PRAYER, FASTING, and ALMSGIVING

During the Holy Season of Lent we’re called to practice more intensely what has become known as the Three Pillars of Lent, Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.

FASTING

Pope Francis, while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina described what we experience when we fast:

When we fast we experience:

1. A pang of hunger

2. The immediate instinct to find something to eat

3. A conscious decision to resist that instinct.

“Each conscious decision to continue fasting should trigger a reminder of what others face.” It is at that point, the Archbishop continues, “We are in solidarity with those who fast

involuntarily.”

ALMSGIVING

As we get a glimpse of what the hungry experience by sharing in their hunger by our fasting we are challenged to share (almsgiving) what we have with those who are less fortune, the poor, the hungry, and those who are in need.

PRAYER

More than anything, Lent is a time of deepening our relationship with the God who created us and the God who continues to love us and sustain through thick and thin.
That is our goal as St. Augustine tells us, Augustine writes:
“When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete.”
As we begin our Lenten journey, a time of repentance and a time of renewal, as we try to renew our relationship with the Lord perhaps we can turn our attention briefly to the psalm from Ash Wednesday’s readings. This is Psalm 51, one of the most beloved of the penitential psalms. It was written by King David shortly after his affair with Bathsheba when he was confronted by Nathan the prophet regarding his terrible sin against his God and against his nation. It is known as the Miserere which comes from Latin meaning "mercy" and from the first line of the psalm, which begins, "Have mercy on me, God, in your Goodness.“

Lent is about coming back to God, asking God’s forgiveness and knowing that he will always be there for us, he will never turn his back on us. Lent is about God’s never ending love affair with us his children.

Perhaps we can take time this Lent to reflect on King David’s words, and to remember what Lent is all about - to open our hearts to receive God’s overflowing mercy and to become more him each and every day.