The season of Lent is observed in the church for 40 days (excluding Sundays) beginning with Ash Wednesday and lasting until Easter Sunday. It is a time for spiritual reflection, fasting, and focus on the ministry, witness, life, and sacrifice of Christ, and is reminiscent of similar times of reflection and repentance found in the Bible; most notable is the New Testament account of Jesus fasting for 40 days in the wilderness.
Ash Wednesday begins our Lenten journey in which we are reminded, especially through the imposition of ashes, of our mortality and need for reconciliation with God and one another. In Lent, we journey with Christ through his life and ministry, culminating in his passion and death during Holy Week, and the joyous celebration of his resurrection on Easter. During the Lenten season, we reflect on our need for repentance and prayer; it is a time to confess our sins and draw closer to God.
Some people observe Lent by “giving up things” and making personal sacrifices as part of their spiritual discipline; others observe Lent by “adding things,” like intentional spiritual practices, additional Bible study, or specific acts of kindness. Prayer and confession help us focus on our need for Christ as our Savior. Nevertheless, regardless of how we journey with Christ during this season, Lent highlights for us that even in the times when we feel the most challenged, the most frail, and the most alone and sorrowful, we are not alone or forsaken. Rather, we are connected to our God who personally knows us and the depths of our human situation; for Jesus has come to make the journey with each of us in our lives, and walks with us in our sorrows, even through death and loss, and continues to walk with us, giving abundant new life and life everlasting.
May our gracious and merciful God hold you close, be merciful to you, and give you the peace which surpasses all understanding. May Christ bless you as you journey with him in these Lenten weeks ahead, that this Lent may be a holy time of prayer, confession, and reflection which draws you closer to our Savior. May God’s Holy Spirit be a guide, encouragement, and strength to you as you look forward to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection victory over sin, death, and all that would threaten to harm us and separate us from the love of God which comes to us through Christ Jesus.
+ Bishop Wilma S. Kucharek
