Lenten Reflections By Leela Ramdeen, Chair of ccsj

Pope John Paul 11’s opening sentence in his Lenten Message evokes a powerful call to us during Lent to “radical conversion and trust in God’s mercy”. He calls us to “set out with trust on our Lenten journey, sustained by fervent prayer, penance and concern for those in need”.

Many faith communities believe in the transforming power of prayer. “To pray,” says our Pope, “means to be immersed with the spirit in God in an attitude of humble adherence to His will. From this confident abandonment in God derives the inner light that transfigures man and woman, making them witnesses of the Resurrection. However, this can only happen by listening to Christ and by following Him to the passion and cross.”

The central message of the Pope’s encyclical, Redemptor Hominis (1979) is summarised with these words: “If man and woman want to understand themselves profoundly, they must draw near to Christ, they must enter in Him, they must “appropriate” to themselves and assimilate the whole reality of the Redemption.”

Our challenge is to renew our understanding of Lent and see how we can integrate our personal practices into this renewed perspective. As a child I must admit that my main focus during lent was to ensure that I was not tempted to eat/drink the thing(s) that I had ‘given up’ during Lent, usually sweets and/or soft drinks. That was a real discipline – a form of self-denial and fasting. However, Lent is more than giving up something we like.

Lent is about conversion. It is a season for reflection, soul-searching and repentance. It is a time for new beginnings; about moving closer to Christ and turning our lives more completely over to His way of life. What we should ‘give up’ are the things we think, say and do that are not in keeping with what it means to be a follower of Christ and embrace new life in Him. We need to reflect at this time on all the things that keep us from living out our baptismal promises fully.

In Lent Christians are called to metanoia – a change of mind and heart. We have an opportunity to alter our mind-set towards new ways of thinking and acting. This involves reflecting on where we are and determining where we ought to be. What do I need to change in my life if I am to live by Gospel values?

Prayer, repentance, fasting, abstinence, reconciliation and almsgiving are key Lenten observances. Reconciliation with God includes reconciliation with our neighbour here on earth. And for those looking for worthy ‘causes’ to give alms, please remember that CCSJ urgently needs donations to purchase a property to establish a Half-Way House for ex-prisoners to help them turn their lives around.

Prof. Deosaran believes that we can halve the number of serious crimes in our country if we rehabilitate prisoners. Lent is a time to turn with a new generosity towards our neighbour; to put our shoulders to the wheel and support initiatives such as this for the benefit of our country. Ring us on 622 6680. Almsgiving can also take the form of acts of kindness and compassion.

Clearly, being a Christian involves more than prayer. We are called to walk with the “two feet of Justice”. Therefore, works of mercy/charity and works of social action (the promotion of justice), are integral elements of the Christian way of life. As the late Cardinal Hume (UK) said:

“…the deepening of the spiritual life must go hand in hand with practical concern for our neighbour, and thus with social action.”

Lent provides Christians with an opportunity to share their social mission and message with more credibility and integrity. So, what are you doing this Lent besides ‘giving up’ things that you like? What are you ‘taking on’? To be Christ-like we need to act as He did. His mandate is clearly outlined in Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”

Lent offers us an opportunity to listen to Jesus’ words, reflect on His actions and try to understand His values. Christians must find concrete ways to take up the Cross each day and follow Christ. We too must take on the challenge daily of setting the oppressed free. We must use these 40 days of lent to remember and become what baptism made us.

The enormity of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us should send us from the images of Christ crucified on Calvary to the images of Christ crucified on the highways and byways of our country and in our world. It is because of the Cross that we must continue to work tirelessly for social justice.

We should not be overwhelmed by all that is wrong with our country and our world. If we feel overwhelmed, we may be paralysed and do nothing. Let us, instead, do what Pope John Paul 11 asked and be “communicators of hope”. Lent is our journey into hope. Jesus died to redeem us from original sin so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. He put us here on earth to share in the banquet of life on par with each other. Before God all of us are equal because of our inherent dignity.

The goods of the earth are there for all of us to share in but distributive justice remains a forlorn dream. Many live in hope that politicians will ‘act justly’ and ensure that the economy is working for all our people. Many will struggle to live and die in poverty before they see T&T transformed into:

“…a globally competitive, knowledge-based, technology-driven and diversified economy that will sustain full employment, equal opportunity, a secure life and the highest standard of living for all its citizens.”

Lent is a time for all of us to say: “We have gone too far. We must turn back now!” We may have gone too far, but we are not too far gone. The glimpse of the Resurrection of Christ at Easter through the heavy clouds of Christ’s passion and death on the Cross on Good Friday gives us hope that with God’s redeeming Love we can turn back.