Peace in the Lord Jesus. The spirit of Lent takes its inspiration from Jesus and from the millennia-long practices and experiences of the people of Israel and the Church.
The Gospel of Ash Wednesday underlines Jesus’ teaching on prayer, fasting and almsgiving (Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18). This is part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5-7), which covers many teachings on discipleship and moral living. These chapters can be an excellent source of reflection for Lent.
The Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent (this year from Matthew 4:1-11) accounts Jesus’ penitential pilgrimage to the desert, where he fasted, prayed and was tempted by Satan. This event occurs between Jesus’ Baptism, where his divinity is revealed (Matthew 3:13-17), and the beginning of his public ministry (Matthew 4:12-17). Matthew states that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” The Spirit leads Jesus, the Son of God and beloved of the Father, to fully immerse himself with humanity – suffering humanity – and to prepare himself for his public ministry.
Though Jesus never sinned, he fully takes on the consequences of sin through temptation, hunger, suffering and even death, death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-11). Jesus’ experience of prayer and fasting follows the example of other great biblical figures: Moses, the prophets Elijah, Daniel and John the Baptist, and Queen Esther, among others. The Gospels recount Jesus praying throughout the night, especially in his agony in the garden and on the Cross, where he quotes Psalm 22.
Finally, almsgiving or stewardship is a very important Lenten and Christian practice. It has deep roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition. God provided for his people Israel, especially during the desert experience. The Law (Torah) often referred to the care of the widows, orphans, poor and foreigners. They were landless and had very few rights in society. Jesus fed the thousands and will judge us upon our care of or lack of concern for the least among us (Matthew 25:31-46). The early Church shared its possessions so that nobody would be in need (Acts 4:32-36).
Almsgiving and stewardship refer to God as the creator and provider of all things; all belong to God. We are managers or “stewards” of these blessings and so as God cares for us, we ought to care for others using our time, talent, and treasure.
Father Matthew R. Weber is pastor of Holy Cross Parish, Bridgeton.
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