How is Lent Going?

This question usually comes bubbling up in our hearts and minds about the second full week of Lent. We often begin the Season of Lent marked with ashes on Ash Wednesday and full of fervor and devotion, as we begin the campaign of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a great way to start taking seriously these admonitions from Our Lord Himself. However, by the second Sunday of Lent it is not uncommon to experience a weakening of resolve, devotion and fervor. The great temptation from our ancient enemy is to arrive at this conclusion: “Well, I messed it up already. I didn’t keep the resolutions that I made for Lent. I might as well forget the whole idea. It’s ruined.” Do not listen to him!!
            
Then we come to the Gospel proclaimed at Mass on the Second Sunday of Lent—the Gospel of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. We hear of Jesus, glorified in the brilliance of His divinity. Like Peter, James and John, we behold Him enrobed in light on Mount Tabor, and we hear the voice of the Father say, “This is my beloved Son! Listen to Him!” What does Jesus say to us? “Take up your cross and follow Me.” That is just what we need to continue our Lenten journey. We hear Moses and Eiljah speak to Our Lord of His up-coming Passion and Death that He will suffer in Jerusalem, and which will lead to the glory of His Resurrection. We come to realize that the Hill of Tabor and the Hill of Calvary are really one hill. We see that the rigors of Lent lead always to the glory of Resurrection.
            
Dear friends, the Church’s teaching bestows upon us reminders of this blessed reality of glory through suffering in the feasts we celebrate. In a time when we fast, pray and give to the poor, we have the Gospel of the Transfiguration, the Feast of St. Patrick, the Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Feast of the Annunciation. Our Lenten Season is punctuated with feasts of light and joy. They show us that life, so often a time of suffering and challenge, is a pilgrim’s way to the glory of heaven. The brilliance of the Transfiguration, the feasts of the saints, and the reality that God became One of us to save us by shedding His Blood illuminates our Lenten journey and our journey through life. If we fall short in our Lenten resolutions, if we fail in our relationship with God, we should never give up, never panic, never think that it is hopeless. We simply begin again. We turn back to the Lord, ask His help, and the brilliance of His love will shine upon us and give us hope. So, dear friends, let us continue on our way, knowing that the Lord Jesus will walk with us every step of the way.

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh