Spring is springing here in the Pacific Northwest the plants and trees are blooming. We are fast approaching the Christian celebration of Easter Sunday and if my Catholic is correct we should be in Lent right now. Lent is a Catholic season of soul-searching and repentance. Lent is a time for reflection and taking a good look at what our lives are all about. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Catholic imitates Jesus withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. This would account for the gesture of, Giving up something for Lent. I was Catholic when I was growing up in New York City, back then giving up something for Lent which started forty days before Easter Sunday, kicked off by Ash Wednesday, (which is a whole other story in itself) I tried my hardest to give up something I really liked, something like RC Cola. It never worked and mainly because I didn't understand why I was giving something up. Today I understand it and in some twisted way the symbolic gesture of giving up something we like between the days of the passion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ seems like a good idea since our Heavenly Father gave up His only begotten Son for our sins the least we can do is take a break from Starbucks Lattes or something like that. Well, I don't think I will return to my Catholic roots anytime soon but I may add a little reflection to this season by reaching out to someone in need with the Gospel. We have a duty to our Lord that since we have been given this wonderful eternal life we share that love with others. The most remarkable aspect of Lent is that it actually commemorates the time Jesus was in the wilderness. It was that time that the temptations occurred and Jesus withstood the confrontation of the Devil. You and I will never be tempted by the Devil; we will however be tempted by Satan as was Eve in the Garden but never directly by the Devil as Jesus was. What a tremendous example to us, how much did He love the Father and would always do His will. So as the foliage returns to the Pacific Northwest and your hometown, as spring begins, we have the awesome privilege to know God and His Son Jesus Christ and His matchless Word. |
