you realize that Christ's burden is light indeed. Try saying an Our Father and a Hail Mary as you dress in the morning, or as your coffee brews. Ask God to open you to the graces of the day, to strengthen you for His labor. Ask the Holy Spirit to be present in your heart to protect you from anger and pride. Tell Jesus you love Him, and ask Him to make His presence known to you throughout the day.

It is also very important to practice fast and abstinence during Lent. Christ's people have been observing Lent this way since the beginning of our faith. "Fasting" means not eating. "Abstinence" means not eating any meat. The Church asks us to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday; a minimal fast means eating only one full meal that day, with two small meals and nothing between meals. Fasting is required of adults aged 18 to 60, unless illness prevents. We are also asked to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays in Lent. Abstinence is required of all Catholics aged 14 and older. Some measure of fast and abstinence is also encouraged throughout Lent, even for those for whom it is not required.

Another form of abstinence is the common practice of "giving something up" for Lent. The point here is not to make Lent into a new diet fad or a self-help program; rather, the point is to overcome our attachment to something that may be spiritually harmful to us. Do we watch too much television, or spend too much time on the Internet, for example? We could practice changing this bad habit by not doing it for a while, or at least by doing less. We're not supposed to return to the bad habit after Lent, either. Choose this kind of abstaining carefully, and this year, don't just give it up for Lent; do so for the whole year! You will find Christ filling the place vacated by the bad habit, if you look for Him there.

Almsgiving, or charitable giving of one's resources (time, talent, and treasure) to the needy, is another excellent practice to cultivate during Lent. If you don't already do so, find a new way to give this year. Perhaps you have a relative or a neighbor who needs more of your time. Perhaps you could find a way to donate something you would otherwise just throw away. If you do already give alms, use this Lent to renew your commitment and your willingness or cheerfulness in giving.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the three great "penitential" practices common to the Old and the New Covenants. Not only do they benefit others, they are also the "hothouse" for our own growth in righteousness and virtue. When we practice them, we force ourselves to become a little bit more like Christ, and a little bit less like the dark, cold, selfish world that denies Christ. And so they are really exactly right for the kind of renewal Lent is meant to inspire and perpetuate throughout the year.

If we practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this Lent with a clear intention of clinging only to God in hope, and of becoming more like Christ, then we will recognize in ourselves the ways we have not clung to God alone or been like Christ in the past. What we practice externally sheds light on what we really think and feel internally. Our prayer and fasting and almsgiving are without benefit if we have no desire for interior renewal. We must, therefore, run to the Sacrament of Reconciliation! The grace of Christ, which He longs to give us without reservation, is ours for the asking in this Sacrament. Confession heals our failings, restores our relationship with God, empowers the transformation of our hearts, and lightens the yoke of Christ's name. In truth, this is my favorite of the seven Sacraments Christ gave to His Church, both to offer as a priest and to receive as a penitent, because I know how much I, and we all, need that grace. And I know as well what a difference it makes to ask for that grace, to bathe in it just as we first did in our baptism. We will be cleansed, whole, fresh, and new, just as the world is fresh and new in spring, to greet the Resurrection of our Lord at Easter.

Because we look forward to that Easter joy, we embrace the struggle of Lenten discipline wholeheartedly. Because we want to rise with Christ, we seek ways to die to the world in changing how we live. Because we long for Christ's shining glory, we have the strength to reject the darkness of the world, both in our hearts and in our society.

Just as ancient Israel could not be freed from their slavery in Egypt without passing through the trials of plague, flight, the Red Sea, and the years in the desert, so too we will not grow in the life of Christ within us without passing through great struggle against sin. Lent is a time of preparation: let us prepare by rolling up our sleeves and doing something serious about our own sinfulness. Make use of the tools of Lent: pray, fast and abstain, give alms, receive Reconciliation. Shine up your heart so that it glows brighter with the light that is Christ.

My brothers and sisters, pray for me, for I too am a sinner, and I need your prayers to serve and lead you well. Know that I pray daily for each of you, and especially that God's great mystery of love will overcome you and take root in your heart forever. May God bless you all ever more abundantly with every spiritual and material grace and preserve you in faith!

Your brother in Christ,

Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Bishop of Sioux City