A Time to Renew Our Faith in God

 Encourage Spiritual Development During Lent

        Early morning rain seeps into thirsty earth, releasing a pleasant aroma unique to this season. It's a beautiful time of year. After a long stretch of gloomy, wintry days, it's a relief to look out your window and see days full of meaningful time to pray. Lent, or kwaresma in Filipino, is the season during which Filipinos remember Christ's passion, suffering, death, and resurrection. This is the period when Filipino religiosity is at its peak, as depicted in various traditions.

       Every year, the Church gives us six weeks to reflect on our lives in order to determine whether our beliefs and goals are in line with God's desires for us. Lent provides us with a second chance, or a do-over, to return to God with all of our hearts. Lent is an excellent time to ponder what it means to be a Christian. It is also a time to repent for our sins and misgivings, as well as to increase our prayer, fasting, almsgiving, religious practice, and acceptance of others as brothers and sisters in our religious sect. Most Catholics associate Lent with giving up everything they care about, doing good, and not eating meat on Fridays. Some people think it's a waste of time and hate having to make the sacrifice. But Lent is a unique occasion.

       Many Christians observe Lent, a 40-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. The Lenten Sundays commemorate significant events in Our Lord's life, such as his Transfiguration and Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week concludes with Holy Thursday, when Christ celebrated the first mass, Good Friday, when he was crucified, and Holy Saturday, when our Lord was laid in the Tomb before his resurrection on Easter Sunday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a time of fasting, prayer, and concern for those in need. It gives all Christians the opportunity to prepare for Easter by seriously considering their lives, paying special attention to God's word, which illuminates the everyday journey of all who believe.

       There are many wonderful things to do during the Lenten Season. It's a great time to evaluate your spiritual life and make changes. Every day of Lent includes an inspiring quote as well as a practical, difficult task that many people can complete to keep their spiritual lives on track. We must pray for others during the Lenten season because it is a time of religious practice. Choose someone who appears to be in need and pray for them as you walk the streets, drive the highways, or wait for a meeting to begin. Lenten fasting is also a time to give up something. Experiment with methods other than giving up something to put yourself to the test.

       Lent assists us in letting go of unnecessary possessions to which we have grown attached. Material possessions aren't the most important thing in the world, we discover. In the end, it is the individual who must stand before God and be judged, not their property. We must discipline our will by depriving ourselves of everything we enjoy in order to avoid becoming slaves to our pleasures. A habit of refusing pleasures when they are not sinful is formed by disciplining the will to resist sinful pleasures. There are few better ways to keep our goals clear than regularly depriving ourselves of lower-priority items to demonstrate that they aren't important and to focus our attention on what is.

        During Lent, we must not regard our sacrifices as meaningless or unnecessary, but rather as a means of drawing closer to God. Lent is a season when we should prioritize God over our material possessions. It's a time to remember that God is the most important thing, and that our insignificant sacrifices pale in comparison to Jesus'. We must always do good, focus on the positive aspects of life, and practice godliness. We must learn what is good for us and what is bad for us in order to be a better person for ourselves and others.

      Lent's true meaning is love. By his humble birth in a manger and his death on the cross for our salvation, Jesus Christ has modelled humility and sacrifice for us. Let us prepare our minds and hearts to receive God's words. Praying is the most effective way to strengthen our faith. Continue to pray and stay connected to him.

  Multimedia References:

https://newphilly.org/seasonoflent2020/

h/ttps://news.americanbible.org/blog/entry/corporate-blog/lent-a-season-for-biblical-meditation

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/441352832211731684 

https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=verbum