Lent 2021 is almost upon us.

This time last year life was, for all intents and purposes, kicking along in this new decade. Sure, there may have been rumours about some sort of virus in China spreading but many people – here in the southern hemisphere at least – were only hearing tiny rumblings and nothing to be overly concerned about.  We were sniggering about a mad rush on toilet paper and some panic-buying in the stores. And wasn’t ‘Corona’ the brand for some alcoholic drink?

So here we are in February 2021, a full twelve months on, and my, oh my, don’t we see things differently now?

Have you figured it all out yet? Has time caught up with your brain?

I know that my head is still reeling at how fast things have changed. In many ways my spirit is still rocking and rolling. Nothing feels or looks the same – like a mad sci-fi movie that never ends. For a while in my country things seemed to be improving, but here I am yet again in a third lockdown – albeit for only five days, supposedly. For a while we were deluding ourselves into thinking that it was almost over in this country and that things would go back to what they were.

Friends, despite all of this talk about vaccine this or vaccine that, this is not over.  We will never go back to the normal we had before if you can call the frenzy of our Western lives – the greed, poor treatment of the elderly, ageism, homelessness, the housing crisis, people living below the poverty-line, inflated and money-hungry universities, over-development, crowded cities, traffic jams, and so on – ‘normal’. Of course these issues have been around for a long time, but things have been progressively getting worse. Twenty-twenty woke many of us up, or so we may have thought.

All of this is not about being pessimistic, but realistic. God is shaking us up and is trying to get our attention. What if God is trying to save our souls through chastisements because not enough people are listening and changing their lives? Sin upon sin is being committed, and especially the sin of abortion where millions of babies are being killed every year. Plagues, famines, wars, etc. have been the lot of disobedient people in Scripture before. This can sound harsh to our modern ears, but as long as humanity continues to reject God and His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, the world will continue to be caught up by Satan.  God is not sadistic and does not want to punish us – He loves us so much – but we are punishing ourselves in our pride and stubbornness by turning away from Him.

Perhaps you may not want to confront such words and thoughts.  Perhaps this is making you feel uncomfortable as it is for me to write it.  But sometimes life is not meant to be sugar-coated.  I’d rather be made wise by facing and growing through what is.  If you have children and are a loving parent you must warn your children about the dangers and consequences of wrong actions. It is the same with God Our Father. He wants us to take our lives, souls, each other, and our faith very, very seriously. Why? Because He deserves our love, obedience, and respect, and you are so, so very precious to Him that He wants you (and I) with Him in heaven eternally.

What if this Lent is your time to consider such questions and what is happening in the world at a more personal level? What if – even if you aren’t Christian – you feel called by something that’s out there? Did you feel it in 2020 – some sort of calling to something better, greater, and more meaningful for your life? Friends, that call is coming straight from God the Father through the Holy Spirit because He wants to save you.  He is not the type of God to shove His will down your throat. He never roars, but stirs quietly and gently within. He has given you free will to choose what you want to do – which also means giving you the freedom to reject Him – but He longs for you to say “yes” to Him.

What if you did say “yes” for a day or a week, just to see what would happen?  You could make up a prayer on the spot. Something like: “God, I don’t know if you are real, I don’t know if you care about me or hear me, but if you are there please help me today or this coming next week to feel your love in some way. Help me to get through these days knowing that I can trust that maybe you are real. Help me to feel or understand something more about you and life. Help me to make sense of what is going on and what you want of me.”

What if you gave that a go, in your own words?  Your prayer or talk with God  could even be in the form of music that you could play while you just breathe, be still, and think about the loving presence of God. Trying this will not kill you. What do you have to lose? In fact, you have everything to gain.

For Catholics, Lent is not just about giving up chocolate or sacrificing something you love, or abiding by some rules and observances prescribed by the Church. Those things are good and necessary, but they mean nothing if there is not a personal turning around, looking within, and more profound transformation of your soul. I could forgo chocolate or anything else externally in my life, but still be a horrible person and ill-disposed!

God wants my heart.  He wants your heart.  He wants you to think of Him and talk to Him.  He wants you to remember who He is and who you are.  He wants you to think about what matters most, right now.

Are you concerned about a friend? Tell God.
Are you worried about not having a job? Tell Him.
Are you grieving over someone or something you’ve lost in your life? Tell Him.
Are you perplexed about what you want to do with your life next? Tell Him.
Are you lacking purpose, motivation, or passion? Tell Him.
Are you not even sure what the next hour or day will bring? Talk to Him.

Most importantly, ask God to take care of it all. Hand it over. Surrender, and be patient.  I know this is easier said than done, but trying is better than not reaching out at all.

I’ll be taking a break from social media, writing posts, and twitter during Lent 2021. Time spent with God is crucial and it is a deeper journey that needs my committed attention right now. I hope to come back refreshed, renewed, and restored – brimming with new insights, words, and musings.

Find some time this Lent to do likewise for yourself and for the good of your soul. You deserve to respect yourself by using your time in a way that feeds your spiritual, mental, and physical wellbeing.  Here are some suggestions:

• Read books you may not have touched yet or have been longing to read.
• Write poetry and other reflections (you can post them later if you have your own blog).
• Go to your garden (or create one) and nurture it. It is unbelievably good for you.
• Spend time looking up into the stars at night – something St Ignatius of Loyola, one of my favourite saints, liked to do. Perhaps he would have liked this video, as would you?
• Spend time just breathing. That’s it: in and out.
• Learn to sing something you love.
• Tinker on an instrument – a guitar, piano, recorder, whatever.
• Learn about the saint of the day or a person who inspires you.
• Make a family dinner or find a recipe that sounds different to try.
• Meditate on the Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent. Stations of the Cross for families
• Pray for someone who has hurt you and ask God to bless them with peace. Ask God to give you the grace to forgive them.
• Take up a Bible study – a fantastic one I am doing currently is the Bible in a Year podcast by Fr Mike Schmitz.
• Consecrate yourself to St Joseph in this Year of St Joseph (the consecration starts today in time for the Feast of St Joseph on 19 March 2021).

Until next time, God bless your Lenten and Easter journey.

Image Credit: pixabay.com