Fr. Nate's Letter - March 9, 2025

Growing up, the season of Lent was never something I looked forward to - probably because self-denial isn’t easy to embrace. I remember one year in particular when there was an initiative at church for the children to give up television for Lent. After Mass on Sunday, we would line up in the vestibule and put our name on the line making the commitment, and we would receive a button showing our participation. Giving up television was never an issue, as there were more than enough better things to do, but another part of the Lenten season for our family each year was giving up sweets. With the exception of celebrating the feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph, and the Solemnity of the Annunciation (which usually fall during this season), there were no sweets from “Fat Tuesday” until noon on Holy Saturday. Usually when those church bells chimed noon on Holy Saturday, you would find me and my brothers (my sisters were more disciplined) across the street from church at the nearest McDonald’s to get an $0.89 ice cream cone to bid farewell to Lent. Over time, however, I’ve come to have a whole new appreciation for this tremendous season of grace—you might say that I even look forward to it!

There’s a beautiful reflection attributed to Mother Teresa in which she says that most often we can see Christ reaching out to us in two ways. The first is when he’s out in front, looking at us, beckoning us, inviting us, gesturing us to come closer to him. The second is when Christ is behind us, tapping us the shoulder, trying to tell us, “Turn around and come back to me.” This image can certainly speak to the season of Lent. How is the Lord beckoning us, inviting us to come closer, to grow in virtue and in our relationship with him? 

A relationship grows when one spends time with another, which is why we so often look at how we might grow in our prayer life. After all, that is what we do when we pray—we spend time with the Lord. Part of the tragedy that repeats itself at this time of year (and I speak from my own experience) is that we try and work hard to grow in this regard, but then when Lent ends, we stop! It’s almost as though we did it just to do it, not realizing that when we pray it’s a gift that Lord gives us. We are invited to grow and have a deeper relationship with him, so why would we stop after forty days?! The Lord is beckoning us and inviting us to come closer!

Then we have Jesus tapping us on the shoulder and calling us to turn back towards him. Sadly, there are so many ways, big and little, that we can turn away from him. Maybe it’s the little things of every day, or maybe it’s a larger fault or sin that we carry with us. The Lord taps us on the shoulder, telling us, “Turn around, come back to me, let me have it.” And maybe that’s where our self-denial becomes part of the picture.

One good lady at one of my previous assignments came up to me just after Lent began and asked, “Father, do I need to fast?” Clearly from appearances she had passed the required age of fasting given by the church, so I said, “Well, first tell me why we fast, and that will tell us if we should fast.” I knew her well, she was a dear soul, frequently at church, and she wasn’t any fonder of self-denial than I was in my younger days. We deny ourselves for two reasons. First, for the times in the past that we haven’t denied ourselves and allowed our passions free reign, our self-denial now is to say we’re sorry. The second reason for our fasting and self-denial is to also say, “Jesus, I love you, and for all that you went through for me, it’s a way I can say thank you!” 

Lent is a beautiful season of grace, when we take up these “weapons of self restraint” as the prayer for Ash Wednesday read. A season when the Lord looks at us and beckons us to come closer—or perhaps taps us on the shoulder to say, “Turn around and come back to me!”

I hope it’s a fruitful Lent! Wishing you all God’s blessing this week!

Keeping you in prayer and say one for me!

- Fr. Nate