St. Matthew’s Gospel (see Matthew 25,38) invites us to remember that we are responsible for helping all our sisters and brothers, even those who are strangers to us. When we do this, we care for Christ.
The season of Lent gives us a wonderful opportunity to reflect and make room in our hearts to welcome the stranger. Through our prayer, we encounter Jesus, who is present in the face of every member of our human family. When we fast, we encounter the obstacles that stop us from fully loving God and our neighbor. When we give alms, we share what we have with others.
These Lenten disciplines are well known to us by now, but sometimes it can be helpful to get back to the basics. Lent is not like “training” for the Spiritual Olympics. It is, rather, like letting God shape and mold our minds and hearts, in order to make us more Christ-like.
Let us pray. “Lord, help us to step away from the things of this world so that we might appreciate the immeasurable gift that is your love. Turn our noses from the scents around us so that we may again know the sweet fragrance of Christ. Touch our lips and mouths so that we may taste anew the bread of our salvation. Protect our ears from all that is purely noise so that we may hear your song of mercy, calling us back to your embrace. Shield our eyes from all that distracts them so that we may gaze more fully on the light of Christ. Help us to become more Christ-like during the remaining Lenten days so that we may rejoice in all that is good, all that is lovely, and all that is merciful. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
