Dear Friends,

Lent really crept up on us this year, didn’t it? It felt like we were no sooner waving a wistful farewell to the Christmas season when Ash Wednesday was upon us.

Now, we are well and truly in the midst of our Lenten journey – a journey that will take us all the way to Calvary and then, to the glory of Easter.

When I was growing up, Lent was all about giving something up. It might be chocolate or soft drink or for adults it might be coffee or alcohol. As long as you felt the sting of deprivation you were on the right track.

There’s certainly something to be said for renouncing ourselves and taking up our cross during Lent, in solidarity with Our Lord’s suffering and as a way of fighting our temptations as Jesus did in the desert. It is a sound spiritual practice to do this from time to time and Lent is a perfect time.

But I must say that I have welcomed the move in more recent years to also focus on what we can give, rather than what we can give up, during Lent.

Yes, we can give to worthy causes like Project Compassion, and that kind of almsgiving is so important for Christians. Our own missionary work would not be possible without this generous type of giving.

But there is also the question of what we can give to God and our neighbour during Lent in terms of our time and attention. Could I spend some more time in quiet morning prayer? Could I read a spiritual book, attend a weekday Mass or my parish’s Lenten Bible Study group? Could I visit a lonely person in a nursing home near me, carve out more time to spend with the family, and spend less time scrolling my phone? These simple things, it seems to me, can go a long way to leading us to a closer relationship with Jesus and with those around us.

My Lent began with a whirlwind of travel to Papua New Guinea and a visit to our missionaries in New Zealand and there is more travel to come before Easter. But in amongst the many commitments of a busy life, I’m trying to do some gentle ‘giving’ of myself this Lent, as well as some ‘giving up’.

I pray that your Lenten journey will be fruitful and that it will lead you ever closer to our loving God.

Yours in the Word,

Fr Asaeli Rass SVD,

Provincial.