Lent and Easter are about renewing our souls and boldly living out our faith. Isn’t that what our world truly needs today? Christians who boldly live out their faith. Christians who share the joy of the Good News with others. Christians who bring happiness, love, peace, and kindness into our world. Just as Lent can’t be confined to 40 days, Easter can’t be confined to the 50 days of this holy season. We must live by the witness of our Christians lives. We must continue to recognize our sinfulness, repent for our transgressions, and then, renewed, go forth and live out the resurrection.
This past Tuesday the Church celebrated the Solemnity of St. Joseph. We paused our penitential observance of Lent for a beautiful feast day that focused our eyes on the patron saint of the Universal Church; the husband of Mary; the foster father of Jesus; and a man whose holiness and fidelity is an example to all of us. We celebrated not just this man, but the witness of his human life.
Earlier this week I was listening to a podcast that was addressing the COVID pandemic and its lasting impact on us. The hosts were remarking on how much we’ve changed individually and communally. They noted such issues as isolation, loneliness, and a decline in social skills and manners. The conversation then moved onto how self-focused we’ve become. And they noted that community is becoming less of our lived reality.
Earlier this week, Pope Francis issued a message to the world’s children in anticipation of the Church’s first-ever World Children’s Day which will be celebrated from May 25-26 in Rome. The Holy Father said: “If we really want to be happy, we need to pray, to pray a lot, to pray every day, because prayer connects us directly to God. Prayer fills our hearts with light and warmth; it helps us to do everything with confidence and peace of mind,"
We’ve reached the mid-point of Lent. We have an opportunity to spend a little time reflecting on what this first half of this penitential season has been like. What did you commit to on Ash Wednesday? How are your personal sacrifices going? Have you spent a little more time in prayer? Have you been able to stay away from whatever thing or behavior you gave up? Are you sharing some of your treasures with those in need?