Lent: A Call to Love God
James Redmann reflects on the liturgical season of Lent.
During Lent, many Catholics give up something to improve themselves and show love to God. Often, I find Catholics begrudgingly giving up something just because they are supposed to (myself included). We, as Catholics, should see the sacrifices we make are not just in vain, but to improve our relationship with God. There are many great ways, in which we can show our love to God and learn to appreciate him. Personally, I think adoration and silent contemplative prayer are outstanding ways to improve your relationship with God.
Also, I find that the happiest men have a strong faith and love of God. We should take the three pillars of Lent: fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, and use these pillars to strengthen our relationship with Christ. Even though Lent is meant to be a solemn time as we prepare for Christ’s death on the cross, we can still be happy and take pride in loving and serving the Lord. This Lent I hope and pray that everyone, even if you do not have the strongest relationship with God, to give the Lord a chance. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and He is love.
We should welcome His love and resist the near occasion of sin. Even though we are not perfect, it is still good to attempt to grow in our faith, especially at Jesuit, where we have many opportunities to grow in faith, such as daily confessions and mass, weekly adoration, and a beautiful chapel for prayer. I challenge everyone, including myself, to live our lives For the Greater Glory of God this Lent, and I invite all of you to join the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception in their Lenten journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
