A season for blooming 

Lent has a bad name. For many, the word “Lent” is synonymous with glumness. We commonly refer to an extended period of difficulty or anguish as “a long Lent.” 

Lent is in a negative light, not only by our culture but also by Christian writers who variously refer to it as “a serious season” or “a somber season.” This is not to say that Christianity is “un-serious” or devoid of mourning. The faith is serious. It’s a matter of life and death. And when sin separates us from God and others, our hearts grow somber. But sadness is never the last word, for true repentance brings us peace, true holiness brings us joy. 

Which brings us back to the true meaning of Lent. We can learn about Lent by probing the root meaning of the word, its etymology. The word “Lent” comes from a Middle English word, “lencten” which turns out to be the word for “spring,” that is, the season of spring. In short, Lent is a season for blooming. 

Of course, if you want your garden to bloom, you need to cultivate it. Weeds have to be pulled up. Rocks and stones have to be rooted out. The ground has to be ploughed and fertilized. And the seeds have to be planted and tended. Gardening is hard work, but when plants and flowers spring up in place of weeds, there is cause for joy. 

Lent is a time to cultivate our souls intensely. The weeds – aka our sins – need to be pulled up by their roots. The rocks and stones in our souls – the obstacles and excuses we put in the way of God’s truth and love – need to be excavated. The clods of presumption, ignorance or prejudice need to be broken up. 

Cultivating the soul is hard work. But it becomes a glum business only if we imagine we have to do all this on our own, solely through our unaided efforts. That’s not what Lent is about. 

Lent is something we do together, as a community of believers, surrounded by the grace of God. We’re not alone; we accompany one another in our journey of repentance. As the Church’s “growing season,” Lent is rich in God’s graces. It’s when many are prepared to be baptized and to enter the Church at Easter. It’s also when the rest of us work together to cultivate the seeds of faith planted in our hearts at baptism.  

What’s more, the Church provides us the tools needed to cultivate our souls. Through the sacrament of reconciliation, we pull up the weeds of sin. By reading Scripture and extended prayer, we remove the obstacles and excuses that keep God at arm’s length. By reaching out to those in need, we not only assist them in their need, but we also see them differently. We see them as persons created in God’s image. Seeing their God-given dignity, we break up clods of presumption, ignorance and prejudice. 

What happens when we wholeheartedly enter into the spirit of Lent? When we assess the ground of our souls and cultivate it? When we make good use of the spiritual tools offered to us by the Church? And when we embrace God’s grace together and support one another in this endeavor? 

The result is a peace and joy the world cannot give. Seeds of faith, some planted years ago, begin to sprout and blossom. Souls wilted by sin spring up anew. Souls struggling to grow, flourish. Stony hearts are softened. Patches of the soul thought to be off limits are opened up. The bleakness of vice is replaced by the beauty of virtue. 

May you have a blessed Lent!  

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