One more week gone, and one more week to go until we enter Holy Week. The Liturgy of the Hours today again slows us down and brings us back to one of the goals of Lent: spiritual health.
“Our crimes and our sins weigh us down; we are rotting away because of them.
How can we survive? As I live, says the Lord God, I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, but rather in the wicked man’s conversion, that he may live.”
Daytime Prayer, Ez. 33:10b, 11a
Lent is sort of like starting a new spiritual diet or exercise regimen. We want to lose the weight of our sins and be in better shape spiritually, so what do we do? We stop doing things that are bad for our souls and we begin doing things that are good for our souls! And just like physical dieting or exercise, we can’t do a little here, or a little there; we have to be as consistent as possible with our spiritual disciplines in order to make real progress.
Jesus bore the weight of our sins, destroying them forever on the Cross — so why do we insist on clinging to sin when we could be living free, weightless? “As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the sinner to die but to turn back to me and live.” This antiphon has been repeated over and over throughout the Lenten season. What God is trying to hammer into our heads is just how deeply He cares for us, and that He wants us to be at our spiritual healthiest! And He knows that we will only be fully restored to health by drawing close to Him and allowing Him to heal, strengthen, and nourish us.
So, if we’re serious about getting our spiritual health on track, we come to the Lord by seeking Him, by spending time in His presence through the reading of the Word and Eucharistic Adoration. We accept the healing and strengthening grace that results from regular “visits to the Doctor” — in other words, frequent confession. We receive Him in the Eucharist, becoming one with Him, and allowing Him to nourish us in this personal, intimate communion.
And the way we stay focused and grounded while doing all these things is through prayer. Prayer is necessary for maintaining connection with the Lord; without prayer, the lines of communication are cut off between the Divine Physician and the patient. Padre Pio said that “prayer is oxygen for the soul,” making the point that, just like breathing, prayer is so foundational, we can’t do anything else well in the spiritual life without it.
As we enter into this last week before Holy Week, let’s get serious and really make it count. Let’s kick into high gear and do everything we can to reconnect with the Lord and ready our hearts in preparation for His Passion.
Get to daily Mass as much as you can, make confession a priority, go be with the Lord in Adoration, read His words in Scripture, meditate on His Passion, talk to Him in prayer, remember His presence. Make it real — make it personal. How much grace we gain is contingent upon how receptive we become. Give God everything you’ve got, starting today, and I promise you, you will get that much more out of Holy Week, and Easter will be more meaningful than ever!
