Commentary: Lent is a penitential season. That means it is a time when we are called to repent and turn our hearts toward God. It is a time to push away distractions and focus all the more on our relationship with God. As we begin Lent, this first reading reminds us of this call. The Lord Himself invites His people, including us today, saying, “return to me with your whole heart.” When we stray from God, no matter how far we have gone, He is always inviting us back. He is a loving Father with outstretched arms longing for us to receive His warm embrace. God is “gracious and merciful,” “slow to anger,” and “rich in kindness.” He calls us to acknowledge and repent of our sins, so that He can freely pour out His forgiveness upon us. This reading reminds us that God desires our hearts. He loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. Keep in mind this Lent that when we fall into sin, God is always right there to pick us back up and help us get our feet under us again.
Commentary: This reading explains how it is possible for us to experience God’s forgiveness: Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Jesus took all the sins of the world upon Himself when He died. He experienced the punishment we deserve for our sins. As a result, we may “become the righteousness of God in him.” In other words, we can be purified from our sins and become holy. This cleansing of sins, made possible by Jesus and received through repentance, faith, and the sacraments, leads to salvation. During Lent, in preparation for Good Friday and Easter (when we will celebrate the events making possible our salvation), we have the opportunity to reflect on the magnificent gift of God’s grace and experience it through repentance and turning toward God.
Commentary: In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These are the three traditional “pillars” of Lenten observance. During Lent, we are encouraged to focus on prayer. This can be done by adding or increasing silent prayer time each day, taking time to pray as a family, attending Mass more regularly, experiencing Eucharistic adoration, in addition to other options. We are also asked to fast during Lent, which includes abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays, plus observing a day of fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This also includes the tradition of “giving something up” for Lent. The purpose of fasting is to help us be detached from the pleasures of this world and focus our attention on God. Finally, almsgiving refers to acts of charity. This can include offering more of our time, talent, and/or treasure in service of God. With all these practices of Lent, Jesus in this Gospel passage calls us to be humble and do them with the right intention of serving and worshipping God.
Taking it Home:
What do you need to repent of? God’s grace is abundant and there is no sin that He cannot forgive. Take time reflecting on where you have turned away from God, confess those sins to God in prayer, and then commit to visiting the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent.
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