The three traditional forms of doing penance during the
season of Lent are great tools for each of us in our ongoing Conversion of
Faith. The interior conversion of our
heart and spirit to love God above all things and to love one another as we
love ourselves is extremely important in our Lenten journey. Daily temptation to sinful behavior and
actions that turn us away from God, neighbor and self can be overcome through
God’s grace and our willingness to PRAY
-- FAST – and GIVE ALMS. There are many opportunities to change our
hearts in our prayerful action for others and ourselves. Daily mass, Stations of the Cross, daily
Family prayers for those preparing to receive sacraments (BONA OPERA) or just a
moments meditation in a busy day are very helpful in cementing our relationship
to God. Prayer nourishes the soul! Fasting helps alert our senses to the real
excesses in our lives and is also a good way of renewing our relationship to
our God. Letting go of abuses of mind,
body, or spirit can create more room to the awesome goodness of God. Fasting from alcohol; not eating more than we
need; Fasting from our favorite VIDEO GAMES; Giving up bad language or rude
behavior and even fasting from our JUDGMENTAL
ATTITUDES CONCERNING OUR NEIGHBORS can open our hearts to the good news to
the less fortunate and the poor.
These interior changes of heart and mind can lead to virtuous
Christian action. As the New Catechism of the Catholic Church
teaches:
The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the
hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and
imprisoned, and bury the dead. Among all
these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal
charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God… (No. 2447)
I hope this season of Lent will lead all of us to the interior
Conversion that celebrates God in our everyday life as a people saved through
Jesus suffering, death and resurrection! Fr.
Terry