The word Lent comes from the old English, Lencten, which means “spring cleaning.” It stretches for a period of forty days from Ash Wednesday until Easter in imitation of the forty days and forty nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. Thus we begin Lent on Ash Wednesday by receiving ashes on our foreheads as an acknowledgement of sin, and as a sign of our willingness to turn our lives around. The prayer recited by the priest while giving the ashes is: ” Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel. ”

This time of Lent, beginning today, is a good time to engage in timely, spiritual spring-cleaning. It is a time, as St. Paul says, to “let God change you from enemies into His friends ( 2 Corinthians 5 : 20 ).

The business of every Christian is to follow the example of Jesus. You do this by putting aside old habits of sin that are contrary to the gospel. Bad habits such as lying, cheating, back-biting, false judgements, discrimination, sexism, racism, hatred, jealousy, greed, lust, gluttony and laziness have nothing to do with following Jesus. You cannot cling to these dysfunctional habits and hatreds of others and say “I am a Christian.” Lent is a time and season to root out those bad habits of the heart, and start over afresh.

You cannot go back in time and start over again, but you can start now, this Lent, and create a brand new beginning.

It is important to remember that being a Christian is a way of life that brings to the fore in our lives the love of Christ expressed, particularly, in His compassion for the least among us. There are some among us who try to view the Christian way as an ideology that divides people rather than uniting them, that constantly engages in recriminations of those who are “different.” There is an irony here, and that is: we have to get along with others who are different to us because we need one another in spite of our differences. Jesus never engaged in disinterested recriminations, disputations, or rash judgements. He showed us how to love everyone by giving us the new commandment : “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Lent is a time to draw closer to Jesus if we want to follow His example of loving one another. So, if you are not in the habit of praying or meditating, make an effort to do so this Lent. During this pandemic, it should not be too hard to find some quiet time to engage in heartfelt prayer. Prayer does not have to be complicated or wordy. A simple ‘thanks’ to God for the grace of another day, for blessings received, for supportive friends, family and community. Thank God in the morning when you rise and in the night before you go sleep. Ask God to help you when you are driving and when you are working or sitting.

When you are alone at home, take some time to meditate on the scriptures each day. This is a very important exercise and I cannot emphasize it too much. You’ll be surprised how enjoyable and inspirational this spiritual exercise can be. What better habit could you cultivate this lent than the habit of meditating on the scriptures every day.

A person acts as he thinks. If you want to act like Jesus, meditate on His word.

Finally, Lent is a time to discover the joy of the Gospel. It is not meant to be a dismal time. It is meant to be a challenge, a challenge to let God’s word seep into your heart, a time to root out whatever obstacle to grace lies hidden within you, a time to rise up and be renewed in spirit and in body by the good news of the gospel.

So, be joyful this Lent when you pray more, when you confess your sins, when you break bread together, and when you reach out to help one another in the Spirit of the Lord who faced temptation in the desert for forty days and forty nights but which He overcame to save us from our sins.

Make this LENT count.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy