Awakening Our Relationship With Christ
Lent has always been a grace-filled moment in our liturgical calendar to take stock of our relationship with the Lord and with each other. We begin the liturgical season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, reminding ourselves about the weak, fragile nature of human life. “Remember you are dust!” We come into the world full of hope and promise, and then at the end, it seems everything just falls apart. One could reason, “What’s the use?” It would be easy to echo the words of a famous (or is it “infamous”?) Peggy Lee song popular during my youth in which she concluded her reflection on life by singing, “Is that all there is?” Is that all there is to life: Are we merely dust? It doesn’t sound very optimistic or hopeful, does it?
Lent has always been a grace-filled moment in our liturgical calendar to take stock of our relationship with the Lord and with each other. We begin the liturgical season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, reminding ourselves about the weak, fragile nature of human life. “Remember you are dust!” We come into the world full of hope and promise, and then at the end, it seems everything just falls apart. One could reason, “What’s the use?” It would be easy to echo the words of a famous (or is it “infamous”?) Peggy Lee song popular during my youth in which she concluded her reflection on life by singing, “Is that all there is?” Is that all there is to life: Are we merely dust? It doesn’t sound very optimistic or hopeful, does it?
Our journey in Lent challenges us to focus on three interlocking factors that aid us in living the Christian life more effectively: prayer, fasting, and works of charity. How many times have I needed to remind myself that the Christian life begins with an unexpected encounter with a person who has offered me more than I could ever expect. Christ offers me eternal life! Once I accept His invitation and embark on the path of converting more and more of my life toward His, I learn that my life is not useless or baseless. It has a great meaning and purpose far beyond what I could have ever imagined — and far more than my own parents could have ever imagined. The saw of Christian discipleship is sharpened through the factors of prayer, fasting, and works of charity. Here’s a brief reflection on each of them:
Prayer
Do I take time for prayer? Is my prayer merely words I say that I learned in my youth? Do I take time to listen? Do I prepare myself before I come to Mass? Do I spend time reading God’s Word or a spiritual book to help me focus on my relationship with Christ? How about my relationship with our Blessed Mother? Do I converse with my heavenly mother, especially through the Rosary, and include her on my daily journey to walk more closely with her Son?
Fasting
Knowing that at the end of life I will be returning to God how I came, I realize I won’t be able to take anything with me except myself. My fasting and abstinence are reminders that I can’t have anything I want at any time I would like. Through fasting and abstinence, I get in touch with my desires and cravings. Are these of God? Surprisingly, I also learn what I can live without! And you know what? Most of the time, I don’t even miss them. My life has become more peaceful because I am detached from things and attached to Christ. I can see more clearly the power of God working in my life.
Works of charity
Finally, charitable works help us to recognize that we can share our resources with those in need. We have our favorite charities, for sure. At the same time, we are acknowledging the dignity of the mission of Christ where we are brothers and sisters in one family. We have a responsibility, as part of our Christian stewardship, to care for each other through our time, talent, and treasure. Supporting various efforts through our churches can be an efficacious way to partner with each other in order to achieve the mission of Christ which says, “I care” because “Christ cared.”
May this Lent awaken in us the relationship we have with Christ. It is something more than we could have imagined. We can move from questioning, “Is that all there is?” to proclaiming, “That’s it, ‘We have found the One we’ve been looking for.’” (cf. Jn 1:41) Through it all and through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, which we joyfully celebrate at Easter, we know that we are more than mere dust — we are loved by Christ into eternal life. What a gift for us!
