Lent Resources
DRIVEN BY THE SPIRIT
During this Lent, you are invited to grapple and reconnect to your individual spirit in hopes of fostering and creating a pathway to a change in heart that leads you closer to the Divine. Our theme, "Driven by the Spirit," is taken from the first line of the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent –– “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert…” (Mk 1:12). We also see this theme holding a special place in the Sunday Gospel readings throughout Lent. “Driven by the Spirit” is also a prayer for our entire campus community that we, as individuals in community, may let ourselves wonder to deepen our understanding of our shared human experience and our understanding of the Divine.
Throughout Catholic teachings and writings, we encounter the idea of being driven or led or giving of self to God, especially in the person of God the Holy Spirit. In our divine nature, instilled in us by God when created in God's image and likeness, we have a spirit that leads us into a deeper relationship with God and one another. This spirit can be called passion, drive, vocation, gut, and the list goes on.
Therefore, this Lenten season, we ask you to reflect on how your spirit and the Holy Spirit is leading you into a deeper relationship with God?
WHAT IS LENT?
The Tradition of Lent
Many, mostly Christians, around the world, take time to celebrate 40 days of the religious season we call Lent. In the Roman Catholic tradition, Lent is a reminder of and journey to our Baptism. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and continues for 40 days (excluding Sundays), ending with the celebration of Easter.
Easter is the climax of Christian belief: the suffering, death, and ultimately the resurrection of Christ Jesus. The 40 days before Easter are to prepare our hearts for the resurrection in which we too arise in Christ, highlighted in the Sacrament of Baptism. Without these 40 days, Easter becomes another “bump in the road.” We can never lose sight of the resurrection of Christ during Lent. At the same time, we never lose sight of the suffering and death of Christ during Easter.
Lent is a time of repentance: reflection and renewal. We are invited to be evermore intentional in our time and take the opportunity to pray, reflect, self-examine, and discern where and who God is calling us to be.
Lent is traditionally celebrated with three practices: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Each of these three practices, and any other practices we may partake in during the season, encourages us to deepen our understanding of and relationship with the human condition and God.
As we journey through this Lenten season in community, how is your Lenten commitment going to lead to a change of heart that is “Driven by the Spirit?”
Prayer
Prayer is easily described as the form in which we communicate with the Divine. For some, having a prayer routine during Lent looks like setting some special time for “formal prayers” that directly invoke God and oftentimes have a set way of being prayed. Others find unique ways to pray which are meaningful to their form of communicating with God. Either form of prayer can be done in private or in community. Scripture inspires us, however we choose to pray, to pray from the depths of our hearts with great intention and from a place of vulnerability (Mark 6: 5–8). Our Lasallian tradition reminds us that God is present everywhere AND in all those we encounter.
Fasting
During the Lenten season, many focus only on giving up something like sweets, social media, or something that makes them comfortable. Yet, the goal and intention of fasting is to give up something that has taken prominence in your life that is not fruitful to your relationship with God. Lent is a start to a fast that is ongoing because it causes us to have a change of heart and connects us deeper to God. As Lasallians, if you remember the living presence of God in all those we encounter, what would you give up?
Almsgiving
In the practice of almsgiving, many either give money to charity or volunteer their time at soup kitchens. Scripture challenges us to give of ourselves. A challenge that is not easy for any one person to do. We also hear in the Gospel that when we give alms, we should not be boastful. In the act of giving alms, we are in service to the poor. Our Lasallian tradition was founded on service to the poor and those on the peripheries of society. Lasallian service has us walking WITH those we encounter on the peripheries, never forgetting their dignity, and giving them the respect they deserve as humans and children of God. Above all, we are to celebrate our differences and learn the greatness of God through creation.
CAMPUS RESOURCES
CONTACT FOR MORE
Eddie Ventura –– Asst. Director, Liturgy and Faith Formation (edv1@stmarys-ca.edu)