Get a Little Lent in your Life

Lent is not a time for giving up.  Lent is all about perseverance.  Trying again.  And some prayer, fasting, and almsgiving would be nice, too.

But, we’re in a tough space this Lent…or at least I am.  I haven’t even gotten started yet.

A bout with Covid knocked out the first week and a half of Lent.  I missed walking out in the desert…I missed the bemused Jesus gently directing the wide-eyed disciples back down from the mountaintop.

On top of all this, I’ve felt unsettled about my Lenten practice.  Do I take something on?  Give something up?  And now, time flies and it’s the Second Week of Lent.  Is it too late to begin?

The Return of the Prodigal Son | Art UK
The Return of the Prodigal Son Eric Rimmington (b.1926), accessed at artuk.org

While one who is waiting in line for exclusive event tickets would surely be disappointed by attempting to hop on the train two and a half weeks late–not even nosebleed seats would be left–the pathway to God’s kingdom doesn’t quite work that way.  There seems to always be room at the table….even for the late-comers.  In fact, the banquet doesn’t even get started until the Prodigal Son returns…or the vineyard workers show up at the 11th hour.  And we know what Jesus has to say about the people who complain about those lazy, good-for-nothing late-comers.

So, I’m the late-comer this Lent.  But Lent is about persevering.  I want to show up for the party.  And, now is an acceptable time.  Now is the day of salvation.  Anyone in the boat with me can begin Lent today…and perhaps begin by practicing a little bit of mercy…toward yourself.

Happy Lent.

Katharine E. Harmon

Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., is Project Director for the Obsculta Preaching Initiative at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota.  A Roman Catholic pastoral liturgist and American Catholic historian, Harmon is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s liturgical studies program.  She has contributed over a dozen articles and chapters to the fields of both liturgical studies and American Catholicism.  She is the author of  There Were Also Many Women There: Lay Women in the Liturgical Movement in the United States, 1926-1959 (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2013) and Mary and the Liturgical Year: A Pastoral Resource  (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2023). She edits the blog, Pray Tell.

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Comments

4 responses to “Get a Little Lent in your Life”

  1. Jim Pauwels

    Katherine, thank you for this wonderful little reflection! In the category of Good News, you’ve touched on what may seem the best news of all: no matter how late we are to the station, the train is there waiting for us.

    Reply
  2. Lee Bacchi

    I usually make several “starts” each Lent.

    Reply
  3. Fritz Bauerschmidt

    I always say, doing Lent “badly” is an integral part of doing Lent.

    Reply
  4. Dr.Cajetan Coelho

    Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are important practices in these Lenten times. The Muslim brethren too are praying, fasting, and are engaged in acts of mercy, charity, and compassion during the ongoing Ramadan month.

    Reply

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