Lent: A Season of Repentance

“Repent and believe in the gospel.”

-Mark 1:15

The Lenten season is marked by repentance, by recognizing the brokenness of our humanity and turning back to God.  But often I think we, myself included, confuse repentance.  Too many times I have asked questions like, “What am I going to give up for Lent?”, “How am I going to make myself a better disciple?”, “How am I going to improve my prayer life?”, or “How am I going to love my neighbor more?”  I believe these to be the wrong questions entirely.  A lot of times I think Lent causes us to fall into this self-centered mentality that fails to put God at the heart of our repentance.

Lent should be about seeking not self-improvement, growth, or perfection, but about seeking relationship.  That should be the ultimate goal of our Lenten repentance: renewal of our relationship with God.  One example I would like to offer is a contrast from two passages from the Gospel of Luke.  In Luke 8: 7-9 we read:

“Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, ‘John has been raised from the dead’; others were saying, ‘Elijah has appeared’; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’  But Herod said, ‘John I beheaded.  Who then is this about whom I hear such things?’  And he kept trying to see him.”

Later on, we find in verses 18-20:

“Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’  They said in reply, ‘John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”’  Then he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’  Peter said in reply, ‘The Messiah of God.’

In Matthew’s account of Peter’s confession about Jesus, Jesus replies, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 16:17)  Herod, on the other hand, lived according to flesh and blood, the material world; thus, he could not know Jesus.  So it is clear that we must not let flesh and blood, the material world, get in the way of our spiritual life.  But I don’t think it is enough to just give a material possession or two up; Lenten repentance must go further.

Peter didn’t simply give up everything he had and then call it good; he gave up everything and then followed Jesus.  Simply giving up the world of flesh and blood did not suffice; it was the heavenly Father who revealed the identity of Jesus to Peter.  Peter’s repentance led him to relationship.  This, I believe, is the purpose of Lenten sacrifices, Lenten repentance.  May our sacrifices this Lent lead us to a deeper relationship with God, because that is what this season of repentance is all about.

Please pray for me this Lent, that my relationship with God may be deepened by repentance, and I will do the same for you.

In Jesus love through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Hayden