Groaning Yet Grateful
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Wednesday, March 09, 2011 7:49 PM
I remember, during college, going to Mass on the last day before Lent and looking at the crucifix, the statues and icons, somewhat wistfully. They would be shrouded in purple for the duration of the penitential season. I missed them, and all the purple got me down a little.
Some people get excited as Lent approaches, but I am not one of them. I’ve always felt depressed on Ash Wednesday, facing the prospect of six weeks of penance.
Oddly, I don’t find the season itself so horrible. My life has been greatly enriched, many years, by the sacrifices I chose to make. I relish the challenge of coming up with meatless meals for Fridays. I love the Stations of the Cross and the Sorrowful Mysteries and the other meditations we embrace during the Lenten season. It prepares me for Easter, a season I love. So I do appreciate Lent.
But I don’t actually get excited about it. My human nature resists the opportunity to join Christ on the via dolorosa. I want to become holier, yes, but the penance involved is not so appealing.
This is where, every year, I thank God that I am Catholic. If there were no liturgical season of Lent, if I had to schedule my own season of sacrifices, I might skip it. I can imagine, at the very least, that several years would go by and I’d suddenly realize I hadn’t done any long-term penances in a while.
Instead, the Church blesses us each year with Lent, where we’re called to pick up Christ’s cross and follow him. As a whole, with days of fasting and abstinence, and as individuals, with our private penances, we have the chance to focus and prepare to celebrate Easter by becoming more like Christ.
I doubt I’ll ever get particularly excited about Lent, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it in its way. And every year - no matter how much I might drag my heels as I plan those penances - I’m grateful for this season. I want to take up the cross. This is a big chance to do it.
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