Lenten joy

We're in the middle of the Triduum now, so I thought I'd post something that has been on my mind during Lent.

It was, as suggested by the title of this post, the idea that Lent should be a joyful season. There is often an impression that, because we give up things which are enjoyable, Lent is a somber time to be endured. But I think that completely misses the point. The focus of Lent should never be on what we give up, but on Who we give things up for.

I considered one of the best analogies we have for the proper relationship with God, which is the relationship of a married couple. Think of a couple who decided to take a weekend to get away from their usual surroundings and routines and just enjoy some time together, free from distractions. When they go to work the next week and a colleague asks how their weekend was, and what they did, how will they respond? Will they say "oh, I didn't get to watch the football game, but I put up with it"? "Oh, I didn't get to go singing karaoke, but I could deal with that"? No (at least not if their relationship is in the healthy state I'm suggesting as the example)! They will talk about how wonderful it was to spend time with their spouse, and share some activity in common. And this doesn't mean that they wouldn't have enjoyed watching that football game or singing karaoke, just that the focus of their time was so much more important that the other things aren't worth mentioning.

And this is what Lent should be like. If we're asked how Lent was, can we truly respond "it was wonderful: I dedicated more time and energy to being with God and following His call for me"? If we can, the steps we took to achieve this don't matter. Whether we turned to prayer and the sacraments more, or fasted from food or an activity to remind us that there is more to life that what we see around us, or perhaps something else, it doesn't matter: what matters is being with God. And this should bring the supremest joy we can experience.

Of course, you might point out that we don't only give up what is enjoyable and allowed during Lent: many people also take it as an opportunity to get rid of sinful habits and to devote a proper degree of concern to those of God's people who particularly need them. Here as well, we should take joy in walking more faithfully with Christ. Even when we need to recognise the harm of our sins and do penance, we should be heartened by God's total mercy.

And I am happy to say that I had a very useful and joyful Lent. At the end of it I have such a strong desire to grasp God tightly and stay close to Him, and hopefully I can manage to do my best to achieve this throughout Easter and beyond. Please pray for me!