Season of Lent

    Lent, also known as the Lenten season or Great Lent, is a year of reflection on Jesus' 40-day fasting and temptation in the desert. It is a 40-day cycle preceding Easter on the Christian calendar. Lent is a season of contemplation and preparation that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday.

    This penitential and preparatory season aids in our preparation for the glory of the Resurrection. Most Catholics are familiar with the routine: during Lent, you offer up something in preparation for Easter Sunday. The COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, is best seen from the lens of Lent. We remember the glory of the Resurrection even during this penitential season. We may place an emphasis on readiness and penance, but we still obtain and glorify our Lord. And if we are experiencing a COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to worship the Lord. All with breath should worship the Lord at all times, not only during the liturgical seasons of Ordinary Time, Christmas, or Easter. This is still the situation now, with so much going wrong in the country. There is always reason to worship the Lord in the midst of so much sorrow and misery, which none of us are immune to.

   The aim of Lent is to achieve spiritual rather than material results. This means that any fasting we do should be for the glory of God and our spiritual growth. The most important thing to note during Lent is that, though the rituals of different religions can differ, the goal remains the same: to repent of our sins, refresh our faith, and ready ourselves to joyfully rejoice the mysteries of our faith.

 

References: 

https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/resource/season-lent

https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/lent/perspectives-on-lent/articles/reflecting-on-the-lent-season/

https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/lent