Lent: A Union with God

We are now three weeks away from Lent and 70 Days from Easter. On the traditional calendar, this Sunday is called Septuagesima. Fun fact: Septem is the word for 7. September used to be the 7th month of the year until Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus added months named in their honor.  

Some young people I know observe something called Exodus 90. This ascetical program begins 90 days from Easter.  

This time, before Lent begins, is a time to pump the brakes, start planning the trip in the desert, and condition the body like athletes do before a sports season. For Catholics, it’s a time of spiritual preparation.

Practically speaking one should ask: What is my routine going to look like? What books am I going to read? What do I want to give up? What ascetical practice will I incorporate into my life? Works of charity?

Sometimes we think penance and mortification are unnecessary in our sophisticated world. We’ve lost that spirit of weekly penance—even Ash Wednesday and Good Friday have become regular days for most people. We can’t fool ourselves. If we expect to see any changes in our spiritual lives, we must incorporate regular ascetical practices in our lives throughout the year.

There are no shortcuts to holiness (with the exception of Consecration to Mary).
We have to order our passions. It’s so hard to withstand the bombardment of the senses today. Things come at us from every angle: phones, TV, stores, supermarket temptations.  

All of these sensory things affect our level of happiness. Look at this generation growing up. They have never been freer and more comfortable. They live longer, they have the best health care, they don’t have to do hard physical labor, they have access to all the information and forms of entertainment ever known to man, they can believe whatever they want, or nothing at all, they can choose their religion or make their own up, marry whomever and whatever they want, live wherever, decide their gender, and…coming soon…even when to terminate their lives. They have everything they want, but they are not happy. 12.6 million people between the ages of 18 and 25 experienced a mental, behavioral, or emotional health issue in the past year. This amounts to 1 in 3 (36.2%) young adults, a percentage that is higher than any other adult age range (Jed Foundation).

Johnny Kuplack, a young man in his 30s, felt lost and without a purpose. He realized other men were feeling the same way. He saw a lack of genuine masculinity in himself and his peers. He saw how hard it was for the young men around them to accomplish even the most basic things. Many of them were struggling to live good lives on the daily, let alone excelling at anything. Ultimately he realized that self-discipline had to be accompanied by a release of the self to God. For 100 consecutive days, starting on January 18th at Dana Point, California, he began his run to Auriesville, NY, where his 3,500-mile jog will end at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, which was recently designated a national shrine by the U.S. bishops.

You can read Johnny’s story here: https://www.ncregister.com/features/catholic-ultra-marathoner-profile

The ultimate goal of Lent is not mastery of the senses or the body to become like a stoic. It’s about union with God, purity of heart, and turning away from self and sin. It’s about learning to put God first and letting the spiritual nature of our bodies get the body under control. We cannot be slaves to the instinctive impulses of the body. The body should obey the spirit, with sound reason and faith.  

Beatitudes Jesus offers a way that is hard, narrow, and denial of the self.
Blessed are those who hunger—who fast.
Blessed are those who are poor—who give away what they have.
Blessed are those who are meek—who weep over their sins.

Awareness of God and an openness to follow Him with spiritual discipline is what is leads us to happiness, purpose, and meaning.