Phibsborough
This first week of Lent is the time we are given to begin our Lenten patterns, to re-align our priorities, and to make use of more reflective time each day. It is a time to fast and abstain from those things that hinder our relationship with the Lord, and to consider being more generous to the poor.
As we make this beginning, we are offered some beautiful instruction about what is expected of us. These readings describe a very Jesus-like love. We can examine our care for the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or imprisoned. We can reflect upon who in our lives needs us and whether we love them as we want to be loved. And we can look at the deeper things, like our anger or how we treat others, and our response to those who are our “enemies.” What is most important this first week, beyond a sharper examination of our consciences, is to see this as a time for God’s grace to work in us. So, it is a time to ask for the graces we are starting to see we need.
Each morning this week we can ask our Lord to help us focus this day on the neediest people around us. We can ask to begin new patterns this week by practicing special charity and love, where I haven’t been so generous or kind before. The key is to ask and to be very specific. Then, throughout the day, we can keep talking with our Lord, in the background about these graces we ask for and the concrete circumstances we find ourselves in. It is in the particular events of our day that we will become attentive to our need for our Lord’s presence and grace, as well as our need to choose a new pattern. Each evening, we can briefly review the day and recognize some missed opportunities to connect with the Lord or take advantage of a situation here or there, but most of all, we can thank the Lord for the moments of connection that have begun our Lenten journey.