Lent is a time to make new and refreshing our relationship with God. it is a time in which by Gods grace, we can grow and mature in faith. it is truly a God-giving moment of privileged grace; a divine opportunity, to enter more deeply into the mystery of faith. At the heart of our faith is the mystery of the cross through which God's love is supremely revealed.
Describing the cross Pope Francis said "O Cross of Christ, symbol of divine love and of human injustice, icon of the supreme sacrifice for love and of boundless selfishness even unto madness, instrument of death and the way of resurrection, sign of obedience and emblem of betrayal, the gallows of persecution and the banner of victory".
For us to experience a fruit-filled lent this year, we must turn our full attention towards the mystery of the cross of Christ through which we are saved. We must give-up everything that will hinder our movement towards God.
One of the obligations of this season is fasting/abstinence. Jesus' answer when he was faced by the Pharisees with the question of why his disciples do not fast whereas they themselves fast? would be very ad rem at this time. He said "How can the guest of the bridegroom mourn/fast when he is still with them? There'll be a time when the bridegroom is taken away then they would mourn/fast"(Mat. 9:15) (bear in mind, to mourn is different from fasting. We mourn for the loss of something/someone but fast from gaining something)
Here Jesus was talking about his death and resurrection. But why would Jesus not subject his disciples to fasting? Since he is God made man (Emmanuel), the disciples have no need of fasting. The Pharisees could still not see him as the Divine saviour and their fasting was as a camouflage.
We fast at this time from alot of things, especially the ones that will hinder us from approaching God. Today, many times, we have lost contact with God and have turned away from Him. So the aim of our fasting this season, no matter what we are fasting from, should be directed towards building a more closer relationship with God.
Prayer: Lord help me to cut loose every hindrances that will stop from having a more closer relationship with You. Amen!
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