Three Questions Before Lent

Lent begins on Wednesday.

During the season of Lent, the Church asks us to prepare for the celebration of the Easter mysteries by casting out anything from our life that might come between us and God.

To do this well, we must know three things:

1. Where am I supposed to be going in my relationship with God?

2. Where am I right now in my relationship with God?

3. How do I get to where I’m supposed to be?

Let’s look at these in order.

First, where am I supposed to be going in my relationship with God? We are called to unite ourselves fully with God. We are to imitate our Savior, so that whatever our Father wills, we do. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. St. Paul teaches us that no matter what we do, even if we speak the words of angels and do every good deed possible, it is worthless and meaningless without this love motivating it. The love we are called to have for our Father is an all-consuming love. It is like a fire that consumes our entire being–it is no mistake that God appears as fire to Moses at the burning bush, or as flames at the Pentecost. We are called to love God with a love that holds nothing back, not even our earthly lives. And while this love should not be motivated by reward, the God who has loved us since before we ever knew him has promised that eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor has it even entered our heart, the incredible things God has prepared for those who love him.

In short: we are called to give everything that we have and are to God out of love.

Second, where am I right now in my relationship with God? We need to be honest about this. Many of us are nowhere near where we would like to be, and many of us are nowhere near where we would like others to think us to be. St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, speaks of those who are mature and those who are “infants in Christ.” The “infants” in Christ are those who do not yet live in the Spirit. They find themselves embroiled in rivalries, jealousy, the allures of the flesh, and the things of this world. It doesn’t matter if the things of this world are good or bad, because they are not God. We must be honest with God. If there is anything I value more than him, I have work to do, because God has called us to perfection.

Finally, how do I get to where God has called me? The answer to this depends on where we are.

If we are spiritually like children, then we are like the children of Israel in the desert after the tragedy of the golden calf. They professed their faith and love for God and, almost immediately, fell into idolatrous worship. God, recognizing that they were spiritual infants, gave them the ten commandments. The ten commandments are good for us, and Sirach teaches us, “if you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you.” It is, in fact, within our power to follow the law of God!

But following the commands of God is just the beginning. If we desire to love God, then we must place our faith and our hope in him, and to do that, we must resolve to follow him. Those who are spiritually growing allow the law to be written on their hearts. They allowed the Spirit of God to scrutinize everything within them as they strive to join Christ in fulfilling the law. Not only does the growing follower of Christ not murder, but he has put away all anger and seeks to reconcile with his brother. Not only does she not envy her neighbor’s goods, but she desires nothing but to love God and him alone. Not only does he not commit adultery, but he has extinguished all the fires of lust within his heart.

The mature follower of Christ no longer thinks of breaking the law, because the law is written on his or her heart. Christ taught us that he came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, that is: to perfect it. Those who are spiritually mature live in the love of God and allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to dwell richly within them. St. Paul describes the spiritually mature when he says, “When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.” It is not that they are permitted to violate the commandments that they once learned, it is that they would no longer even consider such a thing. But even these people always remember the cry of the blind man outside Jericho, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” for they know that it is their faith in Christ that has saved them.

Before Lent begins on Wednesday, we each need to answer three questions:

1. Where am I going?

2. Where am I now?

3. How do I get from where I’m at to where I’m going?

No matter where we are now, let’s set Heaven as our goal and make this Lent about doing whatever I need to do to get there.