The true meaning of Lent

By Sr Christina Dolan

The glorious ending is what we spend forty days of Lent preparing for.

In our sometimes childish understanding of how to live this season of Lent we hear talk of ‘giving up’, of offering some small sacrifice by way of trying to be better people, letting go of some selfishness, weakness or addiction.  Without a doubt, the inspiration and sincerity of such efforts, carried out in a spirit of living the Season well, is highly commendable.

However, Fr. Gerry Hughes S.J. of treasured memory, offers us a more mature and deeper understanding of the true Scriptural meaning of Lent.  He explains that the word REPENTANCE comes from the Latin ‘poena’ meaning pain, punishment, penalty, and grief whereas the Greek word ‘Metanoia’  means literally a change of mind, of outlook and attitudes, essentially ‘a change of heart’. (“ Oh God why? “  Gerard W Hughes).                                                                                                            

This point is vividly illustrated in the reading of Ash Wednesday when the prophet Joel tells Israel  “Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn; turn to Yahweh your God again, for He is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness and ready to relent.“  ( Joel 2:13 )

This turning away from sin and turning back to a forgiving, loving, ready to relent God is central to our lives of ‘prayer, fasting and alms deeds’ as we work our way through the Lenten season.  On receiving ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, we are encouraged to turn away from sin and follow the Gospel of love, compassion, fidelity, justice and peace. 

If I seriously want to live this time of preparation for Easter well, I need to dwell a little more deeply on what effort this ‘ change of mind and heart ‘  will require of me.  Could it be that, alongside the ‘giving up’ effort, I may need to examine some aspects of my relationships with others which do not exactly live up to the Gospel I live?

The prophet Hosea reminds me ‘ This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this, that you act justly, that you love tenderly, that you walk humbly with your God. ‘