Getting Ready for Lent
February 1, 2023
Fr. John Riccardo
In a certain sense, all we’re trying to do in ACTS XXIX is to teach and immerse leaders in what we call “the three essential principles for transformation:” Reacquiring a biblical worldview; it’s not enough to be a staff; and prayerfully discerning God’s plan.
Not too long ago, at a diocesan gathering, one of the priests mentioned he had a problem with the third principle. He suggested it would be better to say “Prayerfully discerning God’s plans,” and offered some excellent reasons as to why. His comment offered us an opportunity to make clearer both what we do and do not mean by this principle. We don’t mean that God is more or less a puppeteer, simply pulling strings, with no responsibility or cooperation necessary on our part. What we do mean is that God is active in this world, the Church, and our lives. We mean that He speaks, gives inspirations and doesn’t leave us to our own devices, blessed be He! We mean He doesn’t want us remaining in the dark, confused, and on our own. He wants to show us things (even more than we want to be shown them, oftentimes). We mean we need to restore the initiative to God.
How might this principle help us prepare for the season of Lent, which is suddenly just around the corner?
Over the past few years, the Lord has taught us three ways to enter into prayer so as to better discern His plan. These ways are helpful for a wide variety of contexts, but until this past week I hadn’t thought of applying them to my own personal life. The first way is to enter into the chapel, confidently coming before the Lord of the universe, and asking Him a very direct question: “What is the biggest wound in …?” (the diocese, chancery, school, our marriage, etc.) After having spent time in the chapel together on this question, we then come out and simply ask one another, “What did you hear in prayer? What did the Lord say?” It’s simply extraordinary how He speaks through the collective discernment of those of us who were gathered before Him. We then bring a second question to the Lord in prayer, mindful that that the enemy gets a vote. We simply ask, “What is hell’s strategy for …?” (the diocese, chancery, school, our marriage,etc.). We come out of the chapel and again go around asking, “What did you hear? What did He say?” Finally, we bring Him a third question, “Based on what You revealed in the first two questions, Lord, where are you asking us to ‘go on the attack,’ so to speak, to apply our resources, to concentrate our attention and focus?
What would it be like if we got ready for Lent by bringing these questions to the Lord about our lives?
Rather than just give up or take on a bunch of stuff, good as it can be, I have sensed the Lord inviting me to ask Him, “What is the biggest wound in my life?” “What is hell’s strategy for my life?” “Now, based on what You reveal to me, Lord, what should I do this Lent?”
Of course, if this is going to be fruitful, we’ll need to do more than just think about these questions. That can be helpful, but we should want more. We should want God to speak, to reveal things to us that only He can, and we should have the confidence that our loving Father wants to do this even more than we want Him to.
Ash Wednesday is three weeks away now. Maybe we could use these days to bring these questions to our Saving King so that this Lent can help us be the men and women He created us to be and that we truly desire to be.