Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome to the second month of the year 2023. The month of February is the month of love and the beginning of the Lenten Season. May we not miss the opportunities that this season has for us to draw closer to God by deepening our love for Him and for our neighbours. Amen.
The Season of Lent:
Has a double character, namely, to prepare both the catechumens and the faithful to celebrate the paschal mystery. The catechumens are prepared for the celebration of the Sacrament of Christian Initiation with the rites of election and scrutinizes, and by catechesis. The faithful, on the other hand, ever more attentive to the word of God and prayer, prepare themselves by penance for the renewal of their baptismal promises (Caeremoniale Episcoporum, No. 249).
The Paschal mystery, which is the climax of the Lenten season, is the celebration of God’s love for us which demands our response in love for Him.
Yet another Lenten Season
As we enter this season of lent, I wish to implore us to see it as another opportunity, not just as another Lenten season. It is possible that many older Catholics, who are just counting the liturgical seasons, may see this Lenten season as yet another Lenten season like the ones they had last year and years before. This will not enable them to reap the fruits of the season. Though the season is familiar, we must approach it and live it with new minds and expectations. This is because the grace and mercy of God are ‘’new every morning’’ (Lam. 3:22-23). So, He has designed this Lenten season as a new and a different encounter. And in this encounter, much depends on our disposition. We know that every encounter with Jesus brings about a positive result. We will recall the encounter of the first disciples of Jesus in Jn. 1: 35-51; Zacchaeus in Lk. 19:1-10; the two blind men in Matt. 20:29-34; the Canaanite woman in Matt. 15:21- 28; the paralytic in Mk. 2:1-12; the demoniacs in Lk. 8:26-39; a leper in Matt. 8:1-4; the Centurion in Matt. 8:5-13; the ten lepers in LK. 17: 11- 19. All of these and other encounters with Jesus always bring about a change, a positive change and a better life. A good disposition towards this Lenten season will bring us this encounter that will definitely yield fruits of spiritual growth and abundant blessing.
Lent is a season of love
The three pillars of Lent- Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving – are meant to open our hearts and to direct our focus and attention to God and others. Each of these is a way of transcending the vice of self-centeredness and showing love to God and our fellow human beings. We cannot carry out any of these pillars of Lent without having the love of God in our hearts. No one can pray or deepen his life of prayer without God first. Having a culture of prayer issues from our love for the one we are praying to. When the disciples of Jesus grew in their love of God, having watched Jesus for sometime on how He prayed regularly to his Father out of love for Him, they asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Lk. 11:1, Matt. 6:9). Fasting is done for different reasons. Some people fast as a sign of remorse for their sins, others fast to seek the face of God for particular issues and to mortify their flesh. The list goes on and on. But these reasons do not give full flavour to our fasting if they are not carried out with the love of God in our hearts. Almsgiving-sharing what we have with the needy- is not done without one having the love of God. The only reason why giving (that is sharing what one has) may be difficult is when there is no love for others that flows from a sincere love for God. Then giving can either be impossible or carried out grudgingly. Lent is an opportunity for us to deepen our love for God and neighbour. During this period, by observing the three pillars of lent, we express this love faithfully. This is the only way we can make the most of this season and gain the full blessings of our Lenten observances.
Time for conversion
My dear friends, it must be said that the whole exercise of Lent is to bring about interior conversion. Our prayers, fasting and almsgiving during Lent must dwell in us and move us to conversion, move us to love the more. Conversion “is putting God in first place. And inquiring about God’s words, so as to allow them as realities to shine into one’s own life’’ (Pope Benedict XVI, “Light of the World”). It is a change of lifestyle; turning away from wrong doings and turning to God; turning away from loveless living to a loving one. The project each of us must hope to accomplish in this season is our internal conversion. We will hear this call regularly in the readings of the season. It is a call from God to all of us to return to Him. He is “The Father of all mercies and God of all Comfort” (John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia no. 1). If only we will open our hearts in this season, the Lord can bring about our conversion and give us a new life of love. Finally, for those of us who are already making attempts to love, we must not fail to deepen such love for God in this season. St Paul puts it well in his letter to the Romans. He addresses all of us in these words: Owe nothing to anyone except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbour, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law (Rom. 13:8). May the love of God always reign in our hearts (Amen). Have a fruitful Lenten season and may God bless you. Amen.
• An article by Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, DD, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos
