Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and a time for recognizing the tragic consequences of being far from God.
I am going to share with you three passages from the Gospel of St. Luke.
- From the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Lk 15: 1-7)
“And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them: ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Lk 15: 5-7)
- From the Parable of the Lost Coin (Lk 15: 8-10)
“And when she found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying: ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15: 9-10)
- From the Parable of the Prodigal Son (LK 15: 11-32)
“But the father said to his servants: ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.” (Lk 15: 22-24)
“And he said to him [the older son]: ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” (Lk 15: 31-32)
Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and a time for recognizing the tragic consequences of being far from God. In some way, Lent is a time of tears. We weep for our many sins, for the evil in us and around us, for the sufferings of our brothers and sisters, for our own sufferings and the infinite sufferings of Christ on the cross, for His passion and death.
If we cry with sincerity of heart, we will be happy because Jesus promised “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” We are aware that the passion and death of Christ culminate in His Resurrection. That Christ is alive and lives forever is the foundation of our Catholic faith. Even though we recognize ourselves as sinners, we have the assurance that Christ “did not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (LK 5: 32) and that God is not a tyrannical judge, but our Father, compassionate, patient and merciful, Who welcomes with joy our conversion. If we look at Lent from this perspective, then Lent is a time of deep joy.
We are all in need of successive conversions in order to grow indefinitely in the love of God and neighbor. Confession, the Sacrament of Mercy will assist us in our path of conversion. May God grant us the joy of our conversion during this time of Lent.
