The Essence of Lent
by: Dcn. Emmanuel Chu
The Lenten Season is a time wherein people should take their lives more seriously. However, if you continue to live a life that God does not plan for you, it is meaningless. The essence of the Lenten Season is humility.
The priest would say on Ash Wednesday that we all came from dust. But we aren’t just any dust. In the second chapter of Genesis, the Lord fashioned man from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and initiated him into real manhood by giving him a passion and a purpose. During this season of Lent and in preparation for Easter, I challenged the acolytes to pay attention to the sermons on Sundays and take the time to read the gospel because God always reveals His plans for all of us there. We must recognize and acknowledge what Christ has done for us: He died for our sins. We must always remember that as we accept the Eucharist, we must see and believe that we are receiving His body and blood. For me, the breaking and shedding of His body and blood— His love for all mankind—is limitless and without boundaries.
We must likewise prepare for His resurrection as the season of Christ’s death approaches. If we have died with Him, we then shall live with Him. We must walk in victory, and triumphant as God’s people. That’s what we all need right now. When Christ died for us, He restored everything that had been lost as a result of Adam’s era-defining transgressions. He made us triumphant, victorious, and conquerors of mankind. Yes, it is what Christ desires for us.