by John Fitzgerald

If I had more time I would have prepared much more…. If I knew how important the event was I would have made better preparations. If I had some direction to follow I would have been better prepared.

In less than a few days, Lent will begin with Ash Wednesday. We will rush to church to have a black mark of our mortality placed on our foreheads. We will hear those frightful words: “Remember thou art dust and to dust you shall return,” a reality that might cause you to prepare.

We tend to look at Lent solely as a time to repent, fast and give up something we truly enjoy that could be: chocolate, cigarettes, beer, our favorite food, maybe eating out, the choice is always yours. So if your view of Lent is deprivation, where is the joy? If we go back to Matthew 6 we find the answer.

“So that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.”

The joy of Lent is in the preparation: Do I have enough time? You have 40 days to prepare. Is the event important? The Resurrection of Our Lord. It seems there is no more important event than this.

The ultimate joy of Lent is the relationship you are building with God. If you follow Matthew you will be spending 40 days with God as you explore and practice the Corporal Works of Mercy:

To feed the hungry

To give water to the thirsty

To clothe the naked

To shelter the homeless

To visit the sick

To visit the imprisoned

To bury the dead

And the Spiritual Works of Mercy:

To instruct the ignorant

To counsel the doubtful

To admonish sinners

To bear patiently those who wrong us

To forgive offenses

To console the afflicted

To pray for the living and the dead

 

Look to your family, your friends, your work mates, your clergy, your religious and yourself. You will find all of the “Works of Mercy” needed by them.

You might start in your own parish. Attend and participate in the celebration of the Eucharist, seek God’s mercy through confession (it has been a long time), take a seat at the Lenten mission.

Is the Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) team looking for someone who would be willing to share a story of conversion?

And join a ARISE group.

But most importunately don’t miss the joy of Lent this year, partner with God.

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John Fitzgerald is a parishioner of St. Joan of Arc, Jackson Heights. He was commissioned as a lay leader by the diocesan Pastoral Institute.

Related: Lenten Regulations