Ash Wednesday has rolled around again—the beginning of another season of Lent. As we look back at all the Lenten seasons we have experienced, they may seem very similar—indulge on Fat Tuesday, be signed with a cross on Ash Wednesday, eliminate a favorite food or beverage from our diet, give a little extra money to charity, start reading a new spiritual book, go to a reconciliation service, lose motivation around a month into the season, eagerly celebrate the feasts of St. Patrick, St. Joseph, and the Annunciation of the Lord, and reawaken to the passion of Jesus on Palm Sunday.
Although our Lenten observances may not change much, each Lent is different because we are different from year to year. As Mary DeTurris Poust notes in Not By Bread Alone 2021, God meets us where we are. One year we may be energized by a new ministry or a new relationship and the next we may be dealing with depression because of pandemic restrictions or the recent death of a loved one. Nonetheless, however God finds us on Ash Wednesday, we can pray these words from a song by John Bell:
Summon out what I shall be
Set your seal upon my heart and live in me
No matter our current circumstances, when we invite God to seal our hearts with love and live in us, our lives will change, and we will be drawn into what we shall be. We need to signal our willingness by issuing the invitation and clearing some space for God’s action through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, but it is the work of the Spirit that transforms us during Lent and leads us to be an Easter people.
We are approaching the first Sunday of Lent. It’s time to issue our invitation to God to be our houseguest during this holy season.
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