As we near the end of Lent, I hope it has been transformative, even memorable.

     I have little doubt that cellphones are weakening our mind’s natural ability to remember. I know that whenever I cannot remember something, my right hand automatically gravitates towards the location of my phone. Without fail, a quick search on the internet will provide me with an accurate and concise answer.  

     If you remember at the beginning of Lent we heard the words, “Remember, you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) The stark fact that we will one day die is not easily forgotten. To remember death, is not a bad thing. We call the Friday on which Jesus died, Good. Anyone seeking holiness should momento mori, remember death, as a way to keep things in perspective. A secular person sees death as the end of the party. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! A Catholic also views one’s own mortality with the same sense of urgency, but with an altogether different approach: there is much work to be done and so little time. ”While we have the opportunity, let us do good.” (Gal 6:10) As Léon Bloy famously said, “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.”

     As we near the end of Lent I hope that it has been transformative, even memorable. I have always been an advocate of maintaining some of the Lenten practices in our lives going forward. The small disciplines, the self-restraint, the conscious charity, etc. should become a part of us. Habits, once ingrained in us, do not need to be remembered. Things that were once hard for us, requiring much thought and effort, can become light and easy with God’s grace.

     So make the most of these final days of Lent, and celebrate with joy throughout the season of Easter, mindful that Christ, Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph will remember us when our time comes.