Starting again in Lent

Father Thomas Morrette

When Lent began, we heard stark words when the priest or deacon placed ashes on our foreheads: “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” (Mk 1.15). These words remind us that following Christ leads us into a battle with sin and temptation. Our contemporary culture minimizes and ignores the reality of sin, often makes fun of it and overlooks its destructive consequences. Secular and social media broadcast this message every day: “Everyone should decide for themselves what’s right or wrong. No one, no institution, should tell you what to do. Jesus Himself was non-judgmental. All Jesus cared about was that we love (meaning how we feel at any given moment). Sin is not a good thing but it’s not going to kill you!”

But sin is the world’s most destructive reality. In its many forms and degrees, it brings guilt, shame and self-centeredness into our lives. Sin offends God and others and it pushes us further and further away from God, strengthening inner rebellion. We know that “a virtuous life is a happy life,” however, we can easily get seduced into believing that sin and its consequences don’t really matter much.

As Christians, we must constantly remind ourselves that sin can be powerfully destructive. We must constantly steer clear of sin and seek integrity of life, making unshakable choices against “the gospel of the world” and choices to embrace the only Gospel that brings real freedom and happiness, that of Christ. We know, of course, that Catholics always have recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation when they sin and get off course. This great sacrament bestows God’s mercy and offers countless invisible graces for improvement and change, so we are not left with the train-wreck that sin causes.

Christian discipleship is a lifelong journey of inner conversion and transformation, not usually achieved in a single blast of enlightenment. Freedom from addictions, bitterness, bad habits and despair take time and consistent effort. No matter how often we fail, God’s mercy awaits in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Additionally, as one holy priest once said: “No one should ever stay away from confession if they haven’t achieved the freedom they long for. Repeat offenders need repeated mercy and many fresh starts.”

The season of Lent is a good time to review our progress in moving from our “old self” to the “new person” God has called us to be. It’s a good time to reject sin and to renew a plan for holiness, perhaps long abandoned. It’s a time to deepen a plan already begun, to determine where obstacles undermine our success, a time to forge ahead. Lent is all about taking mini-steps up to the top of the mountain!

St. Pope John Paul II wrote: “In this life, conversion is a goal which is never fully attained. On the path which the disciple is called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, conversion is a life-long task.”

So, this Lent, use this season for your benefit and growth. Commit, once again, to making progress in your spiritual life. Remember the goal — living like Jesus, loving like Jesus, and getting to heaven. Make use of the traditional means for making progress — prayer, fasting almsgiving and practicing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Progress may be slow and daunting but great things are achieved through perseverance and the experience of starting over and over again.

Father Morrette is pastor at The Catholic Community of Our Lady of Victory in Troy, Our Lady of the Snow Mission in Grafton and Christ Sun of Justice Parish in Troy.