Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season. For many Catholics and Christians around the world, Lent just becomes another time to "give something up." But what are we really celebrating when we celebrate Lent? The etymology of the word "Lent" is a perfect snapshot of the importance of this time. Lent comes from an old English word meaning "Spring." Spring, and all its joy, its brightness, its colorful flowers, and its cool breeze comes after the dark days of winter. Renewal comes after death. The dawn comes after the dark. What a perfect reminder of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and the celebration of His resurrection. 

Prayer: Prayer helps us encounter God in our daily lives and during Lent, provides an opportunity for us to grow closer to Him and meditate on His goodness and His love. It's helpful to reflect on the origin of Lent, Matthew 4, in which Jesus was led by the Spirit to the desert for 40 days to fast. He was tempted by the devil, and yet, relied solely on God, His love for us and His loyal promises. For me, the point of this scripture isn't to prove that there is some evil devil in horns taunting us every day. Instead, this text is a reminder that in this life, we will be tempted. We will be tempted to say a harsh word, to give into unhealthy activities, to ignore those in need. But, if we rely on God, we can resist temptation and, like Jesus as he left the desert, be filled with the Spirit. Prayer is a great opportunity to ask Jesus to be with us in our temptation, to sit with us in our need, and fill us with a Spirit of hope and courage to be better, to do better, to live in love. 

Fasting: We choose to fast not to make ourselves miserable, but to help us connect to God, remind us of His sacrifice, and to help us develop habits that will grow our commitment and love for God. This year, I decided to give up alcohol for Lent. I love wine, and I enjoy a great cocktail, especially if it is made with good gin. But I chose to fast, because so much of the social experience in our society today is based in alcohol. Often, we are afraid to be ourselves in a large group without the slight mask of a cocktail. I also want to experience that worldly desire and tell myself, "no." I have many social events coming up, and fasting from something enjoyable is a constant reminder to turn back to God. It's also a great way to create a healthy habit and treat my body well.

Almsgiving: Almsgiving is about giving to those in need or performing acts of charity. For me this year, it's also about pursuing justice and putting my faith in action. One of the practices I have committed to is spending every single day of Lent emailing my senator (sorry, Sen. Schiff), asking him to fight for democracy and against authoritarianism. My wife and I are also going to look for ways to help trans youth in our community. 

So what does your Lent look like? How will you pray or meditate to get closer to God and be reminded of God's love for you? What will you abstain from? What will you do for others? 

I am a member of a local community women’s choir, and during rehearsal last week, we sang a song called “Tree of Peace.” It’s a beautiful song where the refrain “Listen – Listen to one another,” repeats constantly. At the end of singing “Listen” for what felt like the hundredth time, our director said, “I think we know the message they’re trying to tell us!”
This brought me back to the Gospel of John. While often, the Gospel of John is referred to as The Book of Signs or the Book of Glory, I think it should be called, The Book of Ignorance. Why? Because throughout John’s gospel, the author, (John, or perhaps a member of the Johannine Community) is portraying Jesus as asking, imploring, essentially BEGGING the people to listen to what he is saying, and to believe in his ministry. They hear, yet they don’t listen.
In the gospel, Jesus says in John 5:39-43: “Search the scriptures – the ones you think give you eternal life; those very scriptures testify about me. Yet you’re unwilling to come to me to receive that life. It’s not that I accept human praise – it is simply that I know you, and you don’t have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in the name of Abba God, yet you don’t accept me. But let others come in their own name and you’ll accept them!”
I find this passage prescient in nature. Look around us today, in 2025. How many of us turn to our scriptures, thinking we know the answers, and yet ignore God all around us? The word “unwilling,” the Greek, θέλετε, implies to me that we KNOW the right answer, but we aren’t willing to listen.
Who else is doing God’s work that we refuse to accept? This reminds me of the relevant passage Matthew 7:21: “It isn’t those who cry out, ‘My Savior! My Savior!’ who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; rather it is those who do the will of Abba God in heaven.”
We turn our back toward immigrants, toward the LGBTQ+ community, toward anyone labeled, “the other,” by pointing to our texts for some form of excuse, yet Jesus is standing right in front of us, in the form of an immigrant, in the form of a gay teenager, in the form of a brown body being unfairly incarcerated, and he’s crying out to us saying “I have come in the name of Abba God, yet you don’t accept me!”