Many of the devotions and practices of Lent encourage us to fight against the temptation of sin. An age-old lesson for doing this is: we must be familiar with the Word of God. These Forty Days call us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus more completely and address the spiritual battle against evil – with the power of God’s Word. A central Lenten challenge is to become familiar with the Bible, read it often, meditate on it, and “assimilate” it.
The third of our Lenten “habits” here in the parish (the Bible) has been a community-wide encouragement to read God’s Holy Word more often and more faithfully. Even a casual reading of the New Testament gives us a clear message: Jesus brings life! Jesus brings fuller life here and eternal life in the end. But that life begins even now. In St. John’s Gospel, for example, this gift of fuller life and the even greater gift of “eternal life” begin as soon as we attach ourselves in total trust to Jesus and to His Way. Lent, then, is a perfect time for us to renew our pledge to walk along His Way, immerse ourselves in His Word, and ask for enough faith to do so well.
For reflection this week: What would happen if we treated our Bibles like we treat our cell phones? If we always carried our Bibles with us (or at least the small pocket-sized Gospel), what would happen? If we opened our Bibles as often as we open our phones, how might our lives change?
