Lent begins on Wednesday, so I’ve been thinking about what spiritual practice to take on this year, or what to give up. This season is a great opportunity to draw closer to Christ and to create a new pattern of life. In my recent sermons, I’ve encouraged listeners to look at Isaiah 58:1-12, a passage where Isaiah (and God) berate the Israelites, even though they are doing spiritual disciplines such as fasting and prayer.
God is disappointed with them because their spiritual disciplines seemed designed only to bless themselves, rather than blessing the world. God asks (and I paraphrase), “Do you really think I want you to fast, just to pat yourselves on the back about how faithful you are? Or don’t I want you to fast in order to equip yourself to work against injustice and to set the oppressed free?” (Is 58:5-6, extremely loosely translated)
We need to remember that we take on Lenten disciplines like fasting or prayer as a means to an end, not as an end unto themselves. We don’t read the Bible simply to brag about what a faithful Christian we are (as an end unto itself); we read the Bible as a means of equipping us to love the world more fully and to help it look more as God wants.
For this reason, I’m thankful for Pope Francis’ Lenten reflection, which was written on 2/6/25, before his recent hospitalization. By the time that you receive this, it is possible that he will have succumbed to his pneumonia and kidney issues. I hope you’ll join me in giving thanks for this faithful leader, whether God has welcomed him home yet or not.
Entitled “Let us journey together in hope,” Francis speaks of Lent as a pilgrimage of faith and hope. You can read it here (link to Lent 2025: Let us journey together in hope | Francis) The tie of Lent to blessing others is particularly apparent when he speaks of the Book of Exodus and the path from slavery to freedom. He writes,
“It is hard to think of the biblical exodus without also thinking of those of our brothers and sisters who in our own day are fleeing situations of misery and violence in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.
A first call to conversion thus comes from the realization that all of us are pilgrims in this life; each of us is invited to stop and ask how our lives reflect this fact. Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone? Am I seeking ways to leave behind the occasions of sin and situations that degrade my dignity?
It would be a good Lenten exercise for us to compare our daily life with that of some migrant or foreigner (emphasis added), to learn how to sympathize with their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us so that we can better advance on our journey to the house of the Father. This would be a good ‘examination of conscience’ for all of us wayfarers.”
While we walk the journey of these 40 days, let us consider the abundance of our lives, and what it means to bless others around us, particularly migrants and foreigners.
Grateful to be your partner in ministry,
Rev. Charles B Hardwick, PhD
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309-530-4578
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