Bill Dodds
How are you supposed to have a happy Lent, a liturgical season that, to quote the glossary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “is the primary penitential season in the Church’s liturgical year, reflecting the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert in fasting and prayer”?
The point is learning how to see. We’re like the blind man that Jesus had to work on twice. “The point,” the New Jerome Biblical Commentary explains, “is that the man’s return to sight is gradual, at first not completely perfect.”
We understand what we’re supposed to do for Lent, but what Lent can do for us may be a little fuzzy. And as that comes into better focus, as our own ‘blind spots’ grow smaller, happiness and joy become more apparent. You may notice:
- You can be God’s little helper. Lent isn’t just a time for repairing what you’ve failed to maintain. It can be a time for refurbishing, revising and revitalising.
The praying, fasting, abstaining, almsgiving and private, personal sacrifices can help you better see not just who you are, but who you can be.
- You can finally conquer that small, pesky, stubborn, sinful habit of yours. Well, maybe not conquer but at least tame.
- You can enjoy a daily sense of accomplishment over those 40 days. Each day, with each prayer said or each latte skipped, is a victory – brick after brick in the road that can lead you forward in wisdom and grace.
And then that string of repeated good actions becomes a deeply ingrained virtue. You rely on daily faith, hope and love. On kindness, patience, temperance and so many others.
Bill Dodds is the author of On Your Pilgrimage Called Grief: A Guide for Widows and Widowers.