“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ wo lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” -Galations 2:20
Lent is here again. Let us rejoice and be glad! Sometimes there’s foreboding as this season arrives, and we can only think of the sacrifices we’ll make. I remember the year I gave up Oreos and the year my mom told me that Lent actually ends on Holy Thursday and I could “indulge” in my given-up treat on Sundays. But then I remember when these new revelations became full of meaning rather than just full of sweets.
Lent, while full of sacrifice, is full of grace and joy. God’s life in us brings joy, freedom and deeper union with Him. This is the point. To be united with Him in his suffering and death, to rise with Him in His resurrection. To live the Paschal Mystery in our lives. But in order to come to this realization we must endure the conversion that the sacrifice brings.
One memorable Lent started out for me with a frustrated conversation with my spiritual director. I was having trouble getting to things on time because “others” were getting in my way. You see, I had important things to do and projects to finish that only allowed me the right amount of time to reach my destination, and of course, this was causing me frustration and anger, repeated impatience, and plenty of speeding. After he listened to me, he simply said, “Why don’t you leave 15 minutes earlier?” I was stunned by this reply. Certainly, my time and my list were very important, and others should move over to make way for me. I needed a conversion of heart to move towards love. It was the sacrifice of Lent that began paving the way for this transformation. The Holy Spirit inspired a Lenten practice of leaving in plenty of time to allow me to drive only in the right lane and to pass cars only if they were driving under the speed limit. This truly was a great sacrifice, but it was one of the most transformative Lents I have ever had.
You see, Jesus doesn’t think of Himself. He thinks of us, He loves us, and He seeks what is best for us, even going to the cross to die for us and rise for us.
I desired, and still desire, to live as Jesus does. The sacrifice of radically changing a very regular activity of mine, driving, began to change my heart. I needed to take deep breaths in my impatience and remember that the person in front of me was beloved by God and also had things to do and places to be. That things in his or her life were also important, and he or she wanted to get there in one piece. I had to think of others who were also using the roads to go about their day, hopefully glorifying God better than myself, and leave room for their lives to be lived. I had to start to respect time, not as something I owned but a gift given to me in order to love. Did I fail? Of course. But in the end, I had a “new heart and new spirit” (Ezekiel 36). More and more, Jesus was living His life in me, thinking of others and going beyond me to embrace and love others.
I have never gone back to my frantic and impatient speeding days. I allowed this conversion of heart to take root and bear fruit in my life on a daily basis. Lent can be and is truly transformative if you have faith that the Son of God wants to and will make it possible to live His life in you.